Between the theological fallacies of deism, the belief that God created the world but has been uninvolved with mankind since, and fatalism, the belief that every minute detail of every action or occurrence happens by the express and specific will of God, there must exist the balanced truth concerning the relationship between the sovereignty of God, the free will of man, and chance. The existence of all three is shown in scripture:
Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
(Also see Pro 21:1 and Gen 6:13)
Gen 13:10-11 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
(Also see Ex 32:1)
Ecc 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
(Also see Deu 22:6 and Luke 10:31)
The way these concepts fit together in different aspects of life and salvation is complex and can vary depending upon what aspect of each is under consideration. Therefore, to better explain this four dimensional puzzle, a natural model will be constructed to metaphorically present truth. The aspect of these concepts in focus will be the everyday events, actions, and interactions in the lives of the children of God (1 John 5:2). The aspect of eternal salvation will not be considered. The following statements are assumed to be true in constructing this model:
· The Bible is 100% accurate and contains no contradictions (Ps 12:6).
· There is a subset of the human race that God loves and that will enter heaven upon their death (John 17:9). An individual in this subset will be referred to as “child of God.”
· God is omniscient (Ps 139).
· God does not cause any man to sin (James 1:13).
God’s sovereignty
God’s power cannot be denied. It is seen in the very first chapter of the Bible in His creation of the world. Some take this power in conjunction with God’s omniscience to argue that nothing can happen unless God before ordained and willed it to happen. They reason that any event not predestined would occur outside or contrary to the will of God so therefore must not be possible. This belief, however, quickly extrapolates to God also ordaining Adam’s fall and causing every lie, theft, or genocide in man’s bloody history. Thus, it can be refuted by simple reasoning and the following verse:
Jer 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
(Also see Jer 19:5)
God can be seen offering choice to man in temporal events throughout the Bible.
2 Kings 20:9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
(Also see 1 Kings 3:5,10-14)
It cannot be said, however that God consistently defers to the will of man. He is righteous, just, and has the authority and power to direct the course of men’s lives.
Pro 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Gen 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Will of man
The statement “God does not cause any man to sin” implies that anytime someone does sin that they committed it of their own will, e.g., God did not cause David to commit the sins of adultery and murder. In addition to actions contrary to God’s law, the Bible also gives examples of men making choices not pertaining to sin.
Gen 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
The wording of the above verse implies that Adam acted independently in his choice of animal names.
Chance
If the Bible is 100% accurate, the mere mention of chance in the scripture is sufficient evidence to its existence. However, its nature and extensiveness is open to question. It is impossible to say with 100% certainty that an event is chance. Due to man’s finite nature, the seemingly most unobtrusive event may actually be a key element to a divine plan.
Gen 37:28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
What seemed to be a random intersection of paths, is later shown to be vital for the preservation of Jacob and his family. However, God’s power to have brought about salvation or blessings through means other than those recorded in scripture cannot be denied (Esther 4:14). Perhaps “chance,” as it is commonly thought of, is not normally a self existing phenomenon but rather is a result of actions and events initiated by the will of man (Luke 10:31).
God’s direction in the lives of His children
The final puzzle piece that must be presented before a model is constructed is the concept of God’s intervention and direction in the lives of His people. This truth is found throughout the Bible and is a continuation of the examination of God’s sovereignty.
2 Cor 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
Jer 29:10-11 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Psa 139:9-10 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
For God’s children, life is neither a game of natural reasoning nor a game of dice. Both may play a role in daily interactions, but the underlying factor is God’s sovereignty and His love for his people.
Model
The model to be presented is that of a particle suspended in fluid flowing through a pipe. A schematic is shown in Figure 1.
The different features of the schematic and what they represent are as follows:
1. The start of the pipe = the birth of a child of God.
2. The walls of the pipe = the limits of where the child may find themselves at a particular time in their life (Job 1:10). The bounds of the wall cannot be seen by the child (Gen 42:4).
3. A constriction in the pipe = periods in the child’s life where God is very specifically directing them towards some incident, intersection, or action that will be for their benefit and His glory (Acts 13:36).
4. The particle = the child at a particular time in his or her life.
5. The area immediately downstream = the near future that the child can see with some degree of certainty (1 Cor 4:19), e.g., “It will probably rain today.”
6. External area = theoretically possible events that the child can envision but are actually outside the limits of the pipe, e.g., Joseph being killed in the Egyptian prison.
7. An expansion in the pipe = areas where the child has more self-determination in their lives than at other times and where chance occurrences and interactions may happen more frequently and have greater effect at altering the path of the particle.
8. System boundary = the limits of possible events and interaction (excluding miracles). For example, the child suddenly becoming immune to fire would in most cases be outside the system boundary (Dan 3:25).
9. End of the pipe = the death of the child.
The figure is purely for representational purposes and is not claimed to be to scale in length or width of sections. The model needs to also be seen from two other viewpoints: that of the child and that of God – seen in Figure 2 and Figure 3, respectively.
At a given point in time, a child of God cannot fully see the guards and bounds God has placed about them (noted by dashed pipe walls). God, however, is from everlasting to everlasting and is not restricted by the passage of time as humans are. He sees the complete path from beginning to end. However, contrary to the argument of the fatalist, His seeing the totality of the child’s life does not imply that He minutely directed every action, word, or event done or experienced by the child. The opposite belief is just as erroneous. God is a God of detail; the expanse and intricacy of the creation shouts that truth from the largest supernova to the smallest electron. He is omnipotent and nothing happens that He did not cause or allow to happen; but allowance cannot be equated with causation.
Job 1:9-12 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
God did not cause Satan to desire harm toward Job. That desire sprang naturally from who Satan is. God did, however, remove some of the protection He had set about Job which allowed Satan to do what by nature he wanted to do.
The children of God are instructed in scripture to seek God’s will through prayer (Matt 9:38). They are instructed to live righteous lives and to repent and seek forgiveness when they sin (1 John 2:1). Also in scripture, God has promised certain things to his children that He will certainly bring to fruition (Rom 4:21, Titus 1:2). The model laid out above attempts to join seemingly contradictory concepts into a logical and harmonious arrangement that is supported by the Bible. The child of God must be proactive throughout his life in seeking to live a righteous life before his LORD but can have peace in the knowledge that he is beloved of a sovereign God who actively protects and blesses those whom He loves.
Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
All verses and reference taken from the authorized King James Version.
