The Sovereignty of God And Concursus

Consider the work

of God;

for who can

make straight

what He has

made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 7:13

     Our understanding of the Sovereignty of God will give us a deep faith in that Sovereignty and of His Providential care for all His creation. Those questions that nag our minds exacting much concern as we seek to answer those questions that plague man; those questions left unanswered in our own minds. Such questions that are often asked: "Why does a Good God permit wickedness?" Furthermore; within the Christian community is the question of "Free Will" and how to reconcile "Free Will" with the Sovereignty of God? The Doctrine of Concursus allows these assumptions: (1) God gives to second causes the power of acting. It is the second cause  that an effect is produced by an action performed and this is not to be assigned to be the effect or cause of the First Cause. I wrote in an earlier blog of those who would disagree and assign all things to the First Cause and give none or little effect due to the second cause. We are not "puppets" and have no control over our lives, our actions and the effects produced. An example will help our understanding: A forest fire burns up the foliage leaving behind in its path ashes. This effect is due to the fire and to the fire alone and is not to be attributed to God. Let it be admitted that nothing occurs unless God has willed it to do so, but God's will is not God causing the effect. It has been said: "God's patience is not God's permission." I may will you to travel to a city; but the using of the gas to get there is not due to me, rather it is due to the nature of the engine, speed, condition of the engine and tires, etc. When I speak it is myself that is speaking and those words are from my mouth, from me, and it is not God speaking those words. (I am not speaking of God's direction on this subject). One such effect that affects us all is gravity. Gravity has within itself a force that is constant and acts uniformly upon matter, but that effect may have varied effects that act indifferently upon various matter as the effect of gravity has its effect to be produced as to whether it be necessary or free. (2) The Doctrine of Concursus does not deny the efficiency of second causes.Those causes are real and have the principle of acting. (3) The agency of God does not interfere by means of superseding second causes and their efficiency. Turrettin states: "Does not belong to the divine providence, the nature of things to destroy, but to keep, so that He moves all things according to their condition, so that by the motion of the divine from the real necessity, consequent upon the effect of necessity, follow from the cases, however, contingent the contingent effects. Therefore, since the active principle of the will is not determined to one thing, but having indifferent to many things, God so moves itself, determines that it is not of necessity to one thing, but remains the motion of the contingent and not necessary, except in the things for which are naturally moved." Thomas Acquinas in his Summa, part II. 1. adds: "There are two kinds of causes, and other general defined, which is always in the same way they act, as the fire which burns, who shines the sun; other indefinite and free, which they can act or not to act, to do this or that way, so God preserves their nature, and concurs with them in acting according to it, when defined, as he himself is to determine them without the determination of their own, since the indefinite, however, and children, and also so that they themselves determine their own judgment of reason, and free disposition of the will, which God does not take away from man, who thus destroy his work , but left and strengthens."It is further stated: "To be moved is the voluntary movement of Himself, that is, from an intrinsic principle. But this principle can be intrinsic to an extrinsic principle from another. And be so affected, of itself, does not resist it, is moved by another. - That which is moved from the other, it is said to be compelled, if it continuous should be moved by its proper inclination, but if another is moved by what he gives proper inclination, is not said to be compelled. Thus God moving the will, does not force itself: because it gives him his proper inclination." The Westminster Confession says: "God ordereth events "to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently (chapt. V. sect. 2). (4) What have we uncovered up to this point on the Doctrine of Concursus? That the efficiency of God  or the agency of God is not the same as to its relationship to all kinds of events. In other words: it is one thing to cooperate with material causes, and another thing to cooperate with "Free Agents." The efficiency of God operates in its relationship with "good acts" and in another way towards "bad acts." Further: this efficiency operates one way towards things in nature and in another way in Grace. (5) Divine Concursus is not inconsistent with the liberty of Free agents. If it did so then there is no such thing as "Free Agents" or we would not be able to discern the effects that could possible be due to "Free Agency" or if by the governing of God. We an admit to the certainty that God is the author of faith and repentance. They are His gifts and this fact is easily found in His Scriptures. We pray for these blessings which He promises and He always keeps His promises. Yet, there is nothing more certain from our consciousnesses that faith and repentance are our own free acts.There is not inconsistency with that to be moved from ourselves or to be moved by another. Turrettin states:"When providence does not concurs with the human will, or to force, compelled against the will, or is physically determined, dumb and blind as if it had without any judgment, but rationally, inflecting a way they will in becoming, as determinaet itself, as the proximate cause of their own actions judgment of reason , and spontaneous choice of the will; make no impression on it to bring our freedom, but rather to foster a friendly way."
     I have used the writings of several men from the Reformation era to give support that this Doctrine of Concursus has been discussed, written about and supported so that it is not a new thought arising out of neo-Bartinianism, or the liberal teachings of some churches that delve into the supernatural making man to accept that God is the First and the Only Cause and that man is only being used in some fashion, such as visions, special revelations, prophecies that are presented to people as if God had spoken to the one prophesying. There is one more division (6) that I will discuss in the next blog to bring light upon this subject and to deepen our understanding as to how God's Sovereignty and Providence does not remove our "Free Will or Agency." 

Praise the LORD
     of hosts, 
for the LORD is good
     for His mercy
endures forever.
                 Jeremiah 33:11b


God is Our Righteousness


Richard L. Crumb