It is a common belief that it is the new orthodoxy, that God wants certain things that we will not let Him have them. Take for instance, salvation. God wants to save everybody, says the average popular evangelical sermon, book, or tract. So why doesn’t it happen? Well, the answer is simple. It was glorified in a Hollywood Movie, when the character playing Satan says something to the effect: “Free Will; it’s a *****” [female dog].
The obvious connotation was that no one can influence another, it is all up to the individual’s “free will.” So not even God can “violate” man’s free will. This is a very simple answer, and it is widely attractive. It is also very comprehensive. It sort of explains everything as to why the world is in such bad shape, and yet again, why so “few” are being saved despite God’s wishes to the contrary, according to this theory.When I was a child one of the ways that settled disputes among children was the answer: “everybody knows that.”
This sort of mind-numbing strategy is at play in the worlds of theological discourse, at least the type that takes place on the church campuses of the evangelical landscape. Most assume it to be a “no brainer,” to use a contemporary slogan. Of course we have free will; everybody knows that!!!But do we? Because if we do, then what happens to the God of the Bible? What about His will? What about His plans? What about His agenda? Is He really frustrated at the masses that are going to hell because they want to? Does He sit idly in the Heavens wondering, “what else can I do?” Is Christ powerless to save? Or maybe, just maybe, we have read His intentions in light of a myth, which has no real Biblical foundation.
If the argument could be solved by merely citing scriptures that show that on occasion His will is resisted, such as Acts 7, when Stephen the protomartyr says of the religious leaders of his day in an accusatory tone, “you always resist the Holy Spirit” then we must all lay our Bibles and other swords down and declare victory for the freewillers. But is it that simple? What about other scriptures that state that no one can resist His will? There are quite a few of them as well. So, we begin to see why the debate rages on. There appears to be conflicting testimony. This requires that we do some hard theological work in trying to answer our question: Does God Get His Way?Whenever one of God’s laws is unheeded by a wicked world this is prima facie evidence of God not getting His will accomplished.
But there is a two-fold revelation of God’s will in Scripture. There is God’s will of command, such as the command to all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17), or the “Ten Words” which give us a list of ‘dos and don’ts that we call the Decalogue. Whenever these are unheeded, it is merely God’s will of command that is being resisted.
The intricacy of the question becomes apparent that this same God unashamedly declares that he works all things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). Here, we have a differing notion of God’s will. It is certainly accomplished, it is comprehensive as it includes all things, and God Himself effects it. The truly amazing thing about the question of this will of God is that it is unstoppable.
It is this decretive will that that the Scriptures speak of when they assure us of God getting His way. In Psalm 33:11 we see “The Counsel of the LORD stands forever, The Plans of His heart to all Generations.” In Isaiah 46 there is an amazing revelation concerning God’s godhood. This includes the certainty of His will coming to pass:
“1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, A burden to the weary beast. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity. 3 "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: 4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you. 5 "To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike? 6 They lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver on the scales; They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship. 7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it And set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble. 8 "Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed, I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. 12 "Listen to Me, you stubborn–hearted, Who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.” [Bold emphasis added].
Look at those last [bold highlighted] verses in particular. They state that God’s will, will be done. Moreover, they include the matter of Salvation!!!
Away with the notions of God being impotent bound by human hands.
Away with such thoughts that dethrone God. Away with such sentiments that detract from His exalted majesty.
Away with such notions that make man sovereign in the matter of salvation.
The whole tenor of scripture makes plain that even the wrongs we commit are a part of the decretive will of God: The wrath of man shall praise You (Psalm 76:10). We are not to wrongly deduce from this that we may sin with impunity, for Paul deals with these very matters in Romans. Yet, even in Romans, the whole argument only makes sense because Paul is committed to the truth that no one and nothing frustrates God’s will.
The matter of our very salvation is settled in Scripture by the explicit statements that saving faith is a gift from God (John 6:35-59; Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 1:19, 2:8-10; Romans 9:6-33; and 12:3). So, God is saving precisely those He intends to save. And the amazing thing is, He is saving people according to His own free will. The only sane answer to the question, “Does God get His way?” is: “Absolutely!!!” So, we can always pray, “Thy will be done,” for in the Deity’s supreme plan, it will be.
Theodore Zachariades, PhD.
