Westmister Project 3.1-3.2

1. God, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordained everything that ever happens, yet in such a way that God is not the author of sin nor is violence done to the will of the creatures, nor is the power or possibility of secondary causes taken away, but rather established. 

2. Although God knows everything that may or can come to pass based on all possible conditions, yet he has not decreed anything just because he foresaw it as future, or as what would happen because of such conditions. 
(WCF 3.1-2)

From looking at our God and His revelation (WCF 1), to peering into the awesome mystery of the Godhead (WCF 2), we now turn to another mind-bending—but often misunderstood—teaching of the Bible: the doctrine of God’s eternal decree (WCF 3).

Before we examine a doctrine like this, it’s always good to remember that we are made in God’s image—not the other way around. This is His revelation that the Confession is attempting to summarize. So when we approach subjects such as “eternity” and “decree,” some head-scratching and mystery is to be expected—and that’s perfectly normal. Our aim is to understand what has been revealed, while also recognizing that this revelation comes from the mind of God, and may not always be easy to fully comprehend (Ps. 119:105; cf. Prov. 14:12, Rom. 11:34–36).

As we saw in WCF 2.1, God is eternal—meaning He exists outside of time, having created it (Gen. 1:1–3a; Ps. 90:2; 1 Tim. 1:17). He is not like us in that He grows in knowledge over time (Mal. 3:6a; Heb. 1:12; Jam. 1:17). In fact, not only does God not grow in knowledge—because He is immutable—He already knows everything that may or can come to pass. This is because He is omnipotent (all-powerful in every circumstance), omnipresent (everywhere, including in and over time), and omniscient (all-knowing).

But here’s the thing: God doesn't merely have all power, access, and knowledge. From outside of time, in eternity past, He ordained everything that has ever happened—or will happen (Eph. 1:11; Rom. 11:33; Heb. 6:17).
Now, this raises a question: If God ordained everything that comes to pass, does that make Him the author of sin? Here, we must hold two truths in tension. On the one hand, because God is perfectly good and holy, it is impossible for Him to be the author of sin (Jam. 1:13–17; 1 Jn. 1:5). On the other hand, we live in a fallen, sin-cursed world as a result of the Fall. And this brings us to the mystery: Does God cause His children to sin?

Let’s put it this way: Jesus has always been the Savior of the world (Rev. 13:8; Isa. 53:7; Jn. 1:29), yet humanity freely chose to rebel in the Garden (Gen. 3:6, 11–13; cf. Rom. 5:12). That’s because we were not pre-programmed robots or puppets on strings acting against our will. We live—and continue to live—according to our own will, and we sin wilfully and willingly. God did not “make” us sin then, nor does He now.
To sum it up: Jesus has always been the Savior. God never authored sin. Yet God, in His sovereignty, works all things to His good and glorious ends, as He decreed in eternity past (Gen. 50:20; Acts 2:23; Jn. 19:11; Prov. 16:33).

The Confession also reminds us that God did not look ahead through time to make His decisions based on our choices. Rather, He was completely free in His design from beginning to end, and He sovereignly ordained what would come to pass. In short: our sovereign God is Lord of all, not subject to His creation; ruler of all, not a victim of chance. And in the mystery of His goodness and wisdom, we are His—because He planned it that way, chose us to be His, and drew us willingly to Himself. Nothing—absolutely nothing—can change His love for us or the plans He has for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28–32).