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People of The Living God |
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December 2024
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
THE GOVERNMENT OF CHRIST
Harry R. Miller
If every man and woman were dominated by the power of the Holy Spirit and no man used his own reason relative to any action bearing on the welfare of others, there would be no necessity for the “precept” of law. The principle of law always was, and always will be; but the precept has only been given in order to stay the downward progress of man.
As long as there are free moral agents, there must of necessity be law; and as long as there are two or more people with different mental capacities and ideas, there must of necessity be law. To the lawless the law and government are enemies and sorely despised (II Peter 2:10; I Timothy 1:9). Just suppose the police force of our nation were suddenly withdrawn from their work, and nowhere in the land would an officer perform his duty. How long would you and your family be safe in your home, at your work, in your church?
Today, even with our great law machinery and officers, violence is barely kept within the bounds of official restraint. Men of high estate, as well as the commoner, are swept on by greed and base fleshly desires. Human government is a sad failure.
Law can be classed under two heads: moral law, and physical law.
Physical law is the law of force and necessity and is exercised apart from the will of man. It is like unto the law of gravity or other laws of nature. In other words, certain conditions compel men to do certain things. This is the law of human government. This system has no control of the thought life, neither does obedience make any appeal to the finer things within a person. Men obey mainly because they fear they have to do so.
Many have dreamed of an earthly utopia of a thousand years when God would compel men to obey His government. But such a thing is very foreign to the plan of God, for a government of physical force could in no way honor the Almighty. God could compel men to act like machines, and He could compel every rebel to walk the chalk line day and night, but would this honor God? Would forcing men to act out a part bring glory to His name?
Moral law is the law of Christ’s kingdom; the precept that appeals to the hearts of those who love God. They obey His commandments because they want to please Him. Here is a higher and far more honorable law for man, one that appeals to the most noble things within his nature. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (I John 5:3). The compelling force of love is far more powerful than physical force in keeping law and order.
“All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). Jesus Christ was the one who was seen on the fiery mount of Sinai, and it was He who gave the law unto Moses.
Many think that God the Father is the giver of the law and that Jesus came to nullify the rigid laws of the Father. In other words, God the Father gave us laws that were hard to bear: cruel, cold, and unreasonable; therefore Jesus came to do away with the law. Such doctrine is a satanic lie, for the Father did not give the law in the first place; nor did Jesus “come to destroy the law;” He came to “magnify the law and make it honorable.”
Isaiah 9:6,7 tells us that the government is upon His shoulders: “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. . . to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice.” Here is law, and here is penalty for broken law, all given by the “Prince of Peace” (verse 6).
Christ showed His approval of the law of God by “fulfilling it” (Matt. 5:17-19). In Romans 3:31 it says “We establish the law.”
The Lord does more than request man to keep His laws; He demands that they be kept. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar” (I John 2:4). Here is strong language from a New Testament writer. Many religionists of today say that Christ fulfilled the law, thus doing away with it; and thus they make void His commandments, and permit the enemy to take full control.
We are told (I Corinthians 7:19) that circumcision (a custom and part of the Old Covenant) now profits nothing, but “the keeping of the commandments of God” does.
The laws “contained in ordinances” when Israel had a tabernacle and temple and a priesthood, and God-ordained political government, have all been done away with under the New Covenant (Ephesians 2:15).
Concerning meats and drinks: “let no man judge you” (Colossians 2:16; I Timothy 4:1-7; Romans 14:17).
It seems that men are prone to swing like a pendulum from one extreme to another. The Jews multiplied the commandments and the laws until it became an impossibility for a man to keep them all. As confusion came in, men began to despise the real commandments of God as well as the man-made additions. Thus, they fell into the way of sin and soon failed their Lord.
Today, most men ignore the laws of God and say that they are not under the law but are in the “dispensation of grace,” by which they mean that there is no law, but everything is liberty. They say that sin is a thing that man thinks is sin. They quote that “if any man be in Christ he cannot sin.”
Lawlessness is the root of most trouble in our day. Every man wants to do that which is “right in his own eyes”; and in the eyes of many, everything that they do is right.
FROM THE MAILBOX
Letter from a Reader who found disturbing, an article printed in the October Issue of “The Testimony of Truth” written by Harry Miller entitled, ”Any Form of Fatalism Discredits the Person and Government of the Creator.” Below is the letter and following is our response. May each reader prayerfully come to the knowledge of the Truth.
Dear friends:
I am taking this opportunity to respond to Harry Miller's article, Any form of fatalism discredits the Person and the Government of the Creator. Having for 12 years been in the same doctrinal position as Mister Miller, I don't respond as an enemy or critic, but rather as a friend with a sincere desire to help. I confess that I now joyfully hold to the doctrinal position which Miller opposes, and can clearly see the serious weaknesses in his remarks. Foremost among his errors is the small place he has given to the Word of God in comparison to his own reasoning. He mentions the few places which stress the fact that God is no respecter of persons, but sadly makes the verses teach the opposite of their true meaning. What those verses teach is that there is no distinction in any man or woman that influences the will of God. This is clearly illustrated in a passage which he completely subverts. The case of Jacob and Esau is brought in by Paul in Romans 9:11-13 to support the central theses of the entire book of Romans, to the effect that the salvation of God is entirely without reference to human merit. "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth; it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger." Miller can call this tyranny if he wishes, but he will have to completely shut his eyes not to see that God acted here in absolute sovereignty, and without any regard to human merit. I was truly shocked that several times Miller goes so far as to speak of the Creator "subjecting Himself," and that "He was obligated to His creation." He made these statements without giving any Scripture to support them, and for the obvious reason that support for such near-blasphemous statements is not to be found in the Word of God.
Mr. Miller, what choice did you have as to the country you were born in, or to your parentage, gender or any other of your personal characteristics? Was God a tyrant in making these arbitrary choices for you? You know that many are born to drunken parents while others to decent, sober ones. Some are born into poverty while others into wealth...some to believing parents and others to atheists and blasphemers - and that with no choice of their own, and all in the government of God. How does your "free will" notion stand in the light of this fact? For 4,000 years all the nations of the world but the children of Israel were without the Word of God. Is this discrimination?, tyranny? You insist that for any creature – including God – to act according to his arbitrary will is tyranny. But Paul insists that God "Worketh ALL things after the counsel of His own will." (Eph. 1:11) We read in Romans 9:19, "Who hath resisted His will?" The question is rhetorical...the apostle is simply affirming that no created being ever has, or ever can, resist God's will. Would you dare to call this pagan fatalism or tyranny? Note also, "He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." (Rom. 9:15-16) I am truly shocked, sir, to read, "As the Maker and Creator of both the creature and the power of choice, He was responsible for every effort toward rehabilitation." How can you hold the Creator responsible to rehabilitate creatures who have exercised their own wills to side with the devil against the Creator's explicit command and warning?
You insist, "God is comprehensible: He is reasonable, and His motives and acts are understandable in the light of logic and reason." It saddens me, sir, to see you pay such homage to man's rotten heart and mind - and to do it at God's expense. If you had said "All that God does is just and right," I would rejoice with you; but for you to insist that the ways and judgments of God all square with human reason flies in the face of all Scripture and history. Note again Paul, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselor...For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: to Whom be glory forever. Amen." (Rom. 11:33-36) In closing, I confess, my poor mind trembles at the incomprehensibility of God and my own pitiful understanding. Your tiny quotations from Calvin's massive Institutes of the Christian Religion show that you're a stranger to that priceless book which was so instrumental in delivering Europe from papal tyranny. If you would like to really learn what the book teaches I will be glad to lend you my copy. If The Testimony of Truth is a truly open forum, it would be only right for this response to be printed in its pages. May God be gracious to you, Mr. Miller, and to all who gather with you.
With unfeigned Christian love,
MP - a chief of sinners, redeemed by the unsearchable riches of grace in Christ
RESPONSE TO MP ON FATALISM
Dear BP,
We appreciate your letter respectfully written; a letter written with a heart of sincerity and serious concern relative to your opposing views to Brother Harry Miller’s article entitled, “Any Form of Fatalism Discredits the Person and Government of the Creator,” published in the October issue of “The Testimony of Truth.” As you very well know, the debate over Reformed Theology has been a point of contention and division long before John Calvin wrote his “Institutes of the Christian Religion.” There have been Godly men on both sides of this issue even before the fourth century with Augustine, who himself flip-flopped on several areas of theology, and in the end, he was baptized into the Catholic Church.
Since you have written plainly with open sincerity and yet forcefully, I want to respond in like manner. I have met with several Calvinists over the years as well as Arminians and have found that most will not seriously consider the other’s views. They are much like the Pharisees of old, who hold tenaciously to their doctrinal positions, and although possibly discussing the opposing views, yet are not truly listening. Instead of listening they are thinking of another scripture to support their preconceived position. I pray that neither you nor I are guilty of refusing to weigh an opposing view with scripture.
Let me refer to one statement at the beginning of your letter which causes me to question your reasoning: “I ... can seriously see the serious weaknesses in his remarks. Foremost among his errors is the small place he has given to the Word of God in comparison to his own reasoning.” Further on you make this statement in response to Mr. Miller’s belief that God is “obligated to His creation”. (Your response) “He made these statements without giving any Scripture to support them, and for the obvious reason that support for such near-blasphemous statements is not to be found in the Word of God.”
Your words here imply that Mr. Miller possibly conjured this up in his own mind with no support from scripture. Do you not suppose that he, a man of considerable biblical knowledge, has scriptural support, maybe a portion here or there that led him to come to this conclusion? While it might have been good that he included some scripture, it is also possible that he, desiring to keep the article short and assuming that most people would not question this point, did not see it necessary.
There are many scriptures which show that God obligates Himself. In the very first book of the Bible, Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden. God told Adam that the day he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die. God obligated Himself with this statement. God obligated Himself when he told Abraham that He was going to make Abraham’s seed as the stars in the heavens and as the sand which is by the seashore. God obligated Himself when He promised to send the Messiah to establish His kingdom, a kingdom that would never end. In each of these cases (and many more could be listed), God obligated Himself because God cannot lie. Could God have changed His mind and told Adam that He would give Adam another chance? That would have made God, not God.
Before I go on to other concerns you have, let me deal with these as I understand them. Your concern of Miller’s “own reasoning” leaves me wondering. Without reasoning, how are we to study scripture? Are we to just accept what John Calvin declares is truth? For that matter, are we to accept scripture without reasoning? Can one come to the knowledge of the truth without reasoning? Do you not reason in your understanding of the sovereignty of God, of predestination, and all other doctrinal positions to which you hold? We are told by the Apostle Paul to study to show ourselves approved, “a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15). Man’s mind is a gift from God and is one major part of man being formed in the image of God. It is true the mind was affected tremendously by the fall, but it is still very useful in our walk with God and understanding from scripture God’s divine plan. God created man for a purpose.
Another issue with which you found fault is Mr. Miller’s conclusion in reference to the scripture that God is no respecter of persons. You apparently have a different view of verses that state this truth, so let’s address that. Again, did you not use your reasoning to come to the conclusions you have? As I understand your position, you interpret it, “What those verses teach is that there is no distinction in any man or woman that influences the will of God.” The opposing view is that God is absolutely just and does not save one person above another. This view will be disagreeable with Calvinism because it appears to refute the sovereignty of God. But does it? I believe in the sovereignty of God just as seriously as you do, although I see God’s sovereignty from the perspective that God, in His sovereignty has determined to give men free will. God, in giving free will to men, does not in any way do away with His sovereignty, it’s just different from what you have been taught. God sovereignly gave man free will. Is God not sovereign enough to do that?
As I understand the Calvinist view on this is that to give man free will destroys God’s sovereignty. How does it take away from God’s sovereignty? It seems to me that the Calvinist’s view that says God cannot give men free will has just destroyed God’s sovereignty. You limit God to your own thinking. You limit God’s sovereignty to your personal reasoning. You say that God cannot do what He actually did; gave free will to men.
So, I ask you a question: Could God, who is sovereign, give men free will and yet retain His sovereignty? Why not? It appears to me that Calvinists have limited God to their preconceived ideas. But in the end, it comes back to scripture. Do you think that non-Calvinists have no scripture to support their beliefs?
Consider just a few verses that state that men make choices: (making a choice for one way or another shows he has the ability to make that choice.)
2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Rev. 22:17: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Deut. 30:19: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”
John 3:16-21: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (whosoever - this includes every person) “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (God sent the Son to save the world [all people]). “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Men have a choice to believe or not to. It’s not determined by God) “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (Light came but men loved [and chose] darkness) “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (Doeth evil and does not come to the light – how could they if it was preordained?) “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (Doeth truth – chooses truth)
You mentioned Jacob and Esau as a proof text for predestination. So let’s look at what one of the early church fathers says about this topic. I realize the early church fathers’ writings are not scripture, but they were closer to the time when the Gospel began to spread across the known world and some were the direct descendants of the Apostles and certainly had more firsthand knowledge of the New Covenant.
Origen: “One of the doctrines included in the teaching of the Church is that there is a just judgment of God. This fact incites those who believe it to live virtuously and to shun sin. They acknowledge that the things worthy of praise and blame are within our own power.
“It is our responsibility to live righteously. God asks this of us, not as though it were dependent on Him, nor on any other, or upon fate (as some think), but as being dependent on us. The prophet Micah demonstrated this when he said, ‘It has been announced to you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To do justice and to love mercy.’
“Notice how Paul also speaks to us with the understanding that we have freedom of the will and that we ourselves are the cause of our own ruin or our salvation. He says, ‘Do you show contempt for the riches of His goodness, patience, and long-suffering, not realizing that God’s goodness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are treasuring up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. God will render to each one according to his works. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are contentious and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be anger, wrath and tribulation’ [Rom. 2:4-8].
“But certain statements in the Old and New Testaments might lead to the opposite conclusion: That it does not depend on us to keep the commandments and be saved. Or to transgress them and to be lost. So, let’s examine them one by one.
“First, the statements concerning Pharaoh have troubled many. God declared several times, ‘I will harden Pharaoh’s heart’ [Exod. 4:21]. Of course, if Pharaoh was hardened by God and sinned as a result of being hardened, he was not the cause of his own sin. So he did not possess free will.
“Along with the passage, let’s also look at the passage in Paul ‘But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall the thing formed say to Him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does the potter not have power over the clay - from the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?’ [Rom. 9:20,21].
“Since we consider God to be both good and just, let’s see how the good and just God could harden the heart of Pharaoh. Perhaps by an illustration used by the apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we can show that, by the same operation, God can show mercy to one man while he hardens another, although not intending to harden. ‘The ground,’ he says, ‘drinks in the rain that falls upon it and produces crops for the farmer, being blessed by God. But the ground that produces thorns and briers is worthless, and is in danger of being cursed. Its end is to be burned’ [Heb. 6:7,8].
“It may seem strange for Him who produces rain to say, ‘I produced both the fruit and the thorns from the earth.’ Yet, although strange, it is true. If the rain had not fallen, there would have been neither fruit nor thorns. The blessing of the rain, therefore, fell even on the unproductive land. But since it was neglected and uncultivated, it produced thorns and thistles. In the same way, the wonderful acts of God are like the rain. The differing results are like the cultivated and the neglected land.
“The acts of God are also like the sun, which could say, ‘I both soften and harden.’ Although these two actions are opposite, the sun would not speak falsely, because the same heat both softens wax and hardens mud. Similarly, on the one hand, the miracles performed through Moses hardened Pharaoh because of his own wickedness. But they softened the mixed Egyptian multitude, who left Egypt with the Hebrews.
“Let’s look at another passage: ‘So then it is not of him who will, nor of him that runs, but of God who shows mercy’ [Rom. 9:16]. Paul is not denying that something also has to be done by human means. But he gratefully refers the benefit to God, who brings it to completion. The mere human desire is insufficient to attain the end. The mere running does not in itself enable athletes to gain the prize. Nor does it enable Christians to obtain the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Those things are only accomplished with the assistance of God.
“As if speaking about farming, Paul says, ‘I planted, Apollos watered, and God made it grow. So then neither is he who plants anything, nor he that waters, but God, who made it grow’ [I Cor. 3:6,7]. Now we could not correctly say that the growing of crops is the work of the farmer alone. Nor of the one who irrigates. It is ultimately the work of God. Likewise, it is not as though we ourselves play no role in our spiritual growth to perfection. Yet it is not completed by us, for God produces the greater part of it. So also with our salvation. What God does is infinitely greater than what we do.” (Origen First Things bk. 3 chap. 1, paraphrased and abridged) [emphasis mine]
One of the reasons the early church fathers rejected fatalism and stood firmly against such teaching is because agnostics, which were common at that time, were fatalists. We hear this same philosophy from those who believe in evolution; such statements as “whatever will be will be” or “que cera cera.”
I have portions of other church fathers who were in total agreement with Origen concerning this topic.
You asked the question: “Mr. Miller, what choice did you have as to the country you were born in, or to your parentage, gender or any other of your personal characteristics? Was God a tyrant in making these arbitrary choices for you? You know that many are born to drunken parents while others to decent, sober ones. Some are born into poverty while others into wealth - some to believing parents and others to atheists and blasphemers - and that with no choice of their own, and all in the government of God. How does your ‘free will’ notion stand in the light of this fact?”
It appears to me that in asking this question, you miss the divine purpose of God. God is creating a divine family. This world is His workshop where He has placed people in every type of human existence, from the time of creation until Jesus returns, and all with a divine purpose. He will have some from every walk of life and every seemingly impossible situation, who will receive Christ, walk in holiness, and strive to come into the image of Christ. When Jesus returns, this mortal shall put on immortality and corruptible will put on incorruption (I Cor. 15:53,54) and God’s divine family will be taken to be with Him forever. Paul, in Ephesians six, reveals to us that Jesus will take His faithful church to be His bride. The bride is the divine family which God is producing in His workshop; this world. Jesus said that the men of Tyre and Sidon would stand up on the Day of Judgment and condemn His generation. We see in this statement that there will be some who may say they had too great a difficulty to serve God, but God then will have some who had as serious disadvantages or even worse who called out to God in faith and received salvation.
As this is fairly lengthy, I will only address one other issue and that is Mr. Miller’s statement that God was responsible for every effort toward rehabilitating His creation (mankind). First of all, God must be just, as this is part of His nature. To do anything unjust is not God’s character. (With this thought, I don’t understand how God can be just with the Calvinist’s teaching of predestination. But, I digress.) God, as a God of justice, must then be just in order not to defile His person (which is impossible anyway). If God is just, how is He just to save any sinner? If he saves you or me, He is unjust unless there is a just cause, or reason. Is there a just cause? While Jesus came to save and justify men, neither His coming nor His sacrifice can make God just for saving His enemies. There must be some other reason that God was free and just to save evil men. What was that reason? It cannot be His predestinating some while leaving others to suffer hell’s torment. That is the height of being unjust.
God was just in sending Jesus to save mankind, but that’s another topic for another time. I appreciate your convictions in that you live what you believe. I am certain that there will be Calvinists in heaven and there will be Arminians there, also. No one has all truth and we must live our lives according to our understanding of scripture, and if we are obedient to God’s laws and seek God with all our hearts, then God’s grace will save us and His righteousness will be imputed unto us.
Sincerely, The Editor
Note: Brother James Sanderson has been a contributing writer for several years to “The Testimony of Truth” publication. Because of his wisdom and biblical knowledge and particularly his study of the teachings on Calvinism, I asked him to read and give his thoughts to B..P.’s response. Brother P had some issues with a recent article in “The Testimony of Truth” by Harry Miller, in which Brother Miller associates Calvinism with Fatalism. Below is Brother Sanderson’s reply to Brother P’s letter. He begins with a quote from Brother P’s concerns.
RESPONSE TO A LETTER ON FATALISM
By Contributing Author: James Sanderson
1. “Small place given to the Word of God in comparison to his own reasoning.” Everyone who expounds on a biblical topic uses his reasoning. All humans rely to some extent on their own reasoning, which ability God has given to man. The issue is not so much how much of the Word of God but how that reasoning stacks up to the Word of God. How true is the reasoning?
Definition of “Respecter of Persons.” Calvinism stresses that we have to take all the passages that deal with “respect of persons” to determine what it means. In other words God is not showing respect of persons if He arbitrarily condemns some to hell and others to heaven without even revealing a knowable reason. Let’s take one portion of Scripture that particularly relates to salvation. I Peter 1:17, “...the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work...” God is the Judge. He judges without respect of person. In what way is He without respect of persons? He is impartial in that He judges every man by that man's works, according to this passage. He does not judge by any hidden motive or unknowable reason. Paul, also, tells us (Rom. 2:6-11) that those who patiently continue in good works will receive eternal life in the judgment. Those who “do not obey the truth” will receive “indignation and wrath” by the same judge. These passages are interesting because we now know why God sends some to hell and others to heaven. We also find out that God's decision to send one to heaven and the other to hell is not arbitrary as contended by the letter. Those who obey God go to heaven and those who do not obey go to hell. That should be fair enough. The Bible depicts God as being fair (impartial, not respecting persons).
One other issue must be considered here. The problem of Jacob and Esau. According to the letter and its interpretation of the passage about Jacob and Esau, Jacob received God's mercy (the efficacy of the atonement) while Esau did not receive God's mercy (the atonement not efficacious) merely because God arbitrarily decided with no reason given (supposedly) except that He hated Esau. Now we have a real problem. God is really not arbitrary about His requirements for entering heaven. But, somehow, He is arbitrary about granting mercy. Paul states that God has a right to decide who receives mercy and who doesn't receive mercy. Just because the Bible says He has that right does not mean that mercy has to be arbitrarily distributed as an explanation for the verse. The Bible clearly shows that God's mercy is not distributed arbitrarily and that He is no respecter of persons (fair, impartial) in His granting mercy to sinners. Rom. 11:32: “for God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon ALL“ His mercy is available to all men. Let's not change the definition of all. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). “And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2). To make sure that everyone knew that the atonement was not for a select few arbitrarily decided, John added, “not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” That is the universal availability of God's mercy. I believe that if the mercy of God for salvation is available to all men, all men have the ability to receive that mercy personally. However, all men will not accept or receive that mercy, not because of God's arbitrary decree but because they did not avail themselves of that opportunity to receive the mercy. “O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments” (Dan. 9:4). In a sense, all men have received a portion of God's mercy, because none of us deserves anything from God.
2. We come to another issue: foresight. Foresight is a biblical word and must be considered when dealing with God's plan for man. He foresaw the rebellion of man before the foundations of the world were laid and intervened; planned the sacrifice of Christ as the remedy. God foresaw the desire of Jacob for the things of God and also the lack of concern of Esau for heavenly things; thus He intervened. He favored Jacob for the lineage of Christ in the manner that the twins were born (God's intervention). God has intervened in history, I'm sure, at many times. The use of “love, hate” is merely to emphasize the favoring of one over the other in the same way that we are not to really hate our mother and father. We are to favor Christ over all the other people in our lives.
3. The Creator did “subject Himself” and “obligated Himself.” Phil. 1:7-8: “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” He also “obligated Himself.” When God made a promise, He obligated Himself. “I will make man in my own image.” That promise still holds. We are here to be made into the moral likeness of God. We are to be like Him. That is our call. A promise is an obligation. When God makes a promise, He obligates Himself. “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” (Titus 1:2) See also Heb. 6:12-20. Man obligates himself with promises that he doesn't always fulfill. However, when God obligates Himself with promises, He keeps them. He meets His obligations.
4. “Who has resisted His will?” (Rom. 9:19). We must be careful when discussing the will of God. “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication.” (I Thess. 4:3). We know that one can exercise his own “free will” by resisting the will of God and committing fornication or any other sin for that matter. Stephen told the crowd, “Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost.” We need to distinguish between the perceptive will of God (I Thess. 4:3) and the decretive will of God (Rom 9:19). God may be working in you by His Holy Spirit to do of His good pleasure, but you may be working by your flesh to ignore His will. The perceptive will can and is frequently resisted. We are then exercising our “free will.” God has not taken away our decision-making capacity when we become Christians. One can see this occurring among saints and sinners all the time. We all still have the power of choice. The children, referred to in the letter, who were born to drunken parents while the other children were born to sober parents, did not have a choice of their birth parents. However, the parents chose to be drunk or to be sober. God didn't force or coerce them into being that way. He would like to influence them to follow the straight and narrow, but He will not force them.
5. The question of responsibility is somewhat similar to the discussion in section 4 above. Because God is love, He took upon Himself to rehabilitate man. He could have destroyed the whole world, but His love constrained Him to make a way for man to be restored to a proper relationship with God. Here is where Grace comes into the picture. Grace was granted to even the worst sinner. Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ.
6. Calvinism teaches that God is incomprehensible, has reason that no one can understand, and works by motives that are beyond understanding. We refer to I Cor. 2:9 and Rom 11:33-36, (the second is really a prayer of rejoicing by Paul as he contemplates what he has written to the Romans). The portions of Scripture were not written to mean that we can never know God's ways or comprehend the deeper things of God. They were written to emphasize the limitations of man's wisdom in relationship to God's wisdom. Man's wisdom is limited in its ability to explain or comprehend many of the things of God. Paul declared, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (2 Cor 2:9). Paul also wrote, “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath know the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (I Cor. 2:15-16). In other words, the incomprehensible things of God can be revealed to man by the Spirit of God. What we are presenting here is the reason Jesus had to tell His disciples on various occasions that there are many things that He would like to explain to them but they were not ready spiritually, but as they grew in God and were filled with the Spirit, God revealed more to them.
FOREKNOWLEDGE AND PREDESTINATION
Harry Miller
Fulfilling of prophecy is proof that the Creator has the ability to foresee events that, in relation to time, are still future. However, the fact that God was able to foreknow and foresee every event in the history of time did not change those events. Merely the fact of foreknowing that something is going to take place in the future has no bearing whatsoever upon the happening itself. But such knowledge would make it possible to change the natural course of things. Such a change, made by the hand of the Lord, would be called predestination.
In a universe governed by the laws of free moral agency, any intervention of divine Providence in the affairs of men must always be justified. No supreme autocratic power may intervene in world affairs unless the act of intervention is required by both justice and mercy and is something that is done for the supreme good of all beings. “The good of being” must be considered in this order: (a) The person of the Almighty God; (b) the throne of the Great Lawgiver (His laws); (c) the elect among the subjects of His kingdom.
Any act of mercy or justice relative to “c” cannot be justified if such an act detracts from (a) or (b).
Cornelius, a Roman soldier, was “A devout man, and one that feared God with all of his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway” (Acts 10:2). Here was a man whose demonstrative faith honored the Lord. Such acts of devotion and honor cry out to justice for recognition. It is one of the attributes of Divine nature that He, the Almighty, cannot be placed in a position of indebtedness or obligation to any of His creatures. Even as JUSTICE demands retribution for transgression, so also will JUSTICE cry out for rewards for those who honor the Lord as Supreme. The special “grace of God” was dispensed to Cornelius and his house as a REWARD for the man's commendable WORKS.
The WORKS of Cornelius did not EARN the gifts of the Spirit which he received; but his WORKS did gain Divine favor to such an extent that heaven was moved to do something special in his behalf: not every centurion of Rome was being given a supernatural visitation. One can only conclude from this that human EFFORT, human WORK, is a FACTOR in the dispensing of the grace of God.
The laws of obligation and justification are all based upon reasonable principles and are understandable in the light of reason and logic. There is nothing incomprehensible or mysterious about the operation of any of these laws: they are ever in accord with the divine attributes. If the Creator were to make a dogmatic choice without any justifiable reason for such a choice, He would be acting as a tyrant. Such a thing is unthinkable; “As it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings” (Rom. 3:4).
The Lord of Glory definitely planned many things long before the creation of this world, and all of His plans were of such honorable nature that they would in no way disturb the laws of free moral agency; neither would they violate any of the attributes of His holy nature. Every plan in the divine program was designed first to honor the being of the great King, and show forth the glory, dignity, and wisdom of His legal enactments; thus giving great confidence to His creature in His infinite wisdom, justice, and mercy. The ultimate end in view of the creation was the bringing forth of a FAMILY: a people with the same attributes and nature as God Himself; a people who would be worthy of communion with that sacred and holy presence.
Every member of the divine “family” will be forever indebted to the great God for His infinite grace, mercy, and favor. There should be no doubt in the minds of any that if it were not for the infinite patience, mercy, and grace of God, no one would ultimately be saved. Self-will in man seems to be the result of his having been given free moral being. But God perfected a plan by which a certain class of men would voluntarily yield to the processes of redemption. These so-called “processes of redemption” were of such a free nature that they could be offered unreservedly to the whole human family; yet only those who were the ELECT would avail themselves of their benefits.
“He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world...having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will “he hath made us accepted in the beloved” in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will; That we should be to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:4-12).
The redeemed will never question the fact that it would have been impossible for them to have enjoyed heaven if it had not been for their Saviour Jesus Christ: “For we are his workmanship” (Eph. 2:10). It is said of Jesus that He is “bringing many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2:10). He it is who will “present you faultless before the presence of his glory” (Jude 24).
God's ability to foresee, to appraise, to evaluate, and to consider every event of the future, made it possible for Him to predetermine many of the affairs in the history of the human race. Where intervention was necessary to the accomplishing of the general plan, it was provided. Where a certain kind of “means” was essential to the success of the work, the Lord created such a “means.” By the sovereign eye, the Creator was able to look down through the bewildering labyrinth of complex possibilities and the maze of probable eventualities and choose the correct “means” to accomplish the desired end.
The most brilliant agent in the success of God's plan for a divine family is the Holy Spirit. Without the constant vigilance of His Spirit, nothing toward the perfection of the character of free moral agents would ever have been accomplished. The ministry of angels, “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Heb. 1:14), is another vital force of the grace of God. The eternal “Potter,” who molds the clay, made the clever choice of a “vile body” (Phil. 3:21, body of humiliation), as a veil of obscurity over the human spirit; the object being to provide a handicap for the exercising of the faculty of faith. After the creature sees and knows as he is known, he can no more exercise faith. “Now we see through a glass darkly” (I Cor. 13:12) has reference to our present state of darkened spiritual perceptions.
God purposely subjected man to all of the unreasonable contradictions of the carnal flesh life in order to provide a means for the development of CHARACTER. The spirit of the creature was deliberately handicapped by certain conditions and circumstances foreordained by the great Creator for the express purpose of contributing aid in producing the desired end: perfect free moral agents. “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope” (Rom. 8:20).
In the choice of the class or kind, of human beings who would be the most likely material for the development of the divine character, it is most reasonable that God would choose those who would yield to His processes. Any “potter” is very particular about the kind of clay that he chooses; not all mud can be made into pottery.
We now come to the crux of the question of free moral agency and the Sovereign will of God: if God arbitrarily chooses certain individuals as beneficiaries of His grace, and His choice is not based upon the intrinsic value of the individuals, then all of creation must be considered nothing but tyranny, and both saint and sinner are merely substance dominated by unreasoning absolute power. Such certainly cannot be a Christian viewpoint of the divine government. Our native instincts tell us that, of all things, God is JUST, He is impartial, and He favors none above another unless the “other” justifies the special treatment.
“Whosoever will,” so often mentioned in the Scriptures, would be a mockery if the damned were not given an equal opportunity to become saints with the elect. The fact that Jesus Christ died “for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2) disproves the argument that He died only for the sins of the elect. When the Scriptures state that He “was not willing that any should perish” (II Peter 3:9), they are testifying to the fact that God would prefer that all men be saved. This, too, is compatible with the laws of free moral agency. God will not FORCE HIS GRACE upon any individual. If final choice rested in the will of God, then God alone would be completely responsible for the condition of both the saved and the lost. It could then be said that they who weep and wail and gnash their teeth would do so because the Creator so determined that they would. Such a conclusion is utterly ridiculous. Yet, if God is the one who makes the choice as to who goes to the right and who to the left, then we must arrive at this utterly un-Christian and untenable conclusion.
As Christians, then, we must conclude that there is a choice that man himself makes, which settles once and for all whether he goes to the right or to the left. “Why will ye die” (Jer. 27:13), the Lord asked Israel through His prophet.. But if Israel was predestined to death by the arbitrary will of God, how meaningless this question would be! The teaching of the apostle Paul to young Timothy was that it was possible for a man to become “a vessel unto honor” instead of to dishonor: “IF A MAN THEREFORE PURGE HIMSELF” from things dishonorable (II Tim. 2:19-21).
In the seven letters to the churches of Asia, as recorded in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation, the Lord serves notice upon each church: “I know thy WORKS.” His wrath and judgment upon the churches were determined by the KIND OF WORKS they manifested. The grace of God also was dispensed according to the WORKS or reaction of the recipients of His grace: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation” (Rev. 3:10).
We contend that free moral agents themselves determine the sort of treatment they will receive at the hand of Providence: whether it be good or evil. Consider this: “God hath dealt to EVERY MAN the measure of faith” (Rom. 12:3). Here is something that is a pure gift of divine grace; an unmerited favor of a heavenly nature. Those who are wise will obey the urging voice of His Spirit when He admonishes: “Add to your faith” (II Peter 1:5). Others who are earthly-minded give little thought to this universal heavenly gift and, like the foolish virgins who allowed their lamps to go out, they let the good things of God slip: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Heb. 2:3)
“And He (Jesus) said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath” (Mark 4:24,25). The “measure of faith” to “EVERY MAN” is like the Master's gift of a talent; all of us, as stewards, are responsible before God regarding our stewardship. If we “bury” the talent, we will surely suffer loss; for only those who use their talents for good purposes will receive the rewards.
Spiritual poverty is the natural result of the neglect or misuse of the holy gifts which are given to every man. On the other hand, deep spirituality is the fruit of honest endeavor and faithfulness to the grace of God.
CONSIDER THE LILIES
Randall Walton
The words of Jesus are so potent in their life-giving admonition. Jesus constantly referred to temporal objects in order to portray spiritual truths; parables and likenesses of earthly value to teach heavenly and moral lessons. The kingdom of God, He said, is likened unto a farmer who tills his soil, plants his seeds, and after cultivation of the field, he awaits and anticipates the time when the field will be ready for harvest.
The kingdom of God is akin to that order! He uses simple matters to explain the seemingly complicated issues of life. Thus, we have the touching example of the lilies.
He said to consider how they grow. They do not merely exist, they GROW. They develop, they mature, they become more delightsome to behold. They appear quite insignificant at their beginning, but eventually they outshine even Solomon in his most glorious royal array. Consider this, He said: this is God’s order, God’s design, His plan, His will. You are to GROW just as the lilies grow.
You begin in infancy, immaturity, insecurity, but this state of babyhood is to be left behind. The ultimate beauty of a relationship with the Creator can only be realized with the continuing process of development and the final state of maturity when the lily is in full bloom.
But another valuable lesson to be learned from these gorgeous flowers is that they depend completely upon their creator for all their needs. “God so clothes the grass of the field,” Jesus said, still referring to the lilies. They don’t labor nor weave their own garments. They simply trust in God to produce their splendor and beauty according to His own divine design.
“shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (verse 30) And therein lies the source of a great problem: trusting God to supply all of one’s needs. Jesus certainly was not saying we should not work - “six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work” - the comparison He was pointing out was that, while the lilies do not “toil nor spin,” (which they are unable to do) and God clothes them, how much more will He clothe those who can and must work, who put their faith and trust in Him, as do the lilies!
“Therefore,” Jesus commanded, ”take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” “Take no thought.” Do not be anxious, worried, fretful about such things. God knows we have need of many things, and He has promised to provide them if we will put our complete and total trust in Him.
You can almost feel the pathos in His plea for people to have faith in the Father’s concern and His ability to care for them. “You are much better than the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and yet the heavenly Father feeds and clothes them!” Why do you worry that He will somehow fail to care for you? “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and He will add to you all of those things you need.”
It is evident that this is a matter of priority - some issues are more important than others. Jesus placed seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness at the very top of the list of important issues. Placing these issues in the proper order of importance requires faith and trust, faith that God is able to do, and trust that He will do as He has promised. This is the resolve which God looks for in all of His creatures. This is the resolve of the lilies.
Content to grow in the sunshine of God’s provision, they continue to radiate the beauty which Solomon could only contemplate. They owe their existence and their glory to their creator, and they provide a perfect lesson of divine care for all of us to consider.