God's Decrees: Looking Down and Looking Up

It's interesting to contemplate the difference between looking "down" from heaven, through God's decrees, to their outworking in history -- all of which is foreordained from before the foundation of creation -- versus looking "up" at the promises and offers (and threats) that are made by God into history where we stand, as he calls and motivates us to obey his will.

It's necessary to distinguish these two vantage points, or we cannot understand the whole of Scripture.  It is just as necessary not to separate them.  What looks like (and is) a decree, when looking "down," is precisely an offer, and the free response to that offer, when looking "up."

Consider the decree of election to salvation:

Looking down through history and the operation of God's decree of election, Our Savior prays for those given him by the Father (and no others), that they may be one, that their testimony may succeed in the world, and that they may, in the end, behold his glory where he is.  His people are the sons of God, not the sons of disobedience.

Yet, this same Savior offers the gospel to all.  This same Savior urges his visible people not to fall away (apostatize).  He calls for our own decision to follow him.  He promises rewards. James says, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you," which we are to regard as a promise.

There is no need to explain away either the sovereignty of God, or the responsibility of man (freedom in our own sphere).  Both are true.  When theology is tilted to unscripturally eliminate the proper emphasis on either side of this equation, then the result is distortion.  And, distortion means souls will be hurt.

It's absolutely a fact that no one will come to Jesus Christ without being specially drawn by the Holy Spirit.  It's also absolutely a fact that when Christ said, "Come unto me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," that he meant precisely that.

We can't live without having both sides of this equation.  We have to know that God will accept us in his Son if we want him to.  It's also true that we cannot depend on ourselves for any of this.  We simply must have it both ways!