1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith Chapter 3 – Of God’s Eternal Decree God’s Holy Decree

Preliminary: [ BB Warfield, “Predestination” Works II: 62 ] – “The whole Bible doctrine of the decree revolves, in a word, around the simple idea of purpose. Since God is a Person, the very mark of His being is purpose. Since He is an infinite Person, His purpose is eternal and independent, all-inclusive and effective. Since He is a moral Person, His purpose is the perfect exposition of all His infinite moral perfections. Since He is the personal creator of all that exists, His purpose can find its final cause only in Himself.”

Read: Acts 2:23-24

Theme: The main theme of the Book of Acts is the fulfillment of the promise coming of the Holy Spirit 

• The Acts of Christ through the the Holy Spirit 
• Acts 1:8: "Ngunit tatanggap kayo ng kapangyarihan pagbaba sa inyo ng Espiritu Santo; at kayo'y magiging mga saksi ko sa Jerusalem, sa buong Judea at Samaria, at hanggang sa kadulu-duluhang bahagi ng lupa.""
• Kaya ang aklat ng mga gawa ay ang history ng katuparan at pagpapalawak ng pangakong kaharian ng Panginoong Hesu-Cristo.
• Mula verses 14-21, ipinakita niya na ang event ng Pentecost ay ang katuparan ng Joel 2
• Pero pagdating sa v. 22, this is about the proclamation of Jesus as Lord and Messiah.
• Ang sinasabi dito ni Peter na ang evil na ginawa sa Panginoong Hesu-Cristo, ang kanyang kamatayan, ay kasama lahat sa pagtatakda ng Diyos.
• Subalit ipinakita rin niya, na ang mga taong pumatay kay Cristo ay responsible sa kanilang mga ginawang kasamaan.

[1689 LBCF 3.1] – “God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.”

Definition of terms: [A Puritan Theology]

1. Predestination is the means by which God manifests His glory to the human race
2. Election is God’s decree “whereby on his own free will, he hath ordained certain men to salvation, to the praise of the glory of his grace.” [William Perkins]
3. Reprobation is “that part of predestination, whereby God, according to the most free and just purpose of his will, hath determined to reject certain men unto eternal destruction, and misery, and that to the praise of his justice.” [William Perkins]

[James Renihan, Baptist Symbolics Vol. 2] – “One understands why the doctrine of God is so foundational. Divine omniscience, omnipotence, simplicity, immutability, etc. are key supports to an understanding of the doctrine of God’s decree. The Scripture texts cited make this point well. The first part of the paragraph is simply a paraphrase of the proof text Acts 15.18, “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world”; the latter portion cites several texts from Romans 9 demonstrating God’s eternal purpose in determining events in His created order. God’s knowledge is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, thus His decree shares in the same characteristics. Understanding this point goes far in solving the conundrums some use to undermine the Reformed system. Theology (proper) is certainly the principium essendi.”

God’s Holy Decree

Note: God has a decretive will (sometimes also called his secret or sovereign will) which cannot be resisted and surely accomplishes all it purposes (Prov. 19:21; Isa. 14:24-27; 46:10-11; Ps. 115:3; 135:6; Rom. 9:19)

• God’s sovereign control over all things is affirmed... 1Sam 3:18; Psa 115:3; 135:6; Isa 46:11; Dan 2:20-22; 4:34f; Mt 11:26; Eph 1:11
• The Bible states generally that God’s decree is universal (Dan. 4:34-35; Rom. 8:28; 11:36; Eph. 1:11)
• The Bible teaches specifically that all classes of events are included in God’s decree.
• Pero sa ating mga talata, ang apex at pinupunto ng pagtatakda ng Diyos ay ang kaluwalhatian ni Hesu-Cristo, sa pamamagitan ng Kanyang pagkakatawang tao, pag-sunod sa kautusan, kamatayan sa Krus at muling pagka-buhay.
• Point: The holy decree of God is manifested in the life and death of Jesus Christ.
• The cross of Christ is the declaration that there is no contradiction in God’s attributes. His love is not unjust, and His justice is not merciless. At the cross of Jesus, love and justice perfectly met.
• 1 John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

God’s decree and human responsibility

Note: [3.1b] – “yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.”

• Acts 2:23, this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

a) God is not the author of sin

b) God’s decree and human responsibility

[ Don Carson, How Long, O Lord: Reflections on Suffering and Evil: 206 ] – “The parallelism is remarkable. Joseph does not say that his brothers maliciously sold him into slavery and that God turned it around, after the fact, to make the story have a happy ending. How could that have been the case, if God’s intent was to bring forth the good of saving many lives? Nor does Joseph suggest that God planned to bring him down to Egypt with first- class treatment all the way, but unfortunately the brothers mucked up His plan somewhat, resulting in the slight hiatus of Joseph spending a decade and a half as a slave or in prison... As Joseph explains, God was working sovereignly in the event of his being sold to Egypt, but the brothers’ guilt is not thereby assuaged; the brothers were responsible for their action, but God was not thereby reduced to a merely contingent role; and while the brothers were evil, God himself had only good intentions.”

[Samuel Waldron, A Modern Exposition 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith] – “God is not the author of sin, in other words, just because he does by his own immediate causation bring it to pass. It is the responsibility of the second causes who willingly engage in it. ”

Character Response:

1. Sense of lowliness (humility)... Job 42:1-6
2. Awe at God’s greatness (worship)... Psa 135:5, 6
3. Trust in God’s wisdom (assurance)... Psa 131:1-3
4. This will affect our prayer life.

[ AW Pink, The Sovereignty of God: ch. 13 ] – “The doctrine of God's sovereignty then is no mere metaphysical dogma which is devoid of practical value, but is one that is calculated to produce a powerful effect upon Christian character and the daily walk... The doctrine of God's sovereignty is a divine cordial to refresh our spirits. It is designed and adapted to mould the affections of the heart and to give a right direction to conduct. It produces gratitude in prosperity and patience in adversity. It affords comfort for the present and a sense of security respecting the unknown future. It is, and it does all, and much more than we have just said, because it ascribes to God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the glory which is his due, and places the creature in his proper place before him – in the dust.”