When we say that God is sovereign, we are saying that God is King. We are also saying that nothing happens that God has not orchestrated or permitted according to his purposes and for the good of those who love him. One of the biggest points of tension between Calvinists and Arminians isn’t whether God is sovereign but how he exercises that sovereignty. While some Calvinists will disparage their theological opponents by insisting that they deny the sovereignty of God, in reality their Arminian detractors are denying the Calvinist interpretation of the sovereignty of God. Calvinists believe that the fate of the cosmos has been determined by God in the sense that he has orchestrated all that will happen; everything that happens takes place because God has decreed that it is so. Obviously this raises two big problems, both of which Calvinists deal with in a variety of ways: “If God is the primary cause for everything, why is there evil in the world?” and “If God causes everything that happens, then why are human beings still held responsible?” Thus we have a paradox: God controls what we do, but we are still held responsible for it. It’s been said that if you want a religion without paradox, become a Muslim; but is there a better way to understand the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human freedom without sacrificing either? Arminians believe there is.
Arminian scholar Roger Olson puts it this way: “Classical Arminianism goes far beyond belief in general providence to include affirmation of God’s intimate and direct involvement in every event of nature and history. The only thing the Arminian view of God’s sovereignty necessarily excludes is God’s authorship of sin and evil. Faithful follower of Arminius have always believed that God governs the entire universe and all of history. Nothing at all can happen without God’s permission, and many things are specifically and directly controlled and caused by God. Even sin and evil do not escape God’s providential governance… God permits and limits them without willing or causing them.” Olson continues, “Does God govern by meticulously determining the entire course of every life, including moral choices and actions? Or does God allow humans a realm of freedom of choices and then responds by drawing them into his perfect plan for history’s consummation? Calvinists (and some other Christians) believe God’s control over human history is always already de facto – fully accomplished in a detailed and deterministic sense; that is, nothing can ever thwart the will of God. Arminians (and some other Christians) believe God’s control over human history is always already de jure – by right and power if not already completely exercised – but at present only partially de facto. God can and does exercise control, but not to the exclusion of human liberty and not in such a way as to make him the author of sin and evil. After all, Jesus taught his disciples to pray ‘Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Mt. 6:10 RSV). If God’s sovereignty were already completely exercised de facto, why would anyone need to pray for God’s will to be done on earth? In that case, it would always already be done on earth. The distinction between God’s sovereignty de facto and de jure is required by the Lord’s prayer.”
Because God is sovereign, he can create any type of world that he wishes. If he wanted to create a world in which we are all puppets, he could do so. But that’s not what he did. He created us as creatures who have the ability and privilege to make choices, whether those choices be good or bad, and we are responsible for the choices we make. He didn’t have to create a world like this, but he did so simple because it pleased him to do so. Theologians Jerry Walls and Joseph Dongell note that “God is no less sovereign in a world where he chooses to grant his creatures libertarian freedom than he is in a world where he determines everything. Sovereignty cannot simply be equated with meticulous control. Rather, sovereignty is the freedom to choose as one will and to accomplish one’s purposes. If God chooses to create people who are free and to accomplish his purposes through their undetermined choices, it is his sovereign right to do so. Less control is not the same as less sovereignty if God chooses to have less control. A perfectly good and wise God will exercise just the amount of control appropriate for the sort of world he chooses to create.” The Arminian theologian J.P. Holding writes, “Some Calvinist commentators point to various passages of specific events such as the selling of Joseph into slavery (Gen. 45-50), the crucifixion of Christ (Acts 2:23), and the military actions of the Assyrians (Is. 10) [to showcase God’s control over world events]. And they are not wrong to do so. Yet one cannot falsely generalize from these particulars and assume that God chooses to exercise His right of sovereignty in the same way for things like the moving of a finger. Perhaps He does, but perhaps He does not; perhaps He does at times, but not at others. Yet to suggest such a thing hardly removes any sovereignty from God, for a simple reason that [the] decision to do nothing is itself a sovereign decision.”
We have ‘freedom of the will,’ but this isn’t an autonomous freedom; we are still restricted to choices within the bounds God has set. The Bible is clear that God is actively and intimately involved in his universe, in the lives of those who love him, as well as in the lives of those who do not. I believe God has a plan for our lives, but his plan usually isn’t our plan. God’s plan is ultimately for his glory and the benefit of those who love him. The choices we make within life are made within the constraints or boundaries that he has set in accordance with his purpose and plan; there are some things we can choose – to eat broccoli or donuts, for example – and there are other things that we cannot choose (those things which God has ordained). As much as we may try to thwart God’s plans, his plans will come to pass. Jonah fought God’s call to preach repentance to Nineveh, but God got him there anyway; in the same way, God will get us to where he wants us to be, though the ‘contours’ of that trip may be determined by the choices we make, and God will ‘thwart’ our choices that would veer us off from his plan.
God doesn’t create evil, nor does he ‘make’ evil happen. We see in the Bible that at times God orchestrates calamity and disaster, but those are not morally evil; they just suck for everyone involved. God is in the business of restraining evil and working evil towards his own purposes. All evil that happens is permitted by God; if it isn’t permitted, it cannot happen. We see this in Job: Satan wishes to throw Job’s life into shambles, but he must have God’s permission to do so. God gives permission for Satan to do certain things, but those things are within the bounds God has set. Satan isn’t running free; he is forced to operate within the restraints imposed on him by our sovereign God. There is much evil in the world, and God allows evil to exist for a time. Without God’s restraining hand, we can assume that our world would’ve plunged into chaos long ago. As much as we ask ourselves, “How could God let evil flourish?” we must note that we only see the evil he permits; if we were to see all the alternate universes in which God’s restraining hand was removed, we may have a different take on God’s benevolence.
But why would God permit evil? We have instances where God has used evil – born out by fallen men or fallen angels – to accomplish his purposes. Take Judas for example. When God judges evil, it will bring him glory and showcase his justice while simultaneously vindicating the victims. Unfortunately for us, the temporary presence of evil is a ‘casualty’ of the wise system God created in which human beings, made in God’s image, have the freedom to choose or reject God. We must remember that evil will not have the last word: God will be triumphant, he will execute justice, and all will be well.
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