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The answer is yes, but we must define the term
"permit" Biblically. The key is to understand the Bible's
teaching on God's sovereign permission of sinful
acts within the scope of His eternal,
unchangeable plan for all things.
In the March 14-15, 2009 issue of
The Profitable Word Weekend Edition, we
published an article titled
"Disturbing Initial Reaction to Church
Shootings: 'We Thought It Was Part of a Skit' ".
The article included the following statement: "To
venture to say why God permitted these
particular events to happen would be an
indescribably sinful presumption."
We subsequently received an
e-mail from a friend and supporter of this
ministry who raises a very good question, and we
can imagine that it may be on
the minds of other readers as well:
I certainly agree with the hazard
of second-guessing God, but I don't understand
how "God" and "permitted" can be used in the
same sentence. Although, to the eye of man, it
would appear that we can orchestrate almost
anything within our discovered capability (and
we are fully responsible for those "bad tunes"
that we orchestrate), the Scriptures seem to
plainly indicate that God's sovereignty is 100
per cent active in all things. And, this is no
veiled effort on my part to set up a "blame God"
situation. No one in his right mind dare try to
do that and expect to win.
Well said, and we could not agree more about
God's sovereignty or its extent, or about man's
responsibility for his sinful acts. And this is
not just some esoteric detail of theology. This
question goes to the very heart of what the
Bible says about the nature of God
— and how, and to what degree, He controls
the universe He created.
2,400 Years of Discussion
Theologians have written thousands of pages on
this question. The earliest record we have of
such discussion is in the scribal commentaries
on the Old Testament that developed in Israel
beginning 2,400 years ago, after the return from
the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. Debate
and discussion have continued through the
centuries.
In our day, the question of God's sovereignty is
an area of theology where there is often more
heat than light. Theological
textbooks are full of terms such as "secondary
causes" — "the liberty of indifference" —
"contingency" — "determinism" — "necessary
condition" — "concurrence" — "effectuation" — "ab
extra influence" — and so on. Man is at his
most inventive in creating terminology! Each new
book adds words to the
discussion, but rarely adds clarity. Even the
best theology books (that is, the ones most
faithful to Scripture) are often filled with
such terms and their definitions. While theological terms can be
useful when defined Biblically and employed judiciously, many times they can
obscure Biblical truth.
Given all of this, attempting to answer our
friend's excellent question within the space
of a single "Today's Question" article
would seem an impossible task. But we
believe we can and should make the attempt, by God's grace and by
resorting to Scripture alone. We believe that brevity
and clarity will
be best served by letting Scripture speak for itself, and
keeping the use of theological terminology to a
minimum.
Approaching the Question
So, to summarize our friend's question: Is it Biblical to say that God "permits"
man's sinful acts? Scripture makes three facts that bear upon this
question abundantly clear.
First, the sovereign
God of the universe has ordained in detail everything that
has ever happened, is now happening, or will
happen in the future, and that plan does not
change in any manner or respect.
Second, our sovereign God is not in any
sense the author of sin.
And third, God's
sovereignty over all things extends even to the
sinful acts of man and of Satan, for which man
and Satan are nevertheless fully responsible.
Considering each of these points in turn from
Scripture will lead us to the Biblical answer.
God Is Completely Sovereign
First, the sovereign God of the universe has
ordained all things — everything that has ever happened, is
now happening, or will happen in the future.
And what God has ordained is unchangeable in any
manner. Here are but a handful of the pertinent
Scriptures:
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
and the breath of all mankind?...With Him are
wisdom and strength, He has counsel and
understanding. If He breaks a thing down, it
cannot be rebuilt; if He imprisons a man, there
can be no release. If He withholds the waters,
they dry up; if He sends them out, they
overwhelm the earth. With Him are strength and
prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His.
He leads counselors away plundered, and makes
fools of the judges. He loosens the bonds of
kings, and binds their waist with a belt. He
leads princes away plundered, and overthrows the
mighty. He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
and takes away the discernment of the elders. He
pours contempt on princes, and disarms the
mighty. He uncovers deep things out of darkness,
and brings the shadow of death to light. He
makes nations great, and destroys them; He
enlarges nations, and guides them. (Job
12:10-23)
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the
plans of His heart to all generations. (Psalm
33:11)
There are many plans in a man’s heart,
nevertheless the Lord’s counsel — that will
stand. (Proverbs 19:21)
A man’s steps are of the Lord; how then can a
man understand his own way? (Proverbs 20:24)
There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel
against the Lord. (Proverbs 21:30)
The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as
I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as
I have purposed, so it shall stand." (Isaiah
14:24)
For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will
annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who
will turn it back? (Isaiah 14:27)
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from
ancient times things that are not yet done,
saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do
all My pleasure, calling a bird of prey from the
east, the man who executes My counsel, from a
far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will
also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I
will also do it." (Isaiah 46:10-11)
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And
not one of them falls to the ground apart from
your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:29-30)
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestined according to the purpose of
Him who works all things according to the
counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11)
Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to
the heirs of promise the immutability of His
counsel [i.e., the fact that it is
unchangeable], confirmed it by an oath. (Hebrews
6:17)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of
turning. (James 1:17)
God Is Not the Author of Sin
However, God's sovereignty does not mean that He
is in any sense the author of sin. Scripture
also makes this clear, as we see once again from
just a few of the pertinent passages:
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in
wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You.
(Psalm 5:4)
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted
by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor
does He Himself tempt anyone. (James 1:13)
This is the message which we have heard from Him
and declare to you, that God is light and in Him
is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)
God's Sovereignty Encompasses Man's Sinful Acts
Thirdly, God's sovereignty over all things
extends even to the sinful acts of man and of
Satan, for which man and Satan are nevertheless
fully responsible. The prophet Habakkuk
acknowledged this, even while asking a question that is often upon
our
hearts:
You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and
cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on
those who deal treacherously, and hold Your
tongue when the wicked devours a person more
righteous than he? (Habakkuk 1:13)
Three familiar examples will suffice to show
God's complete sovereignty over sinful acts.
Our first example is the account of Joseph and
his brothers in Genesis chapters 37 through 50.
Out of envy Joseph's brothers sold him into
slavery, and they established a cover-up that
would deceive their father Jacob into thinking
that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. But
God preserved Joseph through severe trials and
raised him up to be governor of Egypt. God did
this so that the fledgling nation of Israel
might be saved from famine, and so that the
fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham
concerning Israel's captivity and subsequent
deliverance (Genesis 15:13-16) could be set into
motion. Joseph himself understood that the
sovereign God had used even the sin of his
brothers for His glorious purpose: "But as for
you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it
for good, in order to bring it about as it is
this day, to save many people alive." (Genesis
50:20).
A second example is the account of God's
dealings with Job. God first gave Satan
permission to destroy Job's possessions but not
to touch Job himself (Job 1:6-18) and then later to
destroy his health but not to take his life (Job
2:1-8). Likewise, when the legion of demons
possessing the man of Gadara "begged [Jesus]
earnestly that He would not send them out of the
country" and said, "Send us to the swine, that
we may enter them," the sovereign Lord "gave
them permission" (Mark 5:10-13).
In a similar vein, the Apostle Paul tells the
Corinthian church to "deliver to Satan" the one
among them who is engaging in deep sexual
immorality "for the destruction of the flesh, in
order that his spirit may be saved in the day of
the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 5:4 — and we find
in 2 Corinthians 2:1-11 that this individual did
subsequently repent and was to be restored to
the fellowship). And in his
letter to Timothy Paul spoke similarly of
"Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered
unto Satan, that they may learn not to
blaspheme" (1 Timothy 1:20). God uses even the
consummately evil workings of Satan to
accomplish His sovereign purposes.
A third example is the death of the Son of God
for sin. In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost,
Peter declares: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of
Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders, and signs which God did
through Him in your midst, as you yourselves
also know — Him, being delivered by the
determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you
have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and
put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed
the pains of death, because it was not possible
that He should be held by it" (Acts 2:22-24).
The Jews and Romans committed the most heinous
sin in the history of the universe — and it was
part of God's determined and foreordained plan.
And as the early believers prayed for boldness
in the face of persecution, they prayed with the
understanding that the evil being done to them
was part of God's sovereign plan, just as the
evil done to Christ Himself had been: "For truly
against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You
anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with
the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were
gathered together to do whatever Your hand and
Your purpose determined before to be done" (Acts
4:27-28).
Yet Scripture declares that man is fully
responsible for his sin. The passage we quoted
from James above is followed by a telling
statement: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted
by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor
does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is
tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires
and enticed" (James 1:13-14).
Other Scriptures affirm this:
They conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
their womb prepares deceit. (Job 15:35)
Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; yes,
he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
He made a pit and dug it out, and has fallen
into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall
return upon his own head, and his violent
dealing shall come down on his own crown. (Psalm
7:14-16)
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that
it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it
cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated
you from your God; and your sins have hidden His
face from you, so that He will not hear. For
your hands are defiled with blood, and your
fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken
lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. No
one calls for justice, nor does any plead for
truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies;
they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
(Isaiah 59:1-4)
In What Sense Does God "Permit"?
In what sense, then, may we say that the
sovereign God "permitted" such evil
acts as we find in the pages of Scripture, or acts such as the
church shootings in Texas and Illinois which we
discussed in our
article
mentioned above?
First, we can say on sound Biblical grounds what
it does not mean. Many well-meaning Bible
teachers attempt to set up a supposed
distinction between God's "perfect will" and
God's "permissive will." The alleged difference
is that God has a perfect plan, but He will
permit men to make choices that are outside His
perfect plan. But this is a false dichotomy — one
that Scripture, as we have seen, does not
support.
God has one detailed, perfect, and unchangeable
plan for all things, the ultimate purpose of
which is God's own eternal glory. Man's sin
does not in any sense thwart or change the plan
of God. It is part of that plan. This is a
difficult concept for many Christians, to say
nothing of unbelievers. The Fall of Adam did not
cause God to adopt a "Plan B" for the salvation
of man. The Fall of Adam and the human race's subsequent
descent into sin was part of God's eternal plan
from before the foundation of the world.
Since every thought and act of man is tainted with sin
(Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21, Psalm 14:1-3), it is
simply impossible to say that God is sovereign
and has an unchangeable plan for all things,
without saying that man's sin is integral to His
eternal plan. Otherwise, we would have to say
that no act of man is part of the perfect
plan of God.
But this does not make God the
author of sin. He sovereignly permits sinful man
to do what sinful man by his fallen nature wills
to do. Romans 1:18-32 bears this out. The Holy
Spirit uses the same Greek word, paradidomi,
three times. Paul tells us that because of what
mankind is by nature because of the Fall, God "gave
them up to uncleanness" (1:24); He "gave
them up to vile passions" (1:26); and He "gave
them over to a reprobate mind" (1:28).
But God's permission of man's sin is not a
mere permission — one that allows man (or
Satan) to do any thing, or make any choice, that
is in any sense outside of God's sovereign and
unchangeable decree. God's permission of man's
sin is an efficacious permission — for the
accomplishment of His eternal purpose. "The Lord
hath made all things for Himself; yea, even the
wicked for the day of evil" (Proverbs 16:4).
"Does This Offend You?"
When Jesus taught such things during His earthly
ministry, "many of His
disciples...said, 'This is a hard saying; who
can understand it?' When Jesus knew in Himself
that His disciples complained about this, He
said to them, 'Does this offend you?...The words
that I speak to you are spirit, and they are
life. But there are some of you who do not
believe' " (John 6:60-61).
Our natural tendency is to be offended by these
truths, and not to believe. They are indeed
"hard sayings" to our finite minds. But when God
confronts us with such hard sayings, may we bow
the knee before the authority of the Word of
God, which tells us clearly that these things
are so. Believing these things does not mean
embracing a "Biblical paradox" in any sense. God
is not the author of paradox any more than He is
the author of sin. Believing these things means
believing the God who says them, who is
absolutely consistent in everything He says and
does. May we trust in the One whose wisdom and
knowledge are deep and rich beyond measure,
whose judgments are unsearchable, and whose ways
are past finding out (Romans 11:33).
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