One Way or Another

We are all impressed by God's ability to accomplish His will. We know that Jesus' sacrifice was predetermined and foreknown by God (Ac. 2:23; 4:28; 1 Pet. 1:20). We're also aware that God is able to declare the end from the beginning (Is. 46:10). He is, after all, God!

But I'm afraid that we sometimes misunderstand how this happens, how the Lord providentially works to fulfill His plan. Some religious people thing that God has predetermined every decision that every man will ever make, that He has full-control of our thoughts and actions. If this is the case, then it would not be difficult for God to bring about the fulfillment of His plan. He just moves us around like pawns in a game of Chess...only God controls all the pieces (which sounds pretty meaningless, doesn't it?).

I guess what I'm getting at is this: we know that God has a predetermined plan, but is it necessarily true that He has already predetermined exactly who and how every function of His plan will be fulfilled? Yes, there are examples where God did know ahead of time who, by name, would fulfill a certain role (Is. 45:1, Cyrus is named before He was ever king), but does that mean that every detail and name is foreknown and predetermined by God?

In answering this question, let's read Exodus 32:10. When the people of Israel worshiped the golden calf (after God had just displayed His mighty power to them), God decided to destroy the people. He said to Moses, "Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you." As Moses interceded for the people, God basically told him, "Get out of My way. I'm going to destroy them and fulfill my promise to Abraham through you."

God had prospered the people of Israel in the land of Egypt. He had led them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. He had issued forth law unto them and had even confirmed the covenant with them in Exodus 24. But now, because of their gross sin, He was going to destroy them and start over with Moses.

Was God just testing Moses as many, including myself, have suggested? Certainly, this was a test for Moses, but I cannot see that as being God's primary motivation here. No where is it stated in the text that God was merely testing Moses. God's anger was, I believe, sincere, and He fully intended to destroy Israel. But Moses interceded.

Here's the point: if God had destroyed the people, it would have been because of their sin, and ultimately God's plan would have been fulfilled. Moses was a child of Abraham, and God could have raised up a nation through Him.

What about Judas? We know that Judas was the Son of Perdition, but what if Judas hadn't betrayed Jesus? What if Judas, who possessed free-will, had chosen to remain faithful to his Master? Certainly, God could have raised up someone else to do the job.

When God saw the wickedness of man during the days of Noah, He was "sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart" (Gen. 6:6). Jonah was commissioned by God to preach to the people of Nineveh. The prophet cried out to the people, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jon. 3:4). Yet when the people repented, "God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way" and He "relented of the disaster that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it" (Jon. 3:10).

Does God have a predetermined plan, and does He possess foreknowledge? Certainly. I will also add that God can foreknow anything. But does He choose to foreknow everything? And is God unwavering when it comes to the details of how His plan is carried out?

It is ironic to me that the Calvinistic theology exists because many religious people believe that in order for God to be sovereign, He must control every detail of EVERYTHING. Really, God's power and sovereignty are greater when He can bring about His plan despite our free-will!

We may not know exactly how God works behind the scenes but we can know one thing...

We serve an awesome God!

This is something that I've been thinking about. I may be wrong. If you disagree, please post your comments below. Let me know what you think.