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English Rose said:
Dear friends, There seems to be a teaching going around here in England which is saying that God has TWO wills, His permissive will and His decretive will! I only know of His Sovereign will, as He appoints. This was taught at our last church, which we had to leave for several reasons. Just wondering if anyone can add anything to this, and if it is known where this false teaching came from?
Yours, in the cause of God and Truth, English Rose
Rose,

Not sure if what you are referring to is a "false teaching" or the biblical truth in the matter of God's "will". First, there are not "two" wills in God but one. Whatever is God's "good pleasure" is that which He has done or will do in time and history. It is He Who has determined from eternity all that is and all that will occur. This is most likely what you refer to as His "Sovereign will". However, the Church has always made a distinction between what God has decreed, aka: "decretive will" (secret will) and what He has revealed in His infallible Word to man, which is that which all men are responsible to do, aka: "prescriptive will" (revealed will). Where this "permissive will" fits in I can't say without knowing more about it in detail.

God does not "permit" anything in the sense that man is given freedom to do as he wills apart from what He (God) has decreed, else the very definition of God would be violated. It is true that men have myriad thoughts, desires and perform acts which are contrary to His "prescriptive will", i.e., contrary to His revealed will, aka: His commandments. But even those things have been decreed by God to accomplish all that He has determined for His glory and for the good of the elect. Simply put, there is absolutely nothing which is beyond the control of God or that which has not been determined from eternity. Yet, all men are responsible and freely think what they will and do what they will without coercion in the sense that they are forced to think, feel or do anything which is contrary to their will. It is here that many become confused or launch a strong objection and wrongly conclude that this view makes men "puppets".

The truth is that God is 100% sovereign and controls all things according to His eternal determinate counsel. AND, it is also true that all men are 100% responsible for everything they think, feel and do.

Can you provide anything further in regard to what is meant by "permissive will"?

In His grace,

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simul iustus et peccator

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