Governor of All: God was sovereign over September 11 and so we have hope.

World Magazine ^ | October 6, 2001 edition | John Piper

[sola gracia]

Governor of all

God was sovereign over Sept. 11, and so we have hope

By John Piper

Many Christians are saying about the murderous destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, "God did not cause it, but He can use it for good." There are two reasons I don't say this. One is that it goes beyond, and is contrary to, what the Bible teaches. The other is that it undermines the very hope it wants to offer.

First, it goes beyond and against the Bible. Some people simply are trying to say that God is not a sinner and does not remove human accountability and that He is compassionate. That is true—and precious beyond words. But for most people, far more is implied. Namely, God, by His very nature, cannot or would not bring about such a calamity. It's this view of God that contradicts the Bible and undercuts hope.

How God governs all events in the universe without sinning, and without removing responsibility from man, and with compassionate outcomes is mysterious! But it's what the Bible teaches. God "works all things after the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11).

"All things" includes rolling dice (Proverbs 16:33), falling sparrows (Matthew 10:29), failing sight (Exodus 4:11), financial loss (1 Samuel 2:7), the decisions of kings (Proverbs 21:1), the sickness of children (2 Samuel 12:15), the suffering and slaughter of saints (1 Peter 4:19; Psalm 44:11), the completion of travel (James 4:15), repentance (2 Timothy 2:25), faith (Philippians 1:29), holiness (Philippians 3:12-13), spiritual growth (Hebrews 6:1-3), life and death (1 Samuel 2:6), and the crucifixion of Christ (Acts 4:27-28).

From the smallest thing to the greatest, good and evil, happy and sad, pagan and Christian, pain and pleasure—God governs all for His wise, just, and good purposes (Isaiah 46:10). Lest we miss the point, the Bible speaks most clearly to this in the most painful situations. Amos asks, "If a calamity occurs in a city, has not the Lord done it?" (Amos 3:6). After losing his 10 children, Job says, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Covered with boils, he says, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10).

Oh, yes, Satan is real and active and involved in this world of woe! In fact, Job 2:7 says, "Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Satan struck him. But Job did not get comfort by looking at secondary causes. He got comfort by looking at the ultimate cause. "Shall we not accept adversity from God?" And the author of the book agrees when he says that Job's brothers and sisters "consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the Lord had brought on him" (Job 42:11). James underlines God's purposeful goodness in Job's misery: "You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful" (James 5:11). Job himself concludes in prayer: "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2). Yes, Satan is real, and he is terrible—and he is on a leash.

The other reason I don't say, "God did not cause the calamity, but He can use it for good," is that it undercuts the very hope it wants to create. I ask those who say this: "If you deny that God could have 'used' a million prior events to save 6,000 people from this great evil, what hope then do you have that God will 'use' this terrible event to save you (spiritually or physically) in the hour of trial?" We say we believe He can use these events for good, but deny that He could use the events of the past to hold back the evil of Sept. 11. The Bible teaches He could have restrained this evil (Genesis 20:6). "The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples" (Psalm 33:10). But it was not in His plan to do it. Let us beware. If we spare God the burden of His sovereignty, we lose our only hope.

We all are sinners. We deserve to perish. Every breath is an undeserved gift. We have one great hope: Jesus Christ died to obtain pardon and righteousness for us (Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21), and God will employ His all-conquering, sovereign grace to preserve us for our inheritance (Jeremiah 32:40). We surrender this hope if we sacrifice this sovereignty.

[gcruse]

Gives perspective to those who question who is
in control of this situation, or who is going to win.

It sure won't be the six thousand killed, will it?

[Uriel1975]

Then we are wrong in wanting revenge?

Certainly not.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

[greggy]

There are two reasons I don't say this. One is that it goes beyond, and is contrary to, what the Bible teaches. The other is that it undermines the very hope it wants to offer.

I get so angry when people spout off like this and don't have a clue about what they are saying.

The principle that the author states is against the teachings of the bible is found with Joseph and his brothers. So much for being against the bible.

And just because he thinks that this explanation should be offering hope does not mean that it is offering hope. all it means is that he thinks it should be offering hope. I have never thought that this biblical principle offers any hope. It merely offers an explanation of what happens.

I have yet to see God kill anyone. Jesus said that it is the devil that comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. I mean, that is pretty clear to me.

There is a prophecy just recently given, but clearly years ago, that America will return to her roots of dependency upon the Lord Jesus Christ before he returns, and he is returning soon, sooner than you think. Much sooner. If you understand what Jesus was saying in Matt 21:20-32, you will see that he will return before 2008.

So I can tell you that what we are seeing is but one example of evil that the devil meant for bad to America that has already done some good. People are turning off sitcoms, and not looking to sports as much. They are waking up and saying, "What is really important?" And they are flocking more to church on Sunday than in any recent time looking for the answer, and in the right place- they are looking to God for the answer.

[greggy]

God doesn't do everything, but He can do anything

Really? Then why doesn't he stop the killings? What on earth are you thinking?

God can do NOTHING unless we pray. Why? Because if He intervened without us asking him to, the devil would be able to call him on it. Satan (which means the accuser) would be able to accuse God of interfering with the will of men, or the plans of men. And God will never break any laws. He is not a law breaker. He will not even break his own laws, those he set into motion with his own words.

[greggy]

We all are sinners. We deserve to perish.

Amen!! What more can you say?

I can say that this type of logic is the reason I am not a Christian.

If I didn't know Jesus, that is exactly what I would have said.

[greggy]

They dont think it would be "fair" of God to "allow" 6,000 to die,so the devil did it behind God's back

No, I would say that the reason I think the devil did it is because Jesus said so. He said that the devil's game plan is to kill, steal and destroy, while God's is to give us life and life more abundantly. Yes, it really IS that simple. But the thoughts you think will keep you from believing it is SIMPLE. And the devil has you resenting God- just where he wants you.

[Hank Kerchief]

Hank people die every day..there is no mystery... The loss being suffered by these families is real, but it is no more a loss than if they had died in an auto accident...

Absolutely. It's the view that the suffering and deaths are the result of some known or unknown purpose of God, which purpose is presented as good and merciful, to which I object. That kind of purpose is the same as the terrorist's. Someone once told me life is like a tapestry....we only see the backside of it..all the knots and crossed thread...we will not see the pattern of that tapestry untill we are in heaven

The back side of a tapestry is not pretty. I would expect the hidden purposes of a benevolent God to be beautiful. In any case, what this analogy really says is that no one knows what they are doing or why they are doing it. It's "fate" or "predestination." No wonder Christians can be so easily terrified.

Hank

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Your theology may provide you some comfort, but it is lethal. If God's actions are conditioned on man, then you make man more powerful than God. You have then, in effect, made yourself God. The first commandment says that "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me."

In addition, to question the goodness of God, based on your view of events, is blaspemous. You have no right to question His ways. They are past your comprehension.

It appears that you do not want a sovereign God. You seem to want a God that conforms with your will. As a result, you want to maintain your autonomy and control over the Lord of the Universe.

[AppyPappy]

I can say that this type of logic is the reason I am not a Christian.

Cutting your nose off to spite your face?

[AppyPappy]

Then we are wrong in wanting revenge?

Yes. Revenge is destructive. We do, however, need to punish those involved to ensure the safety of others.

[AppyPappy]

No wonder Christians can be so easily terrified.

Unsubstantiated generalization.

[Hank Kerchief]

Yes. Revenge is destructive. We do, however, need to punish those involved to ensure the safety of others.

"Those involved," are dead. If you mean, anyone who in any way contributed to the terrorist acts, you'll have to go all the way bak to Mohammed. Do you really believe "punishing" people makes other people safe?"

Hank

[AppyPappy]

Yes I do. There are still terrorists out there. We must stop them before they strike again.

[George W. Bush]

I guess I still have a problem with preachers saying this is only a call to national repentance. Certainly, we should examine our faith when others die, even from old age. So the difference here is that it was murder. But we don't get this excited as a nation about murder unless it's serial killings, especially involving sex.

It seems to me that the significance here is three-fold. It was a murderous act and involved 6000 victims, a new record. So the act itself is mostly impressive numerically. And it was an attack on the States, probably the first since the War of 1812. I think it also underlines the basic insecurity we have about aircraft.

I think any revival will be short-lived. They generally are.

I consider that God may be doing this for other purposes in order to fulfill His larger plan, not necessarily as a punishment for national sin. That we deserve to punished, I've no doubt. I just don't necessarily believe that that's the only thing He intends.

[Hank Kerchief]

Stopping them and punishing them are different things. I think whatever is done to stop them is good. I think punishing them (inflicting pain so they'll learn a lesson) won't stop them. No doubt, they will suffer as a result of what will stop them, but as a byproduct, not the objective.

Hank

[atlaw]

So explain precisely what your theology is, and the theology of the author of the ariticle above. Old Blood and Guts God snuffing out the innocent? Or is that the 6,000 murdered weren't in fact innocent -- that they were representative pieces of immoral trash who deserved to die an unspeakably horrible death at the hands of your god in order to cleanse America. I think you and the entire membership of the cult of the Mysterious Holy Executioner should give this claptrap a rest. Have SOME sense of decency and respect for the deceased and keep this self-righteous bloviation to yourself, at least for the time being.

[jude24]

bump for a later read.....

[RnMomof7]

Absolutely. It's the view that the suffering and deaths are the result of some known or unknown purpose of God, which purpose is presented as good and merciful, to which I object

Hank your life has a purpose..my life has a purpose..so should not our death?

We see all these parents and loved ones that have a tragic family death start up funds or movements so that the death has a purpose..(or as in the case with Chandras parents ,dealing with the unknown)....

God knows the purpose...we dont need to know.For everything there is a season...those are reassuring words .

I lost a toddler grandson in May Hank,as my family talks and remembers one of the questions asked is would it have need easier..better if he had never been born.We would have been spared the pain of the seperation...but we also would have been denied the joy of knowing him...such is the paradox of life and death..

We do not understand the mind or plan of God.Some will say it is a national rebuke and warning,some will say it is the beginning of the end times..some will say it the devil did it...some will say it was just a sign of evil in the world. No matter what you believe this was a horrible thing to see,and it is awful for those families.

I know that this is part of Gods plan,because not a sparrow falls to the ground with out His knowlege.I think that is a comfort..the world is not out of control..

[RnMomof7]

And the devil has you resenting God- just where he wants you.

I do not "resent" God,please do not misread me..I think we need to allow God to be God...next time you clean your hair brush look at the hairs on it..God knows how many more you have left..Do you think God's arm is too short to have stopped the terrior if He chose?

No resentment here...God is God