Post by matthew on May 28, 2005 11:38:43 GMT -5
The Westminster Confession avers: 'God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsil of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass...'
This statement refers to God's eternal and immutable decretive will. It applies to everything that happens. Does this mean that everything that happens is the will of God? Yes. Augustine qualifies this answer by adding the words, 'in a certain sense'. That is, God ordains 'in some sense' everything that happens. Nothing that takes place is beyond the scope of his sovereign will. The movement of every molecule, the actions of every plant, the falling of every star, the choices of every volitional creature, all of these are subject to his sovereign will. No maverick molecules run loose in the universe, beyond the control of the Creator. If one such molecule existed, it could be the critical fly in the eternal ointment. As one grain of sand in the kidney of Oliver Cromwell changed the course of English history, so one maverick molecule could destroy every promise God has ever made about the outcome of history (The Heart of Reformed Theology', Sproul, R.C, 1997, p.181)
I have been thinking about this a lot recently. In fact I have thought about it quite a lot for a number of years. And yet, even though I understand it in my mind, I have yet to understand it with my heart.
God is in complete control of everything!
The fact that nothing can happen outside the will of God, whether it is good or evil, should give complete freedom in a world that can be hostile towards the Christian message. Bad things may happen but God has promised us that;
in all things God works for the good of those who love him Romans 8:28 N.I.V
This statement refers to God's eternal and immutable decretive will. It applies to everything that happens. Does this mean that everything that happens is the will of God? Yes. Augustine qualifies this answer by adding the words, 'in a certain sense'. That is, God ordains 'in some sense' everything that happens. Nothing that takes place is beyond the scope of his sovereign will. The movement of every molecule, the actions of every plant, the falling of every star, the choices of every volitional creature, all of these are subject to his sovereign will. No maverick molecules run loose in the universe, beyond the control of the Creator. If one such molecule existed, it could be the critical fly in the eternal ointment. As one grain of sand in the kidney of Oliver Cromwell changed the course of English history, so one maverick molecule could destroy every promise God has ever made about the outcome of history (The Heart of Reformed Theology', Sproul, R.C, 1997, p.181)
I have been thinking about this a lot recently. In fact I have thought about it quite a lot for a number of years. And yet, even though I understand it in my mind, I have yet to understand it with my heart.
God is in complete control of everything!
The fact that nothing can happen outside the will of God, whether it is good or evil, should give complete freedom in a world that can be hostile towards the Christian message. Bad things may happen but God has promised us that;
in all things God works for the good of those who love him Romans 8:28 N.I.V