Nevertheless, the precise manner in which Christ was convicted and crucified was decreed in eternity past because God knew the freewill decisions of very individual involved. In the present discussion it is used primarily in the last sense, though not altogether to the exclusion of the second meaning.Predestination does not form an important subject of discussion in history until the time of Augustine. It does not matter into which of these categories any action falls; all constitute one great, all- comprehensive plan, perfect, eternal, unchangeable, with no loss of integrity.
This is the eternal plan by which God has rendered certain, all of the events of the universe. In the “theology of crisis” it is again recognized, but in a form that is neither Scriptural nor historical. Therefore, we classify the decrees as being plural, but in reality there is only one decree.This is a very technical study, but it is very important to understand as it is a reminder that before man existed, God had us all personally in mind.
This is one of the most important aspects of our relationship with Him: Everything decreed is reality and, like God, we too must face the facts. Sin is neutralized by the Cross; this is an example of how God permits man’s free will to oppose Him yet maintains His own integrity and wins in the end. Therefore, any Divine determination concerning mankind is dealing with something that doesn’t exist. God does not create dishonor, but God provides a potter’s wheel, which is legitimate authority in life. God does not depend on us for His pleasure or for His glory; He enjoyed these things in eternity past when no one else existed. Religion reached its peak only to inadvertently provide the grace way of salvation as the justice of God imputed the personal sins of mankind to Christ, and then judged them ALL on the Cross. Angels had a fall; therefore man must have a fall to resolve the conflict. Earlier Church Fathers allude to it, but do not as yet seem to have a very clear conception of it. Hyper-Calvinism is actually the work of a Burgundian Theologian and Noble who lived from 1519-1605 named Theodore Beza. The main problem is neither Calvin nor Beza could relate the Divine creation of the free will of man to the prehistoric angelic conflict.
He wants the very highest possible happiness you can experience! In this sense of the word Calvin was clearly a Supralapsarian. Only you, with your negative volition toward doctrine, can hinder that personal desire from the sovereignty of God.
This would ignore the part played by the human volition in human history. God’s glory is never held up; it never stops; it moves on with you or without you, no matter what you do. This once again shows that no matter how great the creature may be, and Satan is the smartest of all creatures, God is always greater. So, all of God’s desires are a part of the Divine decrees, but we can reject those desires for our personal life!
In searching of Christians’ understanding of this belief, we found a conflict of opinions.
All logistical grace, and those who would be blessed and their blessings, were fed into the Divine decrees. Being Omniscient, He knew ahead of time what we would decide, and He not only decreed that those decisions would exist, but He also decreed that exact manner, consistent with His integrity, in which He would handle our decisions. What is the inevitable result of basing God’s decree on His foreknowledge rather than © 2018 Monergism by CPR Foundation. God knew every problem, heartache, and situation you would face long before you ever existed.So, there are distinctions between what God permits, and what He desires. The decrees are the all-inclusive will and purpose of God concerning all that ever was or ever will be, which originates totally within Himself. Therefore, it is possible to reconcile the freedom of the will with absolute decrees. In spite of its appeal to the Reformers, it departs widely from the doctrine of predestination, as it was taught by Luther and Calvin.The decree of God may be defined with the Westminster Shorter Catechism as “As was said in the preceding, only Reformed theology does full justice to the doctrine of the decrees. Calvin pioneered the doctrine of double predestination, and this gave Beza, one of his professors, a chance to put election before creation. He does influence our volition through circumstances! The extent to which a believer advances is the extent to which the decrees of eternity past were declared for that individual. In doing so, He did not interfere with angelic or human free will. The decree of God is the sovereign choice of the Divine will (His attribute of sovereignty) and mentality (His attribute of Omniscience) by which all things are brought into being and controlled, made subject to His pleasure, and producing His glorification (Anything the Members of the Trinity decide to originate is decided with these concepts in mind: 1) It is for Their pleasure. 1:11.
We as believers should walk by means of our invisible assets. Logically, God would not elect until He created, and He would not elect until He permitted the fall. Then He created creatures with free will – beautiful, powerful creatures called angels. Sin is the permissive will of God; the Cross, the directive will. God is not unfair; He does not limit or coerce our freedom. On the very basis of the decree Scripture urges us to be diligent in using the appointed means, Phil. This means that the believer was in the mind of God in eternity past! So, God does not coerce our free will.
This duplicates Satan’s fall and the subsequent existence of fallen angels.3.