God Decrees According to His Sovereign Will
God’s decrees are and will be accomplished according to both the directive and permissive will of God. According to the directive will, God is active in his creation bringing about what comes to pass. He is the Creator, and by him all things are made (Jn 1:3). All things are under his control and by him, all things consist (Col 1:16, 17). By him kings and governments are established and cast down (Dan 2:21), and the saints are elected according to the good pleasure of his will (Eph 1:4-5).
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God’s will is not frustrated by the actions of sinful men. He is perfect in his foreknowledge and therefore sees all things and knows not only every possible scenario, but the exact path and direction any person will take (Job 23:10). God does not sin, is not the author of sin, nor does he lead or cause others to sin. He does, however, use the actions of sinful men to accomplish his ultimate plan and purpose. God works passively at times through his permissive will whereby he allows certain events to take their course without his intervention. The fall of Adam is therefore within the scope of God’s decree and accomplished according to his permissive will. God is glorified while Adam was responsible and accountable for his sinful actions.
[2] The same may be said of Joseph’s brothers who sold him into slavery. They meant it for evil, but God used it for good to preserve the sons of Israel in the land of Egypt during a time of famine and want.
The Topic of Election is Unavoidable
The elephant in the room may as well be addressed. The scriptures are clear that God actively and deliberately chooses those who are his according to his directive will (Jn 6:37, 44; 15:16; Eph 1:4-5, 11; 2 Th 2:13; 1 Pet 2:9). It has already been stated that God does not tempt or lead anyone to sin (Jas 1:13). Therefore, God does not actively choose anyone for condemnation or cause their reprobation. He simply passes them over and leaves them to their appointed end (Ez 18:20; Jn 3:36; 8:21, 24). The elect therefore receives mercy and the non-elect receive justice. No one receives injustice.
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Mankind is dead in sin (Eph 2:1) and subject to God’s divine wrath and judgment (Jn 3:36; Rom 1:18; 1 Th 2:16). They stand condemned because of sin against a holy, righteous, and just God. All saved are elect of God and all who are not shall perish in the lake-of-fire of their own free will. God’s sovereignty does not negate a man’s responsibility to repent and believe the gospel (Acts 17:30).
[1] Ibid, 211.
[2] Ibid, 211.
[3] MacArthur, John, Phil Johnson, Richard Mayhue,
Election and Predestination: The Sovereignty of God in Salvation, Retrieved 8/4/2022 at:
https://www.gty.org/library/article...stination-the-sovereignty-of-god-in-salvation.
, so if you don't mind go slow for me, but in the scheme of my understanding that God decrees everything that comes to pass, how does his decreeing of every tiny event sovereignly to come to pass avoid the logical implication that He is not responsible for sin? I say this as somebody who long ago gave up on trying to figure this out, and lean calvinistically, but literally cannot understand the logical implications of the degree of sovereignty that Calvinism implies when it says that he decrees everything that comes to pass.