God's Will, Part 24
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Romans 9:19 .
19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”
How does the dance of wills work out in Scripture?
Paul does not really give us an answer in this passage. He just reminds us of our place of humility. So from a place of humility I will attempt to discuss the mystery of God’s will and human will.
Last week we looked at how our culture has shaped our view of free will through the work of Kant. Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, exposes us to the debate on free will in the first century in, “The Antiquities of the Jews” book 13, chapter 5, paragraph 9.
“9. (171) At this time there were three sects among the Jews, who had different opinions concerning human actions; the one was called the sect of the Pharisees, another the sect of the Sadducees, and the other the sect of the Essenes. (172) Now for the Pharisees, they say that some actions, but not all, are the work of fate, and some of them are in our own power, and that they are liable to fate, but are not caused by fate. But the sect of the Essenes affirm, that fate governs all things, and that nothing befalls men but what is according to its determination. (173) And for the Sadducees, they take away fate, and say there is no such thing, and that the events of human affairs are not at its disposal; but they suppose that all our actions are in our own power, so that we are ourselves the cause of what is good, and receive what is evil from our own folly. However, I have given a more exact account of these opinions in the second book of the Jewish War.” (Josephus, Flavius, and William Whiston. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987.)
The dance of wills is a mystery that is beyond our human understanding.
The two extremes of God’s will and human will are expressed in the idea’s of fatalism and libertariansim. Neither of these are a reflection of the whole counsel of Scripture. One can present arguments from Scripture for both. There is a tension Scripture holds with the relationship of wills.
Last week, in Romans 9:6-18, we covered the idea of God’s will acting in this world for his purposes in his sovereignty. That passage, taken alone, would support the idea of fatalism - God has decided it all for his glory and we are just along for the ride. Thus the question presented in Romans 9:19.
What are some Scripture passages that would address the idea of God’s creation having a choice?
It starts all the way back in God’s creative design of choice. He chose to give his creation choice, as seen in Genesis 2:16-17 .
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
It seems that choice was given to spiritual beings as well. See Psalm 82 ; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
What did choice make possible?
Choice, in God’s creative design, opened the door for genuine, deep relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It, however, also opened the door for rebellion, the destruction of that relationship. This rebellion started with a spiritual being who took the form of a serpent and deceived Eve. She gave the fruit to Adam and he wilfully choose to rebel, destroying their relationship with God (Genesis 3).
What does having a choice create?
It creates moral responsibility. Paul makes this clear in Romans 1:18-23.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
What conclusions can we draw from this mystery of wills?
We can forever ponder the mystery of wills. It will not be resolved in this life.
God, in his sovereignty, created choice. Why? I think to create opportunity for genuine relationship. The downside to this is rebellion and destruction. We take that chance every time we engage in relationship with each other.
We have been given choice, thus we have moral responsibility in the choices we make.
Left to our own means, we will rebel against God.
Romans 9:20-21 .
20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”
21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
What does Paul remind his reader of with these rhetorical questions?
Paul reminds us of our fundamental relationship with God, which is that He is Creator and we are his creatures. He created us. He created all things.
We may be tempted to exert hubris and forget who we are, resulting in us passing judgement on God ways.
May we approach the mystery of wills with humility, doing our best to hold to the revelation of Scripture.
