Author: Yskander Arquimides Saucedo

There is nothing that God is not supreme over, and it is easy to teach on the supremacy of God and Christ when your entire goal is to want to exalt and magnify God with all of your ability. Martin Luther said to Erasmus in one of his letters, “Your thoughts of God are too human,” (Luther); which is a valid reason why some preachers do not express God in a sound manner. Arthur W. Pink makes a similar charge to modern preachers by stating, “We, too, prefer the same charge against the vast majority of the preachers of our day, and against those who, instead of searching the Scriptures for themselves, lazily accept their teachings. The most dishonoring conceptions of the rule and reign of the Almighty are now held almost everywhere . . . countless thousands, even professing Christians, the God of Scripture is quite unknown,” (Pink). An indicator of when one lowers the supremacy of God is when one thinks to himself, “my God would never do something like that,” that is when you need to run to the scriptures to see if He would. If you hear the preacher say God would never do that; you better run to the scriptures to see if He would, and then submit your finite mind to the supremacy of God.

To be supreme over something means to be the highest of all over the matter. Christ is the highest authority over all and none can challenge His decrees. Our salvation rests in the hands of the good shepherd and He will not let any of His sheep go astray. Christ is supreme over all the deception of the world.

Matthew 7:15 Reads; Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Christ warns us to be aware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing; but Christ declared in

John 10:28; And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never ever perish, and not anyone shall pluck them out of My hand.

It is Christ Himself who gives eternal life to us, and we shall never parish, and none who are His can be plucked from His hands. Glory to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are supreme over all salvation. Praise Him who reigns over all from the throne of Heaven. Praise God for being supreme over your salvation; for it was not by your merit, will, nor your own decision, but solely and only by God, and our decision was based on His supreme eternal decision.

Romans 9:15,16 reads; For He said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 16 so then it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of God, the One showing mercy.

We see how supreme God is over salvation. He is supreme over His mercy. It is by His mercy that God does not give all what all deserve, and that is hell. But it is by His mercy that God gives many what they do not deserve, and that is Christ the Son and giver of eternal life. So it is not by the person who wills or runs, which is a striking illustration of how incompetent we are to achieve salvation by our own will and works. No matter how much we work for it, and no matter how much will power we apply according to our “free will” oh, how some of my brothers and sisters like to boast about their free will. How my brothers and sisters fail to realize that, if it were not for the mercy of God’s choosing; and left to our own free will; our will may only serve us to lead us freely to hell. Brothers and sisters what seductive doctrine has beguiled you to believe your will is free. Our will is only free in the sense that it is able to make carnal choices in everyday practical life. But your will is not free in the sense that it is able to come to God. Our will is born in bondage to sin since the day we were conceived in our mother’s womb. Consider

Psalms 58:3; The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

Acts 8:23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.

 

 

Jeremiah 13:23; Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

So you see since our inception we are born with a natural inclination to sin, which is to disobey God. What a terrible predicament to be born in, and just as the Ethiopian cannot change the color of his skin which is natural to him; neither can the leopard change his spots, which are natural to him. To say to them you can do it because you have the free will to do it; is absurd. It is absurd because you cannot do anything that is against your nature to do; and we are naturally born spiritually dead and are unable to come to God apart from His Grace, which is a necessary factor for being born again in order to believe the Gospel. The point is, that no matter how hard anyone, or anything tries to do what is unnatural for them to do; they cannot. They would need a miracle. And so it is for the spirituality of man. Born in bondage to naturally disobey God’s commandments; unable to fully obey just for one day. That alone proves that our will is not free. There is a misconception on what free will really means. The only one with absolute free will is God; because God is the only being who can choose freely with no outside conditions or contingencies. There is nothing to obstruct His will, God feely decrees and it happens just as He decreed according to His sovereign will; and that is free will which no man possesses. Yes we choose whatever we desire, but as Jeremiah 13:23 says, our desires are accustomed to do evil. Since we struggle daily trying to do good, yet we do evil in deed and in thought; our will is not free. To say my will is free because” I” made the decision to accept Christ; only reveals the pride and arrogance of our hearts wanting to take credit for our salvation. What many are doing as a result of bad theology is robbing glory from God. Yet, It is still said by many that the one thing God will never touch; is the free will of man. Well then; on judgment day when God sentences men to the Lake of Fire and man cries with all his heart; “I don’t want to go! This is against my will!” Do you think God is going to honor that? What about those of us who are in Christ; and it is said that nothing can separate us from His love, and that the work of faith that was begun in us by God will be completed by God. If God had to overcome our will in order to assure we stay in His Grace; you may not have a problem with that would you?

John 6:44 reads; No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:65 Christ said again; Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

Every man that comes to Christ comes to Christ only because the Father chose to give him or her to Christ. In fact in verse 44 it reads that no man can come unless the Father drew him. Some will say; yes but He draws man only to the extent where it then becomes our responsibility to make the choice to accept Christ; the ultimate choice is ours by our own free will. The problem with that interpretation is the Greek word for drew. It is Helkuo Helku, which means to drag. Anything living that necessitates being dragged, automatically presupposes that it is being moved by force against its will. What this means is that until God decides to breathe life into your spirit by His grace and mercy you cannot and do not want to come to Christ. You must be born again and that is a miraculous work that God does Himself against your own will while you we were passive. When God does this then you have the freedom and ability to see Christ, understand the words of Christ, believe in Christ, choose Christ, confess Christ, love Christ, obey Christ, and if needed to; die for Christ. What I am doing here is exalting the supremacy of God and Christ’s will, because it is not done enough in modern Christianity.

In John Chapter 6 verse 66 we see an interesting response from the crowd. Jesus just finished preaching to the multitude about their incapability to believe in Jesus Christ unless the Father first draws them.

Jesus Christ is supreme over all salvation and no man can resist His decisions.

Matthew 25:32 says; And all nations shall be gathered before Him. And He shall separate them from one another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats.

All nations will stand in front of Christ, and it is Christ who will separate them one by one; just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Christ is supreme over all His sheep and looses none. Christ said in

Luke 15:4; What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he finds it?

Which of you if you had one hundred sheep would not leave the 99 in the wilderness to look for the one until it is found? And while the sheep strayed from the flock; does that mean that the sheep ceased belonging to the shepherd? No! The very act of the shepherd looking for his lost sheep implicates that the lost sheep still belonged to the shepherd the entire time. Likewise the 99 that were left alone in the wilderness to find the one did not cease to belong to the shepherd, while they were in a period of solitude away from the shepherd. Just because you may have strayed from the flock and fallen into a season of sin, it does not mean that you do not belong to the Father. Christ is supreme over His sheep and will lose none. All who struggle with their sin need to rejoice in their suffering because the lost goats rejoice not in their conviction of sin, but instead they rejoice in their lust. The goats are not concerned about their sin by any means. They walk in a dark pathway where at any given moment when they least suspect it; God will remove from them the very support under their feet which holds the life of sin which they treasured.

God said in Deuteronomy 32:35; To me belongs vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

Romans 2:5; But according to your hardness and your impenitent heart, do you treasure up wrath for yourself in a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God

Revelation 6:17; For the great day of His wrath has come, and who will be able to stand?

No unrepentant sinner will be able to stand the great judgment and condemnation of God. He will free fall through the bottomless pit of hell into the hands of an angry God. A God who was longsuffering while they were alive waiting for them to repent of their sins, and follow the Son whom God put on the cross to die with the sins of all whom believe and will believe in Christ. The Son whom was raised from the dead making a spectacle of death by revealing His supremacy over death. The Son who will return to judge the world and resurrect our mortal bodies from the grave to give immortality to our bodies; that our bodies may be united with our spirit and finally be together in the Kingdom of God as its written in 1Corinthians 15:54, Glory to God for His supremacy.

Even in wrath, anger, and condemnation Christ is supreme; consider

Revelation 14:4-20; And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat one like the Son of man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 and another angel came out of the temple, crying in a great voice to Him sitting on the cloud, Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth was dried. 16 and He sitting on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 and another angel came out of the temple in Heaven, also having a sharp sickle.18 and another angel came out from the altar, who had authority over fire. And he spoke with a great cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, thrust in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 and the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the anger of God. 20 and the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even to the bridles of the horses, for the space of a thousand, six hundred stadia.

An ancient Israel winepress was an open air system made from rock in the similar shape of a shallow pool. In the pool like substance men would tread on grapes with their feet. The juice would then flow through a sloped channel into a smaller holding area called the vat, where people may use jars to fill with ready pressed wine.

In the depiction of Revelation 14; we see a horrible image of God in His anger treading on unbelievers in a similar fashion. With relentlessness God places all who reject the son into a winepress, treads on all with His own feet; the blood of the rebellious flows down the sloped channel, and the flow of blood reaches in depth of up to the horse’s bridle, which illustrates a horse nearly drowning in human blood because the depth of blood reaches the horse’s mouth. This is hyperbolic language to convey to men the gravity of the situation. The anger and wrath of God is not to be taken for granted. Men may have rage and anger but even the rage of God is supreme compared to that of men.

Not only is God supreme over salvation and wrath, but He is also supremely merciful; and as a result God the potter provides an escape from His wrath to His created vessels.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call Heaven and earth to record today against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live.

God has set before all men life and death; death for those who disobey His commandments, and life abundantly which is Christ for those who follow Christ. Choose life instead of death, choose the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ said in

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Every carnal treasure will one day cease to exist, and it may cease to exist for any one of us at any given moment because tomorrow is not promised to anyone. But if you forsake all worldly ambitions and seek only the greatest treasure ever to be available as gift; then seek Jesus Christ. Christ is the supreme treasure, and if Christ is what you treasure, then that shows that your heart loves God. Remember that for the unrepentant man; he treasures wrath for himself, but for seekers of Christ if our heart is in the treasure of Christ, then we are justified by faith and have been reconciled with God. Never forget that it was only by the power of God.

2Corinthians 4:6,7 For it is God who said, “Out of darkness Light shall shine;” who shone in our hearts to give the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us

The Apostle Paul is referencing Genesis where God speaks light into existence when darkness was over the earth; and just as by God’s will He shined light over the earth, God also shined light on men. We are talking about the awesome regenerating work of the spirit of man. Prior to us being born again our heart, soul, mind, and spirit was dead in darkness unable to bring life to itself until God decided to shine light on you by revealing the knowledge and glory of God in Jesus Christ, in your heart. We who believe in Christ have a treasure within us as earthen vessels. What treasure? Christ and His Gospel; for the purpose of one thing, so that others may also receive this illumination and treasure we have through us as we live for, and preach the Gospel of Christ; and in so doing only preach Christ, because nothing else matters. Never seek to entertain the audience by attempting to make the Gospel amusing to people, just preach the Gospel and let the Holy Ghost settle the difference within the their hearts, why? 2Corinthians 4:7 said, “so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

 

Last week we began the study of the attribute of God’s knowledge by briefly looking at the etymology of the word. However, the foreknowledge of God is more complex, and a mere study of the word will not do justice to understanding this attribute. In this regard; Arthur Pink suggests that, “What we need is to find out how the word is used in Scripture. The Holy Spirit’s usage of an expression always defines its meaning and scope. Failure to apply this simple rule is responsible for so much confusion and error,” (Pink). It would be irresponsible and negligent for a student of God to read the word foreknowledge, and inattentively claim that it means to know something before hand, or to know something before it happens; although God does, but to insert this proposition to every text with the word foreknowledge results in misinterpretation. To apply that type of absentmindedness to scripture will have the consequence of bad theology on any bible student. It is fallacious to think that God based His eternal decrees on what He saw men choosing in the future. It makes God’s knowledge subject to what the will of the creature is going to choose in the future, which has the consequence of God’s solitariness, decrees, and knowledge contingent or conditioned on the will of the creature instead of the sovereign will of God; to which Pink claims that, “such logic is radically wrong . . . It takes away the independency of God, for it makes His decrees rest upon what He discovers in the creature,” (Pink).

Let’s consider of few couple written throughout the scriptures, and realize how the meaning of the word can change according to context.

When we think of the word flesh; we immediately think of something corporeal, something physical that we can ascertain with our senses.

Genesis 2:21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath.

Here we see a literal physical meaning of the word flesh. Skeptics may say; “this is impossible.” Why? Doctors sedate people every day to perform surgeries. If men can surgically remove limbs by God’s revelation of the technology given to them, then God who is omnipotent can sedate Adam and perform a miraculous surgery to create the first woman.

Consider now another passage

Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they shall be one flesh.

Are we going to interpret the word flesh literally as we did verse 21? Of course not; to apply that same meaning may mean to involve Adam and Eve fusing together in some freakish union of physical flesh. Instead the meaning changes figuratively to convey a greater reality. One flesh meaning coming together under God as one husband and one wife the way God intended marriage to be. In commentary to one flesh; John Gill writes, “(A) union between them is so close, as if they were but one person, one soul, one body; and which is to be observed against polygamy, unlawful divorces, and all uncleanness, fornication, and adultery: only one man and one woman, (Gill).

Consider the word immortal. An average English dictionary may define it as something not subject to death, or something which does not die. When we read the word immortality in the bible; we naturally want to think it is referencing the human soul being mortal or becoming immortal. This is wrong. The word mortal and immortal in the bible is in reference not to the soul or spirit, but to the human body in its corruptible state, and incorruptible state.

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of the One who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised up Christ from the dead shall also make your mortal bodies alive by His Spirit who dwells in you.”

The context of Paul’s argument is the resurrection of Christ and the saints. Paul is saying that the same Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead also dwells in whoever believes in Christ. Furthermore; the same Spirit of God which is in the body of believers, shall make our mortal bodies alive by raising our dead bodies from the grave at the final resurrection. To this point Matthew Henry writes, “The resurrection of Christ: He that rose up Christ from the dead shall also quicken. Christ rose as the head, and first-fruits, and forerunner of all the saints, 1Co_15:20. The body of Christ lay in the grave, under the sin of all the elect imputed, and broke through it. O grave, then, where is thy victory? It is in the virtue of Christ’s resurrection that we shall raise,” (Henry).

1Corinthians 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

The Greek word for incorruption is; Aftharseeah, and it means immortality, or unending existence; not of the soul, but of the body, as it is analogous of; Fthartoos, which is decayed, perishable, or corruptible. In this verse the only thing corruptible or perishable is the mortal body, which Paul says has to put on immortality. Again this is the same line of reasoning Paul was using when he was speaking to the Roman Church. For further clarity let’s consider John Calvin’s commentary on this verse, “For this corruptible must mark, how we shall live in the kingdom of God both in body and in soul, while at the same time flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God for they shall previously be delivered from corruption. Our nature then, as being now corruptible and mortal, is not admissible into the kingdom of God, but when it shall have put off corruption, and shall have been beautified with in-corruption, it will then make its way into it. This passage, too, distinctly proves, that we shall rise again in that same flesh that we now carry about with us, as the Apostle assigns a new quality to it which will serve as a garment,” (Calvin). In a real sense we will have a resurrected body from the same fleshly body we now have. The Spirit of God will miraculously transform our corruptible bodies into an incorruptible state where our new bodies can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The figurative language for this is our mortal body putting on immortality.

In relation to the word foreknowledge; it is not found in the Old Testament. However; the word knew in the Old Testament has several passages where the word knew contextually has a strong affection for His subjects. In some passages the word knew also contextually has the same meaning as foreknowledge in the New Testament.

Exodus 33:17 And Jehovah said to Moses, I will do this thing also that you have spoken. For you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.

Given to Moses from God is the strongest affection and highest esteem; that is to be known to God by name.

Deuteronomy 9:24 reveals a strong negative connotation from God, “You have been rebellious against Jehovah from the day that I knew you.”

The word knew in Jeremiah 1:5 is equivalent to foreknowledge of the New Testament. “Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I consecrated you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Before the prophet was conceived, or did anything right or wrong; God determined to know Jeremiah with an affection of love and ordain him a prophet according to God’s eternal plan.

Hosea 8:4 They have set up kings, but not by Me; they have made rulers, and I knew it not. They have made themselves idols with their silver and their gold, so that they may be cut off.

How is it that God did know these rulers? Since we have learned that God is an omniscient God; it follows then, that this must be hyperbolic language expressing to us that God does not acknowledge, or has Himself chosen these men with His affection to lead Israel.

Amos 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

God is omniscient and knows all families and nations of the earth, but Israel is the only nation God has set His relational love and affection with. It was the only nation God communicated with, revealed Himself too, set His statutes and laws to abide by. In this aspect God only knew them apart from the rest of the nations and families.

Now let’s consider the New Testament passages.

Matthew 7:23 And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!

We see Jesus Christ here borrowing from the same type of language from the Old Testament, which reveals consistency between the Godhead. Just as God said I never knew these rulers of Israel, families, and nations; Christ is saying He never knew with any affection of any kind toward these men professing His name. John Gill’s interpretation is more sever, which I am in full agreement with. Gill wrote; “I never had any love, or affection for you; I never esteemed you; I never made any account of you, as mine, as belonging to me; I never approved of you, nor your conduct; I never had any converse, communication, nor society with you, nor you with me,” (Gill). (Exhortation) It is a scary concept to think of people who today profess Christ with no repentance. Just as there were false professions then; there are those who falsely confess today. That is why it is so important to preach the full measure of the Gospel without compromise. Never measure the success of the Gospel by how many people repeated a prayer. Anybody can work up people’s emotions with a motivational speech and soft music; get them to recite something and send them on their way to hell, because someone told them that they are now saved because they repeated something like a parrot. Preach the Gospel and let the Holy Ghost do the saving. Don’t worry about getting a confession from them. Anyone who is born again as a result of believing the Gospel, which was preached will eventually make their confession in public as they represent Christ in the world unashamedly every day, and that is a true confession and convert.

John 10:14 I am the Good Shepherd, and I know those that are Mine, and I am known by those who are Mine.

Christ knows by name everyone of His sheep in every measure of knowledge and nothing can pluck us from His hand. The sheep of God know their shepherd. They hear His voice through the Gospel. Through the preaching of the word; they feel His peace, compassion, and love. As a result of the love between the Christ and His sheep; His sheep follow and obey His word and commands.

1Corinthians 8:3 But if any one loves God, he has been known of Him.

It is obviously clear; to be known by God, is to be loved by God. Now think back to the last three attributes, and thank God He has known you from the foundation of the earth.

In relation to the word foreknowledge; it is very important to remember how the word knew in the Old and New Testament was in relation to people and not of actions or events. The term was used in special affection between God and His people, between Christ and His sheep. Likewise foreknowledge is in reference to people God foreknew and never in these subsequent verses is foreknowledge of fore seeing any events or actions from people. Instead the only thing foreknown by God in these passages, are the people.

Acts 2:22,23 Men, Israelites, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by powerful works, and wonders and miracles, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know, 23 this One (Christ) given to you by the before-determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by lawless hands, crucifying Him, you put Him to death.

Who is foreknown in the verse? Christ is foreknown. What is said to be foreknown about Christ? Merely Himself; God foreknew Christ from eternity, meaning that from all eternity God knew Him, God loved Him, and God chose Christ to be the redeemer and predetermined to put Christ in the hands of the lawless to be crucified.

Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology explains that, “In the New Testament God’s foreknowledge is clearly linked to the death of Christ and to the salvation of the elect, “Before the creation of the world” Christ was “chosen” or “foreknown” to be the Redeemer; a clear indication that God knew from the beginning that humankind would fall into sin. On the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter denounced the wicked men who put Christ to death, but he acknowledged that they had acted in accord with “God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.” Evil rulers conspired to kill the Son of God, but yet his death was something that God “had decided beforehand should happen.”

Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers. 30 But whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, those He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified.

This verse is said to have foreknown a multitude of peoples whom God predestined to be conformed to the image of His son Christ. Again; look at what is foreknown, it is people who are foreknown, not the actions of people. To the credibility of this verse; A W Pink writes, “Weigh well the pronoun used here. It is not what He did foreknow, but whom He did. It is not the surrendering of their wills nor the believing of their hearts, but the persons themselves, which is in view,” (Pink). The Apostle Paul is dealing with hard hitting theology. He is expounding on the fact that God foreknew all those whom He set is love upon. All who God foreknew are all who God fore-loved, then predestined, then called, then justified, then glorified, which is also known as the golden chain of salvation.

There is a common misconception of Romans 8 29,30 revolving around election and foreknowledge; which John Macarthur identifies clearly, “A common explanation of election is that the elect are chosen because God knew beforehand what they would do. That defines foreknowledge as foresight. I’ve heard it explained that God looked down through the eons of history, saw by virtue of His omniscience what you and I would do, and then chose or didn’t choose us based on whether we did or didn’t believe. That at first sounds like a good explanation–but it’s not the truth. There are several reasons for wanting to believe that God’s foreknowledge means foresight. Our fallen nature desperately wants some responsibility for our salvation. Likewise our fallen perspective makes God’s sovereign choice appear unfair. But because our minds are polluted by sin, we are in no position to exalt our pride and call ourselves virtuous, or pull down the justice of God and call Him unfair,” (Macarthur).

Romans 11:2 God did not thrust out His people whom He foreknew.

1Peter 1:1,2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

There is no foresight of men’s actions in this context. There is no God choosing an elect based on men first choosing God. Foreknowledge again is in reference to the Christian Jews scattered throughout different locations who are the elect of God who He foreknew in eternity pass to be called, justified, and glorified. Grace and peace be on o them and on to us. Remember that although the word foreknowledge may also be defined as foresight of something. It is not defined that way in these passages because the context of scripture will not allow for it. Remember that in many cases of biblical interpretation; context is not defined by the definition of the word; the definition of the word is defined by the context of scripture.

In closing with a couple more citations; Bible Expositor, Dr. Thomas Constable writes, “God’s foreknowledge has an element of determinism in it because whatever really happens that God knows beforehand exists or takes place because of His sovereign will. Therefore when Peter wrote that God chose according to His foreknowledge he did not mean that God chose the elect because He knew beforehand they would believe the gospel. God chose them because He determined beforehand that they would believe the gospel,” (Constable).

Dr. Warren Wiersbe writes, “The truth is that the salvation of every believer is known and determined in the mind of God before its realization in time. This is “heavy” theology and I believe cannot be fully comprehended by finite men. Instead of complaining that God is not fair (as some who think too much on this attribute do) we should bow to the incredible truth that in eternity past, before Adam and Eve even sinned, God planned the redemption of undeserving sinners through Jesus Christ. Stated another way, the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden did not take God by surprise. He knew it would happen and He also knew and had planed what He would do in view of it and that His only Son would carry out His plan. The ultimate cause of Jesus’ death was God’s plan and foreknowledge,” (Wiersbe).

The etymology of the word omniscience is from a Latin origin, which is “omniscientia.” In Latin, omni means all; together with the word scientia would be all knowledge, or all knowledgeable; or some may prefer omniscience.

The knowledge of God is truly omniscient. The knowledge of God is completely perfect in and of itself. Within the eternal existence of the triune unity between God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; there is perfect knowledge without flaw. There is no confusion between them, no learning of each other between them, and there is not any inconsistency or contradiction between them. The eternal mind of the Godhead knows all things from eternity to the things not yet done in this universe, on earth, and in heaven. There is no spontaneity in the knowledge of God, and God does not think of concepts or plans at any given time or moment; because such words or concepts conflict with the eternal mind of God, which necessitates no reference points to mark when God thought of anything. God is omniscient; there is no other form of knowledge outside of God’s knowledge or being. There is nothing that God does not know. God from eternity has always known all things, so there is nothing God can ever learn; either outside of Himself, and neither within Himself. Since the knowledge of God is perfect within Himself; If God ever learns anything, then that knowledge would have been gained as result of whatever He created. God learning anything from His own creation is inconsistent with the last two attributes of God’s solitariness and decrees; furthermore, it is contrary to scripture. God learning anything at all means that God’s knowledge is not perfect and capable of error, or mistakes. Therefore, God learning anything from His creation means that God made a mistake, and God forbid that is ever uttered by anyone of us.

Nineteenth century principle of Princeton Seminary; Pastor and Systematic Theologian: Archibald Alexander Hodge, defines the knowledge of God in his book, “Outlines of Systematic Theology,” as being “independent, it does in no way depend upon his creatures or their actions, but solely upon his own infinite intuition of all things possible in the light of his own reason, and of all things actual and future in the light of his own eternal purpose,” (Hodge).

By this time; those of you who have studied the prior two attributes in our series, may realize that this doctrine of God’s omniscience have something in common with the last two attributes. The likeness is that they are all centered on the self sufficient ontological existence of God alone. Since the attribute of God’s solitariness reveals to us that, God from all eternity necessitates nothing besides His triune deity; then there is nothing besides Himself that can be made a contingent or conditional factor for His decision to create. Subsequent to the attribute of God’s solitariness was the attribute of God’s decrees. In His divine decrees we learned that God has decreed all things from eternity, and all of God’s decrees are by reason of His own council, His own will, His own pleasure, His own wisdom; and His decrees are in no shape or form conditioned on anything outside Himself to include any contingency factors within His creation of heaven or earth. Now the attribute of God’s knowledge or omniscience is similar to the last two attributes on the basis that His knowledge is perfect within Himself alone. What is being revealed here; is biblical or theological consistency, which gives or raises credibility to the doctrines and interpretation of scripture.

One of the greatest concepts from this doctrine; is knowing that

God and Christ are the source of wisdom and knowledge:

Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow weak nor weary? There is no searching of His understanding.

Job 37:16 Do you know the balancing of the clouds, the wonderful works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?

Daniel 2:22 He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.

Many of God’s creatures covet the ungodly things of this world. Some desire things of necessity, but some want an excessive amount as a result of their lust and greed. It is a greater significance to covet from God the deep and secret things He chooses to reveal.

Ephesians 3:8,9 This grace is given to me who am less than the least of all saints to preach the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ among the nations, 9 and to bring to light what is the fellowship of the mystery which from eternity has been hidden in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:3 in whom (Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

God freely gives knowledge to His creation, and there is no necessity from seeking knowledge anywhere other than God

God is not selfish, egotistic, or egocentric with His knowledge. He created humans in His image with intelligence capable of reason, logic, rationality, and the ability to comprehend moral and ethical concepts; which sets us humans apart from the animals God created.

We see in Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also was in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God told Adam in chapter 2:17 but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Adam had a complete and full understanding of God’s command regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam was not yet in his fallen nature; his mind was not yet tainted with sin. His mind was sound and sober. In Chapter three the serpent who is the Devil; the fallen angel and leader of all the fallen, deceived Eve into disobeying God in:

Genesis 3:4-6 And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, 5 for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make wise, she took of its fruit, and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

So cunning was this serpent to convince eve that, God is merely attempting to restrain her from the hidden knowledge of God. He convinces her that God is merely making and idle threat, and would never kill His creation. We have the same line of reasoning today; for example those who deny the doctrine of hell. They tell us that a loving God would never cast anyone into eternal torment. To this date the doctrine of hell is so well established by sound theologians, that the apparent reason someone may deny the validity of the doctrine of hell is biased idiocy.

Information regarding the dialog between Eve and the serpent is scarce, but just enough to understand the basic dialog. The serpents dialog closely reflects a method of argumentation, which is used by modern Christian presuppositional apologists; which a quality is to destroy the very presuppositions of someone’s argument, reasoning, or worldview. The serpent destroyed a germane presupposition; which was the consequence of death resulting from disobedience. The fear of God is now eliminated, and without the fear of God people will believe anything. Eve was told that her eyes were closed as a result of God, and her eyes will be open knowing extraordinary knowledge that will make her as a god or God himself. Apart from the devils cunning philosophical deception; the fruit itself was somehow appeasing to the sensory perceptions, and Eve took and ate and gave to Adam.

1Timothy 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Seek no knowledge apart from the knowledge of Christ

2Corinthians 11:3 But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, so your thoughts should be corrupted from the simplicity due to Christ.

Be content with the revelations of Christ. Do not fall into deception by seeking extracurricular knowledge from vain and cunning sources; such as, occultism, new age philosophy, theosophy, or esoteric knowledge. All the knowledge we will ever need is found in the source of all wisdom; Christ alone in the scriptures alone. This is not to imply that, we ought not to study out knowledge of other religions, heresies, or the occult; however, first be completely rooted in the knowledge of Christ. Have your foundation in Christ firmly dug into the soil, where no earthquake can break it. If anyone desires wisdom, then all one has to do is pray for it. Whether it is wisdom for understanding God, the scriptures, or everyday life; so long as it is for the glory of God; God will give a measure to man according to God’s pleasure.

Exodus 31:3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship.

God gave knowledge of cutting and design of precious metals and wood to Bezaleel and his men for the purpose of building the tabernacle. Likewise; never ought we to refrain from asking God to give us knowledge and wisdom for everyday affairs involving our daily duties.

Proverbs 2:3-5 yea, if you cry after knowledge and lift up your voice for understanding; 4 if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, 5 then you shall understand the fear of Jehovah and find the knowledge of God.

Romans 11:23 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!

Psalms 147:5 Great is our LORD, and of great power; There is no limit to His understanding.

2 Chronicles 1:10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge that I may go out and come in before this people. For who can judge this Your great people?

God abhors the arrogant pride of knowledgeable man:

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil; I hate pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the wicked mouth.

Psalms 94:4 They gush; they speak impudent things; all the workers of iniquity speak proudly.

1Samuel 2:3 Talk no more so very proudly. Remove arrogance out of your mouth, for Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

Daniel 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth and His ways judgment. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.

Apparently many intellectuals consider themselves atheist; they puff themselves in their pride of vain knowledge. Their knowledge is vain because, though they may understand the metaphysical concepts of the universe given to them by God; they do not take account for their God as the origin of their belief. They cannot give an account for the reason they believe what they believe without God as an absolute. In their own wisdom they are fools lost in an empty worldview without absolutes. They consider the theist as a close minded mind who only holds back the progress of intelligent humanity. In reality it is the atheist who is the close minded fool; because he only has carnal wisdom and closes his mind to the extraordinary supernatural knowledge that can only be found and given by the true God.

As for the Christians; even they can be found with pride and arrogance as a result of in depth theological knowledge. Never look down on our brothers for not being as theologically astute as you. Remember that we only have it because God Himself decided to reveal it. No revelation was ever gained by our own volition, but every good gift is from heaven above. Remain humble before the Lord; before the Lord humbles you.

Our God is an awesome God. Ask of our God anything for His glories sake. If there is a confusing biblical matter; pray, pray, and pray again for clarity and revelation. Pray that God keeps you in the truth. Pray that God gives you discernment of truth and error. Pray that God keeps you from deceit. Pray that God makes your mind a sharp instrument to cut through the vanity of vain philosophy. Pray that God give you a tongue sharper than a sword to cut through the lies. Pray that God gives you the ability to take every opposing thought captive to the mind of Christ. Pray that God gives you the knowledge of our God. There is nothing you can ask that will surprise or anger Him; so long as it is done with a sincere heart and for the purpose of God’s glorious purpose and will. Finally, concerning the deep knowledge of God; it is “the glory of God is to hide a thing; but the honor of kings is to search out a matter,” Proverbs 2:3.

Merriam Webster defines a decree as: “an official order given by a person with power or by a government.” The way this may transpire in our form of government; is the legislature giving a law to the judicial system to pass. If the judicial system passes, and the President does not veto the bill; then the bill becomes law, and in consequence it becomes a form of decree, which then must be enforced. On the receiving end of the decree are the subjects who are affected by the cause of decree. In some circumstances we have a say on the bill with our vote, but in many cases; we as subjects or citizens have no say on the matter; such as, the institution of the Federal Reserve System in 1913, or The Patriot Act of 2001. It was written by people we do not know, and voted by people in our government we do not know. We as the subjects of decrees do not write the decrees; we do not plan them, execute them, or enforce them. Although the passing of decrees by authorities affect our lives directly or indirectly; subjects have little interference, and for the most part we as the subjects are passive.

In contrast; A W Pink defines the decrees of God as; “His purpose or determination with respect to future things.”

Numbers 23: 19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

Acts 15: 18 “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”

Whenever man makes a plan to achieve a goal; or in a broader sense when  authoritative figures makes plans for goals, we or they think of an idea based on some sort of ambition. We configure a plan; we speak about what and how we are going to achieve it, and then it becomes a form of decree. In the process of achieving this decree, or plan; circumstances may incline us to lie, or to change our mind according to some mishap we did not expect to occur. We with our finite minds cannot anticipate all of the contingencies that occur in our lives; as well as in the lives of our leaders. As a consequence we sometimes end up compromising our moral character to achieve our desired result. But God; is not a man that falls short of His plans. God does not need to lie to achieve his plans. He never changes His mind. Because God makes a decree; anything God has determined to do will be done in our universe as well as in heaven, and on earth.

Let us reflect for a moment a little theological philosophy. The mind of God is an eternal mind. Anything which is eternal does not have a beginning or an end. To suggest any form of time in relation to eternity is a contradiction. This includes reference points such as beginning and end. Since the mind of God is eternal; it is then logical to propose that the mind of God does not consist of reference points, such as beginning or end. What I am suggesting is that God’s mind is not a spontaneous mind like the mind of man. This gives us the confidence about God that; the eternal mind of God in eternity never had a beginning reference to when He thought of a concept. Everything God knows and everything God thinks He has already known throughout all eternity. So when we read verses like Acts 15:18 God has known all His works from the beginning of the world; it is hyperbolic language written so that the finite mind of man can have a sense of comprehension with the infinite mind of God.

Throughout the bible we see many passages including the word decree being used by common man, earthly kings, and God such as;

2Chronicals 30: 5 So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem . . .

Esther 1: 20 And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small.

Isaiah 10:1,2 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; 2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

The decrees of God are always a righteous decree. God has a genuine concern for widows and fatherless children; that for the powers that decree, or make laws that somehow suppress these particular people will someday be under the condemnation of God. Consider now the system of the world we live in. A demographist may show us how outstanding the statistical misfortune of single parents and fatherless children exist. It is amazing to think how patient God is in waiting for His people to repent, and how amazing His endurance to tolerate from this world the things that He hates the most; the sins of a sinner.

Daniel 6: 26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

Let’s look at some of the verses involving the decrees of God from the books of wisdom.

Job 22: 28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

Job 28: 23-26 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. 24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; 25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. 26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

Translating this in modern language; Job is telling us that, God has decreed everything consisting of natural laws. From the intensity and direction of each blow of wind; to the measure and density of the oceans and rain; and the warm water droplets that rub together in the air with ice crystal particles to create static electricity. It is interesting that job involves in this verse all the fundamental elements necessary for a storm. With the decrees of God; there is no such thing as chance, accident, luck, or coincidence. It may serve us best as students of God to remove those words from our language. No matter how devastating; every storm is a perfect storm because God orchestrated it, as a conductor controls an orchestra.

Proverbs 8: 15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

Daniel 2: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

It is by God’s decree and His alone that all events leading up to the crowning and dictates of kings are made. It is by God’s decree from eternity past that some of us are Privates, some are Sergeants, and some are Officers. From the lowest level of authority to the highest; you and I, are only there because that is where God decided to place us, and we ought to be content with every position we acquire, and seek to do the greatest amount of utility we can because we are entrusted to do it with wisdom and for His glory. Remain humble in our positions of earthly and spiritual authority. We did not arrive their because of our own qualities, but only by God’s decree. Keep pride and arrogance far away from our ranks. Because before failure first comes pride.

In the New Testament the word decree is revealed to us in different terms such as; eternal purpose, determined council, foreknowledge, His will, predestinate, His good pleasure, which is to say that something was done resulting from His good pleasure. In Ephesians 3:11 we see:

Ephesians 3: 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

Acts 2: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Ephesians 1: 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Romans 8: 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

In relation to all of these scriptures clearly revealing the decrees and eternal purpose of God; A W Pink writes: “The decrees of God relate to all future things without exception; whatever is done in time, was foreordained before time began. God’s purpose was concerned with everything, whether great or small, whether good or evil. But with reference to the latter (evil) we must be careful to state that while God is the Orderer and Controller of sin, He is not the Author of it in the same way that He is the Author of good.”

I agree with most of what Pink writes. I do disagree with Pink on other theological issues unrelated to this doctrine. I say this because I agree with Pink’s statement about God ordering and controlling good and evil because that is what the scriptures reveal. It is a conflicting thought for me to know that God has eternally existed and nothing else existed unless He authored it. It then becomes illogical in my mind to propose that God created good but not evil; although evil clearly exists. Who then created evil? Neither men nor the Devil have creating powers, which is an attribute of God alone. This is where I, as a lover of God; have to surrender my finite intelligence to the issues that God decides to reveal until God decides to reveal it, and I hope you reader are able to do the same.

Arthur Pink explicates on four properties of divine decree, they are;

1. Decrees are divinely eternal:

• Matthew 25: 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

• John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

 

1. 1Peter 1:19,20 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
2. Revelation 13:7,8 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

• We see here in these passages that all transpiring events are eternally decreed and ordained by God before the foundation of the earth. Jesus Christ and His Apostles believed and confirmed it through inspired scripture.

1. Decrees are divinely wise:

• Psalms 104: 24 O Jehovah, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your riches.

 

• In the decrees of God we can trust that all of God’s workings in heaven and earth stems from the pure wisdom of God. All of His workings in our personal lives are perfect and rich in wisdom.

• Decrees are divinely free

• Isaiah 40:13-15 Who has directed the Spirit of Jehovah, and what man taught Him counsel? 14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and made known the way of understanding to Him? 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the scales; behold, He takes up the coastlands as a very little thing.

• God’s decrees are divinely free in the sense that they are contingent on nothing or no one other than His own direction, counsel, judgment, knowledge, and understanding. If there is such a thing as a free will; then it is God who has free will because His will is the only faculty that makes decisions absolutely free without the will being contingent. Our will as humans are contingent on the free will of God. It then makes no sense to think that an infinite God would through eternity consider the thoughts and emotions of finite beings when it came to establishing His decrees before the foundation of the world. The very concept is theologically illogical, and philosophically irrational.

 

1. Decrees are divinely absolute and unconditional

• Isaiah 46: 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.

• God has declared the beginning and the end from before the foundations of the earth to the things which have not yet been done. God will do all that He pleases and His council, or decree will stand. He is God.

 

In closing; A W Pink writes, “Finally, attempt to assume and then contemplate the opposite. To deny the divine decrees would be to predicate a world and all its concerns regulated by un-designed chance or blind fate. Then what peace, what assurance, what comfort would there be for our poor hearts and minds? What refuge would there be to fly to in the hour of trial? None at all. There would be nothing better than the black darkness and abject horror of atheism. How thankful we should be that everything is determined by infinite wisdom and goodness! What praise and gratitude are due unto God for His divine decrees? Because of them, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose . . . Well may we exclaim, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen”

This doctrine is amongst some of the hardest to accept. Many will refuse to believe merely because it leaves their minds with unresolved questions, and they are too mentally slothful to study the issues out; missing the majestic glory of God. Some will not believe merely because they find it psychologically or emotionally offensive. Some will not believe because they find it unfair that God would ever predestinate the fate of mans end. We are finite men incapable of judging God dealings. Let us not quarrel with our God and our Christian brothers over these issues. Let us react to these truths as the Apostle Paul does in 2Thessolonians 2: 13 “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” Fall to your knees and give thanks to God brothers. Because of God’s unconditional love for you; He chose to save you from the beginning. Fall to your knees and give God thanks.  

When we think of the noun “solitariness,” we think of isolation and being alone. Often times we think of being in solitude as a negative connotation, or suggestion. Many people do not like seclusion, or being isolated from others. I myself do not mind it. I enjoy being alone sometimes because it helps me gather my thoughts, meditate on God, study and write. Men resist solitary by seeking comfort in the company of others, and there is nothing wrong with that; however, understand that true comfort and peace is received in the company of God alone.

Psalm 119:82 reads, “Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?”

The expression here is implying that David fails to receive the comfort of the promise of God once given to him. For us in the new covenant; it may suggest that we fail to see the glory of Christ in the scriptures, and that the word does not give us the comfort it once did, and brothers; if you have not been in that situation yet, I hope you will not have too; but it is necessary for some of us. It is a terrible occurrence to feel isolated not from men, but from God.

2Corinthians 1:3 reads, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”

In contrast; solitariness in relation to God as an attribute is the complete opposite of man. God does not necessitate the company of angels or any of His creation for enjoyment, peace, and comfort. God alone eternally self existing as Father, Son, and Spirit is all the glory He needs; if the word “need” may even be used in relation to God, because God’s solitariness necessitates, or needs nothing; A W Pink writes, “God was under no constraint, no obligation, no necessity to create. That He chose to do so was purely a sovereign act on His part, caused by nothing outside Himself, determined by nothing but His own good pleasure . . . That He did create was simply for His manifestative glory.”

Consider these several passages of scripture; in relation to the actions of God being determined by a solitary reason within Himself alone, and not dependant on any object outside of Himself.

Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed (considered) as nothing: and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say to Him, What or why are you doing?

We see in Daniel that God does not consider the will of humans and angels when exercising His own will. God does whatever He desires according to His own will in heaven and on earth.

Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

Here God reveals His reason for predestinating us to be adopted as children through our faith in Jesus Christ. His reason was not according to our works or His pleasure in us, but according to His own good will and pleasure resulting from His attribute of solitariness.

Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself

Here God; only according to His pleasure and will tells us He reveals to us His mysteries, which are the Gospel, biblical doctrines, everything that encapsulates the secrets of God; He reveals to us as a result of His pleasure in Himself, not angels or humans. This is also confirmed by the words of Christ:

Luke 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Again: the mysteries of God, His secrets, to include the parables and preaching of Christ are hidden by God. No man can understand the mysteries or secrets of God unless God chooses to reveal it to man. This is done by God only as it seems good in the sight of God alone.

I understand based on my experience, that if this is the first time you have heard or read a doctrine like this; it may be hard to accept. To this end Pink writes, “We are well aware that the high ground we tread here is new and strange to almost all of our readers.” This is because at the time of his writing; Christianity had already compromised sound theology for a watered down gospel. This is an issue we may develop at another time.

A misconception I think needs to be cleared. These scriptures are not meant to discourage the Christian from thinking that nothing in His creation pleases God. On the contrary God is pleased in the righteous work of Christ. Also; remember in 1Kings chapter three. In Gibeon; the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked Solomon what he desired; to which, Solomon replied, and verse ten reads that the Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request. The intention of this doctrine is to reveal to the student of God that though our works from faith are pleasing to God; the actions and reasons why God acts is not bent on the consideration of man, but on God’s self sustaining attribute of solitariness. To this point; Pink writes, “The force of this is that it is impossible to bring the Almighty under obligation to the creature. God gains nothing from us.”

Job 35:7,8 reads, “If you be righteous, what does that offer God? or what does He receive in His hand?8 Your wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.”

Christ says in Luke 17:9,10 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded of him? I trust not.10 So likewise you, when you shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

The point is that though it does please God that we obey His commandments. Our obedience stems from our love for Him alone, and never for the reason of hoping to gain something in return from Him. We obey out of love and duty to our master. God will decide whether He will bless us in any way He desires based not on our desires, action, or will, but based on His desires alone. As we place the Kingdom of God first; God will provide all the means necessary that we may glorify Him in this life. Seek no earthly rewards; the greatest reward a man may desire in this life has already been given to us if we believe in Christ. That reward is Christ; the only way to the Father, the truth, and eternal life, which has been promised to you if you believe in Christ and are unashamed of His Gospel. Take no offense to this hard doctrine, which is only hard to accept because the heart of man is hard to the pure Gospel. Instead praise God for His attribute of solitariness; that He necessitates nothing He has created to act and reason. Consider the alternative; if God’s reasons and actions were obligatory to the will, reason and actions of man, then no man would be saved from His wrath, because His grace and mercy is not given based on the works of man, but on God’s will and work of Christ alone; by faith alone, by scripture alone, by grace alone, to the glory of God alone. Amen.

Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.”

Christ was born under the rule of Caesar Augustus. The second emperor of Rome; given the title Caesar in the same way the rulers of Egypt are called Pharaoh’s. Rome at this time was at the pinnacle of its dominion. So when we read that Caesar made a decree for the entire world to present itself for taxation; the entire world is meant the entire Roman Empire, which was at that time, all of the known world.

There is something very significant to be found in this first verse, and that is the impeccable timing of Caesars decree. At this time all of Judea was under the subjugation of Rome. This means that Mary and Joseph were compelled to travel to Bethlehem as a result of the emperor’s decree. At the same time all the characters in play from Caesar to Mary, had no idea they were fulfilling Daniels prophecy written in

Daniel 2:44, “In the days of these kings, the kings of the fourth monarchy, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.”

The fourth kingdom Daniel prophesied was the Roman Empire; Babylon, Persia, Greece through Alexander the Great; followed by Rome. God establishes His kingdom on earth with the birth of His Son the Christ, His miraculous works, the preaching of the Gospel, and as King of Kings; He commissions His people to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit, and as Christ stated, “the gates of hell will not prevail.” It does not matter what kind of opposition we may face. Whether it be oppression from antichrist legislation instituted by atheist politicians, or persecution from antichrist organizations such as ISIS, or Al-Qaida; the gates of hell will not prevail!

A second prophecy to be observed is Micah 5:2,

“But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

Several times throughout the gospels Jesus refers to Himself as the bread of life; it is not a coincidence that Bethlehem was known as the House of Bread prior to the birth of the bread of life, which sustains our eternal life. Look how the intelligence of God’s design is revealed in all things. Historically; Bethlehem was also the birth place of King David, whose bloodline ascends up to the lineage of Joseph, Mary’s husband and Jesus’s earthly parent. This prophecy is later confirmed in the book of Matthew 2: 5,6, and John 7: 42,

“Has not the scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”

Consider and reflect now on how amazing the sovereignty and providence of God is. God in His infinite counsel and wisdom orchestrated before time the raising of this fourth kingdom. The raising of Caesar Augustus; and his political inclination to decree a registration in order to induce Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and fulfill foretold prophecy. How amazing is the power and hand of God almighty who raises up empires and causes them to fall; from Babylon to Persia, from Persia to Greece and the Roman Empire. Consider all the good and the evil; all the light and the darkness, the lives and deaths of men; all the peace and all the war that transpired across the earth, which paved the way for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords to be born in one particular location. And, if for one instance, we with our sinful minds happen to think God unholy or to consider Him unfair that He would allow calamity and evil on earth to have the end result in the birth of His son; remember that it was God Himself who sent His son Jesus Christ to the cross on behalf of those of us who will believe in Him. Acts 2:22,23 reads,

“Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.”

It was the wicked hands of man who murdered the savior of the world. But it was God who; as it is written delivered Jesus to those men according to His awesome predetermined counsel and foreknowledge; let us square away our theology for a brief moment; by foreknowledge, it is not meant foreknowledge of the acts of men, but foreknowledge of the acts of men because God determined these events to occur. All for the sake of His glory, and to manifest His Holiness against evil, to manifest His righteous judgment, to manifest His grace and mercy for those who would repent of their sins to follow Jesus Christ. God predetermined Jesus Christ to be born in Bethlehem according to the scriptures of Old Testament prophecy to be fulfilled in the New Covenant; the New Covenant which is Christ. Praise God for His amazing sovereign rule over all events of the universe, an amazing power that we, who believe in Jesus Christ can trust in God to finish whatever work He began in us to the day we pass from this earth, and beyond throughout all eternity.

Matthew 3:1,2; “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The objective is to show you concisely two Greek words with a slightly different definition; which is used in scripture in correlation with the English word repent. Secondly; show you how recognizing the proper Greek or Hebrew word helps to clarify the context, and third; to show the source of repentance itself coming from God as a gift to man.

There are two Greek words that are often used to correlate with the English word repent. One of them is, “metamelomai,” and the second is, “metaneo.” Metamelomai means to have a change of mind as a result of remorse or regret, but not necessarily having a change of heart. This word metamelomai is applied to the repenting of Judas in Matthew 27:3-5; where it tells us that, after Judas saw what the Jews were doing to Christ; he repented and gave back the 30 shekels of silver; proclaiming, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.” The Jews responded, “what is that to us? see thou to that.” Verse five then tells us after throwing the silver at the Jews; he went and hung himself. From this grammatical study we can deduce, whether or not Judas was truly forgiven. Two indicators are clearly seen; the Greek word metamelomai, which is defined as repentance without a change of heart. Second; nowhere in the scriptures does it reveal anyone who has been given the grace and faith of God so they may believe and confess Christ; resulting in committing suicide. Suicide is not a biblical indication of someone who has been born again of the Spirit of God.

The Greek word used in Matthew 3:2; is, “metanoeo,” according to Strongs Exhaustive Concordance; it means to think differently usually after a misdeed with strong compunction, which means a feeling of deep regret. Eastons Bible Dictionary defines metanoeo as, a change of mind in conjunction with a change of purpose with the intention of turning to God and following His commandments. Easton says this repentance also comes with the acknowledgement of one’s sinful nature; an acknowledgement of God’s mercy, Christ, and a hatred for sin.

Jesus Christ often used the same Greek word as John the Baptist when He ordered people to repent in Matthew 4: 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1: 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 6: 12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

Luke 13: 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Acts 11: 18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

2Timothy 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. This is a very interesting passage. What does verse 26 say about our natural disposition prior to repentance? That we were captive to the devils will, and only until God gives us repentance to acknowledge the truth of the Gospel; will we be released from His snare.

James 1: 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Thomas Watson was an English Puritan, preacher, and author; who, brings great clarification to this doctrine of repentance. He pastured a church for 16 years. Afterwards he continued to preach for several years until his health became weak. Thomas Watson wrote a great amount of books until his death on the 28^th of July 1686. It is said that Thomas Watson died while he was praying in secret.

In chapter three of Thomas Watson’s, “The Doctrine of Repentance,” he titles it; “the nature of true repentance,” which he also attributes it as gospel repentance. Watson amplifies the nature of repentance with six systematic prerequisite categories; these are:

1. Sight of Sin
2. Acts 26: 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

• “A man must first consider and recognize what sin is, and know the plague of his heart, before he can be duly humbled for it,” (Watson).

2. Sorrow of Sin
3. Psalms 38: 17 For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me. 18 For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

• “Ambrose calls sorrow, “the embittering of the soul,” The Hebrew word “to be sorrowful; “signifies, “to have the soul, as it were crucified. This must be so in true repentance,” (Watson).

3. Confession of Sin
4. Nehemiah 9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

• “Sorrow is such vehement passion that it must vent. It vents itself at the eyes by weeping, and at the tongue by confession,” (Watson).

4. Shame for Sin
5. Ezra 9: 6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.

• “Blushing is the color of virtue. When the heart has been made black with sin, grace makes the face red with blushing,” (Watson).

5. Hatred for Sin
6. Ezekiel 36: 31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

• A true penitent is a sin-loather (hater). If a man loathes what makes him sick to his stomach, then he will much more loathe what makes his conscience sick. It is more to loathe sin that to leave it,” (Watson).

6. Turing from Sin
7. Ezekiel 14: 6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

• “Dying to sin is the life of repentance. The very day a Christian turns from sin, he must commit himself to a perpetual fast,” (Watson).
• A fasting from what? A daily fasting from sin until we meet the Lord in Heaven.

In conclusion; what we may safely deduce from these passages as revelation from God to us; is that God alone gives repentance to us as a gift. Repentance is not some kind of faculty or quality we are born with. It is not something we can evoke within ourselves from our own volition or will. Repentance is a gift that God gives to those who He calls, as a means for them to change their mind and heart to follow God’s commandments, and God’s will. It is with the gift of repentance that we then are able to see sin in a fragmentized perspective of God’s point of view. Only then are we as sinners able to feel sorrow about our sin, feel shame, and hatred against our sin. Since we as sinful creatures constantly sin; it is logical to assert that repentance is something that we ought to frequently pray for.