Whatsoever Comes to Pass
Meditating on God's sovereign decree
What is a decree? As it relates to God, it is his “eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.”1
That last part makes many Christians cringe. God decrees whatever comes to pass? Every last thing that has ever taken place in the universe—good, bad, ugly—only comes to fruition through the sovereign and divine decree of God. Yes, that is true.
Some Christians object to that on the basis of the horrible things that happen in this world. You’re meaning to claim, they say, that God ordained the events of the Holocaust, 9/11, or children dying of cancer? The short answer to this is, well, Yes. God ordained everything that has come to pass. No, God ordaining evil doesn’t mean God is evil. God permitting egregious sins to take place doesn’t mean God created sin. God does, indeed, use sin sinlessly.
When something horrific happens, many people will say God had no part of that. If there’s a car accident, a murder, a massacre, or anything else horrible for that matter, many will declare that it was the work of Satan (and Satan alone). God had nothing to do with it. His hands were tied. There was nothing he could do.
That attitude toward evil is far, far worse—and frightening—than believing God ordains that come to pass (which isn’t frightening at all). What would we do, where would we go—to whom would we pray?!—if God was not in control of all things, including events where evil happens?
Perhaps you’re still firm in your stance that God does not plan horrific events like we see everyday. Maybe you still can’t believe that God ordains for people to get sick, to commit evil acts, to die in an accident. Then let me ask a question.
If not God, who?
Are we merely experiencing pain and tragedy by ourselves? Does God have his hands tied, with Satan roaming free? If that is your answer—that Satan is behind tragedies and evil acts, and God has nothing to do with it—then you must remember something. “The devil,” as Martin Luther wrote, “is God’s devil.” Event don’t just happen. God is in control of all things, and that’s fantastic news.
Is it difficult for some Christians to swallow the biblical fact that God ordains suffering? Sure. We all do. We all ask, “Why, Lord, why?” That’s natural—and not sinful to do so. But we don’t need to defend our Lord, right? God doesn’t need us to plead his case as to why he permitted that car accident or allowed that stillborn. This doesn’t mean experiencing these things isn’t incredibly difficult. Even unbearable. They are. And we, as Christians, need to weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn (Rom. 12:15). But may we never push God out of the equation because we can’t fathom him allowing this. Here’s why.
It was God who allowed Satan to tear Job’s life apart2 but spared his life (Job 1:8). Job lost everything, yet held firm to his trust in the Lord. He didn’t curse God even when his friends told him to.
Of course, it was God who killed Jesus, as he ordained the crucifixion to happen. The most horrific event in all of history—the most gruesome, agonizing, painful death one could ever experience—was foreordained by God from eternity past.
Must we remember that what sinful humans mean for evil, God means for good (Gen. 50:20)? The same is true for the death of Jesus Christ. In an earthly sense, Christ shouldn’t have been killed. He was innocent; and not only innocent, but sinless. And yet, through the evil acts of the Roman soldiers and the cowardice of Pontius Pilate, Jesus was crucified on a cross.
But he was killed for the sins of those who would believe in him. So, no, we shouldn’t be concerned about the notion that God ordains all that comes to pass. He is, indeed, sovereign over all things. From the moon to the stars, from the sky to the sea, from the screams of babies to the cries of suffering saints, God is sovereign over everything. Yes, everything.
Though we experience tragedy in this life—though horrible events take place due to sin—we know that God uses them all for our good and his glory. God is not absent, aloof, or apathetic to our suffering or evil events. He’s there, and ordained it to happen. His ways are higher than our ways. His plan is grander than ours.
We know, in the end, that there’s light a the end of the tunnel, and believing that God has ordained whatsoever comes to pass is a balm to our weary souls.
Post tenebras lux (After darkness, light.)
WSC 7, https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/westminster-shorter-catechism.
Yes, Satan attacked Job, but only with the Lord’s permission; God has Satan on a leash.
Amen. I believe if we persevere in faith in Christ, in heaven we will understand and be so grateful for all things that happened throughout time in the world.
Good post as always!