DIVINE DECREES

"The decree of God is His eternal, holy, wise and sovereign purpose; comprehending at once all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions, successions, relations and determining their certain futurity"

Five characteristics.

        

1.  All comprehensive:  Every minute detail of creation is in its proper place and at its proper time.  There is no confusion in Gods handiwork.

2.  Eternal:  God is not gaining in knowledge.  What God knows now He has always known.  He has simultaneous knowledge.

3.  Perfection:  God is perfection therefore all that He decrees must be perfect.

4. Unchangeable and certain:  Nothing will occur that could necessitate change, for Gods perfect decrees are based upon His perfect plan and that plan is based upon His perfect and total knowledge.

5.  Free choice of God:  He is not bound to follow any set path for He sets the path Himself, but He is bound by His faithfulness to accomplish all that He freely decreed to do.

All the aspects of Gods decree are broken down into logical units for our understanding, so that we might categorise and systematise the doctrine, therefore the plural form decrees is used.  Because of the limitations of our minds we cannot see the big picture as a decree.

There are two kinds of creatures who have freedom of volition, the angelic creatures that pre-existed the human race, and the human race itself. The human race was made in similar fashion to the angelic but as an inferior creation.  Limited and restricted to planet earth; having similar attributes of soul in sensibility, self-consciousness and will, but without the same genius; having emotion as a responder to this life system, and which emotion, under arrogance and subjectivity, can rule the system.

This study is not only in relation to mankind, but also applies to the angelic creatures.

The decrees of God are His eternal and immutable will regarding the future existence of events that have and will happen in time, plus the precise order and manner of their occurrence.  However, we have not been programmed to Gods dictates. 

It was God’s will that we should have free will, which He does not and will not violate.  We can make our volition compatible or antagonistic to His, we have the freedom of   choice.  To be compatible with Gods will is to make good decisions; bad decisions are those contrary to His will.  God has decreed free will in His rational creatures but along with free will goes its results; free will is a cause and effect system. 

We make choices; we must accept the results of those choices.  People of every race and every age are products of their own decisions.  People who live in squalor choose to do so; people who live in cleanliness have made a conscious decision to bring about that result.  

God’s eternal decrees take into consideration all volitional choices made by His creatures and locks them into certain futurity.  God’s laws can be ignored or broken, but God has decreed inevitable results from obeying or disobeying His laws.

The decrees of God are His chosen and adopted plan for all His works.  God’s works are all grace; there is nothing left for creatures to do but live their lives within the protection of His provisions.

God’s decrees are for the purpose of His glory, but how can the locked in decisions of Gods creatures, good or bad, glorify Him?

Mankind is free to choose right or wrong, God sees a man's choice in eternity past, allows it and in doing so decrees it to happen. Man is responsible for that choice in time and will make God's just and righteous character known in the judgements or blessings that accrue and eventually brought to light.

Even against all the destructive hatred of men and demons throughout the ages, Gods grace is still in operation, providing people with life and opportunity to believe and to spend eternity in the peace and blessing of His presence.  This displays the power and love of God, and is a revelation of His righteous and just character?