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NASB | Psalm 115:3 But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Psalm 115:3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. |
Bible Question:
Doc, Regarding the example... 1. Is it actually suggested that it was God's decree - "His eternal purpose, according to His will, whereby He has foreordained" - that the man rob a bank? 2. Would that not be the same thing as saying that God decreed the man to sin, that is, God decreed this man to go against his preceptive, i.e. revealed will? Even further, being an eternal decree, is it being suggested that God never intended for the man to obey a known divine precept? 3. Could not the rape of a child also be used as an example of God's "decretive will"? Can it not also be said that, although God having laid the command "thou shalt not rape children," nevertheless, God never intended for this man to obey it? 4. How can God, if the integrity of His being is to be maintained, will the opposite of what he commands, worse, never intend the obedience demanded in the first place? 5. Furthermore (and this question is the more important, which I would like a response), how does Deut 29:29 demonstrate such a teaching regrading God's will as proposed in your post? |
Bible Answer: Dear Lookn4ward2Heavn, 1. "God hath decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree. (Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 6:17; Romans 9:15, 18; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5; Acts 4:27, 28; John 19:11; Numbers 23:19; Ephesians 1:3-5)" --1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (Chapter 3, paragraph 1) 2. See answer to #1. 3. See answer to #1. 4. You are equating determinism with the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. They are not equivalent. See answer to #1. 5. Deuteronomy 29:29 is a primary proof text that some information is simply God's business alone, not man's. I suspect that much of that is simply a matter of our limited cognitive abilities (Job 11:7-9; Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:3; etc. etc.) All that is in Scripture is true, but not all that is true is in Scripture. Regardless, God forbids that some knowledge be sought out (Leviticus 19:26), certainly that most notably applies to the future, which God has fixed in His authority (Acts 1:7). If you have a genuine interest in the subject, I'd commend you to the following books that are in the public domain: Arthur W. Pink's, "The Sovereignty of God" http://www.sovereign-grace.com/pink/0-index.htm Dr. Loraine Boettner's, "The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination" http://www.lgmarshall.org/Boettner/boettner_rdp00.html If you have already made up your mind, brush up on the specific topic of causality and the general topic of rhetoric. In Him, Doc |