Tuesday 19 January 2016

Calvin's Institutes. Book I, Chapter 18

This is the post #18 of the Calvin's Institutes summary series.

The permission by which God allows evil events to happen is not given unwillingly by God but He has a full control over it. Yet, God is not guilty of making them happen, for God wills them for good in His unsearchable wisdom, while Satan and men will the same out of evil intentions.
There is no contradiction or competition within God's mind, as if there are more than one unified will in Him. It only appears to us as the two, one hidden and one public. We are to obey God's will revealed to us publicly in Scriptures, which teaches us to live righteously, and leave God's hidden will as His wisdom and good will. Yet, these two are only distinctions for our use, but in God there is only one unified unsearchable will, for He is not divided or contradicted within Himself.
Hence, while God uses the deeds of evil men and Satan, He is above reproach, and all these teachings about God's providence (ie. His sovereign government over all things) are clearly taught in the Scripture, further disputation is unnecessary.

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