Necessary

Martin

"Can I ask you a theological question?"

Alison

Without much enthusiasm, "Go on then."

Martin

"Is everything that God does necessary? Meaning that because God is perfect and everything, he does is perfect, he could not act in any other way. That his own nature ensures that he only does certain things. Could that mean that the all-powerful God is only able to act in a very narrow and constrained way? That his choice of action in every circumstance is limited to only act in the single, perfect way without choice on his part?"

Alison

"No"

Martin

"Ok, shall I start tea?"

After a tea of sausage, chips, beans, fried onions and mushrooms, which was superb if I do say so myself, I considered further and thought that Alison may possibly be right. Not the first time in our thirty-six years of marriage that this crazy thought has crossed my mind!

My question implied that somehow God was restricted and constrained by his perfect nature. This is of course the opposite to the truth. God is gloriously liberated by his ability to act in the best way possible every time. We can be haunted by the decisions that we have or have not taken, wishing that we had chosen a different path. We can be in bondage to the 'what ifs' of our past and frozen into inactivity as we consider the future

Not so with God, he is totally free and able to do what is right, for his own glory and for the blessing of his creation. This was true yesterday, it is true today and will be true for every tomorrow