Lesson 22  February 1, 2004

 

 

b.  Since God is infinitely holy, how do we account for the evil and the pain and allowance of sin? 

 

Within our limited comprehension as human beings it is perhaps difficult to see how God would pre-design a plan in which terrible acts of sin could take place.

 

Quote form L.S. Chafer in systematic theology:

It is not sufficient to assume that God was unable to prevent sin from eventuating or that He could not cause it to cease at any moment if this were His will.

God, however, permitted evil to appear, and the Bible provides the only basic solution to the problem of evil in the universe which exists in all forms of human thought.

The essential nature of sin is one area that needs to be explored. Though evil is a part of God’s original plan, it is not attributed to God as an act of His will in the sense that He determined that evil would be accomplished.

Scripture is clear that the presence of sin in the world cost God the death of His Son as a sacrificial Lamb on the altar when He  was crucified  at Calvary. Permitting evil cost God the most of any possible plan.

Under the circumstances the question may be raised as to why sin is allowed in the universe. This is best explained by pointing to the ultimate purpose of God to bring men into likeness to Himself. To realize this end they must know to some degree what God knows. They must recognize the evil character of sin …

In examining the fact of sin consideration must be given to the fact of God’s grace toward the fallen and the sinful.  

No demonstration of grace is possible unless there are objects that need grace, objects that know the experience of sin. Sin must be brought into final judgment.

In conclusion, it must be said that God’s primary divine purpose was not to avoid the presence of sin.  He could have prevented it if He had willed to do so. To achieve His purposes, which were holy, just, and good, God had to permit sin in order to demonstrate His glory—especially His righteousness, love, and grace.

 

9.  The Means God Uses to Accomplish His All-Encompassing Plan

In the outworking of God’s plan in human history, God’s decrees are often viewed in three aspects: The efficacious or overruling will of God, the permissive will of God, and directive will of God.  

 

10. The Efficacious or Overruling Will of God

The efficacious will of God is carried out by various means (directly by physical causes, Gen. 1, and by the individual's response to God's initiation with the Gospel and the Word, Eph. 2:8, 10; 4:24) for which God is personally or directly responsible and for which He acknowledges responsibility.

 

 

 

11. The Permissive Will of God

There are parts of God’s plan that He permits. The permissive will of God embraces only the moral features that are contrary to His desired will. 

 

Though God does not actively promote this aspect of His sovereign will, He uses them to accomplish His purposes.

 

Regardless, God always places the responsibility for these acts and their results with men or angels, as in the case of the fall of Satan and then of man   (Acts 14:16; Ps. 78:29;  Isa. 10:5-14; Acts 2:23; Rom. 1:18-32).

 

A classic example of this is perhaps the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in the book of Exodus.

Ten times it is said that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (7:13, 14, 22;  8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34; 13:15), and 10 times that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17).   

Point is God created the circumstances faced and the Pharaoh responded with negative volition.

 

The fact that God permits these things does not make them less certain, nor remove them from the plan of God, but it does remove the responsibility for the sinful acts of men and fallen angels from God.  

 

Another illustration of this is the way God sovereignly uses kings, who often commit evil acts and who, though they operate by their own volition  and have no intention of serving God (see Isa. 45:4-6), are accomplishing God’s sovereign purposes.

 

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 76:10, “For the wrath of man shall praise You; With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself."

“The entrance of sin into the universe was made certain by God’s plan.  God did not create sin, but in His infinite wisdom He allowed its entrance into the universe.”

 

- How is this possible? How is it made certain by God's plan?  He created Angels and man with volition, the ability to choose contrary to His plan.

Sin is always the product of the creatures own negative volition to God.

 

God did not create man to be a robot but a creature created in God’s image with the moral responsibility to know God, love God, and choose God's will.

 

12. The Directive Will of God and Human Responsibility

By the directive will of God I mean the will of God as it may be discerned and defined by God’s specific instructions or directions as they are found in the Word and by His specific workings within a person’s individual life through the illumination of the Word by the Holy Spirit.

 

 

God could act and accomplish His plan without man, but He has chosen to use human beings as earthen vessels to bring His plan to fulfillment. This means that there is a two-fold operation and responsibility.

(1) Man’s responsibility includes the various means of faith, prayer, learning and applying the Word of God which results in giving, serving, and walking worthy, etc.

(2) God’s responsibility includes calling, convicting, regenerating, illuminating, leading, and working in men to enable them and to motivate them to accomplish His directive will.

Philippians 2:12-13 illustrates the balance between the 2.

 

 

 

13. The Purpose of God’s Sovereign Plan

The ultimate purpose of God’s plan is the praise and manifestation of the glory of God (Eph. 1:6, 11, 12, 14; 3:21; Rom. 11:36; 16:27; Rev. 4:11;  5:13).

 

It is essential to the very Being of God and by the very nature of God that His glory be manifested and appreciated because of what God’s glory is and does within the universe.

 

So God’s plan is designed to manifest the various facets of His glory or perfections. How? One way is by allowing sin through the creature, God’s plan brought out all aspects of God’s glory much like sparkling diamonds against the backdrop of black velvet.

The presence of sin and rebellion manifests God’s love, patience, holiness, mercy, and grace to a magnificent degree.

 

 

14. Conclusion

Amidst all the confusion and uncertainty of the world in which we live, how assuring to know that God orders our steps! Our faith need not be in blind chance nor in circumstances, but should be in an infinitely wise God who does all things well, who knows the end from the beginning and whose every desire for us is for ultimate good and His glory.

 

 

It is a marvelous revelation of the Bible to learn (a) that God watches over all that happens, indeed, He has known it from all eternity, and (b) that He is in complete control over all situations, no matter how dark or hopeless it appears to us.

Amazingly, this knowledge, if rested in by faith, can free us to serve the Lord and love others unconditionally, for ultimately, nothing can stand in the way of God’s plan for our lives.