He defines these four views as follows.
1. Meticulous sovereignty: God is the instrumental cause behind every action and reaction there has ever been. In other words, you chose white socks instead of the black socks because God caused it to happen. You have an itch on your eyebrow right now because God is actively causing it. In other words, every molecule that bounces into another is a result of God active agency in being the first and instrumental cause to the action.
This position holds little or no tension with regards to the human will and the divine will.
God is actively controlling everything.
Adherents: Hyper-Calvinists and some Calvinists
2. Providential sovereignty: While God is bringing about his will in everything (Eph 1:11), his will is not the instrumental cause of all that happens. God’s will plays a providential role in “causing” all things. In other words, all that happens happens because God did in some sense will it, but secondary causes are usually the instrumental cause behind the action. In the case of your socks, you chose them because you decided to, but it was also part of God’s will. God allows evil as it is part of his imperfect will to bring about a perfect end, but he is not the instrumental cause of evil.
This position holds much tension with regards to human will and divine will.
God is in control of everything.
Adherents: Calvinists and some Arminians
3. Providential oversight: Here God’s sovereignty is more of an oversight. He has a general plan, but is not married to the details. When necessary, God will intervene in the affairs of humanity to bring about his purpose, but this does not necessarily involve an intimate engagement with all that happens. God does not care what color socks you pick unless it somehow effects his meta plan.
This position holds much tension with regards to human will and divine will.
God could control everything, but only controls some things.
Adherents: Arminians and some Calvinists
4. Influential oversight: Here God’s sovereignty is self-limited. God could control things, but to preserve human freedom, he will not intervene in the affairs of men to the degree that the human will is decisively bent in one direction or another. He is hopeful that his influence will be persuasive to change a person’s heart or to guide them to his will, but is not sure if this will happen. Being all-wise, however, God will make strategic moves in people’s lives that will manipulate the situation to his advantage.
This position holds little or no tension with regards to the human will and the divine will.
God could control everything, but decides only to influence.
Adherents: Open Theist Arminians and some Arminians
For reference, I think I fit category 1 but I'm sure God will lead some of you to correct me.
8 comments:
I think I float between 2,3,4... I have a hard time just thinking God would "be the creator of evil" as one person put it to me while quoting Isaiah 45:7 out of the KJV
recently we had an apartment fire in town leaving 25 people homeless and one dead. Then a local motel held a party for the victims by their indoor water slide and a child drown to death.
To me, I have a hard time believing that God willed that family to not just lose all their possessions, then lose a child becuase He willed it. It is easier for me to believe He allowed that to happen.
With all the evil and injustice in the world I see God opposed and directly working against these things, so to believe He opposes what He causes seems to not be biblical to me.
Now, you can disagree... : ) yet, as I realized when I did the funeral for friends who lost their baby boy one day before his first birthday... having been the one to do CPR and know that the child was dead while the father was screaming "Do something..." it is heart breaking... to see the couple be torn apart from the death and really nothing good coming out of it. I just cannot see that God did that... I can see Satan doing that and pray God will use it for good.
Maybe I lack faith... or maybe I add to it as I press on dispite all this...
Be blessed,
iggy
I don't know that this is solvable, but it's interesting to discuss. I take the view that God is perfectly in control, and that all things that happen are within his control. Nothing happens without his permission and will.
If Scripture reveals God, and God reveals himself as the creator of evil (to quote the words used in the KJV), then that's who God is. (I'm not saying that the KJV has it right, of course.)
I'm not sure how I can get to the point where I disagree with something God reveals about himself. I'm using his justice and righteousness (his communicable attributes, I think) to say "You're not fully formed and you're imperfect."
I don't know how to get there.
Category 1 is the only logical choice, of course
;-)
I think Jesus revealed the perfect will of God, he came healing the sick, casting out demons,etc, calling that destroying the works of the devil... how does that fit with category 1? Just curious...hehe...stirring up trouble a little!
Jul - funny, I was wondering how it doesn't fit ...
did God not cause pharoah's heart to harden?
did He not cause the flood?
did He not cause the plagues?
does He not cause death?
God wills death. God Causes death. God allows death. God uses death.
Does that mean all of the above?
Nothing God does is evil....it is perceived as evil from those who are rebellious to him.
I dont think we can BOX God into "4 little view points".
But a question we must ask ourselves is this...
Is God In control, or Out of control?
Nowhere in scripture do we see that He is OUT of control. In fact, we only see Him IN control.
Who are WE to say "I dont deserve this" or "Why did this happenn to me?"
Like Job did to God... and we all know what God responded with... "Who are *YOU* to question ME? You are a mere MAN. I am God"
Yes death is dis-heartening...on this earth. in this life. but to question God's sovereignty is pulling a Job.
Godspeed,
Geoff
as in romans 9 "What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—"
Doesnt this answer that question?
Categor #1 is divine solataire and makes everything else a superfluous mirage.
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