Doctrine of the Divine Decrees: Part 2. God is Holy

Doctrine of the Divine Decrees: Part 2. God is Holy.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Doctrine of the Divine Decrees:
Point 1: Introduction

Theologically the term decree refers to what God has planned before creation and its continuance.

Is God limited to having to choose the best plan for Him that doesn’t include the best plan for you? Does God have to choose between Himself and His creation?

ISA 46:10
Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying,’My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

DEU 10:12-13
"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?

DAN 7:18
But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’

1CO 11:24
and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

So God is able to accomplish the greatest good for Himself as well as His creatures. To accuse Him of anything less is to discredit Him.

To suggest that He is but partially in authority, or that He has failed and is seeking to salvage something out of the wreckage, is outside of His character and so should be rejected.

To suggest that He is conforming to existing things over which He has no control, shall be rejected.

In spite of the immediate problems which the presence of sin and suffering create, it shall be accredited to God that, in the end, He shall have accomplished that which alone is consistent with infinite wisdom and goodness.

DEU 31:8 And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed."

PSA 138:8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;

ISA 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His [Christ] government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

EZE 20:8 "But they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

Either (1) that God is sovereign and all that ever has existed or will exist is within His plan, or (2) that He is not sovereign and there is more or less in the universe which exists in defiance of His holy character and over which He has no authority.

The doctrine of divine decree of itself introduces nothing mysterious or profound. It declares that God both designed and willed before He acted, and that all His actions are in harmony with His perfect character and attributes.

God has not failed, He has not been defeated, and He has not made light of sin.

The difficulties imposed on our finite minds must be met with that very faith in the essence and character of an infinite God.

Times of doubt will occur in every believer’s life no matter what stage of spiritual growth they are in and we cannot press on in the spiritual life with doubts.

1CO 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

1KI 19:12
And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.

It is folly to suppose that the revealed things include all that there is to be known. The theologian is not to be discredited but rather commended who, when confronted with the secret things of God, is able to say, I do not know.