Recently I was reading about some different views on creation (the first thing) and eschatology (the last things). In the Triune Creator, Colin Gunton identifies three views on how these two doctrines relate: eschatology as a return to the good creation, as perfection of creation, and as the completion of God’s creation (Gunton, The Triune Creator p11-12). While I struggle to see the tension in these views, Gunton distinguishes the first view (eschatology as a return) in seeing the fall as a step backwards that redemption overcomes, whereas the other two (eschatology as a perfection/completion) as seeing the fall as a step forwards towards God’s new creation. Which one is it? Is the fall a step in the wrong direction that God overcomes, or a step in the right direction towards a better new creation?
An emphasis on the first view (the fall is a step backwards) leads to a weakening of God’s sovereignty, as if a good creation is plan A but our sin necessitates plan B – redemption. However an emphasis on the second (the fall as a step forwards in God’s plan) leads to a weakening of God’s benevolence, as if God is the orchestrator of evil. Or does it? It all depends on how active or passive God was in the fall. If God forced Adam’s hand dooming humanity to sin, evil and eternal condemnation then his benevolence is hard to maintain. But if Adam (and humanity in Adam) freely chose sin then the consequences are on his (and our) own head. Thus the question becomes whose choice was Adam’s sin, Adam’s or God’s?
This leads us to the heart of the perceived tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. The Bible portrays God as sovereign over everything, he works out everything (including evil) in conformity with the purpose of his will (Eph 1:11) and that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Rom 8:28). But at the same time people are held responsible for what we do and will be judged according to what we have done (Matt 16:27, Rom 2:6, Rev 22:12). How can these be held without drawing a dichotomy between these biblical truths? I think it all depends on how you understand God’s will and our will – where they intersect/overlap and where God’s will transcends our will.
Obviously our wills are our own and we’re responsible for how we exercise them (otherwise you couldn’t hold anybody accountable for anything). In this, our wills can be aligned with God’s will or opposed to it. The commands given in the Bible presuppose that we are able to do them (Deut 30:11-15). Ought implies can, on hearing God’s word it’s up to us to put it into practice (Matt 7:24-27). However while religion might restrain your heart, the gospel changes your heart. Christians don’t obey in order to be saved, but because we’ve been saved. Our actions don’t change despite an unchanged will, but because of what God has done for us our wills are changed. Christians are those who offer their lives in view of God’s mercy to be transformed so that our will is to do God’s good, perfect and pleasing will (Rom 12:2). In this, God’s will transcends ours. God softens our hearts (Ezk 11:19; 36:26) and moves our will, even the kings heart is in the hands of the Lord (Prov 21:1).
Just as the account of creation is given from a heavenly perspective (Gen 2:4a – this is the account of the heavens and the earth) and an earthly perspective (Gen 2:4b – when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens), so too the Bible portrays our will and actions from the vantage points of God’s heavenly perspective and our earthly perspective (Prov 16:9). These are not two different things to draw a dichotomy between but rather the same thing from two different perspectives. From our perspective on the ground we have real agency, but the Bible also gives us glimpses of God’s perspective in which he uses our agency as a mechanism for his agency. God is so sovereign that his plans are worked out through our plans, not despite them. For example, how does God keep his people from being snatched out of his hand (John 10:28-29)? Is it by his warnings in the Bible, or by his Spirit changing our hearts, or by the people and circumstances that he puts in our lives, or by our decision to persevere? God can (and does) use any and every means to achieve his purposes, even evil to achieve good (Gen 50:20, Acts 2:23).
And so from our perspective evil is a real hindrance to good and the fall is a definite step backwards. But there are two parts to God’s will, God’s command will was (and is) for us to avoid sin and to worship him, but God’s plan will is to use both our obedience and even our disobedience to the praise of his glorious grace (Rom 5:18-21; 11:30-32). God created us with the ability to choose between good and evil knowing that we would choose evil, but also knowing how his good might be displayed in and through our actions. God’s sovereignty is such that he uses both good and evil as steps forward in his good plan. As Augustine puts it, the God and Lord of all things, who created all things exceedingly good and foreknew that evil things would rise out of good, and also knew that it pertained to his most omnipotent goodness to bring good out of evil things rather than not to permit evil things to be (Augustine, On Rebuke and Grace 10.27).
