Of God’s Eternal Decree

March 20^th, 2025

The topic I want to engage with is from WCF 3.1, where it articulates the doctrine of God’s eternal decree, highlighting His sovereign will and purpose. It asserts that “God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.” WCF 3.1 So, the hard part of God’s sovereign orchestration of all of our lives is the presence and ongoing impact of evil in the world, impacting our lives externally. Then, of course, there is the reality of the wickedness of my own heart, and yet God still loves and uses me.

In understanding how God brings good out of evil, this doctrine suggests that God’s omnipotent power and divine wisdom enable Him to orchestrate events, even those involving evil, to fulfill His righteous purposes. Case in point would be the story of Joseph with one of my all-time favorite verses, Gen 50:20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Although God is not the author of sin or evil and does not compel His creatures to commit evil, He permits it, and through His providence, He overrules and directs it to achieve greater good and manifest His glory. Joseph’s story allows me to hold the tension of God’s goodness and His sovereignty with the presence of evil.

Maybe I would go so far as to say evil operates without God initiating it or empowering it, but God in His sovereignty does limit its scope, allows it, and uses its movement for His purposes. This brings me to Romans 8:28, which states, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This is in harmony with WCF 3.1. God’s eternal decree emphasizes God’s sovereign will and purposeful direction of all events, asserting that “God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.” Romans 8:28 likewise asserts that by the wisdom and omnipotence of God, who, despite the presence of evil, brings about good for His people. The doctrine suggests that God’s providence not only permits the existence of evil but also directs it in such a way that His righteous purposes are ultimately fulfilled, manifesting His glory and ensuring the perseverance of His people. Thus, Romans 8:28 encapsulates the assurance that every event, regardless of its immediate appearance, is part of God’s unchangeable will and contributes to the greater good He has predestined.

I’m a bit confused using primary and secondary causality, but I think it’s an important factor. R.C. Sproul gives the illustration of a quarterback throwing the ball to a wide receiver; the quarterback is the outside force that acts on the ball by throwing it. Sproul continues,

Paul teaches that it is in God that “in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God is the ultimate source of all power in the universe. The creature is in every respect dependent on the Creator for its very being and for its continuing existence. So the quarterback is the secondary cause of the ball’s flying through the air to the receiver, and God is the primary cause.[i]

This illustration is then used to speak about our deistic/scientific thinking, that God created a system, a universe that He designed and initiated but then released to its own means—heretical teaching because God is actively sustaining and cares about the particular. What does primary and secondary causality apply to sovereignty? Sproul continues, “The quarterback really does exercise power when he throws the football; God does not throw it for him. But he could not throw it were it not for his moment-by-moment dependence on the being and power of God.”[ii] So, we are active in the universe that is sustained by and empowered by God. We are coworkers in His sovereign plan. If I was Joseph, I could accept the actions of my brothers as “you intended evil” but “God meant it for good,” an experience of God’s grace and mercy. If I’m one of the brothers, I can know that God took my corrupted intentions and evil actions and sovereignly used them for His purposes. Joseph and his brothers are active in God’s redemptive work, but secondarily, not primarily.

Point to ponder: What evil intended for my harm has God sovereignly used for my good?

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[i] Sproul, R.C.. Truths We Confess: A Systematic Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith (p. 73). (Function). Kindle Edition.

^[ii] Sproul, R.C.. Truths We Confess: A Systematic Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith (p. 74). (Function). Kindle Edition.