Is it possible for God to allow or tolerate something that he never originally intended? If yes, does that still make him omnipotent?
Upvote:1
From a Calvinist point of view there are two wills of God, his Secret Will and his Revealed Will. As it says in Deuteronomy 29:29:
The secret things belong to the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may perform all the words of this law.
His Revealed Will is all the commandments of God, how he wants us to act towards himself and others. It includes the ten commandments and all the commands which flow from these, such as faith in him, etc.
This Revealed Will is constantly being rebelled against by sinful man.
Then there is his Secret Will: or let me call it the Will of his Providence, (seeing as it is not always entirely secret). The Will of his Providence is the eternal plan that he has for the entire universe, the whole human race and literally everything that happens, or will happen in the future. This will cannot be thwarted because God is sovereign and has planned literally everything, from the number of the hairs on your head and the falling from the sky of a dying bird to the setting up and the pulling down of the rulers of the nations.
So the killing of Jesus by the hands of wicked men was contrary to his Revealed Will... he forbids all murder... but it was in accordance with the Will of God's Providence, Acts 2:23. The same also is true of the casting of Joseph into the pit by his brothers... it was contrary to God's Revealed Will, but in accordance with the Will of his Providence. These two examples suffice to show that even man's rebellions are part and parcel of the Secret Will of God, the Will of his Providence. God brings good out of man's wickedness. So the wickedness of men is in God's plan, but God is not guilty of the sin of man's evil, because, though men intend to be and do wickedly, though men intend great harm, God intends to, and does, bring good out of man's wickedness (Genesis 50:20).
If God can be thwarted by man's sin then He would be forever thwarted and it's difficult to see in what sense the Psalmist could say "The LORD reigns" (Psalm 97:1) neither could that great king of old have truly said
and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honoured him who lives for ever. For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say to him "What are you doing?"
More post
- π Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43
- π Does The Book of Mormon contain Jewish literary techniques?
- π Why wasn't Solomon's polygamy sinful?
- π In Mormonism, do persons ordained as Teachers in the Aaronic Priesthood have actual teaching duties?
- π Joseph Smith Translation of verses in Isaiah 42 vs the Great Isaiah Scroll
- π Are Catholic priests expert in exorcism?
- π Did the Jews use icons and images to help them worship as Catholics or Orthodox worshippers do?
- π Why doesn't the Pope try asserting doctrines ex cathedra to check if they're true?
- π How much can holy water be diluted?
- π What are the meaning of and the biblical basis for the practice of pleading the blood of Jesus in prayer?
- π Secular Music and Christian Standards?
- π Why did Tertulian became a Montanist?
- π Was the Apostolic Tradition of rejecting soldiers from the church βpermanentβ, or was this βtradition' briefly enforced?
- π Where can I find scans of original Biblical manuscripts?
- π Was the Nicene Creed accepted under duress?
- π Is there a Biblical basis for the concept of being allowed to "be angry with God" or "tell him just how we feel"
- π Is there any Ethiopian ancient source about the eunuch who was evangelized by Philip?
- π When was the Gospel of Mark written?
- π Difference in Hebrew between ΧΦΉΦΧ©ΦΆΧΧΦ° (αΈ₯ΕΒ·Ε‘eαΈ΅) and ΧΦ°ΧΦΉΦΧ©ΦΆΧΧΦ° (wΙΒ·αΈ₯ΕΒ·Ε‘eαΈ΅)
- π Confusion regarding the son of God
- π Scientific contradictions in bible
- π Do these Scripture say that prayer along with fasting is more powerful than either alone?
- π How could Jesus get followers so easily?
- π Why is the ten commandments sometimes called the decalogue?
- π A promise in Acts 16:31?
- π Who was the Christian missionary who helped reform English Missions?
- π Are subheaders of Bible chapters part of the original text?
- π How (and by whom) are financial decisions made in the Catholic Church?
- π Are there any positive statements of the golden rule in extra-biblical literature?
- π Why did St. Monica defer St. Augustine's baptism?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- π Is it possible for God to allow or tolerate something that he never originally intended? If yes, does that still make him omnipotent?
- π Why does God promise something that satisfies our greed for longevity?
- π If someone is forced to take the punishment for sin (Jesus), doesn't that mean that God never forgives?
- π Why did God allow for the original Bible to be lost to history? And how to reconcile that with Matthew 24:35
- π What is the argument and Biblical basis that it is possible to know God from nature?
- π What is the biblical argument for eating meat, or that vegetarianism is possible but not commanded?
- π What is the basis for believing that the wrath of God is not an accommodation?
- π What is the basis for the idea that the Song of Solomon is about the relationship between God and the church?
- π What is the biblical basis for the belief that God likes or feels affection toward us?
- π What is the basis for the Swedenborgian view that the most common concept of God in Christianity (the Trinity) is a belief in three gods?
- π How do evangelical universalists reconcile their position with the designation for Judas that it would be better if he had never been born?
- π What is the biblical basis for the belief that God loves individuals?
- π What is the Biblical basis for believing that God punishes Christians for disobedience?
- π On what basis was Jesusβ death sufficient for redemption according Non-Trinitarians who maintain that Jesus was not eternal God as God the Father is?
- π What evidence is there that God as father was a common concept for Jesus's first century Jewish audience?
- π What is the basis for the idea that God is highly involved in human lives?
- π Can a Catholic cite a religion as a reason for not doing something even if that thing isn't officially prohibited by the Church?
- π What is the Old Testament basis for the position that God is a God of love, compassion, and mercy?
- π Are there any Christian sects that allow for the existence of other "God" claims?
- π What is the Biblical basis for the belief that separation from God is in itself sin?
- π From the Baptist perspective: Does Leviticus 20:13 prove that God is advocating for the murder of h*m*sexuals?
- π What is the basis for the belief "It is possible to have free-will and be incapable of sinning, but it is not possible to be created in that state"?
- π Why do we only pray for things that are possible to happen?
- π What's the justification for believing that God interacts with us today the same way He did thousands of years ago?
- π What is the Biblical basis for saying that God can annihilate human souls?
- π What is the Biblical basis for the belief that God foreordained the fall of Adam and Eve?
- π Is there a name for the belief that God is not omniscient, but rather is "learning" how to deal with humanity?
- π Is it possible for a married Catholic to be invincibly ignorant that adultery is gravely wrong?
- π Are there philosophical explanations for why God would allow animals to suffer due to non-human causes?
- π Do Protestant catechisms teach that man is created by and for God, and God always draws man to himself?