The Doctrine of the Divine Decree. On the border between the infinite and the finite

Point one. Definition:
The decree of God is His eternal (always existed), holy (perfect integrity), wise (the application of omniscience to creation), and sovereign purpose, comprehending simultaneously all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions (status), successions (interaction with others that leads to certain decisions), relations, and determining certain parts of their future. The term decree of God appears in the singular, since God has but one all-inclusive plan. He sees all things at a glance. For convenience, the separate features of this plan may be called the decrees of God; but there should be no implication in this that the infinite understanding of God advances by steps. There is no possibility that the one plan, the decree, will be altered by omissions or additions. Nor is it true that God can have a particular purpose and have something go on in His universe that is unrelated. God sustains a distinct purpose concerning each aspect of His one intention.

Point 2. The decree of God is His eternal (always existed), holy (perfect integrity), wise (the application of omniscience to creation), and sovereign purpose, comprehending simultaneously all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions (status), successions (interaction with others that leads to certain decisions), relations, and determining their certain futurition.

Point 3: The order of the divine decrees (lapsarianism).
Of all the decrees, five of them are related to the purpose of God in election - the five elective decrees.\

Biblical lapsarianism:
a. The decree to create.
b. The decree to permit the fall.
c. Unlimited atonement.
d. The decree to motivate through the deposit of escrow blessings.
e. The simultaneous decrees of election and predestination, and to apply salvation to those who believe in Christ.

God is able to create and not create, to allow and not allow, and that sin and evil are in the world with a purpose to accomplish God’s great plan. Sin is fully hated by God but through the unlimited atonement, God dealt with sin once and for all, therefore there can never be a condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. Sin is not the issue anymore, but rather the Son is the issue. Focus on the solution and not the problem. Such contemplation should never lessen the human estimation of the divine hatred for sin, nor be any encouragement to a creature to sin. We will sin ignorantly and wilfully and the only reason we are forgiven of any of it was the death of Christ. We are not to focus on it in ourselves or others, but never take sin so lightly that you put your lifestyle into it and imagine there is no consequence. The deeds of the flesh are evident and it will destroy our lives if we let it reign over us.

That sin is infinitely evil is demonstrated by the ruin it has wrought among the angels, the present depravity of humanity with all its woes, and the fact that no cure for sin could be found at a less cost than the blood of the Son of God. A believer has to find the balance between giving himself grace and forgiving others and the detrimental effects of a lifestyle of sin that keeps him away from fellowship with God. Both immoral and moral degeneracy are great destroyers of people’s lives. So when you’re standing on the threshold of the infinite and you find yourself unable to answer questions as to why God did this and why He did that, remember something:

It is a dangerous thing for a finite creature to sit in judgement upon the course that God pursues. He is trustworthy and should be fully trusted. Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

So as we stand on the threshold of the infinite and the finite the main thing you want to remember is that without faith it is impossible to please God and that the decree should give you security, confidence, courage, and peace [prosperity] of soul.

Directive will of God: What God desires me to think, to do, and where to go. This is focused on believers since the unbeliever has but one directive from God - believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved. We will break up the directive will of God into seven categories:

If you are going to do the will of God, if you are going to be guided by God, this must be your mental attitude. This can be quite a problem since not all things that come into our lives can be qualified as pleasant. There is going to be a great deal of suffering, tragedy, and adversity in our lives, but you don’t have to be concerned because there is always a purpose for it designed by God in EP.

With capacity through doctrine suffering will be a blessing for you. The promise is not that all things are good; it is that all things work together for good. Since that is true, and will be true to the believer with a strong doctrinal faith, you can thank the Lord for everything that comes into your life; the suffering, the adversities, the trials and heartaches, as well as the blessings, the successes and the victories. Suffering is designed to bless us; therefore I can give thanks in suffering. Discipline is designed to remind us to use 1 John 1:9; therefore I can give thanks for discipline. Only knowledge of doctrine supplies capacity for suffering.

Suffering is:

a. God’s way of blessing the believer.

b. God’s way of bringing maturity (edification complex) in a quicker way.

c. God’s way of directing our attention to the things that are really important in life such as: Fellowship with Him; Knowing doctrine.

It is God’s directive will that you depend upon divine or Biblical viewpoint in every situation. It is not God’s will that you depend on human viewpoint for life. Because we have a free will and He has a directive will that blesses us He puts forth a question to us in time: “Do you want Me to direct your path and to lead you along the way?” God’s decree is Sovereign and so there is not one little corner of the universe where He did not know exactly what would happen and when, and even all, the other possibilities of what might have happened through other causes. God therefore has not left one part of our lives to which He did not give divine guidance, even the smallest details. Therefore, there is doctrine for every aspect of our lives every day. In our free will we can chose His directive or trust in our own or another persons human guidance. If you neglect doctrine, whatever is being taught from the pulpit, then you will have no choice but human viewpoint because the word is given before the moment it’s needed.

Well doing or good works is the will of God for the believer. Believers have been left on earth to represent and glorify TLJC. Part of representing Him is to be effective in the realm of production, which is the natural by-product of spiritual maturity. Just remember that this is His will for after salvation. There are no works in salvation.

All production is in the area of divine good: the filling of the Spirit, the exhale of epignosis, and the erection of the edification complex. This is triple compound divine good. The permissive will of God: Where negative volition in man is permitted to act contrary to the will of God. Man goes negative against His directive will. God is a gentleman; He does not coerce human volition. He disciplines for disobedience, but does not force obedience except in extreme cases. Man often operates under the lust of his old sin nature and therefore uses negative volition to disobey God. While God in righteousness does not violate human volition so as to coerce man, God in justice disciplines disobedience. Often we try to somehow entice God to come over to our view and He’s not buying it. His directive will is His sovereign will and it is perfectly righteous and holy and God will never agree with anything that goes against it. However, it is proof of the existence of human free will and God’s recognition of it that we are often allowed to act against God’s perfect will. A great example of this is in the history of Balaam.

Notice the command: “Do not go with them;”

It is a subtle form of self-justification, where you know what the word of God says concerning a certain thing, but you look for the tiniest loop-hole somewhere so that you may justify your lust. It’s as if we truly think we can fool God in His court of law; as if God would say to us, “You know, I never saw it that way.” Balaam wants to go because he wants the money so God allows him to and this is God’s permissive will.

Balaam was operating on materialism lust from his old sin nature; therefore, he used his negative volition to disobey the will of God. If God should violate the free will of Balaam, then God is not glorified. God cannot be glorified by coercion. God has put His essence on the line in reply to accusations against Him that He is not who He claims to be. If He just forces men to obey Him, though He could, then He doesn’t reveal His essence, neither to the elect or the fallen.

So now we have the overruling will of God.

Balak takes Balaam to another place to overlook another portion of Israel hoping that Balaam would curse them, but again Balaam blesses them.

Balaam blesses them yet again and then prophecies the destruction of Balak and the coming of David and Messiah. Israel is blessed by the Lord in the land, but notice what they do.

Once again, as so often we see of the people of God, God allows evil, but overrules it in His perfect timing.