God’s control is absolute in the sense that men do only that which He has ordained that they should do; yet they are truly free agents in the sense that their decisions are their own, and they are morally responsible for them. It’s hard to grasp that mentally. Actually it blows our minds. Yet these two things are taught constantly in the Bible: (1) God is totally Sovereign and (2) man is totally responsible.
Furthermore, while man’s motives may be impure, even the attempts to thwart God’s eternal plan, in fact, only serve to further it.
In Genesis 45:5 and 50:20, the Bible tells us that God planned the attempted murder and enslavement of Joseph so that He could eventually rescue millions of people from famine.
Genesis 50:20 – “As for you, YOU MEANT EVIL against me, but GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
Joseph tells his brothers that their plan was wicked – “You intended it for evil.” But God’s plan trumped their plan, Joseph explains, “But God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
As my friend, Dr. James White has commented, “The action of selling Joseph into slavery was, without question, an evil one. No one would argue this. Yet, Joseph says that God intended the action for good. God was working in the very same situation to bring about His intended purpose. The motivation of Joseph’s brothers was evil: the purpose of God in the very same action was good and pure.”
The story of Joseph teaches us that while man’s motives are often times impure, and while man is totally responsible for his actions, even the attempts to thwart God’s eternal plan in fact only serve to further it. How Sovereign is that?
God raises up both the true and the false prophet for His purposes. Throughout the centuries, the greatest challenge to the people of God has always been the false prophet within the ranks, rather than the military enemy outside. When Israel was right with Yahweh, no weapon formed against them could ever prosper. The clearest sign of God’s judgment is when He allows a people to have its carnal desires; when He gives them what they want but sends leaness to their souls; when He gives them over to the sin they crave (Romans 1) and allows them to embrace false prophets who lead them astray crying “peace,” “peace,” when there is no peace. As Jeremiah found to his own cost, when God’s hand of judgment comes on a people, the false prophet becomes more popular than the true. Its always been this way. When men refuse to embrace His truth, God sends them strong delusion so that they will believe falsehood.
In general, the first type (the Arminian-Synergist) affirms what is called “synergism.” Synergists believe that two forces in the universe are necessary to bring about regeneration in the life of the sinner. In specifics, the two forces at work (cooperation) that are necessary to bring about regeneration, or spiritual life, is the will of man and the Holy Spirit (grace).
In other words, the Holy Spirit does not merely whisper in the hardened sinner’s ear, hoping that the rebel sinner will “cooperate”; rather, while the sinner is in a state of hardness and rebellion, the Holy Spirit penetrates in the will of man and performs the miracle of spiritual life (regeneration). That is grace alone. Faith does not precede regeneration, regeneration precedes faith.