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Sermon Outline

God’s Love and Justice

Free Will, Love, and Divine Providence

Lesson #8 for February 22, 2025

Scriptures:Luke 13:34; Jeremiah 32:17-20; Hebrews 1:3; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Ephesians 1:9-11; John 16:33.

  1. Let us preview the main ideas we will discuss in this lesson:
  2. [From the Bible study guide=BSG:] God’s sovereignty does not exclude unfulfilled desires. God does not determine everything that happens. Even though He is all-powerful, God commits Himself morally to human free will….
  3. God’s omnipotence does not mean that His providential actions have no limits. There are things that God will not do, or cannot do, … [because] of His moral character….
  4. Divine providence includes ideal and remedial actions. God’s providential actions are not defined only in terms of ideal will, based exactly on what God desires, but involve remedial actions…. [This is to make accommodations for human free will.]―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 106.†‡
  5. What does providence mean? What is God’s providence?

[BSG:] Providence is the term used to describe God’s action in the world. How we think about God’s providence makes a huge difference in how we relate to God, how we relate to others, and how we think about the problem of evil.

Christians hold various understandings of divine providence.… [Calvinists] believe that God exercises His power in a way that determines all events to happen just as they do. [Calvinists believe that God] … even chooses who will be saved and who will be lost! In this view, people are not free to choose other than what God decrees. In fact, people who believe this way argue that even human desires are determined by God.

In contrast, strong biblical evidence shows that God does not determine everything that happens. Instead, He grants humans free will, even to the point where they (and angels) can choose to act directly against His will. [Remember Lucifer!] The history of the Fall, of sin, and of evil is a dramatic and tragic expression of the results of abusing this free will. The plan of salvation was instituted in order to remedy the tragedy caused by the misuse of free will.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sabbath Afternoon, February 15.†‡§ [See the handout about Lucifer before and soon after his fall as posted among “General Topics” of “Teacher’s Guides” on www.Theox.org :

https://www.theox.org/images/uploads/bbk/KHart_BTGG_PDF_Gnrl_Satan_Before_and_Soon_After_His_Fall.pdf]‡

  1. There are a number of Scriptures that seem to suggest that God is all-powerful. However, because of His respect for the freedom of each of us, He “cannot” force a person to love Him.

Revelation 11:17: [There were loud voices in heaven] saying:

“Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was!

We thank you that you have taken your great power

and have begun to rule!”—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,Revelation 11:17). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible].‡

  1. If God is all-powerful, is He responsible for everything that has happened in this world and in this universe, including evil? How much is included in the term “responsible for”?
  2. Understanding God’s providence in the context of evil in our world is a challenge. Some people believe that God is all-powerful and, therefore, He must be responsible for everything that happens. There are many passages in the Bible which prove that is not the truth.

Psalm 81:11-14: 11 “But my people would not listen to me;

Israel would not obey me.

12So I let them go their stubborn ways

and do whatever they wanted.

13How I wish my people would listen to me;

how I wish they would obey me!

14I would quickly defeat their enemies

and conquer all their foes.”—Good News Bible.†

  1. Similar ideas are expressed inIsaiah 30:15-18 andIsaiah 66:4 as well as inLuke 13:34 which records Jesus, crying over the past and future of Jerusalem as He was entering that city for the final time.
  2. Surely, it is clear that Jesus wished that the people of Jerusalem would have accepted Him and followed His will. But, obviously, they did not. These verses make it very clear that there are many times both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament in which human choice has negated God’s will. Understanding the issues in the great controversy over God’s character and government and how the great controversy started in heaven beside the throne of God should make it very clear that in our world dominated by evil, God does not always get His ideal way.
  3. We recognize that the Bible teaches that the evil will perish and sin will be eliminated when even Satan himself no longer exists. But, it is clear in verses such asEzekiel 18:23 that God wishes that everyone would turn to accept His way and be converted, and then, they could live with Him forever. Theoretically, that would be true even for the Devil!

[John Peckham as quoted in BSG:] “God does not always get what he wants (his ideal will) yet God will certainly accomplish his all-encompassing and omnibenevolent providential purpose (his effective will).”—[John Peckham in] Philosophia Christi, vol. 15, no. 2, p. 236.―[as quoted in Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 107].†‡§ [We will discuss these ideas much more later in this study. See Item #42 and onward]‡

  1. Think of the experience of getting the children of Israel out of Egypt. Notice Jeremiah’s comments about that recorded inJeremiah 32:17-20.

Jeremiah 32:17-20: 17 “Sovereign LORD, you made the earth and the sky by your great power and might; nothing is too difficult for you. 18You have shown constant love to thousands, but you also punish people for the sins of their parents. You are a great and powerful God; you are the LORD Almighty. 19You make wise plans and do mighty things; you see everything that people do, and you reward them according to their actions. 20Long ago, you performed miracles and wonders in Egypt, and you have continued to perform them to this day, both in Israel and among all the other nations, so that you are now known everywhere.”—Good News Bible.* [See alsoLuke 1:37; Matthew 19:26; andHebrews 1:3.]‡

  1. Couldn’t God step into human history as He did to deliver the children of Israel and make sure that His will is always done? In the book of Revelation, there are a number of passages which suggest that God is Almighty and that He rules in the heavens. (SeeRevelation 1:8; 16:14; 19:15; and 21:22.) Revelation is all about the great controversy! Does that prove that everything that happens is God’s will?
  2. But, there are some things that are contradictory to God’s character and, therefore, impossible for God to do. See, for example,2 Timothy 2:13.

2 Timothy 2:13: “If we are not faithful,

he remains faithful,

because he cannot be false to himself.”—Good News Bible.*†

  1. Perhaps the best example of this in the Bible is Christ’s prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. We all must recognize that if God the Father had chosen to do so, He could have rescued Jesus. But, that would have broken Their plan of salvation for humans and for the universe.

[BSG:] Of course, the Father possessed the sheer power to deliver Christ from suffering on the cross, but He could not do this while also saving sinners. It had to be one or the other, not both.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Monday, February 17.‡ [Is God really limited in that way?]‡

  1. Another absolutely clear example of the fact that God cannot do everything He would like to do is illustrated by verses such as1 Timothy 2:3-6.

1 Timothy 2:3-6: 3 It pleases God our Saviour [sic-Br] 4who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth. 5For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself to redeem everyone. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved [The Greek word translated as saved means healed.].—Good News Bible.*‡

  1. The same idea is found inTitus 2:11.

Titus 2:11: For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of the whole human race.—Good News Bible.*

  1. That idea is also expressed in2 Peter 3:9 andEzekiel 33:11. God does not wish that any be lost; He would like to save everyone. However, clearly, that is not going to happen.
  2. God cannot force any of us to love Him because as soon as He would do that, it would be coercion and, therefore, no longer love.
  3. Are there things that God cannot do? Sometimes, we hear children ask things like: “Could God make a rock so large that He cannot move it?” That would be an obvious contradiction.
  4. There are other passages in Scripture which imply that we have choices, and that God has given us those choices; and, then, He stands back to see what we will do.

Matthew 22:37-38: 37 Jesus answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ [Deuteronomy 6:5] 38This is the greatest and the most important commandment.”—Good News Bible.*‡

Deuteronomy 6:4-5: 4 “Israel, remember this! The LORD — and the LORD alone — is our God. 5Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”—Good News Bible.*

  1. It is absolutely essential to recognize that in order for love to be possible, we must be free to choose including being free to ignore God or even to hate God. God is, therefore, challenging us to love Him!
  2. Another thing that God “cannot” do is lie! God cannot lie. Lying and fabrication are Satan’s methodologies!

Titus 1:1-2: 1 The truth taught by our religion, 2which is based on the hope for eternal life. God, who does not lie, promised us this life before the beginning of time.—Good News Bible.*

  1. How can we understand passages like the following?

Numbers 23:19: “God is not like men, who lie;

He is not a human who changes his mind.

Whatever he promises, he does;

He speaks, and it is done.”—Good News Bible.*

  1. Was freedom given to King Saul to choose for or against God? Did God change His mind about whether He should have made Saul king? What about the whole world in Noah’s day? (See Genesis 6.)

1 Samuel 15:10-11,29,35: 10 The LORD said to Samuel, 11 “I am sorry that I made Saul king; he has turned away from me and disobeyed my commands.”…

29 “Israel’s majestic God does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being — he does not change his mind.”…

35 As long as Samuel lived, he never again saw the king; but he grieved over him. The LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king of Israel.—Good News Bible.*†

  1. Did God make a mistake by making Saul king, a mistake for which He was later sorry?
  2. Unfortunately, and tragically, many of us make choices which are contrary to God’s will. Can you think of anything that you have done recently which was contrary to God’s will?
  3. Surely, we must recognize that God is willing to accept temporarily the conditions on this earth until the final elimination of evil takes place. Clearly, God’s omnipotence does not mean that He has no limits on what He can do.
  4. Consider the following verses.

Genesis 18:14: “Is anything too hard for the LORD? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”—Good News Bible.* [SeeGenesis 17:15-17; 18:9-15.]‡

Mark 14:36: “Father,” he prayed, “my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”—Good News Bible.*†

Luke 18:27: Jesus answered, “What is humanly impossible is possible for God.”—Good News Bible.*

  1. Are there things which God “cannot” do for one reason or another? Is He not omnipotent?
  2. Could God force our wills if He wanted to? Almost certainly, the answer is, “Yes.” But, the principles of His character and government based on love make that “impossible.”

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God.—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy* 591.2.†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p133.2685&index=0]‡

  1. In Ellen White’s book, Steps to Christ, she mentioned:

[EGW:] Christ is ready to set us free from sin, but He does not force the will; and if by persistent transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and we do not desire to be set free, if we will not accept His grace, what more can He do? We have destroyed ourselves by our determined rejection of His love. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” “Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7, 8.—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ* 34.2.†‡§

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p108.128&index=0]‡

  1. So, how does God try to deal with this problem of not getting His way? Of course, Christians should recognize that if we do things God’s way, it is always for our best.
  2. Even back in Deuteronomy in Moses’s final speech to the children of Israel, he said:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20: 15 “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death. 16If you obey the commands of the LORD your God, which I give you today, if you love him, obey him, and keep all his laws, then you will prosper and become a nation of many people. The LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are about to occupy. 17But if you disobey and refuse to listen, and are led away to worship other gods, 18you will be destroyed — I warn you here and now. You will not live long in that land across the Jordan that you are about to occupy. 19I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life. 20Love the LORD your God, obey him and be faithful to him, and then you and your descendants will live long in the land that he promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”—Good News Bible.*†

  1. God repeatedly appeals to us to do what is right just as He did to Israel.
  2. God “cannot” admit to heaven anyone who would choose to rebel against Him because that person would just restart the rebellion and the great controversy!
  3. Is it clear in your mind that God wishes that He could save everyone, even the Devil?
  4. But, there is a judgment coming; that judgment will be based on the truth lived out in human lives. ReadMatthew 25:31-46 about the coming judgment, exemplified by the separation of the sheep from the goats.
  5. God’s providential activity must be consistent with His love. God’s will cannot be forced on His children. But, He appeals to us, even with tears because He does not want to see us hurt. God did not even immediately eliminate Lucifer when he rebelled in heaven. Instead, God allowed Satan’s plans to mature and work themselves out in order to show the results of Satan’s ways.

[EGW:] Even when he was cast out of heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since only the service of love can be acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction of His justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of the worlds, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted out of existence, some would have served God from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly eradicated. For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages, he [Satan, the deceiver] must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created beings, and that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law might be forever placed beyond all question.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 42.3.†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p84.111&index=0]‡

[EGW:] God could have destroyed Satan and his sympathizers as easily as one can cast a pebble to the earth; but He did not do this. Rebellion was not to be overcome by force. Compelling power is found only under Satan’s government. The Lord’s principles are not of this order. His authority rests upon goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of these principles is the means to be used. God’s government is moral, and truth and love are to be the prevailing power.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 759.1.†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.3749&index=0]‡

  1. It is important to understand the great controversy between God and Satan over God’s character and government and all the issues involved. We read in places like Ephesians 1:

Ephesians 1:9-11: 9 God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. 10This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

11 All things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning.—Good News Bible.*

  1. The Bible clearly teaches that God will triumph in the end. What will need to take place for that to happen?
  2. Some people believe that everything that happens is a direct result of God’s actions. That idea is called predestination.

[BSG:] The Greek term translated “predestination” here and elsewhere in Scripture (prohorizo) does not itself teach that God causally determines history. Rather, the Greek term simply means “to decide beforehand.”―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Wednesday, February 19.‡§

  1. It is very challenging for some people to think of the idea that God can predict the future, even including a knowledge of our moral choices, unless those choices are predetermined. Thus, they believe that our freedom is ultimately gone. However, it should not surprise us that God can do some things which we do not understand!

Romans 8:29-30: 29 Those whom God had already chosen he also set apart to become like his Son, so that the Son would be the eldest brother in a large family. 30And so those whom God set apart, he called; and those he called, he put right with himself, and he shared his glory with them.—Good News Bible.*

  1. There are passages in Scripture describing groups that directly contradicted God’s will for them.

Luke 7:30: But the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law rejected God’s purpose for themselves and refused to be baptized by John.—Good News Bible.*†

Luke 13:34: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets, you stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times have I wanted to put my arms round all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!”—Good News Bible.*†

Psalm 81:11-14 [Reading again]: 11 “But my people would not listen to me;

Israel would not obey me.

12 So I let them go their stubborn ways

and do whatever they wanted.

13 How I wish my people would listen to me;

how I wish they would obey me!

14 I would quickly defeat their enemies

and conquer all their foes.”—Good News Bible.*‡

  1. Looking at the overall picture, we must recognize that there is a distinction between God’s ideal will, that is, what He wishes would happen in each situation and what we might call God’s remedial will. What is God’s remedial will? It is God’s actions, taking into account what He is going to do when angels or human beings rebel against Him; God’s remedial will is “Plan B,” or “Plan Z,” or “Plan Zz.”

[BSG:] This passage [Psalm 81:11-14] makes perfect sense if one simply recognizes a distinction between what we might call God’s “ideal will” and God’s “remedial will.” God’s “ideal will” is what God actually prefers to occur and which would occur if everyone always did exactly what God desires. God’s “remedial will,” on the other hand, is God’s will that has already taken into account every other factor, including the free decisions of creatures, which sometimes depart from what God prefers.Ephesians 1:11 appears to be referring to God’s “remedial will.”―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Wednesday, February 19.†‡

  1. There are some encouraging verses in Scripture dealing with that issue.

Romans 8:28: We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.—Good News Bible.*†

  1. Romans 8:28 does not say that everything that happens is God’s will (His ideal will). Rather, it says that what happens is the best that God “can do” considering our free will. Is it clear in your mind that God’s providence includes ideal and remedial actions?

[BSG:] The notion of remedial providential action is particularly observed in the history of Joseph. He interprets the ambiguity of his painful, yet astonishing, life journey as paradoxically influenced by both human evil intentions and divine loving providence. The former does not preclude the latter. The latter does not justify the former. InGenesis 50:20, Joseph says to his brothers, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (NKJV). In short, God’s providence transforms a miserable situation, resulting from the unjustifiable evil intentions and actions of human beings, into a blessing that we [humans] could never foresee.―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 109.†‡§ [Who could possibly have guessed?]‡

Genesis 50:20: “You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened.”—Good News Bible.*

  1. Ellen G. White used terms like overruling to describe God’s remedial providence.

[EGW:] The life of Joseph illustrates the life of Christ. It was envy that moved the brothers of Joseph to sell him as a slave; they hoped to prevent him from becoming greater than themselves. And when he was carried to Egypt, they flattered themselves that they were to be no more troubled with his dreams, that they had removed all possibility of their fulfillment. But their own course was overruled by God to bring about the very event that they designed to hinder. So the Jewish priests and elders were jealous of Christ, fearing that He would attract the attention of the people from them. They put Him to death, to prevent Him from becoming king, but they were thus bringing about this very result.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 239.2.†‡ [Italic type is added for emphasis.]‡ [Jesus won by dying!]‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p84.1034&index=0]‡

[BSG:] If everything occurred according to God’s ideal will, there would never have been evil but only the perfect bliss of love and harmony. Eventually, the universe will be restored to this perfect, ideal will of God. In the meantime, God is working out His will in a way that takes into account the free decisions of His creatures.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday, February 20.‡

  1. But, what happens when things on this evil world even cause Christians to suffer?

John 16:33: “I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”—Good News Bible.*

  1. Some people have the idea that if they are a Christian, then God will protect them from all suffering. That is not what the Bible shows us.
  2. The time of trouble is coming. Read about it in The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White, pages 613-634. (https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p132.2770&index=0)
  3. This time of trouble, or even any current sufferings, are not God’s will for us. But, remember that Satan’s main targets on this earth are those who try to remain faithful to God. It is important to recognize that God understood all that was going to happen even before the great controversy began, even before He created Lucifer and the other heavenly beings and well before He created humans. Humans were created to partially answer the issues that arose with Lucifer’s rebellion.

[EGW:] The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world’s dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, “with healing in His wings.”Malachi 4:2. [See the handout entitled Love posted on www.theox.org under “Teacher’s Guides.” (https://www.theox.org/images/uploads/bbk/KHart_BTGG_PDF_Gnrl_Love_16.pdf).]

The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of “the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.”Romans 16:25, R. V. It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”John 3:16.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 22.1-2.†‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.35&index=0]‡

  1. Consider these questions posed in the Bible study guide:
  2. [BSG:] If God does not always get what He wants, how does this fact impact the way you think about what occurs in this world? What are the practical implications of understanding that God has unfulfilled desires?
  3. … We can understand why, even though “God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan,” they went ahead and created us anyway. Love had to be in the mix, and love meant freedom. Rather than not create us as beings able to love, God created us so that we could love, but He did so knowing that, ultimately, it would lead Jesus to the cross. What should it tell us about how sacred, how fundamental, love was to God’s government that Christ would suffer on the cross rather than deny us the freedom inherent in love? [See the handout, Love, posted on www.Theox.org under “Teacher’s Guides” in the “General Topics”:

(https://www.theox.org/images/uploads/bbk/KHart_BTGG_PDF_Gnrl_Love_16.pdf).]

  1. Often we lament the evil and suffering in this world, but how often do you take time to ponder that God Himself laments and is grieved by suffering and evil? What difference does it make to your understanding of evil and suffering when you recognize that God Himself suffers because of evil?―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Friday, February 21.‡
  2. Also consider the issues raised by these questions in the teachers Bible study guide:
  3. [BSG:] What needs to be changed in our lives so that we can be dependent upon God’s will in our spiritual journey? How can we seek to make sure our free choices do not clash with God’s will?
  4. Our spiritual failure does not affect God’s love for us. How does this wonderful truth motivate us in preaching the gospel?
  5. How can we explain to small children, in appropriate ways, that not everything that happens is God’s direct will?―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 110.‡

©2025, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. †Bold type is added. ‡Brackets and content in brackets are added. §Italic type is in the source. [sic-Br]=This is correct as quoted; it is the British spelling.

Last Modified: February 9, 2025                                                                                           Email Info@theox.org