04-THE DECREES OF GOD
Chapter Three The Decrees of God
There are several words in the Old Testament that are translated decree. Many of them are Chaldean or Persian words and only refer to the decrees of these eastern kings. However, there are two Hebrew words translated decree in which refer specifically to the decrees of God.
Gezêrâh - A primitive root; to cut down or off; to destroy, divide, exclude, or decide. (Strong)
This word is used to describe the decrees of God almost always as a command to stop, separare, or eliminate something or someone; as we see in this passage:
Daniel 4:24-25 24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
This is God’s decree against Nebuchadnezzar when He caused him to lose his mind and live like an amimal because of his pride.
Zephaniah 2:1-3 1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you.
3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.
This is God’s decree against the heathen nations about the coming judgment of God
Chôq - An enactment; hence an appointment of time, space, quantity, labor, or usage - appointed, bound, commandment, custom. (Strong)
This word describes a decree from God making an appointment for someone or something, as we see in these verses:
Job 28:23-28 23 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:
27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Psalms 148:1-6 1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
God has made many decrees, but the most important one is this: Psalms 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. This decree sent the Son of God to the earth as a man to offer his life to pay for the sins of all of mankind. But where in the Bible do we find the decree of God where He chooses who will be saved and who will be damned according to the good pleasure of His will?? Don’t try to find it---- it’s not there!!
Calvinism teaches that following verse and other similar verses prove their claim that God decreed who will be saved and who will not: Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
I refer to this verse because it contains a word that is very controversial. That word is predestinated. Predestination is really the central teaching in Calvinistic soteriology. We will use a good portion of this paper examining the true meaning of predestination. The doctrine of predestination is in the Bible and we cannot ignore it or deny it, but we need not be afraid of the term. We will be using the Isaiah Princples to understand predestination, as well as the five points of Calvinism (TULIP).
Before we do that, we need to understand that those who propagate Calvinism are not heritics. They are fellow Christians who have a sincere desire to give God all the acknowledgment for our salvation. They consider any teaching of the free will of man to be an act of works and not grace. Calvinism teaches that God is totally sovereign in salvation. We are completely passive in the matter, and have no free will concerning salvation because God has decreed, before the foundation of the world, who will be saved and who will be damned. Now, does God have the right to do this? Yes He does, but do the Scriptures teach us that salvation is strictly by the decree of God? Does God force His grace upon the elect only, or does He offer salvation as a free gift to all who will believe? Does God want to control us as a puppeteer controls his marionettes, or does He give us the freedom to believe and receive the gospel or reject it? These are intriguing questions which we will endeavor to answer scriptually. The scriptures reveal many things about God’s character and the way He deals with us. Specifically, we will examine five Biblical tenets which refute the teachings of Calvinism. They are as follows:
God’s Foreknowledge The Atonement
Free Agency God’s Drawing God’s Compassion
My goal in this paper is to help people know the true character of God as it is revealed in the Bible, and to understand how God redeems the lost. My prayer is that you, the reader, will consider the following arguments with an open mind and a sincere desire to know God as He is portrayed in the scriptures. Please don’t be of the opinion that these doctrines are not importent, or that they are above our understanding, or that both election and free will are taught in the Bible, so it is acceptable to believe either or both. Unconditional election and man’s free will are diametrically opposed doctrines, they cannot both be true. The teachings of Calvinistic Soteriology misrepresent many of God’s characteristics; namely, His compassion for the lost and His love for sinners. We must see God as He truly is and reject the Spurious Tulip!