God’s Involvement With the World

Father-Son Theology

God’s Involvement from the View of CCT/RT

When discussing the Nature of God, we explained the historical development of the ancient Greek philosophers’ concept of God. That development came into full expression in the teachings of Plotinus. The fundamentals of his cosmology and concept of God are expressed in the diagram shown below.

see Plotinus’s cosmology and concept of God photo

The understanding revealed in this diagram is built on four false assumptions that we identified in our Nature of God volume. Those false assumptions were the assumptions made by the ancient Greek philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus:

Plato’s dualistic cosmology that there are two worlds, along with the assumption that God is infinitely separated from humanity.

Aristotle’s assumption that the spiritual world is timeless and God exists in that timeless spiritual world; therefore, God is immutable, which means He cannot become temporal, which means He cannot come into the temporal world.

Plotinus’ assumption that God is like the sun radiating His attributes; God is also simple.

Plotinus’ assumption that God is transcendent, and therefore, God is incomprehensible and unknowable.

The Classical cosmology and Classical view of God predetermine how the God of CCT/RT is involved with this world. Let me explain.

Point 1: CCT/RT—God’s Will Radiates from Him

As mentioned earlier, Augustine spent nine years studying the dualistic philosophy of Manichaeism, and then he immersed himself in the Neoplatonic philosophy of Plotinus. When Augustine began seriously investigating Christianity, he had already embraced the fundamentals of Plotinus’ concept of God, whom Plotinus referred to as “the One,” existing in a timeless, spiritual world, radiating His attributes.

Example — Augustine and Plotinus both saw beauty as radiating from God like the sun.

see Plotinus’ & Augustine’s View of Beauty Radiating from God photo

All Attributes

Plotinus, Augustine, and those who followed in their footsteps not only saw God’s beauty radiating, but all His attributes radiating. This is an inescapable implication of their assumption that God is simple. As explained earlier, divine simplicity means God has no parts. Therefore, nothing in God’s nature can be separated. His beauty, light, love, wrath, power, presence, and other attributes are one. Therefore, wherever one attribute radiates, all attributes radiate.

If God is simple, in the sense that the Greek philosophers claimed, then God’s will is also inseparable from His attributes. Norman Geisler explained this saying, “God’s will is identical to His nature.” An inescapable implication of divine simplicity is that God’s will radiates wherever God’s beauty, light, or love radiate.

see CCT/RT: God’s Will Radiating Out photo

Point 2: CCT/RT—God Exhaustively Controls this World

To the concept of God radiating His will, add the Classical idea that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. If God is omnipresent, then His will radiates everywhere. If God is omnipotent, then nothing stands in the way of His will. In other words, God’s will is always perfectly accomplished everywhere.

An accurate image of God, according to CT/RT, is of God radiating His unconquerable, unwavering will. Everything in existence must yield and conform to His will. Therefore, His will and no other is being accomplished. With that image of God, it is logical to conclude that God is in total and absolute control of everything. Theologians refer to this as God’s exhaustive control.

Although I disagree with the C/R view of God and the C/R idea that God is in exhaustive control, I respect teachers of CT/RT who are consistent. R. C. Sproul was consistent with the Reformed view of God, writing:

“If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled…Maybe that one molecule will be the one thing that prevents Christ from returning.” (Sproul, Chosen by God, 27)

Similarly, Paul Helm, a theologian who teaches at Canada’s Regent College, expressed his view that is consistent with RT:

“Not only is every atom and molecule, every thought and desire, kept in being by God, but every twist and turn of each of these is under the direct control of God.” (Paul Helm, The Providence of God, 22)

To encapsulate this understanding of God’s exhaustive control, adherents of CT/RT say God is “sovereign.” When they say God is sovereign, they mean God’s will is perfectly accomplished and He is exhaustively controlling all things.

Point 3: CCT/RT—People Have No Free Will

If God is sovereign and in exhaustive control as teachers of CCT/RT claim, then people have no free will.

Some adherents of CT/RT believe God’s exhaustive control and humanity’s free will are both true. That is called compatibilism. Debates about this topic usually revolve around one’s definition of free will.

I am an incompatibilist, seeing that it is illogical to believe that God has exhaustive control and people have free will at the same time.

Being consistent with their own theology, Augustine, Luther, and Calvin each believed people have no free will. R. C. Sproul explained how God’s sovereignty negates humanity’s free will:

“If God has decided our destinies from all eternity, that strongly suggests that our free choices are but charades, empty exercises in predetermined playacting. It is as though God wrote the script for us in concrete and we are merely carrying out his scenario.” (R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God, 37)

This has tremendous implications for all areas of theology, which we will discover as we continue.

Point 4: CCT/RT—God Is Responsible for All Things

If God is in exhaustive control of all things, then God is responsible for all things.

God determines every sparrow that falls to the ground, every spilled cup of coffee, and every baby that lives or dies. The popular, modern Reformed theologian, John Piper boldly said, “Even a ‘dirty bomb’ that levels Minneapolis would be from God.” Teachers consistent with CT/RT must believe that God is responsible for all things.

see CT: Logical Progression of Thought Starting with Classical View of God photo

Being logically consistent, John Calvin taught:

“Nothing happens except what is knowingly and willingly decreed by Him.” (Calvin, Institutes, I:16:3)

When Calvin said God “decreed” all things, he was implying God is the initiator and cause of all things. For Calvin, this was just another logical step from his understanding of God.

The Westminster Confession of Faith words it this way:

God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatever comes to pass.

Is God Responsible for Sin?

Huldrych Zwingli, a primary leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland concluded that God is the “author, mover and instigator” of all things, including human sin.

Some teachers of RT will not go as far as crediting God with sin and evil. All teachers of CRT will admit that God “permits” sin and evil, but many will say God does not “cause” them. They can say this by being careful with how they use the word “cause.”

For example, John Piper explains that God foreordains everything that happens, even sin and evil. Therefore, according to Piper, God orchestrates all events to make certain that “a person does what God ordains for him to do even if it involves evil,” but Piper would still say that the person is the cause, in the sense of the instigator, of the evil.

By making such a distinction, Piper and other Reformed teachers may avoid saying God is the cause of sin and evil, but God still is responsible because He makes certain the sin and evil happen.

Some theologians say its all a divine mystery, and label the view that God is responsible or the cause of evil and sin as “hyper-calvinism” or “high-calvinism”.

A God who is in exhaustive control may not be the cause, but He is responsible for everything that happens.

Point 5: CCT/RT—All Things Are Predestined

If God is in exhaustive control and He is timeless, then all His decisions were settled in eternity past. He has no future decisions to make. His will is eternally established. In other words, all things are predestined.

see CCT/RT: All Things Are Predestined photo

According to Calvin, all good and evil that has ever happened or will happen is because God willed and predestined it to happen. John Calvin explained that even the fall of Adam and Eve was predetermined by God. These are the implications that logically follow from the C/R understanding of God.

Illogical Lifestyles

Even though these are the logical implications, many Christians trained in C/R traditions do not live consistently with these implications.

For example, many C/R Christians engage in evangelistic work, which accomplishes nothing beneficial if God has predestined and is controlling all things. Many C/R Christians pray earnestly, hoping God will answer their prayers even though their theology dictates that God’s will is eternally set and unchanging. Indeed, people can say they believe in one thing but act in unrelated ways.

Point 6: CCT/RT—Irresistible and Efficacious Grace

Most commonly, teachers of CT/RT define grace as “unmerited favor.” However, their understanding of God being sovereign, in the sense of exhaustively controlling all things, leads them to conclude God’s grace is irresistible, meaning people who have been given grace cannot resist doing what God gave them the grace to do.

Teachers of CCT/RT also use the terminology efficacious grace, which refers to God’s grace being effective in that sense of being perfect in accomplishing whatever God has given the grace to accomplish.

see CCT/RT: God’s Grace is irresistible and Efficacious photo

Some Reformed theologians try to separate grace that God gives for salvation from grace that God gives to people for other reasons. Then they say grace for salvation is irresistible and efficacious, while any other grace is not necessarily irresistible and efficacious.

Such a distinction is nonsensical so long as they are holding on to the God of CT/RT. Any God who is timeless, omnipresent, omnipotent, simple, and radiates His will has to be in exhaustive control. Furthermore, if God is simple, then one type of grace cannot be separated from another type of grace. Therefore, any help God gives through grace will perfectly accomplish His will. In other words, anyone consistent with the God of CT/RT must see all grace from God as irresistible and efficacious.

Point 7: CCT/RT—No Basis for Judgment

If God is in exhaustive control, then He is responsible for all good and bad. If God is responsible, then there is no basis for a future judgment of people. If people have no free will, then there is no human behavior that deserves to be rewarded or punished.

This corresponds with the CC/R understanding of grace. If God’s grace is efficacious and irresistible, then whatever people do, they are being caused to do through no choice of their own. Being consistent with his own theology, John Calvin explained this writing:

“For we know that grace and reward are incompatible.” (John Calvin’s Bible Commentary on Gen, 22:15)

Indeed, the C/R understanding of grace negates any rationale for reward or punishment. In his commentary on Genesis 22:15, Calvin explained that God gives no rewards, but God may allow His blessings to be called rewards “but only that he may excite his own people to the love of well-doing.”

Notice what Calvin was saying! He said God may allow people to be deceived into believing that God gives rewards so that they will act better, but Calvin could not accept the biblical reports of God actually rewarding.

Calvin’s theology is clearly evident in how he understood the words that the angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham immediately after Abraham proved that he was willing to kill his son:

Genesis 22:16–17 NASB95

and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.

Notice the cause-and-effect relationship. The angel of the Lord said to Abraham, “because you have done this…” Then the angel said, “I will greatly bless you…” John Calvin explained away this cause-and-effect relationship between Abraham’s obedience and God’s blessing. Because he concluded that God is in exhaustive control, Calvin could not logically accept what the angel of the Lord said. Nor could he logically accept God, in any situation, at any time, rewarding people.

Issues with Impassibility

Rewarding people is also incompatible with the attribute of impassibility which CC/R teachers assign to God. If God is impassible, then He cannot reward or punish anyone because that would put God in the responding role rather than the initiating role.

Point 8: CCT/RT—A Timeless God Cannot Answer Prayer

Teachers of CCT/RT do not believe God answers prayer.

To see this, consider the word “answer,” as in “answer prayer.” By definition, this refers to something done in response. The God of CCT/RT cannot respond to anything because He is impassible. He is also immutable.

Affirming the CC/R idea that God cannot answer prayer, Norman Geisler wrote:

Prayer is not a means by which we change God; it is a means by which God changes us. (Geisler, Systematic Theology, 449)

This is a common understanding among followers of CCT/RT. They envision the individual’s will coming into conformity to God’s will, rather than God’s will being influenced by prayer.

As discussed earlier, some teachers claim to hold to CT/RT, but they are inconsistent. For example, throughout his Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem maintained that God is timeless, but concerning prayer he wrote:

When we ask, God responds. The prayers of his people clearly affect how God acts (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 377).

Both of these statements are illogical, coming from a theologian who says God is timeless.

Point 9: CCT/RT—A Timeless God Cannot Forgive Sin

This next point is going to have profound implications upon our understanding of salvation and the atonement.

A timeless God cannot forgive sin, because that requires change.

“Forgive” is a verb. It is only possible to forgive, if at a previous time, a person was not forgiven. For God to not forgive and then later to forgive requires God to change. According to CCT/RT, God cannot change, and therefore, He cannot forgive sin.

Most teachers of CCT/RT still talk about God forgiving sin. If confronted with the inconsistency of their theology, they may say God’s forgiveness is an anthropomorphism. Or they may just ignore their inconsistency. Others talk in circles until their listeners lose track of their thought progression, but an inescapable implication of CCT/RT is that God cannot forgive sin—ever.

In the next section, we will correct the four false assumptions lying at the foundation of CT/RT, and we will develop a biblical understanding of God’s involvement with this world.

God’s Involvement from the View of FST

Notice how in the previous section, we do not quote any scripture to come to those conclusions, because the CCT/RT view of how God acts can be developed apart from the Bible, solely on the logical progression of thought based on Greek philosophy. Some Scriptures may be quoted to try to support these ideas, but no Scripture is necessary to come to these conclusions.

In contrast, a student of FST needs to read the Bible to learn how Father-God acts. We could derive some understanding by thinking about the attributes, concepts, and names of God about which we learned through our earlier study of the Bible.

Example — We learned God is forgiving, so we can expect Him to forgive people. We learned God is relational, so we can expect God to be involved in relationships, etc…

Point 1: FST—Starting with a Biblical Worldview

Before we read the biblical reports, we need to embrace a biblical cosmology.249 Genesis 1:1 tells us God created the heavens and Earth. Jeremiah 23:24 tells us God fills heaven and Earth. This means God acts from within creation.

see FST: God Fills Creation and Acts from within Creation photo

Start with a biblically derived cosmology, we must eliminate the sun-like image of God that lies at the foundation of Western Christianity.

With what should we replace the sun-like image? Paul explained that God “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Tim. 6:16). This implies light is His dwelling place, but it does not mean light radiates from Him.

The light in which God dwells does not emanate from any one point. God does not exist at any one point. He fills all. He is. Light is. He dwells in light.

see FST: God Dwells in Light photo

Point 2: FST—God Delegated Authority to Humanity

Starting with a biblically derived cosmology, we can now start reading in Genesis and see how God relates to the world He created. He fathered and created Adam, and then said:

Genesis 1:28 NASB95

God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

With these words, God gave Adam and his descendants authority and responsibility to govern Earth.

Evidence of this delegated authority is the fact that God told Adam to name the animals. It was Adam’s job. There is no implication in the text that God was in exhaustive control or that God provided the names that Adam gave to the animals. God delegated the associated responsibility.

The psalmist divided the realms of authority, saying:

Psalm 115:16 NASB95

The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, But the earth He has given to the sons of men.

Father-God wants people to govern Earth.

This implies people have the ability to govern. It implies people have some amount of free will, a subject we will examine more fully in Volume IV, when we will study the compositional nature of humanity, which includes a discussion of free will.

The reason people can govern this world is that it runs according to natural laws. People can apply themselves, building homes, damming rivers, cultivating crops, and managing the forest. If this world did not run according to predictable laws, it would be impossible for humans to govern it. These natural laws are not taught in the Bible, but science has well established that this world is not chaotic or random.

Father-God commissioned Adam and Eve (and all their descendants) to take dominion of this law-governed world (Gen. 1:28). Next, we will learn how God remains involved with this world, but keep in mind that God delegated some authority to humanity. Because God is a Father, He deals with humanity in a fatherly manner. He wants His children to take responsibility and mature.

Point 3: FST—God Is Sovereign, Having Ultimate Authority

Since God wants people to govern Earth, He limits His own involvement. Teachers of CCT/RT must disagree with this statement because it conflicts with their belief that God exhaustively controls every detail. This corresponds with the two different definitions of “sovereign.”

As we have discussed, teachers of CCT/RT understand sovereignty as “God controlling all things.” FST understands sovereignty to mean “God can do whatever He wants whenever He wants.” There is a big difference between God controlling all things and God doing whatever He wants. This difference identifies another major distinction between CT/RT and FST.

It is easy to find verses in the Bible that support the view of FST that God is sovereign in the sense of doing whatever He wants:

Psalm 115:3 NASB95

But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.

Psalm 135:6 NASB95

Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.

What About Pharaoh’s Heart?

In contrast, the definition of sovereign offered by CT/RT cannot be derived from any verse in the Bible. Sometimes teachers of CT/RT will point to a passage such as Romans 9:17–18, which refers to God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, and then from that example, conclude that God controls all things. Such reasoning is seriously flawed because an example of how God dealt with one person is not proof that He deals with everyone in the same way.

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is evidence of the definition of sovereign offered by FST rather than that of CT/RT. It shows God can harden or soften any heart He wants, but it does not show God controlling the hearts of all two million Hebrews who were looking to Pharaoh to set them free.

Of course, God has ultimate authority, but having authority is not the same as controlling all things. When a person has authority, that person can choose whether to use that authority and take control. Since God has ultimate authority, He can influence this world whenever He wants, anyway He wants. However, He has sovereignly chosen to not control all things. Let us look at this from another perspective.

Point 4: FST—God Is in Charge

We are instructed to pray:

Matthew 6:10 NASB95

‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

We pray for God’s will to be done on Earth because, at present, God’s will is not being fully accomplished on Earth. There are people and demons not doing God’s will. Some things grieve God’s heart. Some things happen contrary to God’s will. That is why we are instructed to pray for God’s will to be done on Earth.

A day will come in the future when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord. Then all things will be in subjection to Jesus, the Kingdom of God will be fully manifest on Earth, and the will of Jesus will be perfectly done.

However, at present, God’s will is not being perfectly carried out. That is the problem with this world. Many people are living in rebellion to God, and it grieves God’s heart. The reason there is so much pain and suffering in this world is because God is not controlling all things.

Once this truth is realized, a person will be hesitant in using the statement, “God is in control” or “everything is going to be okay.”

A better, more biblically accurate phrase would be “God has all authority,” or “God is in charge.” The statement, “God is in charge,” affirms God has the authority to do whatever He wants to do, but it does not state or imply that God is controlling everything.

Point 5: FST—God Providentially Guides

God is working all things out with a view to the summing up of all things in Christ (Eph. 1:9–10). This means God is orchestrating the affairs of this world so His ultimate will is carried out. However, steering the world’s affairs toward His ultimate goals is not equivalent to controlling every detail and event that ever happens.

God’s overall guidance of the world is often referred to as God’s providential guidance. Teachers of CT/RT sometimes use the word providence to refer to their all-controlling understanding of God’s involvement, but here we are referring to how God guides things from behind the scenes — not every detail, but the overall direction of the world’s progression toward His ultimate goals.

Selective Providence

Some events may be under the providential direction of God, while other events are not. For example, on one occasion, Jesus sent Peter to catch a fish and then take a coin out of the fish’s mouth and use the coin to pay their taxes (Mt. 17:27). For that event to happen, God may have been directing that one fish to carry that coin in its mouth, but this does not prove or even suggest God is directing what is in the mouth of every fish in the world.

When Christians talk about God’s providential guidance, they are often referring to how God can influence someone of great authority to act as He desires. For example, God stirred the heart of King Cyrus to release the Hebrew people out of slavery (Ezra 1:1–4).

Proverbs tells us:

Proverbs 21:1 NASB95

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.

God can turn the heart of a king anyway He chooses, and from this verse, we can infer God has the authority to direct any person in any way He desires. However, this verse does not say God is directing every decision every king makes. It simply reveals how God has the authority to direct whoever He chooses whenever He chooses.

If we insist, as teachers of CCT/RT insist, that God determines every action of every leader, then we have to conclude God directed Hitler to kill six million Jews. To be consistent with the C/R understanding, we would also have to say God made Solomon take 700 wives and 300 concubines who led his heart away from God (1 Kgs. 11:3). If God directs every decision of every leader, then God is the cause of great suffering in the world.

On the other hand, if we accept God’s providential guidance from the view of FST, then we will acknowledge God doing enough to guide the overall direction of the world’s progression toward His ultimate goals but not controlling every decision of every person.

Point 6: FST—God Can Predestine Whatever He Wants

Another way God is involved in this world is by predestining certain events and outcomes. For example, Jesus was predestined to come into the world and die for the sins of humanity (Rev. 13:8). For another example, consider how Jeremiah was chosen to be a prophet before he was even born (Jer. 1:5). God predestined these things.

However, even though God predestined Jeremiah to be a prophet, this does not mean God has predestined every human being to work in the career in which they find themselves. It is poor hermeneutics to take an example of how God worked in one individual’s life and assume God works in every person’s life the same way.

This is obvious as soon as we consider people who have chosen careers, such as drug dealing or human trafficking, which are not according to God’s will. If we embrace the C/R view that God predestines every person in their career, then we have to accept drug dealers and human traffickers as doing God’s will.

Point 7: FST—God Answers Prayer

Another way God is involved in this world is through answering prayers. When the Hebrews were in captivity in Egypt:

Exodus 2:24–25 NASB95

So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

If we take these verses seriously, we will recognize God responding to the cries of His people. Furthermore, Jesus assured His disciples, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (Jn. 14:14). God does answer prayers, especially for those who are in a covenant relationship with Him.

Point 8: FST—God Forgives Sin

God is involved by forgiving sins. This is a central message throughout the Bible. This is especially important to note, because of our earlier discussion about a timeless God being incapable of forgiving sin.

Unlike CCT/RT, FST takes the multiple verses about God forgiving sins seriously and literally.

Point 9: FST—God Rewards

God also rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). We discussed this earlier, when we identified God as a rewarder. Because it is in His nature to reward, He gets involved in this world by blessing those who seek Him.

Point 10: FST—God Influences through Relationships

God also influences this world through relationships with people.

As people relate to Him, they bring their lives more into alignment with His will. This can be compared to a young man who falls in love with a woman; his behavior may change in dramatic ways. Similarly, when people enter into a relationship with God, they tend to live more pleasing to Him. As a result, God influences this world through the lives of those who love and draw near to Him.

Point 11: FST—God Disciplines His Children

Another way in which God influences this world is by training and disciplining His children to live righteously. The writer of Hebrews explained:

Hebrews 12:7–11 NASB95

God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline … those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Point 12: FST—God Influences via His Spirit

God also influences this world through His Spirit. An excellent example is how Paul and his companions attempted to preach in Asia, but they were “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6).

One aspect of the new covenant is that God puts His Spirit in His people and causes them to do His will (Ezekiel 36:27).

God also empowers people to accomplish some tasks by putting His Spirit upon them. For example, we are told in Exodus 31:3–6, that craftsmen were anointed by God to do their work with extra skill and wisdom.

Cooperation with the Spirit

When God influences via His Spirit, people typically maintain some ability to cooperate or resist the Holy Spirit. We see this freedom when prophets prophesy. Paul explained how the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets, which means the prophets have the authority to speak God’s word or not (1 Cor. 14:32). We can also see biblical evidence of people resisting what the Spirit of God is directing. Paul even warned people not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), which would only be possible if people are capable of resisting what the Spirit is directing.

So then, God can gently woo people to do His will, but He can also work more forcefully in their lives through His Spirit. Paul talked about how the Spirit “compelled” him to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22). God can work through His Spirit forcefully or gently because He is sovereign.

Point 13: FST—God’s Grace Can Be Resistible or Irresistible

God extends grace to people. However, the biblical understanding of grace is different from that of CT/RT.256 As we explained, teachers of CT/RT see God’s grace as “irresistible” and “efficacious.” Their concept of God necessitates this understanding. They believe people have no choice or ability to resist doing what God gave them the grace to do.

Yet, the Bible gives us many examples that contradict this C/R understanding of grace. For example, Paul exhorted the Corinthian Christians “not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor. 6:1), something which would be impossible if the C/R understanding of grace was true. In another passage, Paul and Barnabas urged their listeners to “continue in the grace of God” (Acts 13:43), which would be a foolish exhortation if grace was irresistible. The writer of Hebrews told his readers not to fall short of the grace of God (Heb. 12:15), and Peter told his listeners to be “good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God” (1 Pet. 4:10), both of which show people as active participants with the grace of God.

God can extend His grace to individuals along with any measure of influence and authority He chooses. Therefore, He can extend grace in a fashion that does compel a person to obey, or He can extend grace less forcibly. He can make His grace irresistible or resistible, efficacious or non-efficacious. He is God, and He is sovereign.

Point 14: FST—God Influences via Angels

God influences the affairs of this world through angels who carry out His will.

Psalm 103:20 NASB95

Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!

Hebrews 1:14 NASB95

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Point 15: FST—God Intervenes in this World

Because God is sovereign, He can intervene in this world whenever He chooses. The Bible offers many reports of His interventions, especially in the lives of the Jews. God’s interventions are evidence that He is not exhaustively controlling all things. If He was controlling all things, then He would not have to intervene.

Point 16: FST—God Is Judiciously Involved

To understand the view of FST concerning His involvement with this world, it is helpful to see where it falls on a spectrum.

At one end of the spectrum, CT/RT says God is in exhaustive control of all things. At the other end of the spectrum, we can place the watchmaker image of God, which compares God and His activity in the world to a watchmaker who made a watch, wound it up, and then let it run on its own without His further involvement. FST falls between the two extremes on the spectrum. Adherents would be comfortable saying God influences all people, but He is judicious about when and how He influences them.

see Spectrum Showing God’s Involvement with the World photo

This understanding of FST gives credence to the many ways God is involved with us, such as God influencing this world through answering prayers, relationships, His Spirit, giving grace, angels, and so forth. However, God’s grand interventions are less frequent.

This view does not make sense according to the CCT/RT perspective. If God is in exhaustive control of all things, then He does not need to intervene.

Point 17: FST—God Is Involved Like a Father

It would be wrong to conclude that God works with every person in the same way. In other words, God’s involvement is not set at the median point, but rather is spread across the spectrum from the extreme of controlling things to the extreme of not being involved.

see Further Spectrum Showing God’s Involvement with the World photo

Biblical Examples — Paul, James, Isaiah, and Jesus

God’s willingness to control can be seen in how He intervened in Paul’s life on the road to Damascus, where God sovereignly chose to transform Paul from a persecutor of Christians to an evangelist to the Gentiles (Acts 9:3–8). On another occasion, God revealed His plans for Paul to go preach in Macedonia, but rather than forcefully make Paul obey, God revealed His will through a dream, which Paul had to interpret and choose to follow (Acts 16:9–10).

When James exhorted Christians to “come close to God and He will come close to you” (Jas. 4:8), James was implying that people can choose by an act of their will how close they want to walk with God.

Isaiah described how the Holy Spirit will be made available, personally guiding those who are willing to listen:

Isaiah 30:21 NASB95

Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Similarly, Jesus explained that the Holy Spirit will be a Counselor, Helper, and Guide.

Romans 1 — Letting Go

At the other end of the spectrum are people who choose to live in rebellion to God, so much so that God removes His guidance and His protection. Paul wrote about God’s dealings with people living in sexual perversions, saying:

Romans 1:24–26 NASB95

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity... For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions…

Far from being in control, God actually cut these people free and left them to reap the consequences of their own actions.

One of the most astounding things we learn about God is how He allows humanity a breath of freedom to live as they want to live. In spite of the fact that God has the authority to intervene and control anyone He chooses, He does not often intervene. In the days of Noah, God allowed humanity to go so far astray “that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and…every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5).

At the other end of the spectrum, we read about certain individuals who chose to walk intimately with God. For seven years, a prophetess named Anna “did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers” (Luke 2:36). Seeing how God deals with humanity reveals, on one hand, His tolerance and patience, while on the other hand, His willingness to be intimate.

The Father Heart of God

The reason He deals with humanity in the way He does is because He is a Father, rather than a Being who radiates His continuous, immutable, simple, exhaustive control throughout creation. He is like the father of the prodigal who allowed his son to go off and squander his inheritance on sinful behavior. He is also like the father whose arms are open wide when a prodigal returns home.

Cooperative Relationships

God desires cooperative relationships with humanity. When God said to the Hebrews, “I will be your God and you will be My people,” He was offering Himself in relationship to them. God loves the world and wishes all people would relate to Him as children relate to their father.

Point 1: God Works with and through People

The understanding of cooperative relationships is consistent with FST and Open theism. People play a significant role in God’s unfolding plans. The prayers and actions of God’s people are important. God listens. God watches. He responds.

Teachers of CCT/RT may talk about people being active participants in fulfilling God’s plans, but their insistence that God is in exhaustive control negates any real participation on the part of humanity. People are merely puppets walking out predetermined plans. People have no free will in this because God’s will and grace are irresistible.

In contrast, FST recognizes God as wanting to partner with us to help us succeed in our daily battles. He wants to give us His Spirit to inspire us to do good works. God is willing and even eager to help us:

2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB95

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His..

God looks for people whom He can use to fulfill His will. Of course, God is sovereign, so He can mechanistically carry out His predetermined will if and when He chooses. However, He often decides to work in a cooperative way with and through people.

Point 2: Examples of Cooperative Relationships with God

Esther

An eye-opening example of humanity’s cooperative relationship with God is in the life of Esther, the Queen of Babylon. Unaware that Esther was Jewish, King Ahasuerus was deceived into believing the Jews were rebellious and should be eliminated from his kingdom. So, King Ahasuerus issued a decree that on an appointed day, the Jews throughout the land would be killed (Esth. 3). Queen Esther knew she and her people were in danger of being annihilated, but she did not know what to do to stop the actions of the king’s decree. Then, her uncle Mordecai spoke to her and said:

Esther 4:14 NASB95

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

This reveals to us a profound truth about the way God involves Himself in this world. There are things God will do because He is faithful and He has decided to do them. However, in some cases, who God uses and exactly how He works out His purposes and plans is negotiable. In some cases, it depends upon the cooperation of people.

Josiah

For another example, we can think of Josiah, the king of Israel. The prophet Elisha told the king to strike the ground with arrows, but the king only struck the ground three times. This made the prophet Elisha angry because he knew the number of times the king struck the ground deter- mined how greatly God would help the king in war (2 Kgs. 13:15–19).

Daniel

Consider also how Daniel was reading from the book of Jeremiah and learned the Hebrew people were to be in captivity for 70 years (Dan. 9:2). As Daniel read Jeremiah’s prophecy, he realized the 70 years of captivity were over and freedom was at hand. However, Daniel did not sit around passively waiting for God to fulfill His promises. Instead, he went on a fast and sought God for the freedom and deliverance of the Hebrew people (Dan. 9:2–19). Daniel realized he must cooperate with God for the fulfillment of what He had declared.

Peter

2 Peter 3:11–12 NASB95

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

Peter understood Christians can “hasten” the coming of the day of God by how they act and live. Of course, nothing people do will stop the day of God. However, Christians play a role as to when it takes place.

Point 3: Humans Form the Future with God

One of the most theology-shaking (shaking to CT/RT, not FST) examples of God working with humanity is from the wedding in Cana (Jn. 2:1–11). Mary pointed out to Jesus that the wine had run out. Jesus responded to Mary, saying, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come” (Jn. 2:4). Jesus knew it was not time for Him to start His public ministry. Yet, Jesus worked the miracle anyway. In other words, the miracle happened even though it was not according to God’s appointed time. God allowed His plans to shift according to Mary’s desire.

This same truth is evident in other Bible passages. For example, after the Hebrews settled in the Promised Land, they wanted a king. Even though God did not want them to have a king, He gave them what they desired (1 Sam. 8).

This is an astounding revelation. Not only are people to cooperate with God, but in some cases, God is willing to cooperate with people!

Of course, teachers of CCT/RT cannot accept this understanding of God’s relationships with people. They see God acting and people have no choice but to carry out His predetermined will. According to them, any covenants God makes are one-way paths wherein God gives His promises and blessings, but no real mutual exchange can ever take place.

Again, the biblical revelation conflicts with CCT/RT. The Bible reveals all believers have a relationship with God, and that relationship entails a relational covenant. Covenant partners make decisions together. For this reason, God allowed Abraham and Moses to influence His decisions. The same is true today. Through Jesus Christ, God’s people have a covenant relationship with Him and, therefore, a relationship of cooperation.

This gives significance to the actions of each believer. The Church is essential and is being raised to rule and reign with Jesus. God’s people can work with Him to change the world and form the future with Him

Theodicy of CCT/RT and FST

When we discuss God’s involvement with this world, our theodicy comes to the forefront. Theodicy is the theological term for someone’s answer to the question, “If God is good and omnipotent, why is there evil and suffering in the world?” The answer a theologian or philosopher gives to this question has historically been considered the test of his or her logical integrity.

Later, we will talk about the origin and nature of evil, death, and suffering. Here, we focus on God’s involvement with evil, death, and suffering. We will answer the question, “Is God responsible for evil?”

Point 1: CCT/RT—Theodicy

If God is in exhaustive control, as CC/R theologians claim, then He determines and orchestrates the pain and suffering we experience. If God is timeless, impassible, immutable, omnipresent, omnipotent, and simple, then He is the cause of all things. If John Calvin is right, that “Nothing happens except what is knowingly and willingly decreed by Him,” then God is the One causing war and spreading diseases right now.

If God has predestined from the foundations of the world everything that has ever happened and everything that will happen, then He is the One who is responsible for every baby that has ever been aborted. If the God of CCT/RT is the true God, then God is the cause of all that happens in the world, including all evil.

see CT: Logical Progression of Thought Starting with the Classical View of God photo

9/11 and John Piper

Right after the September 11th attacks on the Twin Towers, John Piper, one of the most popular, modern teachers of RT, published an article claiming that God did not merely permit the terrorist attacks but actually caused them.

The question that arises with CCT/RT is this: “How can God be the cause of all the evil and still be good?” CC/R theologians refer to this as “the problem of evil.”

Point 2: Answering the Atheists

CC/R theologians have never been able to form a valid theodicy that explains how there can be so much evil in the world and God can still be good. There is no rational explanation, so long as one maintains that God is in exhaustive control.

It is difficult to overemphasize the importance of this discussion.

Today, the number one progression of thought atheists use to discount the existence of God is this: “How can there be a God when there is so much evil in the world?” This question has been repeated millions of times, and it has undermined the faith of multitudes. Because CC/R teachers and theologians have been unable to form a valid theodicy, adherents have never been able to give a reasonable answer to the atheists.

Point 3: FST—Theodicy

FST has no problem of evil. Anyone who holds to FST can easily explain why there is evil, death, and suffering in this world: God is not in control. Rather than conclude God is to blame, we can identify several causes other than God.

First, we already discussed how this world runs according to natural laws. In such a world, a tree can grow old, rot, and fall, crushing a passerby. Rain can cause floods that destroy homes and kill people. Natural disasters happen. Diseases spread. A world that runs according to natural laws is a world where suffering happens.

Second, there are unnatural laws governing this world. By this, we are referring to forces that have resulted from the fall of humanity. Sin and death were released into this world. This is a harsh, cruel world where bad things happen because of sin.

One unnatural law worth noting is that all creation has been “subjected to futility” (Rom. 8:20). This means tragic events happen that are futile— they are meaningless—they have no positive outcome.

This truth cannot be reconciled with CCT/RT. Since adherents believe God is in exhaustive control, they cannot accept any futility in creation.

They often say, “Everything happens for a reason.” Such a trite statement is based on a profound misunderstanding of God’s involvement with this world. Contrary to what CCT/RT claims, God is not the cause of all things. Many events happen without some hidden purpose of God being fulfilled. Of course, God can turn all things toward good on behalf of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28), but for those who do not love Him, bad occurrences often have a bad outcome. This is what the Bible means when it says the world has been subjected to futility.

Third, there is evil, death, and suffering is that God has delegated authority to people to govern this world. This implies some amount of free will on the part of humanity. In a world where people have some free will, people can hurt other people. Criminals can steal. Murderers can kill. Terrorists can attack. Corrupt governments can withhold food and provisions that rightly belong to their citizens. In a world where people have some freedom, they can use that freedom to hurt others.

Fourth, people can make mistakes. Doctors can prescribe the wrong medicine. Engineers may design buildings with flaws that will not withstand earthquakes. Parents may discipline their children for something their children did not do. People may act based on misinformation. Mistakes are made in a world where people are not exhaustively controlled by God.

Fifth, evil spirits can influence humanity in ways that result in evil, death, and suffering.

FST recognizes these and other sources for evil, death, and suffering. For this reason, FST has “no problem of evil.” God is not responsible. What CC/R theologians are unable to answer is a non-issue for those holding to FST. God is good and powerful, but the reason bad things happen in this world is that God has chosen not to control all things.

Point 4: Is God Responsible for Evil?

Some adherents of CCT/RT may try to defend their theodicy, saying, “The theodicy of FST is no better than that of CCT/RT, because even with FST, God is ultimately responsible for evil since He created the world and allows all evil to happen.”

That accusation is far from the truth. With FST, God is ultimately responsible for some suffering because He created the world and allows some suffering to happen. However, with FST, God is not responsible for most suffering, and He is never responsible for evil. As mentioned in the previous point, suffering may happen as a result of the unnatural laws, the futility to which creation was subjected, and evil decisions made by humans and evil spiritual beings with free will. With FST, none of these sources of suffering are controlled by God.

On the other hand, CCT/RT teaches that God is directly controlling all natural and unnatural laws, the futility of creation, and all decisions made by humans and evil spiritual beings. With CCT/RT, God is not only ultimately responsible, but He is directly responsible.

Point 5: CCT/RT—Answers When a Baby Dies

Coming from the perspective of CCT/RT, what can a pastor say to a mother who tragically loses her baby? He may offer condolences and give reassuring answers, such as, “God is teaching people something,” or “God wanted the child,” or “We simply do not understand the ways of God.” However, if the pastor is logically consistent with CT/RT, these answers are merely intermediaries standing between the grieving mother and the timeless God who not only allows but also predestines and causes all things. According to CCT/RT, God willed and actively caused the death of her baby.

Holding to the CT/RT view of God, John Calvin wrote about the death of his own baby:

The Lord has certainly inflicted a severe and bitter wound in the death of our baby son.

(Letter to Pierre Viret)

Being consistent with his theology, Calvin believed God killed his baby.

Point 6: FST—Answers When a Baby Dies

If a newborn dies, why did it happen according to FST? There could be many reasons, among which are the following:

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Random selection of genes that caused a genetic disorder

Suffocation or poisoning

Improper nutrition or care

An accidental fall

The result of an infection, virus, or disease

Errors made by medical staff

Medical problems which we do not understand

The activity of Satan or his demons

Any combination of the above explanations may be possible, along with an unlimited number of other explanations.

A pastor who is consistent with FST can tell a mother who lost her child that the tragedy happened because we live in a world where terrible things happen. This is a fallen world, subject to natural laws where injustice occurs, people make mistakes, and death is an active force.

The pastor can explain to the mother this world has not yet been fully redeemed. Someday in the future, the Kingdom of God will fully manifest. Then “there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Rev. 21:4). However, at the present time, the reason her baby died is that God is not controlling all things. Many things happen contrary to God’s will.

In the meantime, God wants to be our Comforter. Father-God understands the pain in the death of a child. Father-God is grieving with the mother.

Plus, God wants people to care for one another. He desires people to mature and take responsibility for what happens in this world.

Father-God’s Knowledge of the Future

Logic leads us to conclude that the future cannot exist until it is created. A direct reading of Scripture leads one to believe the future does not already exist. This raises a serious question: “If the future does not exist, does God know all the future?”

For many Christians, it is foolish to ask this question. The CCT/RT idea that God is omniscient is so deeply entrenched in Western Christianity many Christians treat it like the holy grail. They will not allow anyone to question or even discuss it. Yet, Socrates’ teaching holds true: unless we question our assumptions, we will never know if what we believe is true.

Point 1: God’s Knowledge Is Infinite

When people hear a new concept, they often misunderstand that concept. In particular, a new concept may be so foreign to their present way of thinking, they react and imagine the concept is much more foreign than it actually is. For example, someone may hear the question, “Does God know all the future?”, and they immediately think the alternative is that God does not know any of the future. That is an overreaction. The alternative to God knowing all the future is that there are some things He does not know about the future.

It is obvious that God knows much about the future. He created the world, so He knows all natural laws that govern the universe and He perfectly understands cause-and-effect relationships. God also understands the unnatural laws. God knows all possible outcomes. Furthermore, He is governing the world and orchestrating all the events needed to bring about His ultimate end.

FST says God knows everything the Bible says He knows. And what does the Bible say? He knows the number of hairs on our heads and every sparrow that falls to the ground (Mt. 10:29–30). God also knows our thoughts (Ps. 94:11; 139:2) and every need that we have before we ask Him (Mt. 6:8). He even “counts the number of the stars” and “gives names to all of them.” (Ps. 147:4). Furthermore, “His understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5).

Infinite vs Omniscient

FST agrees with the Bible that God’s knowledge is infinite, but CCT/ RT goes beyond what the Bible says by asserting God is omniscient.

The term infinite comes from the Bible, while omniscient comes from Greek philosophy.

If God is omniscient, then He knows all the future. FST will say God knows most things about the future, but some things have not yet been decided; even though God knows all possible outcomes, He may not know with certainty those things that have not yet been decided.

Point 2: Is Prophecy Proof of God’s Omniscience?

When debating about God’s knowledge of the future, teachers like to talk about prophecy. Teachers of CCT/RT point to prophecy as proof that God knows all the future. For example, the Prophet Agabus knew by the revelation of the Holy Spirit that a famine was about to come (Acts 11:28). Since God reveals to His prophets certain events that will happen in the future, God must know beforehand those events will happen—or so, adherents of CCT/RT say.

In reality, recognizing God has foreknowledge of some things about the future does not prove He knows everything about the future.

Point 3: Prophecy Is Fore-declaration

The Bible reveals to us another important fact about prophecy.

To see this, first identify the understanding of prophecy held by adherents of CCT/RT. We are referring to Christians who take the Bible seriously, so they believe prophecy is real. Because adherents of CCT/ RT believe in Augustine’s eternal now doctrine, they must believe the future already exists and the future stands before God. Anyone, who believes the future already exists and tries to understand prophecy, will logically come up with a specific understanding of prophecy. They will conclude that whatever God speaks through His prophets about the future must come true. To see why this is critical, realize that the eternal now doctrine says the future exists right now. God is not watching a video of the future. According to the eternal now doctrine, God is seeing the actual events of the future. Therefore, those events are fixed. Since they are fixed, prophecy is God saying in the present what is fixed into existence in the future.