"It Is GOD Who Works In You To Will And To Act According To HIS Good Purpose!"

I believe both free agency and 

predestination to be facts!
(Charles Spurgeon, "Esther Defeats her Enemies")

It is clear that the divine will is accomplished--

and yet men are perfectly free agents. 

We see no "divine interference" with 

them, no force or coercion; hence 

the entire sin and responsibility rest 

with each guilty one. And yet, acting 

with perfect freedom, none of them 

acts otherwise than divine providence 

had predetermined. 

Certain of my brethren deny free agency--

and so get out of the difficulty.
Others assert that there is 

no predestination--

and so cut the knot.

As I do not wish to get out of the difficulty, 

and have no wish to shut my eyes to any 

part of the truth, I believe both free 

agency and predestination to be facts!

How they can be made to agree, 

I do not know, or care to know. 

I am satisfied to know anything 

which GOD chooses to reveal to me--

and equally content not to know 

what HE does not reveal.

There it is--

man is a free agent in what 

he does. He is responsible for his 

actions, and truly guilty when 

he does wrong--

and he will be justly 

punished too; and if he 

is eternally lost the blame 

will rest with himself alone. 

But yet there is ONE who rules 

over all, who, without complicity 

in their sin, makes even the actions 

of wicked men to subserve HIS holy 

and righteous purposes. 

Believe these two truths and you will 

see them in practical agreement in 

daily life, though you will not be 

able to devise a theory for 

harmonizing them on paper.

"Therefore, my dear friends, 

as you have always obeyed--

not only in my presence, but now 

much more in my absence--

continue to work out your 

salvation with fear and trembling--

for it is GOD who works in you to will 

and to act according to HIS good purpose!" 

Philippians 2:12-13

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GraceGems has published J.R. Miller's two page insightful article, 

"Into the Desert".