O. The decree of God recognizes the volition of the believer to succeed or fail and has cognizance of the outcome.
P. Only the repsonse of the believer to doctrine can result in maximum blessing desired by God for the believer.
Q. The decree recognizes the extent to which a believer advances or retrogresses in his spiritual life. This is the extent to which the decree of eternity past was declared for that individual.
R. God knew beforehand how far each believer would advance, and that was decreed.
S. Despite equal opportunity and equal privilege to execute the spiritual life, in too many cases the potential far exceeds the reality.
VII. Human Freedom and the Divine Decree
A. The plan of God and the decree of God are totally consistent with human freedom. God does not limit, coerce, or violate man's self-determination.
B. We must distinguish between what God causes directly, such as Christ's spiritual death on the cross, and what He permits indirectly, such as sin, human good, and evil.
C. God created man with a free will--- volition in his soul. God therefore permits that free will to function in human self-determination. Otherwise, man would never have fallen. God permitted the Fall. The Fall was not His directive will, but His permissive will is as much a part of the decree as is His directive will. Remember: the decree is human history in the mind of God in eternity past.
D. God is not the author of sin, human good, or evil. Free will is the source of these things. The sovereignty of God and the free will of man coexist in human history.
E. Both sin and the salvation work of Christ on the cross were fed into the computer of the divine decree. Sin is the permissive will of God; the cross, the directive will. Sin is neutralized by the cross; this is an example of how God permits man's free will to oppose Him, yet He maintains His own integrity and is victorious in the end.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit knew that the two greatest systems of human law--- Jewish and Roman--- would meet at the cross and those administering the law would fail. The members of the Trinity knew that hearsay would be accepted as evidence, that the facts would be omitted, and that the whole succession of Christ's six trials would be a violation of both Roman and Jewish law. Nevertheless, the precise manner in which Christ was convicted and crucified was decreed in eternity past because God knew the freewill decisions of every individual involved. He knew the mob mentality and the decisions of every member of the crowd that shouted, "Crucify Him!" He knew the conspiracy of the religious Pharisees.
Christ's execution was the sum total of human evil and reversionism. It was the quintessence of sinfulness--- sinfulness related to religion. The religious crowd crucified the Lord, yet God's purpose was carried out by the free choice of man--- even by the free negative volition of the men in the Sanhedrin.
It was religion that put Christ on the cross, but it was the Father who, through His integrity, used the crucifixion for His own purpose. God used religion, the devil's 'ace trup,' to provide our salvation! Religion reached its evil peak only to inadvertently provide the grace way of salvation as the justice of God imputed the personal sins of mankind to Christ on the cross and judged them.
This once again shows that no matter how great the creature may be--- and Satan is the smartest of all creatures--- God is infinitely greater. Satan finally came up with this 'smart' way to get rid of Jesus--- Roman crucifixion, but through this supreme masterpiece of satanic conspiracy came our salvation. God not only uses the wrath of man to praise Him, but He uses the antagonism of Satan as well! It was a combined satanic-human operation that put the Lord on the cross. Satan thought he had accomplished his objective, and in no way had his volition been coerced. But all he had done was to contribute to our Lord's objective in hypostatic union. There is the wisdom of the divine decree!
F. The divine decree does not oppose human freedom.
G. Man is free to glorify and serve God, but the manner of glorification and service is prescribed by God and is not left to man’s freedom or imagination. God ordained the postsalvation spiritual life of the Church Age believer to function under the filling of the Holy Spirit and the perception of Bible doctrine. He did not ordain witnessing, prayer, or any other Christian production to be the means but the result of spiritual growth. We must understand what His plan is and what it is not. The daily function of the grace apparatus for perception is His plan for our growth.
H. If the result is to be spiritual growth and divine blessing, our freedom is limited to positive volition toward Bible doctrine.
I. Man’s use of his freedom to reject doctrine results in divine discipline. Either we adjust to the justice of God or the justice of God will adjust to us.
J. The believer’s objective is to use Bible doctrine resident in his soul to determine the will and pleasure of God regarding his spiritual life and modus operandi.
K. In this way, human freedom becomes merged into God’s will. God is pleased, and man is blessed beyond description.
VII. The Practical Application of the Divine Decree
A. Sine the decree is the sum total of God’s plan and purpose in eternity past, it centers around the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. Therefore, the free will of man must face the critical issue of the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Faith alone in Christ alone is man’s entrance into the plan of grace. At the cross, the sovereignty of God and the free will of man meet for the glory of God and the advantage of mankind. The basis for this meeting is the integrity of God.
C. Under the divine plan policy of grace, the work of salvation is accomplished by God while man gains the benefits apart from human merit or ability.
1. The righteousness of God condemned all human sin in the divine decree in eternity past; the justice of God judged all sins at the cross so that the love of God provides salvation through the grace of God.
2. The antagonism between divine justice and human works mean that human works are set aside in every phase of the plan of grace.
D. God’s plan in eternity past was designed to include all events and actions, related to their causes and conditions, as part of one indivisible system, every link being a part of the whole. The whole is the integrity of God making all the links properly relate through grace. This is how He makes all things “work together for good to those who love Him.”
E. Without violating human volition, God has designed a plan so perfect that it includes direction, provision, preservation, function, cause, and effect for all believers.
F. Under this plan, God has decreed to do some things directly (creation, salvation), some through secondary agencies (Israel, the Church), and some through individuals (Moses, Paul, believers, etc.).
G. Thus, there are primary, secondary, and tertiary functions within the plan of God. 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. We are part of a magnificently perfect plan designed to give us everything that is wonderful in time and eternity. If our spiritual momentum carries us into supergrace or pleroma, we will be blessed.
H. The plan of God is consistent with human freedom. God is not unfair; He does not limit or coerce our freedom. He graciously provides guidance as to how we should use our volition. The only revelation of the divine decree is found in the Bible; therefore, the highest priority in the Christian life is the cognition, retention, and application of Bible doctrine.
Some things God permits; other things He causes. Some things please Him; others do not. But God always recognizes reality. This is one of the most important aspects of our relationship with Him: everything which is decreed is reality and, like God, we, too, must face the facts.
Because God deals with reality, His plan must deal with things as they are. His solutions start with what is, not with what is not. There is no wishful thinking in God. He never rationalizes anything. He never blesses us out of sentimentality. He never blesses us because of our character, our plans, our ideas, our schemes, our self-righteousness. He bless us always and only on the basis of His character.
Anyone who keeps trying to vindicate himself before God will never understand the integrity of God and how it relates to the divine decree.
I. Again, God created man with free will.
J. The fact that man can choose contrary to the will of God proves the coexistence of the sovereignty of God and the free will of man in human history to fulfill His pleasure and purpose.
Originally posted by FreakyKBHYou know, it's more efficient, and better appreciated, just to give the link to the original source.
[b]VII. The Practical Application of the Divine Decree
A. Sine the decree is the sum total of God’s plan and purpose in eternity past, it centers around the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. Therefore, the free will of man must face the critical issue of the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Faith alone in Christ alone is ...[text shortened]... overeignty of God and the free will of man in human history to fulfill His pleasure and purpose.[/b]
http://www.gbible.org/Doctrine_of_The_Divine_Decree.htm
And, again, these cut and paste jobs constitute plagiarism unless you cite your source.
Originally posted by bbarrActually I hadn't read Robert R. McLaughlin's treatment of the same. Apparently you haven't taken the time to even glance at it either, as even a cursory glance would have eliminated what I have typed as being the work of RM. Nice try, though!
You know, it's more efficient, and better appreciated, just to give the link to the original source.
[b]http://www.gbible.org/Doctrine_of_The_Divine_Decree.htm
And, again, these cut and paste jobs constitute plagiarism unless you cite your source.[/b]
Just in case you're wondering, I had already addressed this issue previously:
06 Mar '06 11:19 :: 0 recommendations
Originally posted by telerion
The arbitrary and speculative nature of Freak's project far outweighs any potentially novel ideas he could offer.
"Wish I could claim credit for establishing a systematic theology. The purpose of posting the same, however, is to inform others of the nature and character of God (and therefore, His thinking). The hope is, once the objective reader begins to get their mind around (as much as this is possible, of course) the integrity of God, the purpose of life becomes more perspicuous.
To date, there has been no sermon."
Originally posted by FreakyKBHThe last post you provided bears striking similarity to:
Actually I hadn't read Robert R. McLaughlin's treatment of the same. Apparently you haven't taken the time to even glance at it either, as even a cursory glance would have eliminated what I have typed as being the work of RM. Nice try, though!
http://gracebiblechurchbaytown.org/old.doctrine.format/epog.htm
Can you account for this?
Nemesio
Originally posted by FreakyKBHYou're a liar. This is from Robert McLaughlin on the practical application of DD:
Actually I hadn't read Robert R. McLaughlin's treatment of the same. Apparently you haven't taken the time to even glance at it either, as even a cursory glance would have eliminated what I have typed as being the work of RM. Nice try, though!
"Since the Decree is the sum total of God's plan and purpose in eternity past, it centers on the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:4-6, 1 John 3:23. Therefore, the free will of man must face the issue of Christ and His work on the cross. Faith in Christ is man's entrance into God’s plan of grace. At the cross, the sovereignty of God and the free volition of man meet for a purpose – the glory of God and the benefit of mankind. The basis for this meeting is the justice of God. Under the Divine policy of grace, God accomplishes the work of salvation while man receives the benefits apart from human merit or ability. The definite antagonism between Divine justice and human works indicates that human works are disregarded in every phase of the plan of grace, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10."
This is what you posted on the same topic:
"A. Sine the decree is the sum total of God’s plan and purpose in eternity past, it centers around the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. Therefore, the free will of man must face the critical issue of the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Faith alone in Christ alone is man’s entrance into the plan of grace. At the cross, the sovereignty of God and the free will of man meet for the glory of God and the advantage of mankind. The basis for this meeting is the integrity of God."
C. Under the divine plan policy of grace, the work of salvation is accomplished by God while man gains the benefits apart from human merit or ability."
Try to have some intellectual integrity.
Originally posted by FreakyKBHYeah, sort of like your complete lack of any type of sincerity or integrity, as demonstrated through your actions here. I didn't think it could get any worse than your 'Attributes of God' thread. You continue to amaze and astound, Freak!
The only thing imperfect in God's plan is man.
EDIT: Where does the plight of those Down's babies fit into the Divine Decree?
Originally posted by NemesioCan you account for this?
The last post you provided bears striking similarity to:
http://gracebiblechurchbaytown.org/old.doctrine.format/epog.htm
Can you account for this?
Nemesio
Sure. Take a look at the link below.
http://www.gbible.org/about_us.htm
And, specifically, read this blurb, three paragraphs down from the picture of the church:
"Pastor Robert R. McLaughlin was ordained by Col. R. B. Thieme, Jr. of Berachah Church in Houston, Texas."
Perhaps RM took his decree from my source.
Originally posted by FreakyKBHSure, maybe you're both plagiarists.
[b]Can you account for this?
Sure. Take a look at the link below.
http://www.gbible.org/about_us.htm
And, specifically, read this blurb, three paragraphs down from the picture of the church:
"Pastor Robert R. McLaughlin was ordained by Col. R. B. Thieme, Jr. of Berachah Church in Houston, Texas."
Perhaps RM took his decree from my source.[/b]
Originally posted by bbarrHow embarrassing. I'm glad I didn't invest any time reading this crap. Freaky should be ashamed of himself.
You're a liar. This is from Robert McLaughlin on the practical application of DD:
"Since the Decree is the sum total of God's plan and purpose in eternity past, it centers on the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:4-6, 1 John 3:23. Therefore, the free will of man must face the issue of Christ and His work on the cross. Faith in Christ is man ...[text shortened]... fits apart from human merit or ability."
Try to have some intellectual integrity.