The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord .
Proverbs 16:33 ESV
In this article, I hope to go over a portion of the Westminster Confession of Faith, and hopefully relay some truths about how God operates in our world.
…working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will…
From the Westminster Confession of Faith. Chapter 2, Article 1.
There are a few things to break down in this sentence; it functions as a sort of bridge between lists of God’s attributes, as you can find it in the Confession. I’ll break it down into three parts, and tackle them separately.
1. Working all things
2. According to the council (…of His will)
3. Immutable and most righteous (will)
1. We know from Scripture that God ordains (or decrees) all things. From the most insignificant happenings, like the whereabouts of a sparrow, or the number of hairs on your scalp (Matthew 10: 29-31 ESV) to the ruling of empires (Proverbs 21:1 ESV) and even the outcome of dice (Proverbs 16:33 ESV.)
In fact, the 16th chapter of Proverbs is a great place to turn to if we want a picture of how this practically works out
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord .
Proverbs 16:1 ESVThe Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
Proverbs 16:4 ESVThe heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 ESVA just balance and scales are the Lord ‘s; all the weights in the bag are his work.
Proverbs 16:11 ESVThe lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord .
Proverbs 16:33 ESV
A general theme woven throughout these verses, and through Scripture as a whole on a broader scale, is the synchronization of two ideas.
God’s absolute sovereignty in decreeing all things that come to pass
Man’s responsibility for his actions.
The heart of man plans his way. We are driven through this world by the thrust of our hearts, our desires. Whatever man does, it’s because he truly wants to do it. You may say “I do what I don’t want to do all the time!”
I didn’t want to wake up this morning. Yes, but you wanted to bring home a paycheck more.
I don’t want to go exercise. Yes, but your desire to be healthy is overriding your displeasure at exercise.
I don’t want to read this boring book. Yes, but your desire to get a good grade in your class is stronger than your desire to play video games instead.
We do what we desire. We truly and freely do what we desire, but the Lord establishes his steps. What does this mean? This means that before you ever took in your first breath, the Lord, from before time began, in eternity past, decreed what steps you would take.
God works all things, knows all things, decrees all things, and sustains all things. These seemingly different actions are one action from God, for He is the unmoving “I am.”
2. According to the council of His will
This phrase, coined by the Westminster Divines, betrays what they believed pertaining to the Trinity and God’s nature. Within the oneness of God, He exists as a perfect tri-unity.
This council of three-in-one within the Godhead is eternally agreeing, but not as if They had to deliberate. The Father’s will is the Son’s will is the Spirit’s will.
So, the concept of a council is upheld, because of the threeness, but not in the sense that we think of council, because of the oneness of God.
This is a glorious, divine mystery that we will explore at greater depths some other time.
3. Immutable and most righteous (will)
To say that God’s will is immutable (unchanging) and most righteous is to simply affirm that God is immutable and most righteous. For God is a simple being, meaning that He is identical with His attributes. God does not consist of parts, He is not the sum of various attributes.
God is His will, and God’s will is God. God is immutable, so it follows that His will is immutable. God is most righteous, so it follows that His will is most righteous.
If this concept of simplicity seems confusing, I strongly recommend James Dolezal’s book “All That Is In God.”
So, in conclusion, we see that not only does God ordain all things, but that all things indeed are ordained in accordance with His good and perfect nature. This doesn’t mean that only good things happen (as we know from experience,) but that all things are for ultimate good, and His glory.