Ro. 11:28-36, God’s Communicable Attributes (13, Freedom)

3)    Will (determines)

a)    Freedom: though never contrary to His nature, He does as He pleases.  [The theologian specifies, never contrary to His nature.  Sometimes we talk in a way that God can do anything regardless.  We want to emphasize His greatness.  Or perhaps we are trying to explain some hard passage in Scripture and just say, “well, God can do whatever He pleases.”  What this definition says is that God always works within His nature as well as His word.  If we struggle with what God has done in a situation, we ought to remember that His works have not denied His attributes.  The context of these passages exalt God’s freedom while also exalting His faithfulness.]

Job 23:13 “But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does.”   Job’s argument with His friends is about God’s freedom.  Job said does what He wants while he intimated that God was unfair.

Psalm 115:3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. This affirmation counters the nations who denied God’s existence (v2).

Psalm 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.  This affirms His greatness over all gods.

Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’  God’s freedom to do all He pleases is not counter to what He declared in the beginning concerning the end of times.  He is free and faithful.

Daniel 4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?”  We can easily get overcome by the great people of this world.  But no one can keep God from doing or even questioning His will.  See also Isa.40:13-27.

Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.  This is Paul’s summation of God’s freedom with respect to keeping His word to Israel.

Ephesians 1:5 …having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.  What God did before the foundation of the world, He did what brought Him pleasure.

Ephesians 1:9 …having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.  Not only our own salvation, but the “mystery of God” which He is fulfilling in and for His Son was for His pleasure.  God alone is the one who can simply be said to do what He pleases to do!