God's Eternal Decree

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Ben Chomp

Puritan Board Freshman
It's been interesting for me to reflect on the idea that God's decree is eternal. Here are a few Scriptures, confessional statements, and Berkhof to this end:

Ephesians 1:4 - ...he chose us in him before the foundation of the world...

2 Timothy 1:9-10 - ...who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested...

Canons of Dort, Head I, Article VI
"That some receive the gift of faith from god and others do not receive it proceeds from God's eternal decree, for "known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18)..."

Article VII
"Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, He hath out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of His own will, chosen, from the whole human race...a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ..."

Westminster Shorter Catechism
Q. 7: What are the decrees of God?
A.: The decrees of God are, His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby, for His own glory, He hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.

Berkhof
"[The decree of God] was formed in the depths of eternity, and is therefore eternal in the strictest sense of the word (Ephesians 3:11)."

My Questions
We are creatures of God. All of God's creation is a creature of God. Creation is not eternal. But God's plan for creation is eternal? Does this mean that God's decree is not a creature of God? What is the relationship between God and his decree? If his decree is eternal, it could not ever have been formed, but has always existed in the mind of God. If this is the case, does this mean that God's plan for you and me has always been in his mind and was never formed in God's mind?

I appreciate any insight!
 
But God's plan for creation is eternal?

Yes, it is.

Also, since the decree existed before time was created, it is eternal as God is eternal.

Does this mean that God's decree is not a creature of God?

No, not a creature but it is typically classified under the works of God (what God does). However, Berkhof says the decree is most related to God's knowledge so it isn't like God's works in the world since it the decree existed eternally before creation.

Here are a couple segments from Berkhof:

"THE RELATION OF THE DECREE TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. The decree of God bears the closest relation to the divine knowledge. There is in God, as we have seen, a 110necessary knowledge, including all possible causes and results. This knowledge furnishes the material for the decree; it is the perfect fountain out of which God drew the thoughts which He desired to objectify. Out of this knowledge of all things possible He chose, by an act of His perfect will, led by wise considerations, what He wanted to bring to realization, and thus formed His eternal purpose. "

"THE DECREE TO ACT IS NOT THE ACT ITSELF. The decrees are an internal manifestation and exercise of the divine attributes, rendering the futurition of things certain but this exercise of the intelligent volition of God should not be confounded with the realization of its objects in creation, providence, and redemption. The decree to create is not creation itself, nor is the decree to justify justification itself. A distinction must be made between the decree and its execution. God’s so ordering the universe that man will pursue a certain course of action, is also quite a different thing from His commanding him to do so. The decrees are not addressed to man, and are not of the nature of a statute law; neither do they impose compulsion or obligation on the wills of men."

"IT IS ETERNAL. The divine decree is eternal in the sense that it lies entirely in eternity. In a certain sense it can be said that all the acts of God are eternal, since there is no succession of moments in the Divine Being. But some of them terminate in time, as, for instance, creation and justification. Hence we do not call them eternal but temporal acts of God. The decree, however, while it relates to things outside of God, remains in itself an act within the Divine Being, and is therefore eternal in the strictest sense of the word. Therefore it also partakes of the simultaneousness and the successionlessness of the eternal, Acts 15:18; Eph. 1:4; II Tim. 1:9. The eternity of the decree also implies that the order in which the different elements in it stand to each other may not be regarded 112as temporal, but only as logical. There is a real chronological order in the events as effectuated, but not in the decree respecting them."

I recommend reading Berkhof's 10 pages on the divine decree - http://downloads.biblicaltraining.org/Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof.pdf (starts on p.108 on this free pdf)
 
Thanks for those Berkhof quotes. This is mysterious. How can it simultaneously be said that God's decree is eternal and that God formed his decree? Saying that God formed his decree sounds like the decree is not eternal, but merely precedes creation. Does that make sense?
 
Yes, it is hard to understand how the thoughts of an eternal God actually work since we have nothing to compare it to. He is not like us. Therefore, I think it is hard to use language to accurately describe what is going on though theologians like Berkhof are making a stab at it.

This same issue comes out in the argument between the order of decrees debates (and whether we can even talk about "order" within the mind of an eternal God).

At some point, I do think you have to say we can only say so much and leave the rest as mystery.
 
If y'all would please test the orthodoxy of this statement:

"I am not eternal, but the idea of me is eternal."

Just probing this issue...

Thoughts?
 
Since God's knowledge is comprehensive (He never learns anything and has always had complete knowledge) and eternal (He doesn't change and thus gain knowledge over time), the statement is orthodox about everything that exists.
 
It's quite an amazing thought. God always planned to create me and to redeem me through Christ. How precious to me are your thoughts O God!
 
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