Luck, Hap, and Chance (Part 2) - Absolute Predestination is False

Outline is attached below.

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5. God doesn't actively cause all things to happen. A. If God actively caused all things to happen, then He would cause sin to happen. B. God does not cause sin (Jer 7:9-10; Jer 32:35; Jam 1:13-16). i. God allows sinners to sin to accomplish His purpose, but He doesn't cause them to sin (1Ki 22:20-23). ii. God sends nations to destroy other nations as a judgment against them like He did Babylon, Assyria, and Syria to Israel (Isa 10:5-7; Jer 25:8-11 c/w Hab 1:12; 2Ch 24:24). iii. But He doesn't cause their sin, but rather He permits them to act out their bellicose desires to accomplish His purpose in punishing wicked nations (Psa 76:10). C. The "all things" that God works together for our good (Rom 8:28) are "all things" that pertain to the eternal salvation of His elect (Rom 8:29-32; 2Pe 1:3). i. If the "all things" in Rom 8:28 that work together for our good are all things in the universe without exception, then the "all things" in Rom 8:32 that God freely gives us are also all things in the universe without exception. a. Does God give us all the women in the world to be our wives? b. If an error proves anything, it proves too much. ii. The "all things" in Rom 8:28 cannot include every event in the universe without exception. a. If that were the case, then God would be using our sin to bring us good through it. b. But sin withholds good things from us (Jer 5:25); it is not used by God to bring good to us. D. If God predestinates all events in the universe, then God predestinates sin. i. A simple syllogism will prove this. a. Major premise: God predestinates all actions in the universe. b. Minor premise: Sin is an action. c. Conclusion: Therefore, God predestinates sin. ii. The conclusion of the syllogism is false: God does not cause sin (Jer 7:9-10; Jer 32:35). a. If the conclusion is false, then either the major or minor premise must be false. b. The minor premise is true: sin is an action. c. Therefore, the major premise must be false. d. Therefore, God does not predestinate all actions in the universe. iii. There is no way to get around this. iv. If sinful actions are predestinated, no man could be responsible and accountable for them because he was caused to do them against his will. v. Now consider what God does actually predestinate. a. God predestinates His elect to eternal life and glory (Rom 8:29-30; Eph 1:4-5, 11). b. Because of that, they are in no way responsible for their salvation. c. These are the only verses in the Bible where the word predestinate is used. d. Once again, the "all things" in Eph 1:11 are all things that pertain to eternal salvation (Eph 1:3-11). E. It is an exercise in futility to argue for absolute predestination (the idea that God predestinates all things). i. I will illustrate this point with an example. a. "ak1986" commented on part 1 of this series saying, "Wrong, God predestined all things." b. I responded with, "I would apologize for my error, but I had no choice but to be wrong." ii. How can you try to convince a man of his error and try to change his mind when God predestined him believe it before the world began? 6. God sometimes intervenes into the natural course of things and controls the outcome of chance (Pro 16:33). A. Lot n. - 1. a. An object (app. usually a piece of wood) used in a widely diffused ancient method of deciding disputes, dividing plunder or property, selecting persons for an office or duty, etc., by an appeal to chance or the divine agency supposed to be concerned in the results of chance. The ‘lots’, each bearing the special mark of one of the competitors, were placed in a receptacle (in Homeric Greece a helmet); according to Greek procedure the vessel was shaken, the winning lot being that which fell out first; in Scandinavia (see Vigf. s.v. hlutr) the winning lot was drawn out by an uninterested party. B. It appears that sometimes God had an interest in the outcome of a lot (Lev 16:8-9). C. Sometimes it's evident that God manipulated the lot, though it's not outrightly stated. i. God did this in Jonah's case when lots were cast to see who was responsible for the storm at sea (Jon 1:7). ii. God did this when the Persians cast Pur (the lot) to decide when the Jews would be destroyed (Est 9:24). a. They cast Pur in the first month of the year (Est 3:7). b. The lot fell on the 12th month for the time of the genocide (Est 3:7, 13). c. After Haman's wicked plot was exposed, king Ahasuerus made a decree that the Jews be ready to defend themselves from the assault (Est 8:10-14). d. Because the ethnic cleansing was set by the lot for 11 months after it was cast, the Jews had a lot of time to prepare to fight. e. They were able to fight off all of the wicked who tried to destroy them (Est 9:1-2). f. This is an obvious case of where "the whole disposing thereof was of the Lord" (Pro 16:33). D. It does not appear that God always actively controls the results of a lot though (Pro 1:14; Pro 18:18; Joel 3:3; Mat 27:35). 7. If God actively controls everything that happens and has predestinated all things, then is there really a such thing as a miracle? A. Miracle n. - 1. a. A marvellous event occurring within human experience, which cannot have been brought about by human power or by the operation of any natural agency, and must therefore be ascribed to the special intervention of the Deity or of some supernatural being; chiefly, an act (e.g. of healing) exhibiting control over the laws of nature, and serving as evidence that the agent is either divine or is specially favoured by God. B. Wouldn't every event be a miracle if God was actively, supernaturally directing every event in the universe? C. If God actively, supernaturally controls every event in the universe, why does the Bible specifically call some things miracles? (Num 14:22; Mar 6:52; Joh 2:23) D. The fact that only a few specific things are called miracles in the Bible means that the rest are not miraculous occurrences. E. God has set up the laws of nature to control how the elements behave. F. In that He set up the laws of nature and reserves the right to alter the course of events at any time, He is in control of everything. G. But this doesn't mean that He actively causes every action or thought we make.