Lesson for May 6, 2026  |  Divine Decrees Series

Lesson 2 – Divine Decrees

The Glory of God and the Divine Decrees

The objective of the divine decrees is to glorify God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have had infinite and eternal glory in eternity past and will continue to have glory forever. All creation, including angels and humans, was created for God’s glory. God’s glory is never compromised by mankind’s failure, and His glory does not depend on us; we depend on His glory. (Proverbs 16:4; Romans 11:36; Hebrews 2:10; Revelation 1:6, 4:11, 5:12)

The things related to believers that bring glory to God are what He accomplishes in us and through us. Examples of this would be the imputation of divine righteousness to a believer at the moment of salvation and the imputation of divine blessings and eternal rewards after salvation. When we begin to glorify ourselves, we are in danger of divine discipline because all glory belongs to God, the only One Who deserves it. Legalism, human good, and self-righteousness have no place in the plan of God and are contrary to His plan of grace. When God chooses to bless a believer, it is because God is bringing glory to Himself. It is the privilege of the Royal Family of God to be blessed by God and to glorify Him.

The divine decrees assure that God will be glorified by every thought, every decision, and every action in history, good or bad. The Scripture says in Psalm 76:10 that even “the wrath of man” praises (brings glory to) God. The bad decisions of people prove that God is fair and just by demonstrating the free will of the human race. Just as in the case of Satan and the fallen angels, free will was a divine decree from God and with free will comes both positive and negative results. Both bring glory to God because in His magnificent wisdom He decreed that His creations would not be robots, but that they would love Him, honor Him, and serve Him from their own free will, while knowing that some would rebel against Him.

Since God is omniscient, He knows the thoughts, the attitudes, the motivations, the decisions, and the actions that every believer would make, taking one into spiritual maturity and another into reversionism. For those who take the path to spiritual maturity, God prepared greater blessings and rewards. For those who take the path into reversionism, God prepared divine discipline. The same righteousness, justice, and love of God send both blessing and discipline. (Hebrews 12:7–11)

God never coerces, limits, or violates the volition and self-determination of people. We all have the ability from God to make choices, which is totally consistent with human freedom as decreed by God. God’s will for us is to recognize Who He is and what He has done for us. And He has provided a salvation plan for the entire human race. Therefore, it should be clear that God is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to know Jesus Christ as Savior. Only in this way can the free will of man and the sovereignty of God coexist in human history. (II Peter 3:9)

God, in His wisdom, used the Jewish religious leaders (who hated Jesus) to cause Christ to be put on the Cross and provide salvation for mankind. It was God the Father Who used the crucifixion of Christ for His own purpose. This demonstrates once again that the plan of God cannot be stopped by anyone, not even Satan. So, Satan in all his “genius” could not match the genius of God, and without realizing it, the devil’s evil thinking played perfectly into the hands of God and His plan of salvation. This is the wisdom of the divine decrees from God. God’s omniscience cannot be matched by any creature no matter how brilliant they think they are. So, relax, your Heavenly Father is taking care of everything!

Practical Application of the Divine Decrees

God’s plan for mankind is revealed only through God’s Word, the Bible, and centers around the Person of Jesus Christ. God no longer speaks to man through voices, dreams, or visions as He did in Old Testament times. The Scripture is our only source of information about God’s plan. The Bible is our “map” that guides us through life and reveals the method by which we can please God. Since God created us, it makes good sense to want to know His plan for our lives. God is totally organized in His thinking and actions, and He makes perfect organized sense in all that He does. God is loving and kind and desires for everyone to come to the knowledge of the truth that He has revealed.

God not only created us, but He also predesigned a plan specifically for each one of us in eternity past. This plan is a perfect plan because it was designed by a perfect Person (God). God’s plan for us is revealed in a logical and sensible way and He provides the means for His plan to be carried out in our lives. God was actually thinking of you in eternity past when He designed your plan. Failure to discover His plan and obey its commands will lead to a life of misery and guilt. On the other hand, if you discover God’s plan and fulfill it, you will experience an amazing life of peace, joy, and happiness beyond compare.

It is God’s will for every person to enter into His plan by faith in Jesus Christ as personal Savior. After salvation, the sin nature continues to reside in the body and seeks to control a believer’s thoughts and actions. Everyone has an area of weakness and an area of strength with regard to the sin nature. The area of weakness produces mental attitude sins (jealousy, hatred, etc.), sins of the tongue (gossip, maligning, etc.), and overt sins (murder, stealing, etc.). The area of strength produces human good (good deeds, acts of kindness, etc.). When human good is substituted for divine production, it fails to meet God’s standard for believers. (Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 3:5)

When a believer does fail and commits a sin, they lose their fellowship with God and the filling of the Holy Spirit. However, by admitting our sin to God we are forgiven, restored to fellowship with Him and filled with the Holy Spirit. This is God’s system for recovery when we fail, but He has also provided a system that helps us resist the temptation to sin. This system is learning, believing, and applying the teachings of God’s Word. Spiritual growth is the key to understanding God’s plan for us. As we grow, we learn about God’s character: His integrity, His love for us, His grace toward us, His truth, His power, His wisdom, and His justice, which increases our capacity for life, love, Christian service, happiness, and blessing. (II Peter 3:18; I John 1:8–10)

Every believer is guaranteed eternal life by divine decree. This means that you will live forever with God in a state of perfect happiness and contentment without the imperfections and influence of the sin nature (which will be gone). As a believer, you will receive a resurrection body like that of Christ. Christ is preparing a place for each believer. The Bible describes Heaven as a place with streets of gold, walls of precious stones, and gates of pearl. Many believers will also be given great rewards by Jesus Christ. These rewards are based on a believer’s execution of God’s plan carried out under the filling of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 3:11–13, 15:35–45; II Corinthians 5:8; I Peter 1:4–5; Revelation 21:4)

What has God decreed for us? First, to believe in Him and to trust Jesus Christ as our Savior. Second, to use our volition to fulfill His plan for our lives by learning, believing, and applying His Word. Third, to bless us with rewards that are beyond our imagination. The Christian’s purpose should be to glorify God by allowing Him to bless them with peace, happiness, and contentment as they increase their capacity to receive these blessings from the knowledge and application of His Word. (John 3:16; Romans 12:1–2; Ephesians 1:3–6)