Alex Quackenbush
New Member
For many people the contemporaneous existence of Divine Sovereignty and Human Volition in the plan of God in human history is baffling. So baffling is it that they opt for the imbalances of these two realities as seen in Calvinism and Pelaganism as well as a myriad of lesser known theological systems.
The historical trends in doctrinal erring or enlightenment within the church is quite evident and today one of these trends is toward the imbalance of Calvinism with a misunderstanding of the function and nature of Divine Sovereignty and general lack of knowledge regarding the purpose of human volition (other theological trends exist today, along with Calvinism/Reformed Theology, that will eventually combine to historically mark either a lessening of enlightenment or increase of enlightenment during this period, of course we will be gone when our predecessors look back to make such evaluations).
Realizing this is a message board and a posting I will focus primarily on one point that being human volition, with reference to the other as it relates.
Job is the place to begin because it is in Job that the revelation of God to man provides a well documented case of the Satanic attack upon human volition.
What does this have to do with human volition? Everything! What does Satan, Job and Job’s trial have to do with human volition? Everything!
Humanity was created with the capacity to response, to decide…to exercise our volition. The crux of the trial, judgment and sentencing of Satan is based in and around VOLITION. Satan and a third of the angels made a choice and that choice was to rebel against God. The salvation offered to angels in eternity past as Hebrews records, was rejected by them, hence they were put on trial, found guilty and condemned. But they aren’t serving their sentence. Why? Because they are on appeal.
In response to this event in eternity past God created man, “a little lower than the angels” but with one thing IDENTICAL…that being VOLITION. The capacity to choose.
Satan’s attack on mankind from the Garden onward was centered on man’s volition. This gives us a strong clue as to the NATURE of Satan’s argument in the appeal of his case, that being a volitional issue. It is apparent that Satan believes that in some way, shape or form, volitionally, HE is not responsible for his decision to rebel but ultimately God is.
So in giving human’s volitional capacity God is providing proof in the appeal case of Satan that the prosecution was not in fact wrong but right in giving Satan the capacity to choose in the way in which God did. Again, in response to the argument of Satan, God provides these lesser being, us humans, with volitional capacity. And what is Satan’s immediate focus of attack? Yes, our choice, our response…our volition is attacked. Satan sought to demonstrate that even in our innocency, in the absence of sin in ourselves, we lacked the capacity to exercise volition positive to God. And he probably imagined he won at that point. He did make a point, but that point was only that man can choose negatively AGAINST GOD, not that he is incapable of responding positively TO God.
The attack is on volition because volition is the crux of personal responsibility and accountability. Remember, Satan is still arguing his case. He is still appealing his case. He even seeks to use God’s own Word against Him. But of course Satan always misrepresents what God says in an attempt to prove his point. Satan seeks to argue that he COULD NOT choose God because of some deficiency in design, particularly in volition. If he can demonstrate the wrongness of volition, its illegitimacy, he can prove God wrong.
God in his wisdom responds by demonstrating that volition, even in humans, is legitimate and the justifiably the source of personal accountability. And this is why human volition is so attacked or misrepresented as well as the Divine Sovereignty.
And the Scriptures are clear that while man can respond he cannot produce saving faith within himself nor can he, after exercising faith via God the Holy Spirit keep himself saved. This is the work of the Divinely Sovereign God who insures both our faith and our salvation without violating our volition.
The idea that God chooses who will be saved is foreign to this and the idea that mankind can respond fully in faith without the enabling of the Holy Spirit and that man keeps himself saved through some form of obedience, is also foreign to this. Both are attempt take theological concepts and realities and over prescribe them in Scripture.
Human volition is not a by-product but a deliberate design by God in humanity in response to the appeal of Satan in his case. It has a specific design and purpose, far more relevant than many imagine.
The historical trends in doctrinal erring or enlightenment within the church is quite evident and today one of these trends is toward the imbalance of Calvinism with a misunderstanding of the function and nature of Divine Sovereignty and general lack of knowledge regarding the purpose of human volition (other theological trends exist today, along with Calvinism/Reformed Theology, that will eventually combine to historically mark either a lessening of enlightenment or increase of enlightenment during this period, of course we will be gone when our predecessors look back to make such evaluations).
Realizing this is a message board and a posting I will focus primarily on one point that being human volition, with reference to the other as it relates.
Job is the place to begin because it is in Job that the revelation of God to man provides a well documented case of the Satanic attack upon human volition.
So we see Satan sought to attack Job, but why? The latter portion of Job demonstrates the point of this attack:
What was Satan seeking to do with Job? Obviously, he attempted to get Job to charged God foolishly. Job made a choice and that choice involved his response to disaster. But why would Satan want Job to respond negatively toward God? Why would he want to induce Job to charge God foolishly? Obviously to support Satan’s position against God regarding his OWN case in eternity past.
What does this have to do with human volition? Everything! What does Satan, Job and Job’s trial have to do with human volition? Everything!
Humanity was created with the capacity to response, to decide…to exercise our volition. The crux of the trial, judgment and sentencing of Satan is based in and around VOLITION. Satan and a third of the angels made a choice and that choice was to rebel against God. The salvation offered to angels in eternity past as Hebrews records, was rejected by them, hence they were put on trial, found guilty and condemned. But they aren’t serving their sentence. Why? Because they are on appeal.
In response to this event in eternity past God created man, “a little lower than the angels” but with one thing IDENTICAL…that being VOLITION. The capacity to choose.
Satan’s attack on mankind from the Garden onward was centered on man’s volition. This gives us a strong clue as to the NATURE of Satan’s argument in the appeal of his case, that being a volitional issue. It is apparent that Satan believes that in some way, shape or form, volitionally, HE is not responsible for his decision to rebel but ultimately God is.
So in giving human’s volitional capacity God is providing proof in the appeal case of Satan that the prosecution was not in fact wrong but right in giving Satan the capacity to choose in the way in which God did. Again, in response to the argument of Satan, God provides these lesser being, us humans, with volitional capacity. And what is Satan’s immediate focus of attack? Yes, our choice, our response…our volition is attacked. Satan sought to demonstrate that even in our innocency, in the absence of sin in ourselves, we lacked the capacity to exercise volition positive to God. And he probably imagined he won at that point. He did make a point, but that point was only that man can choose negatively AGAINST GOD, not that he is incapable of responding positively TO God.
The attack is on volition because volition is the crux of personal responsibility and accountability. Remember, Satan is still arguing his case. He is still appealing his case. He even seeks to use God’s own Word against Him. But of course Satan always misrepresents what God says in an attempt to prove his point. Satan seeks to argue that he COULD NOT choose God because of some deficiency in design, particularly in volition. If he can demonstrate the wrongness of volition, its illegitimacy, he can prove God wrong.
God in his wisdom responds by demonstrating that volition, even in humans, is legitimate and the justifiably the source of personal accountability. And this is why human volition is so attacked or misrepresented as well as the Divine Sovereignty.
And the Scriptures are clear that while man can respond he cannot produce saving faith within himself nor can he, after exercising faith via God the Holy Spirit keep himself saved. This is the work of the Divinely Sovereign God who insures both our faith and our salvation without violating our volition.
The idea that God chooses who will be saved is foreign to this and the idea that mankind can respond fully in faith without the enabling of the Holy Spirit and that man keeps himself saved through some form of obedience, is also foreign to this. Both are attempt take theological concepts and realities and over prescribe them in Scripture.
Human volition is not a by-product but a deliberate design by God in humanity in response to the appeal of Satan in his case. It has a specific design and purpose, far more relevant than many imagine.
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T saint was "born again"/regenerate/quickened. Job WAS justified before God. Scripture says he had no sin. He was apparently "innocent as the day he was born." He believed God and had NOT eaten the "forbidden fruit" yet according to the account in Job. I would suggest that the only sin Job had was the "unknown [to him] fault" of pride which he discovers at the end whereupon God restores him 7 fold.
