For centuries people have questions about how much control they really have over their own lives. Some believe in free will in an extreme way that limits God's sovereignty. Others believe in God's sovereignty in an extreme way that limits man's free will. Either extreme is full of dangers and do not follow biblical teaching.
For instance, if you put too much emphasis on free will, you have no reason to hope in the future. How do we know God will win in the end? Or, how do we know that a nuclear war won't start at any moment and wipe out the planet? More importantly, how do you know that the pain and suffering you are going through has any purpose? Maybe bad things just happen, and you have had bad luck. If God is not in control, there is no reason to truly believe that "all things work together for the good for those who love God," (Romans 8:28).
On the other hand, consider what happens when you doubt that free will is real. If God determines every event and every decision, one begins to lose a sense of individuality. Do I really decide what I am going to do? Am I responsible for my actions? If God has decided everything I will do and think, aren't I just a puppet with no influence on others or even my own direction in life?
Consider Romans 9:17-19: For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?"
Paul points our attention in this debate to the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Interestingly, the account about Pharaoh's hard heart in the book of Exodus alternates between saying that God hardened his heart and that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.
For instance, "The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." (Exodus 4:21)
But, in Exodus 8:15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
These are just two of many examples. I believe they reveal that the Bible teaches God's complete sovereignty and man's freewill work together.
First, understand that God knows everything about the future. He knows what people will do before they do it. This does not mean that he causes them to do things, only that he knows what they will do. For example, imagine you watch a recorded football game with your friend. Your friend saw the game last night, but you haven't. You are excited when your team wins the game with a last second touchdown. Your friend knew exactly what was going to happen, because he already saw the game. Does this mean your friend caused your team to win the game? Should you thank him for giving your team the victory? Of course not. He simply knew what would happen.
However, God's knowledge of the future goes beyond this. He knows more than what will happen. He knows what will happen in every possible scenario. Going back to the football game, God doesn't simply know who will win the football game and how, he knows who would win the game in every possible scenario. Would there be a different outcome if the weather was 10 degrees warmer and the wind was 5mph stronger? God knows the answer to questions like that, and he also has the ability to influence the weather (and an infinite number of other things).
Consider 1 Samuel 23:10-13: David said, "O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will." Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will." So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
God was able to tell David what would happen if David did not leave the city of Keilah. David did not stay, so these events did not happen, but they would have happened if he did stay.
In this instance we can say that David determined whether or not the citizens of Keilah would hand over David and his men to Saul. It was his choice. If he stayed, the citizens would have done so. Since he left, they did not. David was ultimately in control of their actions. Notice, however, that the citizens of Keilah still acted according to their free will. David did not force them to do anything, he simply knew what they would do in certain circumstances and made choices to bring about the circumstances he wanted. David was able to do this because God told him what would happen in the future in different circumstances.
God's sovereignty works in the same way. The difference is that he knows what would happen in an infinite number of circumstances and has an infinite number of ways of directing those circumstances.
God knew that Pharaoh would harden his own heart if Moses and Aaron approached him a certain way. God decided to send Moses and Aaron to him. Thus, it is completely accurate to say that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. God made the decision as to what was going to happen. However, it is also accurate to say that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. It was his choice to do what he wanted in the circumstances he was in. It is true that God determined the circumstances knowing what Pharaoh would do, but Pharaoh is completely responsible for his choice.
Understanding events this way is helpful when it comes to trusting the Bible. We can have confidence that all events are part of God's good and perfect plan. We can also understand that we are not simply robots that have no control over our lives. We are responsible to obey God.
Trust the Bible is a weekday radio program that begins at about 8:10 each morning on WDOG 93.5 in Allendale, SC. You can listen to previous programs online here: http://www.fairfaxfbc.org/trust-the-bible.html
No comments:
Post a Comment