Mar 22
20
Baptist Catechism 10
Q. 10. What are the decrees of God?
A. The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. (Eph. 1:11; Rom. 11:36; Dan. 4:35)
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:3–14
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:3–14, ESV)
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Introduction
If you remember, our catechism has two big parts to it. After some introductory questions, question 6 asks, “ What things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scriptures?” Answer: “The Holy Scriptures chiefly contain what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man.” And the rest of the catechism is divided into those two parts. Questions 7 through 43 summarize what the scriptures teach concerning God. And questions 44 through 114 summarize what the scriptures say concerning our duty before God. So we have been learning about God, haven’t we? In particular, questions 7 through 9 of our catechism teach us about God’s nature. They answer the question, what is God?
Q. 7. What is God?
A. God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.
Q. 8. Are there more gods than one?
A. There is but one only, the living and true God.
Q. 9. How many persons are there in the Godhead?
A. There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory.
Now we are going to move on from talking about the nature of God to talking about God’s actions or works. In particular, we are going to consider God’s work of creation, his work of providence, and finally, his work of redemption. But before we get to God’s works, we must talk about one more thing, and that is God’s decree. Before God created, God made a decree.
So what is a decree? Well, a decree is an order, an edict, or a proclamation. If I say to my children, thou shalt clean your room, that is a decree. I decided in my mind and heart that the room needed to be cleaned, that my child should do it, and that they should do it at such and such a time, and then I declared it. The declaration is the decree. The cleaning of the room is the action that flows from the decree.
Fathers and mothers may issue decrees, and so too can Kings. As you see, decrees are made by people who have some kind of authority. Those who have authority over some realm may issue decrees regarding what is to happen in that realm. Parents can decree that chores be done, and kings can command that armies move about, that things be built, and that monies be collected. These are decrees, and if all is well in the realms over which these decree makers have authority, actions will follow.
When we speak of the decrees of God, we are saying that God has done something similar. Before he created, before he providentially upholds his creation, and before he redeemed sinners through Jesus Christ, he made a decree.
I say that God has done something similar because God does not decree in the same way that men and women made decrees. When men and women make decrees, they have to think about it. They have to consider the risks and rewards. If they are wise, they will consult counselors. And then they must issue the decree to their inferiors hoping that they will in fact obey. None of that happens in God. God is not in process. He does not have to ponder his possibilities. He does not have to consult anyone to determine what he should do. And when God decrees something, it happens. So then, when we talk about the decree of God we are talking about something that God has truly done. But we must remember that God has not decreed in the same way that men and women decree, for we have already learned that God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable.
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His Eternal Purpose
So what are the decrees of God? Our catechism begins by saying that “the decrees of God are His eternal purpose…”
The decrees of God are the purposes or plans of God.
The word “eternal” is significant. It teaches us that God made his decree in eternity, or “before the foundation of the world”, to use the language of scripture.
The Ephesians 1 passage that we read just a moment ago speaks of God’s decree as it pertains to the salvation of God’s elect. Listen again to verses 3 and 4. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” (Ephesians 1:3–4, ESV). When did God choose the elect? When did God decree that his elect would be in Christ? “Before the foundation of the world”, that is to say, before creation and in eternity.
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According To The Counsel Of His Will
What are the decrees of God? They are his plans and purposes. When did he issue his decree? Not in time… not over and over again as human history unfolds… but in eternity, before the foundation of the world. And what moved God to decree what he decreed? Our catechism is right to say that God made his decree “according to the counsel of His will.” In other words, no one external to God offered counsel to God to move him to decree what he decreed.
This is so significant. Many foolishly believe that God made his decree based upon the insights that he gained from his creatures. Some will say that God elected to save some based upon what he saw them do. But the scriptures nowhere teach that. In fact, the scriptures do tell what “moved” God to decree what he decreed. He decreed what he decreed according to the counsel of his own will, that is to say, from within himself, and without being moved by anything external to himself.
The Ephesians 1 passage that we read earlier also speaks to this. Listen to verse 5: “…he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…” To decree is to predestine. And here Paul says that God predestined his elect “for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ…” According to what? What “moved” God to predestine those he predestined? “According to the purpose of his will…”, the text says. In other words, no one offered counsel to God. Nothing external to God moved him to choose as he chose. He predestinated from within himself, according to his free and gracious will.
Paul also speaks to this in Romans 11:33ff where he exclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? [the implied answer is, no one!] Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” The words, for “from him and through him and to him are all things”, pretty much say it all.
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For His Own Glory
So, we know that the decree of God is his eternal purpose. We also know that God decreed what he decreed from within himself, according to the counsel of his own will. The next question we might ask is, what is God’s goal. What is his objective? The men and women – parents and kings – make decrees, they have goals or objectives. What is God’s goal or objective? Answer: God has decreed what he has decreed “for His own glory.”
Both the Ephesian 1 and the Romans 11 passage that I have read teach this. Ephesians 1:5-6 says, “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” The words “to the” indicate the end-goal or objective. God has predestinated some to salvation in Christ to the praise of his glorious grace. And at the end of that beautiful doxology of Romans 11:33-36, Paul says, “To him be glory forever. Amen.” What has God decreed what he has decreed? So much remains a mystery to us, but this we know: it will be for God’s glory. Romans 9 teaches this too, but we do not have time to go there.
If it sounds strange to you that God most concerned to glorify himself, then consider this. It is wrong for you and me to live for our own glory. Why? Because we are creatures. But it is right for God to seek his own glory. Indeed, it would be wrong for him not to! Why? Because he is God. If God were to seek the glory of any other, then God himself would violate the first commandment. But please hear this: when God seeks his own glory, he does at the same time seek our good. For what is our greatest good except to be found in him, to worship and adore him.
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He Has Foreordained Whatsoever Comes To Pass
Lastly, what has God decreed? Answer: “He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.”
When we speak of God’s decree we are talking about God’s eternal purposes, and more specifically we are talking about foreordination. What does that word mean? To foreordain is to order or determine something ahead of time. And the scriptures teach that God’s foreordination reaches, not just to the salvation of his elect, but to all things.
That Ephesians 1 passage speaks to this too. Listen to verse 11: “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will…” The Arminians love to say “all means all”. Often times they are wrong, but here there are right! Paul is clearly teaching that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will…” Not just the salvation of his elect, but all things.
Isaiah 46:9-10 also teaches this. There God says, “remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’”.
And consider the words of Jesus himself: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29–31, ESV). God’s decree, and his providential care over the world he has made, extend even to lifes of sparrows and to the hairs on our head.
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Conclusion
I’m out of time. There is a danger in presenting such a difficult subject in such a limited timeframe. There are many questions that I have left unaddressed and unanswered. Lord willing, we will have an opportunity to address them later. For now, may I encourage you to read chapter 3 of our confession? There you will find a more full treatment of this subject.
I will conclude by saying that the doctrine of God’s decree should be a comfort to us. It should be comforting to know that the events of our lives are not random and out of control (as they often seem). They are not meaningless or without purpose. No, God is in them somehow. He has determined to work all things – the good and the bad – for his glory and for the good of his people. How can this be? Well, there is much that is mysterious to us. But we know it is true. God is holy and just. He does no evil, nor does he tempt men to do evil. Men, by their free will, do choose to rebel against their Maker, and God in his wisdom does permit it. But hear this: this permission that I speak of is not bear or purposeless permission. No, all things that come to pass in time are the outworking of God who is “infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth” (BC, 7).
