One of the most challenging questions Christians ask is why an all-powerful and perfectly good God allows evil, suffering, and sin. If God is sovereign over everything, why do people still make sinful choices? Does God merely react to human actions, or does He remain in control even when evil occurs?
Theologians have long distinguished between God’s determined will (sometimes called His decretive or sovereign will) and His permissive will. While these terms do not appear explicitly in Scripture, they summarize biblical teaching about God’s sovereignty and humanity’s responsibility.
This distinction helps explain how God remains completely sovereign without becoming the author of sin.
God’s Determined Will
God’s determined will refers to everything He has eternally decreed will certainly come to pass.
Nothing can prevent it.
Nothing surprises Him.
Nothing occurs outside His sovereign authority.
Isaiah records God saying,
“My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.”
(Isaiah 46:9–10, ESV)
Likewise Paul writes,
“He works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
(Ephesians 1:11, ESV)
God’s determined will includes events such as:
- creation itself,
- Christ’s incarnation,
- the crucifixion,
- Christ’s resurrection,
- the salvation of believers,
- Christ’s future return,
- and the final establishment of His eternal kingdom.
These events were never uncertain.
God ordained them before the foundation of the world.
God’s Permissive Will
God’s permissive will refers to what He allows to occur without approving of it morally.
God permits human beings and fallen angels to make real choices.
Many of those choices involve sin.
Although God never delights in evil, approves of evil, or causes people to sin, He permits evil while sovereignly governing history so that His ultimate purposes cannot fail.
James writes,
“God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”
(James 1:13)
Yet Romans assures believers,
“For those who love God all things work together for good.”
(Romans 8:28)
God therefore permits what He hates while accomplishing what He has eternally planned.
The Cross: The Greatest Example
The clearest example appears in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Peter declared,
“This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
(Acts 2:23)
Both truths appear in the same verse.
The crucifixion happened according to God’s determined plan.
Yet those who crucified Christ acted willingly and were fully responsible for their sin.
God ordained the event.
Human beings committed the evil.
God remained perfectly holy.
Human beings remained completely accountable.
Joseph: Human Evil and Divine Purpose
The life of Joseph provides another remarkable illustration.
Joseph’s brothers hated him and sold him into slavery.
Years later Joseph told them,
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
(Genesis 50:20)
Notice the remarkable balance.
The brothers truly intended evil.
God simultaneously intended good through the very same event.
Scripture does not say God merely reacted after the fact.
Nor does it say God caused the brothers to sin.
Rather, God sovereignly worked through their freely chosen wickedness to accomplish His redemptive purposes.
God’s Moral Will
A third expression often discussed is God’s moral will.
This refers to what God commands His people to do.
It is revealed throughout Scripture.
Unlike God’s determined will, God’s moral will is violated every day.
People lie.
They steal.
They hate.
They commit adultery.
They reject Christ.
None of these actions please God.
His moral commands are broken continually.
Yet even while people disobey God’s moral will, they never frustrate His determined will.
God’s sovereign purposes continue exactly as He planned.
Holding Both Truths Together
Scripture consistently teaches two truths.
God is absolutely sovereign.
Human beings are genuinely responsible.
The Bible never attempts to eliminate either truth.
Instead, it presents both together.
Exactly how God’s sovereignty and human responsibility work together remains one of theology’s profound mysteries.
Finite minds cannot fully comprehend how God’s eternal decree encompasses genuine human choices without violating human responsibility.
Christians therefore affirm both because Scripture teaches both.
Why This Doctrine Matters
Understanding God’s determined and permissive will gives believers great comfort.
Evil is never outside God’s control.
Suffering is never meaningless.
Sin never catches God by surprise.
Nothing can overturn His eternal purposes.
At the same time, people remain morally accountable for every choice they make.
God is never the author of sin, yet He sovereignly governs history so perfectly that even human rebellion ultimately serves His glorious purposes.
The Westminster Confession beautifully summarizes this truth by teaching that God ordains whatsoever comes to pass while neither being the author of sin nor violating the wills of His creatures.
For believers, this doctrine inspires both humility and confidence.
Humility, because some aspects of God’s sovereignty remain beyond our full understanding.
Confidence, because we know that the God who governs the universe is infinitely wise, perfectly holy, and unfailingly good.
Selected Sources
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.
Frame, John M. The Doctrine of God. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2002.
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020.
MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to God. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997.
McCune, Rolland. A Systematic Theology of Biblical Christianity. Vol. 1. Allen Park, MI: Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, 2009.
Packer, J. I. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1961.
Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1999.
Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2020.
Swindoll, Charles R. “Decision Making and the Will of God.” In The Care and Counsel Bible, edited by Tim Clinton, Edward Hindson, and Jared Pingleton. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2001.
The Westminster Confession of Faith. 1646.