Robin
Lake Park, Georgia USA
Posts: 1,079
Joined: January 2002
|
|
|
|
Forums31
Topics8,349
Posts56,545
Members992
| |
Most Online2,383 Jan 12th, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 23
Plebeian
|
Plebeian
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 23 |
I must admit that I'm surprised this is not a more well known concept. I came across it in my first months of studying reformed theology when I read John Piper's article Are There Two Wills in God?. But Piper isn't alone in believing this. RC Sproul speaks of it in his book The Invisible Hand: Do all things really work for good?: If God ordains or wills everything that comes to pass, we wonder how that affects human volitional actions.
One way this is frequently answered is by an appeal to God's permissive will. The distinction is made between God's "decretive will," by which He sovereignly brings to pass whatever He decrees, and His "permissive will" that leaves room for the moral actions of His creatures. However, this solution often oversimplifies the question. If God is omnipotent, then He clearly has the power to prevent any event from happening that actually happens. If I choose to sin this afternoon, God has the power to prevent me from sinning if He so chooses. He also has the right to prevent me from sinning since He is sovereign. If he "permits" my sin, this does not mean He sanctions it or gives His permission in the sense that He deems it lawful. He may let it occur without intervening to stop it. This is what is meant by His permissive will. He lets it happen. But what God permits to happen He still chooses to permit...
The human desire for sin is also under God's sovereign control. I cannot even desire to sin unless God in His providence "permits" it, and He will not permit it unless it accords with His ultimate will. In a word, I cannot even sin unless it is ordained in some sense by God... The key phrase here is the one used by Augustine when he argued that God, in some sense, ordains everything that comes to pass. The qualifying phrase "in some sense" was Augustine's attempt to preserve the mystery of the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
"Nothing can be more insulting to God than to presume to examine His Word, professing a desire to learn His mind, when we have already settled to our own satisfaction what it will say." ~A.W. Pink
|
|
|
|
|
Entire Thread
|
Gods will!
|
English Rose
|
Sat May 13, 2006 4:49 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
Pilgrim
|
Sat May 13, 2006 5:09 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
English Rose
|
Sat May 13, 2006 7:40 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
Robin
|
Sun May 14, 2006 11:37 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
John_C
|
Sun May 14, 2006 1:02 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
Pilgrim
|
Sun May 14, 2006 5:26 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
Brother Bret
|
Fri May 19, 2006 2:16 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
John_C
|
Fri May 19, 2006 2:31 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
John_C
|
Wed May 24, 2006 2:32 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
J_Edwards
|
Wed May 24, 2006 3:04 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
John_C
|
Wed May 24, 2006 11:36 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
J_Edwards
|
Wed May 24, 2006 12:27 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
Pilgrim
|
Wed May 24, 2006 2:18 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
Adopted
|
Wed May 24, 2006 10:25 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
English Rose
|
Thu May 25, 2006 8:44 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
beloved57
|
Sat May 27, 2006 11:49 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
Pilgrim
|
Sat May 27, 2006 5:04 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
beloved57
|
Sat May 27, 2006 10:36 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
Pilgrim
|
Wed May 24, 2006 3:38 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
English Rose
|
Tue May 16, 2006 4:58 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
beloved57
|
Sat May 27, 2006 2:59 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
English Rose
|
Tue May 16, 2006 8:07 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
guidedbygrace
|
Sat May 20, 2006 4:01 PM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
English Rose
|
Sun May 21, 2006 7:22 AM
|
Re: Gods will!
|
guidedbygrace
|
Tue May 23, 2006 1:07 PM
|
|
|
|
0 members (),
167
guests, and
40
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
2
|
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
|
31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are no members with birthdays on this day. |
|
|
|
|