The DECREE OF GOD.

The DECREE of God - Is not so much as a command but rather a previous determination of God before the Creation of the world (acknowledging that God is not subject to time but eternal) of what would or rather will come to pass as of a CERTAINTY resulting from his divine councel and will relating to His eternal purposes that will glorify Himself in all things.

The eternal purposes of God are predetermined seeing that they are determined before creation or time. The predetermined purposes of God are based upon a predetermined plan. Both, the eternal purposes and plan of God are on both sides of the same coin; they cannot be separated. Both are DELIBERATE ESSENTIAL commitments of God in reaching the same end goal. Furthermore, they (God's plan and purposes) both come to pass, not only by the desire/intentions of God's heart but more importantly by the will or determination of God which hearkens back to what He has eternally PURPOSED TO FULFILL temporally 'in time' - that being, all that He has pre-planned deriving from His perfect counsel; hence, the Decree of God.

FOREKNOWLEDGE and DECREE

The Decree or the Eternal Purposes of God precedes the future exhaustive knowledge of God for the purposes of God derive from His predetermined plan. To clarify; this plan is NOT based upon what all God knows in advance that will transpire but RATHER based upon His divine counsel in regards to what He has determined before time to come to pass in order to reach a specific end goal for His own glory. For example, if God has based His decree upon what He knows so called 'free creatures' would do in advance - then their "liberty" to do as they will apart from God's meticulous control to govern what He has purposed would indeed rob God of the glory that's due Him alone; for the creature would have become a sovereign unto Himself - seemingly able to thwart the will, eternal purpose, and plan of God, his Creator.

NO PURPOSES OF GOD SHALL BE THWARTED.

The Example: If God has predetermined for Creature A to physically turn left in order to fulfill a specific and necessary purpose but Creature A upon his own volition has the ability to refrain from turning left and do otherwise (and without any outside influence, or coercion including God's power) - then Creature A inevitably also has the freedom and ability to physically turn right instead and essentially undermine the 'will' of God and His purposes. If God has predetermined for Creature A to turn left for His own purposes and glory and His decree does not come to pass because of the 'freewill' of Creature A - then Creature A is his own sovereign unto himself and may very well even boast regarding his liberty as to be a self willed stand alone ruler which in return will ultimately lead to the sin of exalted pride and self glory before his Maker. 

This type of liberty and self glory of the creature cannot be according to Scripture. Even though God has seemingly given man some since of liberty to do as he will; however, man does not live his life according to absolute freedom. Man can only do what God has confined him to, for His very own purposes; God has deemed it so, for He will not give His glory to another. No flesh will have the opportunity to boast before the Lord; God will give no such leeway to sinful creatures for the sake of His holy name. No flesh will glory in His presence!

The LORD nullifies the plan of nations; He frustrates the plans of peoples. The councel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. - PSALMS 33:10-11

By Aaron Fisher