God’s Decree and Man’s Fall

The connection between God’s decree and man’s fall always raises many questions when it is spoken about in a sermon or is explained in catechism class. It is also mentioned quite often on house visitation. It is a subject of great importance, and therefore it may be discussed. But how? We are afraid that often the questions do not arise from a good motive.

You may ask, “In what way?” Often these questions come up out of enmity against God, which we can also find at moments in the hearts of God’s people. You then hear the question, “Why did the Lord not create man in such a way that he could not fall?” Or they say, “Man could not really help it that he sinned, because the Lord had already decreed it.” Some even go further and say bluntly, “God is the author of sin.” Thus many accusations are made.

If you are confronted by this question, then it is good to listen to what God says in His Word and to what our fathers, who had so much more light than we, have written about this subject. By reading God’s Word and the writings of our old fathers we will get a deeper insight and begin to see that we may not blame the Lord, but that we, that I, have sinned against God and have willfully forsaken Him. May the Lord also use this writing to that end.

The Doctrine of God’s Decrees

In speaking of God’s decrees, theologians usually make the following division:

1. God’s immanent or internal acts, which are wholly subjective. This decree of God has no reference to anything that is outside of God; it deals with the generation of the Son and the procession of the Holy Ghost.

2. God’s transient or external acts to the universe, external to Himself, including all His works of creation and providence done in time; this also includes redemption.

We may formulate it in these words: “The decrees of God are His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His will, whereby, for His own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.” When you read the old fathers, the dogmatics, and your catechism book, you will find a much broader explanation. Take the time to read about this important subject. For many that which the prophet Hosea has written is so applicable: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Our having “no time” will testify against us in the day of days.

Rev. Hellenbroek writes about God’s decrees in chapter IV, question 2: “When has God formed His decree?” His answer is: “From eternity.” And in question 5, “Are His decrees changeable?” Answer, “No, they are unchangeable (Isaiah 46:10).” The decree is an act of God’s will. God determined to execute His sovereign will in time. There was no necessity for God to do this, as if His perfection would have lacked something if He had not created the heavens and the earth, but it pleased Him to execute His decree.

Objections to the Doctrine of God’s Decrees

Only Reformed theology does full justice to the doctrine of God’s decrees. The Lutherans do not; their belief in pre-determination is limited to the good things in the world, and more particularly to the blessings of salvation. In the doctrine of predestination, Lutheran theology shows a strong affinity with Arminianism. Pelagians and Socinians reject it as unscriptural. The Semi-Pelagians show it scant favor, and others ignore this doctrine altogether.

Their objections are:

1. It is inconsistent with the moral freedom of man. As a rational creature, man is able to decide for himself. The decree of God, however, carries necessity with it. God has decreed to effectuate all things; He has decided the course of man’s life. So they claim that the Divine decree is inconsistent with the free agency of man.

What must our answer be to this? Although man is a free agent, still he is fully responsible for his acts (Genesis 50:19-20; Acts 2:32 and 4:27-28). In the Scriptures there is not a single indication that the inspired writers see a contradiction in these matters. They never attempt to harmonize these two. This should restrain us from assuming a contradiction here, even if we cannot reconcile both truths with our finite minds.

2. It takes away all motives for human exertion. This objection is to the effect that people will say, “If all things are determined by God, then man does not need to be concerned about the future and need not make any effort to obtain salvation.”

We can find the same reasoning in the catechism on the question about our good works, where it is asked, “But does not this doctrine make man careless and profane?” (Question 64). The answer does not leave any doubt: “By no means.” What is wrong in this reasoning? It is forgotten that the divine decrees are not known to us and therefore cannot be a rule for us, since their contents become known to us only through, and therefore after, their realization. The rule for us is embodied in law and gospel, which puts man under obligation to employ the means which God has ordained. Are we doing this, my friends?

3. It makes God the author of sin. God cannot be the author of sin, as Scripture tells us in many places (Psalm 92:15; Ecclesiastes 7:29; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5). This is also evident from the attribute of God’s holiness and from the law, which forbids all sin.

God is not the author of sin, but He left room for sin, and He permitted sin to take place. God does not take delight in sin; no, He hates sin. However, God decreed that through the depth of the fall He was to be glorified in His justice and in His mercy.

The doctrine of God’s decrees does not present a special difficulty if we may see it in the light of God’s Word. It represents God as decreeing that sin takes place as the free act of the sinner, and not by any form of God taking part in sin or tempting man to sin.

God’s Decree Is Universal

God’s decree is universal, since it embraces absolutely all creatures and all actions. Nothing happens in heaven or on the earth outside of God’s eternal decree. In Ephesians 1:11 we read, “Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” Nothing is excluded. Evil as well as good are included in God’s counsel. The sins of the wicked are also righteously decreed, for if God had not willed these sins, they would not have taken place. God’s counsel includes all things, and He glorifies Himself also through the depth of that sin which makes man guilty. This means that sin is under God’s control, whether it is or was committed, whether in heaven by the fallen angels or on earth by man. Sin does not destroy the counsel of God but, being included in His decree, serves in the performance of it. From what we have seen above, it is clear that the fall is also included in God’s decree.

— to be continued —

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