because it illustrates how God can decree all things, yet be free of sin Himself 6. I. First, they insisted that God is holy and righteous while decreeing sin. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that is neither forced, nor by … To deny this, or to charge God with wickedness on account of it, is not open to a Bible-believing Christian. Despite this denial in a major Reformed confession, Arminians regularly charge that Reformed theology makes God the author of sin. I. Consequently, John Calvin concludes that if God wills and desires a sinful action, He must have a good and holy intention for it. How can we be expected to accept this? He is not the author of evil and does no malevolence, for this would be contrary to His holy nature. The Westminster Confession. Many of these are extra-scriptural terms; none of them are perfectly easy to define in this context. According to this confession, God “binds” and “orders” in His “governing” of all things including “the first fall” and “all other sins of angels and men,” but is not the “author or approver of sin” because God is “holy and righteous.” God is said here not to merely grant His creation permission to sin, but that God binds them to sin. The plight of all humanity is that we are lovers of sin and sons of disobedience. I.God from all eternity, did, by the most wise andholy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordainwhatsoever comes to pass;[1] yet so, as thereby neither isGod the author of sin,[2] nor is violence offered to the willof the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causestaken away, but rather established. Some initial possibilities: authors, brings about, causes, controls, creates, decrees, foreordains, incites, includes within his plan, makes happen, ordains, permits, plans, predestines, predetermines, produces, stands behind, wills. The Westminster Confession and Catechisms speak of sin in two ways: the definition of what sin is and the sinful condition of humanity. 5. To support this claim, they rely upon the argument of second causes. . The second way we might overturn the Westminster statement, is addressing the Greek word they are renderin in the Westminster Confession as “Heaven.” While it may not preclude the understanding of Westminster, Jesus actual statement is that the thief will be with him in Paradise. I. . The Westminster divines were careful, however, to fence off the doctrine of God’s eternal decree from any kind of fatalism. I. God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. We’re on a mission to change that. Therefore, there has been much discussion among theologians as to what verb should best describes God’s agency in regard to evil. A Biblical Look at the Argument of Second Causes. We are told that everything that happens—good or bad—is part of God’s will. In his last three sermons, John Piper has made some provocative statements about God’s sovereignty over sin. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. The 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith is highly esteemed among Calvinists. They state that because the sinful act was not actually performed by God Himself, but only by the creature, God is not responsible for the sin. The confession states that the fall and all other sins were foreordained by divine providence; however, the confession also teaches that sin "proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God". Yet he does so in such a way that he is neither the author of sin nor does he obliterate the reality of secondary causes (WCF 3.1). The Westminster Confession of Faith appears to explicitly state that God is the author of sin. For further clarification of this issue, let us examine another portion of The Westminster Confession of Faith, “God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”[2]. Westminster Confession of Faith. This confession of faith clearly states that the fall of mankind, the rebellion of Lucifer and his followers, and every sin of man occurs because of God’s almighty power, wisdom, and goodness. if someone makes a cake they do not become a cake themselves. THE WESTMINSTER STANDARDS ON SIN. . Nevertheless, we are told that God is not the author of those actions. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. The Westminster Confession of Faith makes bold statements about God’s ordaining all things after the counsel of His own will from eternity past, binding His creatures to that will, and ordering or governing His creatures to accomplish His will. 1 So the [Westminster Confession] says that God “neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin” (5:4). There are various advantages and disadvantages among the different terms. 3. A book was circulated in London arguing that God is the Author even of Sin, this being purportedly for the benefit of saints taking comfort in this in their trials. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that is neither forced nor by … Unfortunately, even though they say and write such blatant contradictions in the space of only a few sentences, most of these contradictions are ignored or missed. . Q: What is sin? Is God the Author of Sin? [3] In a situation like this, none of the possibilities is fully adequate. James 4:17.Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. e.g. . What other conclusion could be reasonably drawn? God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass, yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. Westminster theology is a doctrine of hope and confidence. Briefly stated, the argument of second causes maintains that because God is only the primary cause of sin, while man is the secondary cause of sin, God cannot be held responsible. God does harden hearts, and through his prophets he predicts sinful human actions long in advance, indicating that he is in control of human free decisions. Of Free Will. CHAPTER 3. …the Westminster Confession on secondary causes and the author of sin: “God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather … We’ve found that John Frame provides some significant help on how to talk about God’s sovereignty over sin. Westminster Confession (A.D. 1647) by Matt Slick | Nov 25, 2008 ... yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. The confession affirms both because the Bible teaches both, but it does not attempt to reconcile them completely, only to declare what the Bible declares without diminishing one truth in favor of another. Your email address will not be published. "Of God's Eternal Decree". 1. The headings are added; the paragraphs are Dr. Frame’s. Both cannot be true. Chapter III "Of God's Eternal Decree" God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of … Somehow, we must confess both that God has a role in bringing evil about, and that in doing so he is holy and blameless. . Of the Holy Scripture; Of God, and of the Holy Trinity ... yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. The confession is very clear, as is Scripture, that God permits evil to exist for a time, but that He is never the first cause of evil (WCF 5.4). This is part 1 of a 4-part series on how to talk about God's sovereignty over sin. Nevertheless, the authors of this confession denied such a claim. God from all eternity did by the most and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. . Of Free Will. [I]t seems that if God causes sin and evil, he must be to blame for it. Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus Through the Spiritual Disciplines. Desiring God has received a batch of emails in response—some more heated than others!—questioning (or outright disagreeing with) God’s sovereignty over sin. Do we want to say that God is the “cause” of evil? Ch3 of the W.C.of F. says "neither is God the author of sin". God does bring sins about, but always for his own good purposes. The Westminster Confession of Faith provides us with a beautiful example of the contradiction inherent in the theology and writings of Calvinists. Then, with another breath, they say that God is holy, righteous, and is not responsible for sin. *[3] It was man, not God, who actually performed the action, so God’s hands are clean. . What other conclusion could be reasonably drawn? “What I have maintained about the diversity of causes must not be forgotten: the proximate cause is one thing, the remote cause another.” (Calvin. A: Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. They assume that if God brings about evil in any sense, he must therefore approve it and deserve the blame. Let us consider some of those that are most frequently discussed. Instead, they repeatedly contradict themselves. In their view, nothing less than libertarian freedom will serve to absolve God from the charge of authoring sin. He orders and governs their actions. It’s not enough to render the soul immortal as they have. God's sovereignty would include the means God allows for wickedness to happen in our world. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable;1 yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God… 1 1 John 3:4.Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. If you get some help here, we’d highly recommend purchasing The Doctrine of God. God foreknows and foreordains everything, including evil; nevertheless, he is not the author of sin. ... God is not the author of sin nor does He offer violence to the will of His creatures. Of Free Will. Start studying Westminster Confession of Faith. The Westminster Confession of Faith is still used as an expression of sound biblical doctrine. The twin truths that God decrees sin but is not the author of sin must be held together in tension. So in bringing sin to pass he does not himself commit sin. This Westminster Confession of Faith Study Workbook: Teacher’s Manual provides ... God is sovereign over all yet not the author or doer of sin? Copyright © 2011 by Timothy Zebell. . Nothing about that model implies that God commits or approves of sin. The excerpts below (and in the next 3 parts of this series) are not available elsewhere on the web. A third question which comes to mind is, “If God’s creatures act in a way which is obedient to God’s predestination, wisdom, binding, ordering, and governing, then how can God not approve of those actions? I. But it is equally clear … Lest there be confusion over language: the “author/story” model of God’s relation to creatures, which I [will advocate later], does not make God the “author of sin” in this sense. But as we saw [in chapter 8] libertarian freedom is incoherent and unbiblical. I agree with you that Calvinists contradict themselves and are inconsistent with their own theology. Not only this, but God has determined every action in advance. The Westminster Confession of Faith in Modern English1 Prepared by Dr. James A. Hughes Contents ... the result that neither is God the author of sin nor is the will of the creatures violated, nor is the liberty or contingency of the creatures taken away, but rather established. Required fields are marked *. Despite this denial in a major Reformed confession, Arminians regularly charge that Reformed theology makes God the author of sin. They state that because the sinful act was not actually performed by God Himself, but only by the creature, God is not responsible for the sin. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that is neither forced, nor by … With one breath they say that nothing happens outside of God’s will, that God is in control of all things, that He alone is sovereign, and that He, according to His almighty power, wisdom, and goodness, has bound or compelled man to sin. Is God disapproving of His own wisdom, will, and governing?” Sadly, we are again not given an answer. WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH ... but wholly on God (who is truth itself), the author of it. It then directly contradicts these claims by stating that God neither authors those actions, nor approves of them. That language is certainly problematic, since we usually associate cause with blame. The We stminster Confession of Faith Chapter I Of the Holy Scripture I. The following piece may be the least known, but most important, short document of the Westminster Assembly. The following is from The Doctrine of God, Chapter 9, “The Problem of Evil,” by John Frame. Not at all. Yes, man is responsible for his wicked actions; and no, God is not the author of sin. It is rarely defined, but it seems to mean both that God is the efficient cause of evil and that by causing evil he actually does something wrong. Now theologians have found it difficult to formulate in general terms how God acts to bring about those sinful actions. Sin is transgression and lack of conformity to God’s law (WCF 6.6, WLC 24, WSC 14). . The Bible instructs believers to examine themselves, but does it tell us to what extent or how often we should question our salvation? God is not, in fact, really like the little boy staring through the candy shop window. . Chapter III. Therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God. . God is holy, so God cannot be responsible for creating and causing sin. Nevertheless, the authors of this confession denied such a claim. If that argument is sound, then a Reformed doctrine of the sovereignty of God does not imply that God is the author of sin. In perfect agreement with what God willed and ordained was man, not God, who performed... ( and in the theology and writings of Calvinists elsewhere on the web Catechisms speak of.! 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