Westminster Shorter Catechism in Modern English - Question #7

Q. 7. What are the decrees of God?

A. The decrees of God are his eternal plan, according to the purpose of his will, by which, for his own glory, he has foreordained whatever comes to pass;^[a] /yet in such a manner as to be in no way the author of sin./

[a] Psalm 33:11

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

¹¹ But the counsel of the Lord dwelleth (into) without end; the thoughts of his heart dwell in generation and into generation. (But the plans of the Lord shall stand forever; the thoughts of his heart shall remain for all generations.)

 

Isaiah 14:24

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

²⁴ The Lord of hosts swore, saying, Whether it shall not be so, as I guessed, and it shall befall so, as I treated in soul? (The Lord of hosts swore, saying, Shall it not be so, just as I thought, and shall it not befall, just as I said?)

 

Acts 2:23

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

²³ ye tormented, and killed him by the hands of wicked men, by counsel determined and betaken by the fore-knowing of God. [him, the counsel determined, or ended, and by the prescience, or before-knowing, of God, betaken by the hands of wicked ye tormenting slew.]

 

Ephesians 1:11-12

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

¹¹ In whom [also] we be called by lot, before-ordained by the purpose of him that worketh all things by the counsel of his will;^[a]

¹² that we be into the praising of his glory, we that have hoped before in Christ [which before hoped in Christ].

Footnotes:

1. Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we by lot be called, before-ordained after the purpose of him that worketh all things after the counsel of his will;

Comment on Q. 7

What happens in the world is not a matter or mere chance or luck, nor is it a matter of blind fate – 'what will be will be'. The living God is the God who governs and rules. He has a perfect plan, and he makes everything fit together to fulfil this plan. God has decided everything which will happen, including the means to be used to reach particular ends. For example, to maintain life we need food; to be saved we must believe to the Lord Jesus.

God's plan and decision does not mean that we are puppets, for God's plan includes human freedom to act as we desire. Of course some things we do not desire left to ourselves. If such a lack of desire or ability is our own fault we are still responsible. So we are responsible to love and serve God even though through sin we cannot do so until renewed by God's Holy Spirit.

Many people only think of God when something goes wrong, and blame him for it. The catechism reminds us that God is not the author of sin, although he is so great that he can even bring good out of it (for example, the crucifixion was both a wicked act of men and the predetermined purpose of God, Acts 2:23).