Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
(Introduction)
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it ” (Ps. 24:1).
Throughout history God has personally and decisively intervened in the affairs of mankind in order to bring about His own Will and Purpose. It should come as no surprise that the Creator of Heaven and Earth, Almighty God, can, will, and does move upon us according to times and seasons of His own choosing. God has complete freedom and liberty to do as He wishes, whenever He wishes. This is what the theologians refer to as “omnipotence.”
Because God is omnipotent (that is, all-powerful), He is not limited or restricted (as some suppose) by man’s “free will.” Some have erroneously concluded that because God has given man the freedom of choice, man can therefore shut God out simply by refusing Him. If we follow this line of thinking then we are compelled to believe that God sits upon His throne in Heaven, looking down upon all the inhabitants of the Earth, waiting to see if anyone will freely choose Him, invite Him in, open the door of their heart, make a decision, or formally surrender to Him. Until then (we are told) God’s almighty hands are tied, and He is powerless to save, or heal, or move, or do anything He wishes to do, because – alas! – He must have man’s permission before He can do anything. This would mean that the Creator has essentially become imprisoned by His own creation. Not only does this call into question the omnipotence of God, it also challenges His omniscience: wouldn’t an all-knowing God perceive that man would be able to usurp His throne via “free will”? Knowing this in advance, would He not then do something to prevent it from happening?
When put in these terms, it is easy to see the foolishness of deifying man’s free will. The very idea that man can defeat God simply by refusing to obey or acknowledge Him is absurd. While it is true that God has given man a free will, He has not given man free reign, nor has He endowed man with omnipotence or omniscience. God has granted man free will, but God has not relinquished His own Will. Man is free to act and move and think and decide – but then, so is God.
The question is whose will is stronger: God’s Will, or man’s will? Who has more power and authority: the Creator, or the thing created? Does man really defeat God when he refuses to acknowledge or affirm Him as God? Or does it only appear that way?
Certainly it appears as though we can limit God, or delay His Purpose through disobedience, ignorance, unbelief, or stubborn refusal to submit to Him. But appearances can be deceiving. When the righteous suffer and the wicked are rewarded, are we to deduce that wickedness is better than righteousness? The foolish will assume that “stolen waters are sweet” (Pr. 9:17) and will abuse the freedom of choice God gave them, indulging in all manner of sinful and selfish acts. But those with wisdom understand that “God is not mocked… whatever a man sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Even if the harvest is delayed the spiritual principle is not defeated, because God is not mocked. When guilty men go free and innocent men are condemned, it appears that there is no justice; but those who know God realize that there is a day of judgment coming when He will set everything right and His justice will triumph even if man’s justice fails. Justice delayed does not mean that justice is denied.
In the same way, the fact that God’s Will and Purpose can be delayed or limited by man does not mitigate the final outcome. God’s Will may be temporarily delayed, but it will never be ultimately denied. In the end, God is and will forever be, God. If His Will appears to be defeated in the short-term, the only possible explanation is that God permits this delay and allows this seeming defeat, to serve a higher goal and purpose that is hidden from us in the short-term, but will be abundantly clear to us later on. Witness the cross of Christ: the Savior of the world despised, rejected, and crucified by the very ones He came to save. From a human perspective it appears that the death of Christ is a defeat, a terrible loss, and a grim reminder of God’s inability to do anything not allowed or permitted by man! But God is content to allow Himself to be misunderstood for a season because He knows what is coming on the third day: that Christ will rise again – and in that rising again God has forever silenced the naysayers!
Man’s will is finite, changeable, and severely limited. God’s Will is infinite, unchangeable, and unrestricted. Yet man’s will is thought to be (by men, of course) some inviolable, sacrosanct thing that God Himself cannot touch; while God’s Will is, at best, merely optional – something rarely done, and hardly ever achieved, because it must unfortunately bow to the will of man. With this distorted view of reality, man effectively turns God’s Will into a Great Wish, since God supposedly cannot do anything without our cooperation and assent.
Instead of exalting man’s will to the point of diminishing God’s Will, what if we began to esteem God’s Will with as much reverence and respect as we do our own will? For the Scriptures say, “[My Word] shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11, ESV). Only a fool would challenge the authority of God’s Word. Why then would anyone challenge the authority of His Will? Let it be known that God’s Word is the expression of God’s Will; His Word contains His Will, and both are equally unfailing. Jesus embodies both the Word and the Will of God. Christ the Word was “made flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14) and this Living Word says, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book” (Heb. 10:7, ESV).
Thus we see that what is truly limited and restricted is not our great and mighty God, but our own judgment and capacity for spiritual understanding. We can choose for or against God and either reap the rewards or the consequences of our choices, but we are not all-knowing, nor are we all-powerful. Even when God appears to be limited by man, restricted by man, rejected by man, or (as in the case of Christ on the cross), cut off and destroyed by man, God is nevertheless working towards the fulfillment of His own higher Purpose, and He will eventually get what He wants, even if He has to raise people from the dead to get it.
This divine zeal to accomplish His own Purpose can be easily demonstrated from the Scriptures. Many are the occasions in which God intervenes in the affairs of man and imposes His own Will, Purpose, and Desire – with or without the cooperation, acknowledgment, or permission of man. He acts as we would expect the Creator to act: decisively, with great power, great authority, great wisdom, and great love. Scripture overflows with testimonies of God intervening on behalf of individuals, groups, and nations in order to save, protect, provide, destroy, punish, or judge. But in this writing we will limit ourselves to an examination of what I call the “Four Spiritual Interventions”: those critical acts recorded in Scripture that are most significant in terms of God’s Ultimate Purpose and Intention – those heavenly interventions that altered the course of history.
Of these Four Spiritual Interventions, two have already come to pass; one is currently occurring; and one is yet to be. And so this is a matter of utmost importance to us all. These Four Spiritual Interventions are not just things to be studied, but they reveal something of the nature of God’s Will and His ways. Our spiritual life and walk with God will either be strengthened or weakened by our ability to grasp what will be expressed, and so spiritual wisdom and discernment are called for. May the Lord enlighten us to see what follows.
Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
PAULETTE
1 year ago
Brother Chip. Your articles are such a blessing to me. God speaks to me in every article. I just want to say God Bless you and please keep them coming. I recevie your emails every morning and they encourage me in the lord. I come with a great thirst every time to see what new word God has given you. God Bless
Nash
1 year ago
I wrote you regarding a response to information concerning “hell, hades, sheol, eternal damnation or destruction. Having plenty of debates regarding eternity for the unbeliever and the wicked. Any source of information, opinions, study or beliefs would be highly appreciated. In his name, God Bless! Great studies and sound teaching pours out from your website…
Janvier Billong
1 year ago
Hello Brother Chip,
You are very true in what you’ve just said & this intro deals a great blow to those wgo think that Almighty God is amways taken by surprise when ever man does or things happen.Apart from man reapping what he sows,we usually forget that He said He created everything for a purpose even the wicked for the day of their woes.We should also remember that the Israelites knew that everything that befell them whether good or evil came from God & depended on
thier spiritual position at the time those events befell them.Good things when they were in obedience & eveil ones when they were disobedience.Thank you brother for reminding us that our free will can never & will never be against God’s ultimate purpose & will.
May God give us spiritual wisdom to understand & know His ways.
New Focus
1 year ago
I often stand in awe of your spiritual insight and your inveterate knowledge of the Word. The lessons that you teach are priceless.
While I do not walk lock-step with you on every matter, your presentations do cause me to think about whether or not, in all things, God gets the glory and Jesus has the preeminence.
Thank you for your bold voice in the wilderness of Christendom.
Louise Bogle
1 year ago
Hallelujah,
IT IS ABOUT TIME SOMEONE DECLARED THESE TRUTHS !
THE LORD DEALT WITH MY SPIRIT FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY WALK IN HIM,…THAT I SHOULD “ALWAYS” LOOK FOR HIM IN ALL THAT COMES MY WAY,AND YOUR MESSAGE EXPLAINS WHY. IT HAS BEEN 32 YEARS,…AND I HAVE NEVER FAILED TO FIND HIM !
TRULY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE REST OF THIS MESSAGE. THANK YOU, Bro. Chip
Daniela W.
1 year ago
Man’s free will and and the omnipotence of God… It reminds me of the Scriptures in Romans 9:21-24. Vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor; vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy. This is my understanding of it:
Vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy have to do with man choosing God (and salvation through Jesus Christ). To be given free will, to me, is to not be forced into something I don’t want/choose to do, right? While God will pursue man, revealing Himself to them, He will not force them into choosing Him. God pursues man in many ways, not giving up easily, but the decision is left for man to make, although God can make me (His omnipotence), no problem, become His. So I still have my free will, and He still is omnipotent
Vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor have to do with God’s plan for mankind. What I mean by this is that God, as the Creator (the potter) has the right to choose whomever He wants for whatever purposes He has, to carry out His plans. He chose Pharaoh as a vessel of dishonor, and He chose Paul (of Tarsus) as a vessel of honor, but I believe that even with these choices, He still took into consideration each of these individuals’ personal choices (see Pharaoh who hardened his heart again and again, not wanting to obey the God of Moses, and then God hardened his heart).
In short, God’s hands are ‘tied’ so to speak when it comes to someone accepting by faith the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. And this is not so because man’s free will but because of the way He decided to have things happen. In this particular aspect, man’s free will is absolute and God will not overrule it (again, not because He can’t, but because He set it that way). But when comes to His plan for mankind, the free will of man is limited, and can also be overruled by God. He is the potter and we are the clay.
Man’s free will is not a simplistic subject to talk about, and I wanted to try to keep things concise. I will add this though: If we say that we can delay or hasten (apparently) His purposes by our choices, this is true only from an earthly perspective, when time and space are part of the equation. If we take those out, seeing from eternity’s perspective, God’s plan has already taken into consideration the choices of man. God is still omnipotent and omniscient and His plan will unfold according to His good and perfect will.
I am looking forward to hearing about the ‘four spiritual interventions’. Thanks for taking the time to share with us from what the Lord has given you. God bless you.
Jean
1 year ago
Thank you for setting me straight. I had allowed the understanding and beliefs of others concerning the power and strength of man’s will to dull my convictions about God’s will because it seemed that what God said would be done by and through others did not occur. I thus had to concur, so I thought, that even though I heard a Word from the Lord in my spirit and it had been confirmed several times in myriad places that because others were involved, their will was also involved and therefore had much to do with the fulfillment of the Word. I’m in such a situation now where I have wrestled for two years as to whether now I heard from the Lord at all concerning a certain thing regarding my career and ministry, for the other person the Lord named is totally “out of the picture” of my life now and is on a road of rebellion. So I accepted the philosophy you describe in this message that “his will” God respects even above the Word God spoke. Even from his own mouth he spoke that God wouldn’t go against his will to do or not do a thing. Thank you for flushing my eyes out with soap.
I needed this life-straightening word for I’ve told many people, if I cannot trust the Word of God, then what and who can I trust, and why am I believing in and serving Him. Thank you. Peace.
Fiona
1 year ago
Thank you for this illuminating article. I had always (wrongly) believed that man’s free will could potentially prevent God’s will, if the person concerned was rebelling against God. Praise God – we are never out of His Will, – He is always in control. Seems so obvious, but sadly God’s word is many times twisted by man, thus ‘ the word of God is nullified for the sake of the traditions of men.’ (Matt 15:6) This gives me great hope in knowing when I pray for loved ones that even though they are rebelling against God, – they can never escape His will,- Praise God!
Thanks again, & I eagerly look forward to the future articles.
“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” 1 Cor 3:7
Rose M
1 year ago
Oh Chip! I so appreciate how you deliver the Word; as one having authority. I came across this free will vs. God’s will before but because it was delivered in such harshness, I sat on it for a while, though my spirit inwardly identified with what was shared.
Recently the Lord told me He has me in His bible school. He is a wonderful teacher and He is feeding me in the green pasture of The School of Christ. Thanks professor, for teaching God’s truth in love, not arrogance and yelling. Feasting at this table is like fine dining – it’s all in the presentation. Really looking forward to the next meal the Lord is preparing.
Christ is our life!
Clare
1 year ago
Dear Brother Chip,
Thank you again for such a wonderful teaching.
Quote, “this Living Word says, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book” (Heb. 10:7, ESV).” You say, and so does the Word of God that the Scriptures are the very WILL of God. I believe they are His thoughts and reveal His very Heart.
There are some teachers today, wolves in sheeps’ clothing, who are teaching that if the voice of the “holy spirit” that you hear contradicts the Word, then you must obey the voice of god which has just spoken to you..IE, if “god” tells you to travel at 120mph on the road in breach of the traffic rules, then you must obey god! But GOD tells us in His Word that we must obey the laws of the land and those in authority over us! These people are leading God’s people into error! We are truly to beware of heresies, and obey the Word of God.
God bless you, brother. I look forward to the next installment.
Peg
1 year ago
While praying last night the Lord tied up “my” hands.
Jeanine
1 year ago
Perhaps it would be clearer to say that God refrains from imposing His Will on us because He wants us to chose Him. Scripture makes it clear that God is all powerful. “All things are possible with God.” His hands are never ‘tied’ against His Will, but He can decide to allow us to make a choice for or against Him. He’s looking for people who will love Him and be obedient to Him, and that means he allows us to have the free will to decide whether or not to love and obey Him. If a person decides not to obey God, he doesn’t defeat God, but he does show God that he is not a person God wants to be with Him for eternity.
Thank you for your teaching, Chip, and for giving us an opportunity to make comments.
Marjorie House
4 months ago
Hello Chip
I am in agreement with you when you stated that if you believed in reincarnation you would believe yourself to be Paul. I can really see that. God Bless you brother.
Bob McCullough
4 months ago
Thanks Brother Chip for bringing back Christology Journal and current article Four Spiritual Interventions. It would be great to be in a group having a open fellowship about such things. There are so much to learn and therefore experience life in Christ.
Your brother,
Bob McC.
molly
4 months ago
Thanks for the msgs that enrich me daily through you who really use you as a strong vessel for the world. i pray these msgs work powerfully to transform the human kind to recocile in one unity in christ as Jesus need one shephered and one flock and not many churches as we see now. pray you be used in a mighty way .amen
Linda Simmons
4 months ago
Chip, some teach that since God gave man dominion over the earth, He cannot move in the earth without man’s permission. Almost the same thing you’re saying in your article: “God’s hands are tied.” So He would be bound by His own creation. They don’t see that God NEVER relinquished His sovereignty over the earth in giving man dominion. Just because the earth is the sphere of man, it does not mean that God has no jurisdiction. He is Lord of all; nothing or no one has power over Him. To say that man does because of what God has given him is to theoretically “strip” God of His sovereignty.
Len
4 months ago
I must concur with Daniela and Jeanine’s comments as the Bible continuosly speaks of those who willingly choose or reject God. God chose ancient Israel to be His people, yet the majority rejected Him. Jesus wept over His rejection by Jerusalem, even though He desired to take them under His wings. God seeks those who agape love Him, that is, are totally surrendered to His good will, a spiritual sacrifice. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. Total love and surrender are given up by those who are given the light of understanding and wisely chose God’s goodness, grace, and mercy, who understand that life emanates from God alone. Yet there are virgins who are foolish, who were given oil (Holy Spirit), the light, yet chose not to surrender their hearts, their thrones, to His Lordship. And without giving Him Lordship, manifested by obedience, there is no salvation.
True love comes with freedom. If forced, it is hollow, meaningless. Forced obedience is what goats do, not sheep. Sheep, like little children,come to a place of understanding that fallen, earth man, is without heavenly wisdom, without discernment, without the ability to do righteousness and so take that man of stone to the cross, so that the new life of Christ can be born within. God seeks those who seek Him and who trust Him, having faith in God’s Shepard, manifested by following where ever He leads, which starts at the cross.
God gives us our heart’s desire. When ancient Israel said let us die in the desert, die they did. If, after receiving His light and love, we refuse the gift of the new life, of eternity in His presence as Father, because we are so in love with self and this world, then this temporal earthly existence is all we will have and after that, the desolation of eternity without God, i.e.death in hell. This does not deny God’s definite absolute sovereignty. God’s perfect creation is complete when He has a family, His increase, that is wholly devoted to Him. A devotion birthed in love. And we love Him when we finally realize how much He first loved us–Christ’s cross!
You have to meditate on why God, having made a perfect Adam and Eve, would allow satan into the garden. Why place the forbidden tree there. Why send Israel to pagan Eygpt and Judah to Babylon, whence much false doctrine and worship was born. Why so much false teaching today. Certainly, God has given much advantage to satan, in collusion with our flesh nature. Yet know that throughout eternity we will sing the praises of His miraculous victory through love. He will be glorified and His power proclaimed through His righteous character and His mighty right hand-Jesus.
Finally as regards earthly dominion. God does not change. He gave man dominion of the earth. Spiritual God, abiding in physical man would extend Himself into His physical creation through man. Problem is, Adam temporarily signed the deed of this earth’s kingdoms over to satan. A perfect man, not under the curse, of sin, won the dominion back. His name is Jesus. And to all in whom He is truly Lord, not in imagination, but in truth, to them also is given the inheritance. And by this God will increase His Holy character, His Name, into all the earth. And He will succeed.
david johnson
4 months ago
hundreds of years of arguements have been built up for and against the idea of “free will” I just think the two words do not belong together G_d extends to each of us the same freedom He enjoys freedom for me is so much different then free will ……..till next time
Tara D
1 year ago
God’s hands are never tied when it comes to someones salvation and their choice. Paul would have never chosen Christ, Christ chose Paul, we don’t find Him, He found us…..
Daniela W.
1 year ago
As I said, God has many ways in which He reveals Himself to people. In Paul’s case, it was not God that he didn’t believe in (we know he was a very zealous Pharisee), but Jesus. On the Damascus road, it was Jesus who revealed Himself to him. Paul was chosen by God as a vessel of honor, to fulfill His purpose.
In Christ, God chose us all, for Christ died for each and everyone, but this is not the same as being saved by faith. It is our response to what He did for us that brings us into a relationship with God. It is possible for God to choose someone as a vessel of honor (and cause them to do good for His purposes) but that is not the same as becoming a vessel of mercy. Vessels of mercy are only those ones that accept the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. And we are told that only those who receive Christ have the right to become children of God.
In Acts 26:12-19, we read the story of what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus, as he tells it. And we read what Jesus said He chose Saul for ( Acts 26:16): But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you (NKJV). So we see that Jesus chose Saul for ministry, not for salvation. Acts 9:22 says: But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Paul’s ministry to the Jews was to make known the fact that Jesus was the Christ.
When it comes to ministry, it is GOD WHO CALLS US AND CHOOSE (FOR) US. But this is not to be confused with His call to salvation, and with OUR CHOICE to respond to it and accept it (and God gives us the grace to do that)… This was Jesus’ message all along…
Paul did choose Christ (as Lord), and Christ chose Paul as a vessel of honor. God finds us, but we still need to respond to His calling by faith and receive Jesus as our Lord and God, just as Paul did.