earl40
Puritan Board Professor
I am trying to explain to someone who is not reformed the following Martin Luther said in The Bondage of the Will "And even common grammarians and every little school-boy in the street knows, that by verbs of the imperative mood, nothing else is signified than that which ought to be done, and that, what is done or can be done, is expressed by verbs of the indicative mood."
The revealed or prescriptive will is what should happen (imperative mood) as are the many commands God gives to all people. The decretive will is what has happened, is happening, or will happen thus the indicative mood is used. One SHOULD only ascribe volition to God to His decretive will which is the proper way to think of God in that His will is always done. So when we say that people do not do "God's will" we in no way are saying that God did not desire for the event to fall out any other way. For everything that comes to pass is God's will and even the evil people do will bring Him Glory.
Is the above OK?
The revealed or prescriptive will is what should happen (imperative mood) as are the many commands God gives to all people. The decretive will is what has happened, is happening, or will happen thus the indicative mood is used. One SHOULD only ascribe volition to God to His decretive will which is the proper way to think of God in that His will is always done. So when we say that people do not do "God's will" we in no way are saying that God did not desire for the event to fall out any other way. For everything that comes to pass is God's will and even the evil people do will bring Him Glory.
Is the above OK?