by Pastor Roy Esposito
- 1 Samuel 23:1-13 – Two questions:
- “Should I go?”
- “Will I defeat them?
- Two questions:
- “Will Saul threaten the city because of my presence?”
- “Will they deliver me to him?” – God answered “Yes” to all four.
- But NONE of these events actually occurred!
- Significance: Foreknowledge does not necessitate predestination.
- The theological point: That which never happens can be foreknown by God but NOT predestined simply because the event NEVER HAPPENED.
- The fact that God foresaw an event does not require that the event WILL happen.
- It may become an ACTUAL event or just a POSSIBILITY.
- Predestination and Foreknowledge are separable.
- God may foreknow AND predestine an event which doesn’t necessarily include the decisions to yet be made by those He has granted the gift of FREEWILL.
- The final outcome of the event may be sovereignly ordained but the MEANS to that end may or may not be ordained.
- Implications:
- This is the way God has decided His rule over human affairs will work.
- Has significance in understanding the “FALL” and the presence of all evil in general.
- God is GOOD and never evil.
- There is no biblical reason to assert that God is a factor in the evil of the world.
- There is no biblical reason to argue that God predestined the “Fall” even though He foreknew it.
- There is no biblical support for the idea that God has factored in all evil acts in history in order to bring about His “Grand Plan” for the universe.
- God doesn’t need the rape of a child or a holocaust so that some greater good may come from it.
- EVIL is a perversion of God’s good gift of freewill.
- EVil arises from the choices made by imperfect beings – human and divine.
- Freewill in the hands of imperfect beings, human or divine, means that they can opt for their own authority in place of God’
- Heaven and Earth are separate but CONNECTED realms.
- Sadly, BOTH of God’s household have experienced rebellion resulting in a protracted war against God’s original intention.
- Good News! – God is fully committed to preserve what He began.
- Philippians 1:6 – “God is the one who began this good work in you and I am certain He won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.”