TOPIC ONE: THE DECREES OF GOD
I. DEFINITION
The Decrees of God comprehend His eternal purpose which is worked out in
time through the various ages or dispensations: Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11;
3:11.
In I Timothy 1:17 Christ is called (lit. Greek) the King of the ages.
Strong thus defines: “By the decrees of God we mean that eternal plan by
which God has rendered certain all the events of the universe, past, present,
and future”.
II. EXTENT
The divine decrees include creation, providence, and redemption. More
particularly, they may be classified into two divisions, namely: first, decrees
concerning nature—creation and preservation; and second, decrees concerning
moral beings—providence and redemption, including grace.
NOTE: To our view the
decrees are many, because they are worked out successively in time; but in
their nature and from the divine standpoint they are one. What a plan is to an
architect, that, so to speak, the decrees are to God.
III. SCRIPTURE PROOF
Taking a comprehensive view, we may say that the Scriptures teach that
all things, both great and small are included within the divine decrees: Isaiah
14:26, 27 46:10, 11; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11.
But to particularize:
1. The stability of the physical universe: Psalm 119:89-91.
2. The outward circumstances of nations: Acts 17:26.
3. The length of human life: Job 14:5.
4. The mode of our death: John 21:19.
5. The free acts of men, both good acts and evil acts: Isaiah 44:28; Ephesians 2:10; Genesis 50:20; I Kings
12:15 Luke 22:22; Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28; Romans 9:17; I Pet 2:8; Revelation
17:17.
6. The salvation of believers: I Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1 3, 10, 11.
7. The establishment of Christ’s kingdom: Psalm 2:7, 8; I Corinthians 15:23.
8. The work of Christ and His people in establishing
it: Philippians 2:12, 13; Revelation 5:7.
NOTE: 1. The divine
decrees are in harmony with God’s foreknowledge, wisdom, immutability, and
benevolence. “A universe without decrees would be as irrational and appalling
as would be an express train driving on in the darkness without headlight or
engineer, and with no certainty that the next moment it might not plunge into
the abyss” (A. J. Gordon).
NOTE: 2. Objections are
raised to the decrees:
1. That they are inconsistent with the free moral
agency of man. But the same objection may be
made to the divine foreknowledge. Moreover, it confounds the decrees with their
execution— quite a different thing.
2. That they take away all motive for human exertion. But the decrees are not fatalistic; and they were
framed, we may believe, in full view of man’s cooperation in their execution.
3. That they make God the author of sin. This is true in a permissive sense. However, God is
not the author of sin, but the author of beings who are themselves the authors
of sin. Ingersoll asked, “Why did God create the devil?” This answer was given
him: “God did not create the devil—it was the devil who made the devil. God
made a holy and free spirit who abused his liberty, himself created sin, and so
made himself a devil”.
Says Strong: “There are four
questions which neither Scripture nor reason enables us completely to solve and
to which we may safely say that only the higher knowledge of the future state
will furnish the answers.
These questions are:
- First, how can a holy God permit moral evil?
- Second, how could a being created pure ever fall?
- Third, how can we be responsible for inborn depravity?
- Fourth, how could Christ justly suffer?
The first of these questions now confronts us. A complete theodicy
(theos, God, and dike, justice) would be a vindication of the justice of God in
permitting the natural and moral evil that exists under His government. While a
complete theodicy is beyond our powers, we throw some light upon God’s
permission of moral evil by considering:
(1) that freedom of will is
necessary to virtue;
(2) that God suffers from sin more
than does the sinner;
(3) that, with the permission of
sin, God provided a redemption;
(4) that God will eventually
overrule all evil for good”.
IV. PRACTICAL BEARINGS
The doctrine of the divine decrees has practical bearings:
1. It inspires humility in the believer in the
presence of God’s sovereignty.
2. It teaches confidence in Him who works all things
together for good to them that love God.
3. It warns the impenitent sinner that his punishment,
though it be long delayed, will surely overtake him.
4. It invites the sinner to make his peace with God
before it is too late.
NOTE: This doctrine of
the divine decrees is often a stumblingblock to the beginner in the Christian
life, because it is full of intellectual difficulties. But it proves to be of
great comfort to the mature believer, particularly in times of trial and
bereavement: Romans 8:28. Here Arminians pray like Calvinists and Calvinists
preach like Arminians, and both sing alike.
TOPIC TWO: CREATION
I. DEFINITION
Creation may be defined as “that free act of the triune God by which in
the beginning and for His own glory He made, without the use of preexisting
material, the whole visible and invisible universe” (Strong).
NOTE: The popular
definition of creation as “production out of nothing” is open to objection:
nothing is not a substance, nor an object of thought, nor a source of being.
The better expression is “without the use of preexisting material”.
II. PROOF
Scripture proof of creation is both direct and indirect:
1. Direct.
This is found in two striking passages, viz: Genesis 1:1 and Hebrews
11:3.
a. Genesis 1:1.
The Hebrew verb translated “created”
is bara, which is found three times
in chapter 1, viz: verse 1, of matter; verse 21, of animal life; and verses 26
and 27, of human life. This shows that there is an impassable gulf between
plant life and animal life on the one hand, and between animal life and human
life on the other hand.
NOTE: The Hebrew verb bara is to be distinguished from two
other Hebrew verbs, viz: asah, to
make, and yatsar, to form. Bara is used in Genesis 1:1 and asah in Genesis 2:4 of the creation of
the heaven and earth.
Of earth, both yatsar and asah are used in Isaiah 45:18. In regard
to man, in Genesis 1:27 we find bara;
in Genesis 1:26 and 9:6, asah; and in
Genesis 2:7, yatsar. In Isaiah 43:7 all three are found in the same verse:
“whom I have bara for my glory, I
have yatsar, yea, I have asah him”. In Isaiah 45:12, “asah the earth, and bara man upon it;” but in Genesis 1:1 we read: “God bara the earth”, and in 9:6 “asah man”. Isaiah 44:2—”the Lord that asah thee (i. e. man) and yatsar thee;” but in Genesis 1:27 God
“bara man”. Genesis 5:2—”male and female bara He them”. Genesis 2:22—”the rib asah He a woman;” Genesis 2:7—”He yatsar man;” i. e. bara male and female,
yet, asah the woman and yatsar the man. Asah
is not always used for transform: Isaiah 41:20—”fir tree, pine, box -tree” in
nature —bara; Psalm 51:10—“bara in me a clean heart;” Isaiah 65:18—
God “bara Jerusalem into rejoicing”.
This somewhat interchangeable use of these three verbs has led some to
state that bara does not mean to create. But as Strong says, “If bara does not signify absolute creation,
no word exists in the Hebrew language that can express this idea”.
b. Hebrews 11:3.
This passage teaches that “the world was not made out of sensible and
preexisting material, but by the direct fiat of omnipotence” (Strong). The
following passages may also be consulted: Exodus 34:10; Numbers 16:30; Isaiah
4:5; 41:20; 45:7, 8; 57:19; 65:17; Jeremiah 31:22; Romans 4:17; I Corinthians
1:30; II Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 1:16, 17.
2. Indirect.
This is found in many passages:
a. The past duration of the world
is limited: Mark 13-19; John 17:5; Ephesians 1:4.
b. Each of the persons of the
Godhead existed before the world began to be: Psalm 90:2; Proverbs 8:23;
John 1:1; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 9:14.
III. AUTHOR
God is the author of creation, acting through the twofold agency of the
Word and the Spirit. More particularly the work of creation is ascribed to each
of the three persons of the trinity:
1. The Father: Genesis 1:1; I Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:9.
2. The Son: John 1:3; I Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:2; 11:3; Colossians 1:16.
3. The Spirit: Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; 33:4.
NOTE: In every work of
God there is an agency of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Thus in creation the
Father conceives, the Son executes, and the Spirit brings to completion. The
illustration may be used of the architect planning, the builder erecting, and
the decorator furnishing the interior of a house.
In Genesis 1:1-3 we have the trinity: God the Father in verse 1; God the
Spirit in verse 2; and God the Son in verse 3—”And God said” (Christ the spoken word; see John 1:1 and Hebrews
11:3).
IV. SPHERES OF CREATION
There are seven spheres of creation: 7
1. Angelic host: Colossians 1:16.
2. Universe of matter: Genesis 1; on 1st, 2nd, and 4th days.
3. Vegetation: Genesis 1; on 3rd day.
4. Fish: Genesis 1;
on 5th day.
5. Fowl: Genesis 1;
on 5th day.
6. Animals—beast, cattle, reptile: Genesis 1; on 6th day.
7. Man: Genesis 1;
on 6th day.
NOTE: Three interesting
topics may be briefly noted:
First, the agreement between
science and revelation. As to the order of creation, there is entire
agreement, though the account of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 is in popular
language. For example, light before the sun, inorganic matter before organic
life, invertebrates before vertebrates, animals before man, etc. As to the time of the creation of the earth and man, there is no good
reason for putting it earlier than our accepted chronology, i. e., about B. C. 4,000
years.
Second, the meaning of the word
“day” in Genesis 1. Two views are held, viz: that of 24 hours and that of
an indefinite period. Both views seem to be sustained by Scripture. As to the
latter, see Genesis 1:5—a day before there was a sun; 1:8—evening and morning
being a day; 2:2—a day that has not yet ended; 2:4; Isaiah 2:12; Zechariah 14:7;
II Peter 3:8.
Third, the method of
interpretation. We reject the allegorical or mythical view and accept the
literal view—the hyper-literal view. In other words, we accept without question
the historicity of the early chapters of Genesis.
V. PURPOSE IN CREATION
Scripture reveals a fourfold divine purpose in creation:
1. In God Himself: Proverbs 16:4; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:16.
2. In His own will and pleasure: Ephesians 1:5, 6, 9; Revelation 4:11.
3. In His own glory: Isaiah 43:7; 60:21; 61:3; Luke 2:14.
4. In the making known of His power, wisdom, and holy name: Psalm 19:1;
Ephesians 3:9, 10.
SUMMARY: “God’s
supreme end in creation is nothing outside of Himself, but is His own glory— in
the revelation in and through creatures of the infinite perfection of His own
being” (Strong).
TOPIC THREE: PRESERVATION
I. DEFINITION
Preservation may be defined as “that continuous agency of God by which
He maintains in existence the things He has created together with the
properties and powers with which He has endowed them’ (Strong).
NOTE: Creation has to
do with the origin of things; preservation with their continuance.
II. PROOF
The following passages reveal and prove the divine preservation:
Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 36:6; 145:20; Acts 17:28; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:2, 3.
NOTE: Psalm 105 has
been called “a long hymn to the preserving power of God, who keeps alive all
the creatures of the deep, both small and great”.
III. METHOD
How is preservation maintained? There are three views:
1. Deism.
“This view represents the universe as a self-sustained mechanism, from
which God withdrew as soon as He had created it, and which He left to a process
of self-development” (Strong). The illustration may be used of a clock, which
one winds up and then lets it run of itself. The chief objection to this view
is that logically it denies in full God’s interposition in His universe, in the
introduction of life, in incarnation, in regeneration, in history, in all
providential occurrences, and in answers to prayer.
2. Continuous Creation.
“This view regards the universe as from moment to moment the result of a
new creation” (Strong).
The main objections to this view are:
(1) it denies the testimony of
consciousness as to the sway of natural law;
(2) it exalts God’s omnipotence at
the expense of His truth, love, and holiness;
(3) it denies our own objective
personal existence and thus destroys all responsibility for moral act.
3. Divine Power Operating through Natural Forces.
This view, which we hold to be the true one, may be thus stated: Though
God has established an order of natural forces, yet He exercises a special and
continuous activity in the upholding of the universe with its powers. This
activity is the activity of Christ, who is the mediating agent in preservation
as well as in creation: Hebrews 1:3. This passage gives warrant for the view
that natural law is only another name for the exercise of God’s personal will.
TOPIC FOUR: PROVIDENCE
I. DEFINITION
Providence may be defined as “that continuous agency of God by which He
makes all the events of the physical and moral universe fulfil the original
design with which He created it” (Strong).
NOTE: While creation
has to do with the beginning of things and preservation with their continuance,
providence has to do with their development and fruition.
Or, creation concerns the existence, preservation the maintenance, and
providence the care and control of all things. Providence here means both
prevision, foreseeing, and provision, forecaring.
II. PROOF
The Scriptures bear witness to:
1. A general providential government and control:
a. Over the universe at large:
Psalm 103:19; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11.
b. Over the physical world:
Job 37:5, 10; Psalm 104:14; 135:6, 7; Matthew 5:45; 6:30.
c. Over the brute creation:
Psalm 104:21, 28; Matthew 6:26; 10:29.
d. Over the affairs of nations:
Job 12:23; Psa-22:28; 66:7; Acts 17:26.
e. Over man’s birth and lot in
life: I Samuel 16:1; Psalm 139:16; Isaiah 45:5; Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians
1:15, 16.
f. Over the outward successes and
failures of men’s lives: Psalm 75:6, 7; Luke 1:52.
g. Over things seemingly
accidental and insignificant: Proverbs 16:33; Matthew 10:30.
h. In the protection of the
righteous: Psalm 4:8; 5:12; 63:8; 91:3; Romans 8:28.
i. In the supply of the wants of
God’s people: Genesis 22:8, 14; Deuteronomy 8:3; Philippians 4:19.
j. In the arrangement of answers
to prayer: Psalm 68:10; Isaiah 64:4; Matthew 6:8, 32, 33.
k. In the exposure and punishment
of the wicked: Psalm 7:12, 13; 11:6; II Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:11-15.
Still further the Scriptures bear witness to:
2. A government and control extending to the free
actions of men:
a. To men’s free acts in general:
Exodus 12:36; I Samuel 24:18; Psalm 33:14, 15; Proverbs 16:1; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1;
Jeremiah 10:23; Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 2:10; James 4:13-16.
b. To the sinful acts of men: II Samuel 16:10; 24:1; Romans 11:32; II
Thessalonians 2:11, 12.
NOTE: 1. With respect
to man’s evil acts God’s providence is:
1. Preventive—withholding from sin: Genesis
20:6; 31:24; Psalm 19:13; Hosea 2:6.
2. Permissive—refusing to withhold from sin:
II Chronicles 32:31; Psalm 17:13, 14; 81:12, 13; Isaiah 53:4, 10; Hosea 4:17;
Acts 14:16; Romans 1:21, 28; 3:25.
3. Directive—overruling evil for good: Genesis
50:20; Psalm 76:10; Isaiah 10:5-7; Acts 4:27,
28.
4. Determinative—prescribing its bounds and
effects: Job 1:12; Psalm 124:2, 3; I Corinthians 10:13; II Thessalonians
2:7; Revelation 20:2, 3.
NOTE: 2. To the second
class we may refer passages concerning Pharaoh: Exodus 4:21; 7:13; 8:15; Romans
9:17, 18.
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart:
- First, by permitting him to harden his own heart;
- Second, by giving him light and then leaving him to resist it;
- Third, by abandoning him to the evil working of his will;
- Fourth, by causing his sin to be manifested in one direction more than
another.
III. KINDS
The providence of God is of two kinds, namely: unconditional and
conditional.
1. Unconditional
There is a providence of God which is in no wise dependent upon the
meeting of conditions by its subjects. It is extended over:
a. The physical universe:
Psalm 103:19; 135:6, 7; Daniel 4:35; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 1:3.
b. The vegetable world:
Matthew 6:28-30.
c. The animal creation: Psalm
104:21, 27; Matthew 6:26; 10:29.
d. Man—as to certain general
creature comforts: Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17; 17:28.
2. Conditional.
There is a providence of God which is dependent upon the meeting of
conditions in its subjects. These can be met only by true believers. They are:
obedience, prayer, faith, and trust: John 14:13, 14; 15:7; Mark 11:24;
Philippians 4:6, 7; James 5:14-16.
NOTE: Unconditional
providence is sometimes called “General Providence;” conditional providence,
“Special Providence”.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY
1. What are the two general divisions of Theology?
2. Define: the restricted meaning of theology, theism, deism, atheism,
skepticism, and agnosticism.
3. Give four Scriptural definitions of God.
4. Give a theological definition of God.
5. What is the origin of the idea of God?
6. What are the unfailing marks of a primary or first truth?
7. Can you show that the idea of God meets the unfailing marks of a
primary or first truth?
8. What are the mistaken sources of a belief in God?
9. What is the attitude of the Scriptures towards the existence of God?
10. What are the five corroborative proofs of God’s existence?
11. With the exception of the Christological proof, state any one of the
corroborative proofs, pointing out its defects and value.
12. What is meant by “personality”?
13. What are the constituent elements of personality?
14. How may the personality of God be shown?
15. What is meant by the trinity of God?
16. What are the two elements of the doctrine of the trinity which must
be carefully guarded?
17. How is the term “person” to be understood with respect to the
trinity?
18. What is the orthodox formula of the doctrine of the trinity?
19. Can you give six Scripture proofs of the trinity of God?
20. Mention five illustrations of the trinity. Which satisfies you most?
21. Define attribute.
22. Define divine attributes.
23. What is the basis of classification of divine attributes?
24. Mention and give Scripture proof for the divine attributes.
25. Mention, define, and give Scripture proof for the divine
perfections.
26. Show how Scripture proper names have special significance.
27. What do the names of God reveal?
28. Discuss briefly the significance of the name God.
29. Discuss briefly the significance of the name LORD.
30. Discuss briefly the significance of the name Lord.
31. Discuss briefly the significance of the name Almighty God.
32. Discuss briefly the significance of the name Most High God.
33. Discuss briefly the significance of the name Everlasting God.
34. Discuss briefly the significance of the names LORD God, Lord GOD,
and LORD of Hosts.
35. What are the seven divine names compounded with Jehovah? Give
references.
36. Define the decrees of God.
37. What do they include?
38. Give Scripture proof (the eight points).
39. What are the practical bearings of the doctrine?
40. Define creation.
41. Give the direct Scripture proof.
42. Give the indirect Scripture proof.
43. Who is the Author of creation?
44. What are several spheres?
45. What is the fourfold end?
46. Define preservation.
47. Give the Scripture proof of the doctrine.
48. State the three views as to method of preservation.
49. Define providence.
50. Give Scripture proof—any eight points.
51. State the fourfold providence of God as to man’s evil acts.
52. What are the two kinds of providence? Give Scripture references.
~
end of chapter 2 ~
