Monday March 31, 2014

Coming Up Sonday April 6

I Am A Free Agent. I Am A Robot.

Read Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17. Acts 4:28, Ephesians 1:4. Psalm 139:16
In studying human free will and the providence of God we seem to run immediately into a barrier. The argument runs as follows. If I am a free agent then God’s providence or decree cannot be absolute. In deed, many people and many schools of theology hold to such a view. The semi-pelagians (mankind can move towards God for salvation) and Armenians ( I decide my own salvation fate) play down the providence of God to allow mankind complete and total free will.

But any study of free will and God’s providence must start with God and not mankind. All theology rightly begins with God and mankind must, by necessity, as the created being, come under the Lordship of God.

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Upon eating of that tree, mankind would suffer death.
Beginning with God, we see that God created mankind (both male and female) and gave Adam a particular command. He was permitted to eat from any tree in the garden, except the

Obviously mankind had a choice and free will to choose obedience or disobedience. But, as we consider other passages, we see that the situation is not so clear. In Ephesians 1:4 we read that God chose us before the creation of the world to be saved by Christ. God knew from the first that we would need saving. He knew that Christ had to come into the world to save sinners. Tracking this back to the original creation, it means that God knew Adam and Eve would walk in disobedience.

In Acts 4:28 we see that God had already ordained for His only begotten Son to die upon the cross for the sins of the world. God was not caught off guard by sin and He certainly didn’t go to plan B when Adam and Eve chose to eat from the forbidden tree.

As we shall see throughout this study, this is more than God knowing the future. It is far greater than God simply reacting to what He sees in His heavenly crystal ball. To say, as it does in the Psalms, that God ordained ‘all the days ...for me’ makes no sense if God saw it in a crystal ball and just wrote it down. This is far from any allowable definition of the word “ordained”. Put simply it is a perversion of the wording of Scripture.

The biblical reality is that God has foreordained all things that come to pass yet is neither the author nor originator of sin. It’s heavy going but by the end of the week you’ll see the biblical position.

Word Moment
Scripture is not always easy to understand. It is not like any other book. We must avoid the temptation to believe/not believe the Bible when it is proven or disproven by other sources. This makes the other source our ultimate authority. Believe the Bible because it is God’s Word to us.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Can you think of an illustration to explain the idea of God’s sovereign will and our free will?
2. What is the result of expressing too heavily
1. God’s sovereign will 
2. Man’s free will

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess:

Thanks

Supplication:

• As our building renovations get set to start pray that God would superintend the whole process and allow it to go smoothly. Pray that our corporate times of worship will continue to glorify God and edify the saints even though building works will be in progress.
• Pray that your church’s giving would be adequate and generous so that your church can not only meet its bills and contractual obligations but also reach out generously to the local community.