Па не баш така
We sin because we choose to.
We can’t blame “Fate,” kismet, predestination, or God. James 1:13-14 says,
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”
Interestingly, many people who choose to sin are annoyed by the negative consequences of their sin. “A man's own folly ruins his life, / yet his heart rages against the LORD” (
Proverbs 19:3). This is a very insightful verse. When a man foolishly wrecks his life, he may yet insist on blaming God, or perhaps “Fate.” In this way, he persists in his folly.
Scripture also teaches that we choose to have faith. The oft-repeated command in Scripture to believe implies that we do have a choice in the matter. “Be not faithless, but believing” (
John 20:27; see also
Acts 16:31;
19:4).
Fate and Destiny - God’s Sovereignty
Lest we get the wrong idea, we are not the sovereign masters of our fate. Only God is sovereign. His sovereign control is called “providence.” He has chosen to give us a free will, and He has created a moral universe in which the law of cause-and-effect is a reality. But God is God alone, and there are no “accidents” in the universe.
An all-wise, all-powerful God must have a plan, so it should be no surprise that the Bible speaks of a divine plan. God’s plan, since it belongs to God, is holy, wise, and benevolent. The providence of God is working to bring about His original plan for creation.
God speaks in
Isaiah 48:3, “I foretold the former things long ago, / my mouth announced them and I made them known; / then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.” What God announces, He does (and He may announce it centuries ahead of time!).
Fighting against the plan of God is pointless. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan / that can succeed against the LORD” (
Proverbs 21:30). This is why the Tower of Babel was never completed (
Genesis 11:1-9), why Daniel’s detractors were thrown to the lions (
Daniel 6:24), why Jonah spent time inside a fish (
Jonah 1:17), and why I get in trouble when I sin.
Even what we would normally call “chance” or “fate” is under God’s control. “The lot is cast into the lap, / but its every decision is from the LORD” (
Proverbs 16:33). In other words, God does not take a “hands-off” approach to running the world.
Everything that happens in the world is made to work out according to God’s purpose. Evil exists, but it is not allowed to thwart God’s providence. God uses even sinful men for His purposes. “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; / he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases” (
Proverbs 21:1). God worked in the hearts of the Egyptians (
Exodus 12:36) and King Artaxerxes (
Ezra 7:27) to bring about His purpose. Even when Man’s intent is purely evil, God can still bring about His will, as in the case of those who crucified Jesus (
Acts 2:23;
4:27-28).
