The Simultaneous Wills of God and Man
Let us understand that God is not reactive to the actions of man but rather God is proactive. When Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, spoke to them regarding what they had done to him and how God had used him to be second in command in Egypt, he told them, "As for you, you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20). This scripture does not say, "You meant it for evil, but God used it for good". God's intention and action did not come after they sold Joseph. They had a meaning in their actions and God had a meaning in His actions. The two actions were both real and simultaneous. (Paraphrase of John Piper)
In describing this simultaneous interplay between divine and human actions, Jonathan Edwards writes, "We are not merely passive in it, nor yet does God do some and we do the rest, but God does all and we do all. God produces all and we act all. For that is what He produces, our own acts. God is the only proper author and fountain; we only are the proper actors. We are in different respects wholly passive and wholly active."
Sinclair Ferguson speaks to the concurrence of divine and human activity in the writing of the scripture, "Undoubtedly the human writers of the Scripture were conscious that they were expressing their own thoughts as they wrote. But at the same time they were under the sovereign direction of the Spirit. Theologians call this two-dimensional reality "concurrence".
2 Peter 1:20-21
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
1 Corinthians 2:12-13
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Let us understand that God is not reactive to the actions of man but rather God is proactive. When Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, spoke to them regarding what they had done to him and how God had used him to be second in command in Egypt, he told them, "As for you, you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20). This scripture does not say, "You meant it for evil, but God used it for good". God's intention and action did not come after they sold Joseph. They had a meaning in their actions and God had a meaning in His actions. The two actions were both real and simultaneous. (Paraphrase of John Piper)
In describing this simultaneous interplay between divine and human actions, Jonathan Edwards writes, "We are not merely passive in it, nor yet does God do some and we do the rest, but God does all and we do all. God produces all and we act all. For that is what He produces, our own acts. God is the only proper author and fountain; we only are the proper actors. We are in different respects wholly passive and wholly active."
Sinclair Ferguson speaks to the concurrence of divine and human activity in the writing of the scripture, "Undoubtedly the human writers of the Scripture were conscious that they were expressing their own thoughts as they wrote. But at the same time they were under the sovereign direction of the Spirit. Theologians call this two-dimensional reality "concurrence".
2 Peter 1:20-21
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
1 Corinthians 2:12-13
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.