Doctrine: The Decrees of God

Order of Service

• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: The Decrees of God

Scripture: Ephesians 1:11

I. Why We Study Doctrine

A. The twofold goal of studying theology

1. To grow in knowledge of God
2. Knowledge of God is unto worship — doctrine is unto doxology

B. Illustration: A husband continually pursues knowing his wife after the wedding day; similarly, saving faith is only the starting point of knowing God

C. Example from Romans 9–11: Paul works through the hard doctrine of God's sovereign election and cannot help but be led to worship — "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!"

II. Definition of the Decrees of God

A. Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 7: The decrees of God are his eternal purpose according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass

B. Key Scripture: Ephesians 1:11 — "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will"

C. The Westminster Standards locate the execution of God's decree in creation and providence; Berkhof separates out redemption as a distinct category

III. Topics to Be Covered in This Series

A. God's election of some to be redeemed in Christ

B. God's ordaining of the sending of Jesus as Savior of sinners

C. God's ordaining of all the means by which the elect come to faith

D. God's passing over others, who receive the wrath due for their sin (reprobation)

E. God's ordaining and permitting the fall

F. God's ordaining and permitting wicked events

G. The order of the decrees (ordo decretorum)

IV. Hard Questions Raised in Discussion

A. The problem of evil: What do we do with terrible events and wicked people under the sovereignty of God?

B. Prayer: How does prayer function within God's sovereign decree?

C. Middle Knowledge (Molinism): The idea that God surveys all possible worlds and chooses the best one

1. This view attempts to preserve both sovereignty and free will
2. Critique: Scripture teaches God does not select from options but actively decrees; his decree is centered on his Son Jesus Christ

D. Divine foreordination and human free will held in tension

1. Reformed theology affirms both God's sovereignty and genuine human free will
2. These truths cannot be fully reconciled by finite minds and must be held in tension
3. Confessional language provides helpful categories without resolving every question

E. The regret of God — 1 Samuel 15

1. 1 Samuel 15:11 — "I regret that I have made Saul king"

2. 1 Samuel 15:29 — "The Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret"

3. 1 Samuel 15:35 — "And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel"

4. How does God's expressed regret cohere with his foreordination of Saul's rise and fall?

F. Election and the mission of the church: If God has already elected his people, why evangelize and do missions?

G. God's transcendence and our creaturely limits

1. God does not owe us an explanation that fully satisfies our reason

2. We are made in his image but are not his essence; we are creatures

3. Humility is the proper posture before these doctrines

V. The Pastoral Importance of This Doctrine

A. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 3 (final paragraph) on handling predestination

1. The doctrine must be handled with special prudence and care
2. We are to attend to God's will as revealed in Scripture and yield obedience to it
3. From the certainty of effectual calling, believers may be assured of their eternal election
4. This doctrine affords praise, reverence, and admiration of God, and humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all who sincerely obey the gospel

B. The doctrine of election is not a weapon but a source of pastoral assurance and humility

1. Election is not about self-congratulation; it humbles us
2. We must remember the depth of our sin and what we deserve apart from God's mercy

C. God's eternity and our experience of time

1. God is outside of time; every moment of history is present to him
2. C. S. Lewis illustration: an author and his story — the author exists outside the time of the narrative
3. Limitation of the illustration: the author still has his own time; God has no succession of moments whatsoever
4. This helps explain why holding foreordination and free will in tension is difficult for creatures bound by linear time