Review from Previous Lesson

The Foundation of God’s Decree (WCF 3.1-2)

Teaching Note

This opening section of Chapter 3 lays the groundwork for the entire doctrine of God’s decree. The goal is to establish God’s absolute sovereignty while answering common objections about human freedom and the problem of evil. The confession does not present a universe with cold, mechanical rules, but a deeply personal, logical, and good plan ordained by a loving Father. It is a delicate and mysterious balance: God ordains all things, yet human wills are not coerced, and second causes (like physics, human choices, and nature) are established rather than ignored. God is in control and yet Got has left our wills free. This should give us incredible comfort.

Scripture Verse

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…

WCF Text

Westminster Confession of Faith 3.1-2

1. God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.

2. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.

Teaching Content

• God’s Eternal Decree: God has ordained all things. Not just salvation but every hair on your head and every movement of every atom. He made this plan completely freely, without any outside influence or necessity. When we think of choices we always think of them from a human perspective where even our most free choices are constrained by our circumstances: to choose between chocolate and vanilla ice cream requires being in a place where someone has made chocolate and vanilla ice cream available for us. God is constrained by nothing and has determined from before time or creation to save some. Yes, God is the First Cause, but He ordains things to happen through the genuine choices and actions of His creatures (second causes). His sovereignty doesn’t erase our will; rather, as the Confession says, our liberty is ‘established’ by it
• God is Not the Author of Sin: God ordained all things, but He ordained them righteously and well. It is a truth beyond our comprehension that even though God is sovereignly in control of absolutely everything, He is able to create a world where people can thwart His stated desires without changing His unchangeable plan. The faithful have traditionally understood this by distinguishing between God’s decretive will (what He has unchangeably ordained will happen) and His preceptive will (the commands and moral laws He has given us). He created a world where men, women, and angels act voluntarily and can choose to sin. Because they act freely according to their own desires to break His commands, they, and not He, are responsible for that choice and are therefore the sole authors of sin.
• God is God: The main point in all of this is that God is God and we are not. All of our choices are free and yet dependent on our circumstances and limitations. God has no limitations and no circumstances in the way that we would understand them. He stands above and before creation, having complete freedom from it and complete authority over it. God doesn’t look into the future to see who will choose Him, and then decree their salvation based on that foresight. Rather, the future exists exactly because God has decreed it.

Discussion Questions

• Many people try to protect human free will by saying, “God just looked into the future, saw what we would choose, and then decreed it based on our choices.” Why does the Confession (WCF 3.2) so strongly reject this idea?
  • It rejects this because it makes God dependent on the actions of His creatures, which would mean God is not truly sovereign. If His decree is based on our foreseen choices, then His choices are constrained by us, violating His absolute freedom.
• A common objection to God’s absolute sovereignty is that it makes humans into mere “robots.” But the Confession makes clear that “violence is not offered to the will of the creatures,” how would you explain this to someone?
  • God does not force us to act against our will; rather, we voluntarily choose to do exactly what we most desire in that moment. Our choices are genuine and have real consequences, even while they perfectly fulfill God’s overarching plan.
• The Confession teaches that our genuine choices are not taken away, but established by God’s decree. How does this encourage us to still make wise choices, share the gospel, and pray, rather than just being passive?
  • God ordains not just the final outcome, but also the means to achieve that outcome: including our prayers, our evangelism, and our wise decisions. Our active obedience is the very instrument God uses to bring about His sovereign will in the world.
• Why is it so crucial for our faith and our view of God’s character to maintain that while God ordains everything, He is absolutely not the author of sin?
  • If God were the author of sin, He could not be a perfectly holy and just judge, and our trust in His inherent goodness would be destroyed. This doctrine ensures we understand that all evil stems from the creature’s rebellion, while all good comes from God.
• If God has ordained whatsoever comes to pass, why are we still held morally responsible for our sins?
  • We are held responsible because we sin voluntarily, acting according to our own corrupted desires without being externally coerced by God. Since we choose to break His commands freely, we justly bear the moral guilt for those choices.

The Particulars of Predestination (WCF 3.3-7)

Teaching Note

God, from eternity past, and for His own glory chose which men and which angels would be elect unto salvation and which would be destined to sin and be allowed to suffer the eternal consequences of that sin. It’s a little bit hard for us to comprehend but the very numbers of heaven and hell were fixed in God on the basis this eternal decree. Not a single person will be lost who should be saved, or shown mercy who has not been elected unto mercy. The mechanism for all of this is faith in Christ, either faith that looks forward to a coming Messiah as the saints of old, or a faith that clings fast to Christ as He has been revealed in the New Testament. There really are just two options, life or death. Faith in Christ or Hell.

Scripture Verse

Romans 8:29–30

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

WCF Text

3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death.

4. These angels and men, thus predestinated and fore-ordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it can not be either increased or diminished.

5. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any foresight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto; and all to the praise of his glorious grace.

6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, fore-ordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.

7. The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice.

Teaching Content

• Angels and Men: The subjects of God’s eternal decree of predestination include both human beings and angelic spirits. Some angels are elect, and so God preserved them from ever being tainted by sin, while others fell into sin by His decree and deserve eternal destruction. The same division happened with Humans, meaning every person has an unchangeable, eternal destination that is fully settled by God, ensuring that His ultimate purposes for creation cannot fail or be defeats (John 10:28-29; 2 Tim 2:19).^[1]
• Predestined Unto Life: Predestination or election is God’s eternal, unchangeable, and unconditional choice of specific people to be saved and brought to everlasting glory. This decree is made before the foundation of the world, out of God’s mere free grace and love, it is not based on any future faith or good works in the creature as a condition or cause. (Eph 1:4-6; 1 Pet 1:2-5).
• Passed Over for Death: Often called reprobation, this is God’s sovereign decision, to pass by, or refrain from saving the non-elect. It is important to note here that just like election, God’s decree of reprobation is not based on future knowledge but on God’s sovereign and independent will. They do, in the course of time, inherit sin from Adam and commit actual sins of their own worthy of damnation, but their selection for hell is not based on that. (Rom 9:21-22; Jude 4).

Discussion Questions

• The Confession states that the number of the elect and non-elect is “so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished.” Why should this comfort you?
  • It provides comfort because our salvation is entirely secure in God’s hands. It does not depend on our fluctuating feelings or performance, but on the unchangeable decree of an almighty God who promises that no one can snatch us out of His hand.
• God saves us without reference to our works, why is it vital to preserve this unconditional nature of grace in our outreach?
  • If election were conditional on our foreseen faith or good works, salvation would ultimately be based on our merit or cooperation. This would be death for us, and an impossible hurdle for those still dead in their sins to overcome. The good news of the gospel is that Christ saved us DESPITE our wickedness.
• What would you say to someone who said that God’s eternal decree is unjust?
  • God is God and we are not. Whatever he does is just, by definition, because he defines justice. But more than that, remembering that we are dead in our sins, no one deserves mercy. It would be like receiving a birthday present from your grandparents and then getting upset that your grandparents didn’t buy the same thing for everyone in your high school. God’s plan is good, just, and to the praise of His glorious Name.
• We see a beautiful promise in paragraph six, God will finish what he started. He will remake the elect perfectly in His image through justification, adoption, and sanctification, why is it important to connect this with predestination and election?
  • It strengthens and deepens our faith in election. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ,” (Philippians 1:6).
• WCF 3.7 describes reprobation as God passing by the non-elect and ordaining them to wrath “for their sin.” Why is the phrase “for their sin” so important for defending God’s justice?
  • It shows that those who are condemned are not innocent victims, but rebels who are justly punished for their own voluntary sin. God is not injustice’s author; He simply allows sinners to have what they choose, displaying His holy justice.

Predestination - A Balm, not a Cudgle (WCF 3.8)

Teaching Note

The Westminster Standards are pastoral. They were written by pastors and theologians that cared deeply about the truth and about their flocks and so 3.8 is more of a statement about how a doctrine ought to be handled rather than about the doctrine itself. Predestination is difficult and complicated, and so we need to handle it with special care. It is true and biblical, so we can’t abandon it, and moreover, when predestination is handled rightly, it brings about assurance and praise to God.

Scripture Verse

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law, (Deuteronomy 29:29).

WCF Text

Westminster Confession of Faith 3.8 8. The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending the will of God revealed in his Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.

Teaching Content

• High Mystery: People have a problem with the doctrine of predestination, because they think it gets rid of their free will and makes them pawns being moved around the board unjustly. It strikes directly at the pride of man. Even those saved by Christ struggle with understanding it because it is a high mystery, directly relating to the heart and mind and plan of God, who is beyond our comprehension. So while it is an essential article of our faith and can be taught profitably to children, it is also a matter that requires maturity and wisdom in teaching and preaching it. (Rom 11:33, Isaiah 55:8-9)
• Assurance of Salvation: One of the great blessings of the doctrine of predestination is our ability to have assurance of salvation. When Christ works in our hearts, when we are bearing fruit in keeping with repentance, growing in grace, and living out our faith. Predestination reminds us plainly that it is NOT our own doing. We are saved by grace, through faith, in Christ not on the basis of any works done by us, but by His sovereign election from eternity past. When we stumble and fall, the same is true, our salvation rests entirely and completely on God’s sovereign mercy and election from eternity past. The blood of Christ is sufficient because the Lord will sustain the elect in it! (2 Peter 1:10, Romans 8:29-33, Philippians 1:6)
• Praise to God: When handled and understood rightly, predestination directly assaults human pride and directs all glory to God alone. It reminds us of how small we are and how worthy of praise God is. (Eph 1:5-6, 2 Thessalonians 2:13).

Discussion Questions

• The Confession says that this “high mystery of predestination” should be handled with “special prudence and care.” Why is this doctrine different than others? - Because it affords the believer an opportunity for pride, even though they were chosen, based on nothing foreseen in them, they were still chosen. Think of the Jews of old living awful lives but claiming to be Sons of Abraham. But also this doctrine is most offensive to the unbeliever, and when handled wrongly it will drive men away rather than invite them into God’s mercy.
• Why is the certainty of all these things so comforting?
  • Because we know that the promises rest upon God and God alone. It is necessary that we respond in faith and walk in good works, but ultimately we are claimed, converted, and sustained in salvation merely because of God’s good pleasure which will never and can never change. Our salvation does not depend upon us, but upon the character of God.
• WCF 3.8 notes that this doctrine should lead to “humility” and “diligence.” How does absolute predestination promote humility and combat spiritual complacency?
  • It promotes humility because we realize we did nothing to earn or prompt God’s choice; it was entirely His grace. It combats complacency because true salvation WILL produce good works in us. So we simultaneously know deeply that it does not depend upon us, and yet we can know the truth of God’s work in our lives through the fruit that He produces in us.
• How should we approach doctrines that are difficult for us to understand?
  • There is a pattern to the Christian life. First, we trust God, we confess the truth, and then we grow in understanding of it. There are many things in scripture that even after thousands of years in heaven we will still be growing in our understanding of.
• How does the truth of election lead us to praise God?
  • God is god and we are not. But our God, unlike us, is merciful, just, good, and kind. When we look at our state rightly and look at what He has freely chosen to do for us through Christ, there can be no other response but praise.

References