(Continued-Chapter VII-God's Moral Government Of The Universe)

B. Man

As a crowning work of God's creative activities during the six days of reconstruction which followed the terrific catastrophe that is described in Genesis 1:2, the Almighty created man. He did not evolve from some lower order of animal, but was created by the Almighty. According to Genesis 1:26, the three persons of the Godhead consulted together and decreed to make man after their own image, in their likeness. There is a vast gulf between the highest forms of animals and the lowest of human beings.

An examination of the account of the creation of man and of his position in the Garden of Eden yields conclusive proof that man was created a free moral agent. According to the Genesis account, chapters 2 and 3, the Almighty placed in that garden every kind of tree bearing fruit, including in the list the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Man was granted permission by his Creator to partake of every tree--even of the tree of life--except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In prohibiting his eating of this particular tree, the Lord warned him that on the very day on which he might partake, "dying thou shalt surely die." According to this Hebrew idiom death would set in the very day that man disobeyed this prohibition, that is, the forces that bring about death would begin to prey upon his body. Physicians tell us that there are operative in our bodies both the anabolic and the catabolic processes. The former are in the ascendancy in the individual until he reaches middle life. From that time onward until death the catabolic processes are in the ascendancy and finally accomplish his death. Along with physical death came spiritual death--separation from God and His fellowship. Of course, this death which is a present reality will culminate in eternal death to all those who do not make their peace with God through the one and only sacrifice which He has provided for their redemption.

This tree of the knowledge of good and evil was somewhere in the garden in which man was placed. It was not protected by any fence or obstruction; Adam and Eve could walk up to it, reach for and pull its fruit, and commit the tragic act of eating it. That it was thus placed within easy reach of man proved that he was created a free moral agent. The Lord knew that Adam had the power of free choice, either to be submissive to the will of God or to oppose his will against that of the Maker. The entire situation changed upon man's exercising his own free will.

Throughout the Scriptures we read of God's forbidding man's doing certain things, and of His threatening punishment in case of violation of the divine prerogatives. On the other hand, the Lord holds out inducements to men in order to get them to yield their wills to Him--for their good, their blessing, and their eternal happiness. Thus the freedom of man is stamped upon every portion of the Scriptures. That fact is one of the basic teachings of the Word of God. This brief statement of the case will suffice to show that man is a free moral agent and that God will neither force nor restrain any man's will.

In the foregoing we have looked at some basic facts which prove beyond a peradventure the proposition that God is sovereign and that man is a free agent. We have reached that stage in the investigation where we must examine more minutely some special phases of the subject involved and then seek a harmony of the facts--if such can be found. If not we shall accept the facts as they stand and await further light. Theologians, however, have wrestled with the problem of harmonizing these two great central doctrines of the Scriptures. Thus far all confess their inability to discover perfect agreement.

A. God's Sovereignty

To the thoughtful observer who views the movements of the heavenly bodies in connection with the earth, it becomes immediately evident that the Supreme Being has everything under His control, and that each of the material bodies as it moves in space is being directed by His mighty omnipotence. Moreover, it is seen that each contributes its part to the general purpose and movement of the universe. Astronomers tell us that the various nebulae are moving in certain directions, all of which would seem to indicate an ultimate objective in view. Each of these bodies contributes its part to the whole in the advancement of said purpose. These facts indicate that God is sovereign over the material universe.

An examination of any physical phenomenon reveals that each separate element exhibits certain characteristics. Each acts and reacts in a definite manner when brought into contact with other elements. For instance, water, the chemical formula of which is H₂O, has a certain nature and acts and reacts to other elements in a given definite manner. Who gave the elements their nature? There can be but one answer, which is found in Isaiah 40:12: "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?" God is the great chemist who first created all the elements, who compounded them into certain mixtures, and who gave them their inherent qualities. In doing this, He was not compelled by any external force of power. He alone is sovereign. It was His good pleasure thus to give to each substance its inherent characteristics and nature.

Throughout eternity in the past, during time at the present, and throughout the ages of the ages in eternity of the future, our sovereign God is directing and overruling all things in order that they might contribute to His own glory and self-manifestation and to the good of His creatures. Numerous passages of Holy Scripture affirm this position. In creation as well as in the directing of the affairs of the universe and guiding them toward a great consummation, God therefore is exercising His sovereignty and His will. The truthfulness of these propositions is not only self-evident, but confirmed by the consideration given above.

B. Man's Free Will

That man was created a free agent is clear from the account which we have of his being placed in the Garden of Eden and having full and free access, not only to the tree of life, but to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Had God not wanted man to have the privilege of exercising freedom of will, He could have "placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of the sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" prior to the transgression of Adam. It is quite evident that God turned man loose in the garden and told him what he could and could not do. In giving the prohibition regarding the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil, He forewarned Adam in unmistakable terms against the rejection of His will.

The Scriptures with unanimous acclaim teach the freedom of man. For instance, note John 3:16,17: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him." God gave His only begotten Son in order that the one believing in Him might have everlasting life. God had only one purpose in sending His Son into the world; namely, that everyone might have life. As we shall presently see, it is not the will of God that any should perish, but that all might come to a knowledge of the truth. With this objective in view God sent His Son and offered eternal life to all who believe. These facts show most clearly that man is free to make his own decisions--even when his doing so involves his destiny throughout all eternity. This same freedom of choice is set forth in John 5:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." Thus, he, who wills to listen, to meditate upon the message of life, and to believe God, who sent Christ to make atonement for the race, has eternal life and shall not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life. We see this same teaching set forth in John 5:40: "... ye will not come to me, that ye may have life." Obviously the people to whom Jesus spoke could have come to Him if they had so desired and in their coming they could have had eternal life. He would not force them to come although He willed that they do so. The matter was left to them. Let us look at another instance. When Jesus went up to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Tabernacles, He spoke in the Temple. The Jews marveled at His ability to teach since He had not been educated in the rabbinical schools of the time. Explaining the situation, our Lord said, "My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself" (John 7:16,17). Both an understanding of the source of the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles and a comprehension of the truth taught depend entirely on the will of the individual. If a person wills to do his will, God guarantees that He will see that he shall know the source of the teaching of Jesus Christ. When one is convinced that His teaching is from God the Father and is therefore of divine origin, an honest heart will immediately accept and act thereupon. Man's comprehension, therefore, of the divine origin of the Scriptures and their meaning is entirely contingent upon his will--willing to do the will of God.

We learn from the Scriptures that God desires the salvation of every man. As proof of this position let us meditate upon this scripture: "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own times; whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth" (I Tim. 2:3-7). There is but one interpretation that can be placed upon this statement: that it is the perfect desire of the heart of God that all men--come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. Confirmation of this fact is found in II Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Let the reader note especially these words: "but [the Lord] is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." We learn most positively God is not willing that anyone should be lost. His heartthrob is that all might be saved. For everyone who accepts the Scriptures as the authoritative Word of God, these statements settle the question. The responsibility for the lost condition of anyone does not fall back upon God nor does it arise out of the will of God.

Further confirmation of this position is seen in the fact that God sent His Son to suffer and die for man and that Christ tasted of death for every man (Heb. 2:9). Christ underwent death--not only for those who accept, but for those who reject. In keeping with this thought is that expressed in I Timothy 4:10: "For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe." In what sense is God the Saviour of all men? In the sense that Christ paid the debt and penalty for every man's redemption, but in a different sense He is the Saviour of only those who believe--those who accept the purchased and offered salvation.

Since it is not the will of God that any soul should perish, but that all should come unto repentance--for Christ tasted death for every man and is the Saviour of all men--and since vast hordes of men will be lost, the irresistible conclusion to be drawn is that man, by his own will (by exerting his will against God) is lost. There may be and doubtless are other factors concerning man and his relation to God which enter into the question of his election, but for all practical purposes we are warranted by scriptural testimony in saying that man's refusal to yield his will to God and to accept the salvation offered to him freely is the cause of the condemnation of the lost.

Further light is thrown upon this subject by an investigation of the classic passage found in Romans 8:26-30: "And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among the many brethren: and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." In Romans 5:12-8:39, Paul is discussing the matter of sanctification by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The pronouns, "we," "us," and "our," in this sentence undoubtedly refer to those who have accepted the redemption which has come through the Lord Jesus Christ. In verses 26 and 27 of Romans 8 he shows that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for the people of God in a most earnest manner and presents our petitions to the Father. We have been redeemed, as we shall see in Chapter XII, by the atonement of the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit is deeply concerned about our spiritual growth and development. He therefore makes intercession for us according to the will of God in the most earnest manner. God the Father will not turn a deaf ear to the petition which the Spirit makes. Thus we can be sure that all three personalities constituting the Godhead are laboring in behalf of every born-again person.

In verse 28 Paul makes the statement, in view of the facts which he is discussing here, that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to God's purpose and who love the Almighty. In order to explain his meaning he, figuratively speaking, lays before us a blueprint of the life everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. According to verses 29 and 30 God foreknew us. How long has He foreknown us? the answer is to found in such passages as Ephesians 1:3,4; I Peter 1:17-21; and Revelation 13:8. From these scriptures we see that God foreknew the saved before the foundation of the world. (See chart on "Eternity, or the Plan of the Ages," chap. vi.) What is the meaning of the foreknowledge of God? Simply that God knows a fact or person before the event occurs or the person is born. But foreknowledge must not be confused with predetermination or foreordination. God can foreknow a thing without determining that it shall come to pass in a given way. I might illustrate this principle by a very imperfect example. Knowing my wife as I do, I can in a fairly accurate way tell how she will act or react to certain things; but my being able to arrive at certain conclusions regarding her reactions does not in the least necessarily determine her attitude to a given situation. If by my limited knowledge of her, I can forecast fairly accurately her reactions, is it to be thought unreasonable that God--who is omniscient--should know how human beings will act and react to various situations? If we admit the possibility of our forecasting with a fair degree of accuracy the actions of our fellow-men whom we know, it is only reasonable to conclude that God can foreknow and at the same time not predetermine that a thing shall be or that a person shall act in a given way. These truths are in perfect accord with the statement of Psalm 139:14-16:

14. I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
    Wonderful are thy works;
    and that my soul knoweth right well.

15. My frame was not hidden from thee,
    When I was made in secret,
    And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance;
    And in thy book they were all written,
    Even the days that were ordained for me,
    When as yet there was none of them.