Articles
Nothing is Arbitrary
It seems that many hold to the false belief that one may come to God on our own terms, or that we may arbitrarily decide which commands of God we want to obey [and still be pleasing to Him], but such ideas are merely wishful thinking. At no time did God ever say, “It doesn’t matter what I think or say or want; what do you want to do?” Though I have never heard anyone profess this to be their concept of how God has communicated His will to mankind, I have seen, and continue to see, many people live as if that is what they believe. Even many religiously-minded individuals seem to think God’s commands are not absolutes, or that He ‘really’ wants us to obey them, but have this baseless concept of God that would have Him be some grandfatherly figure who just lives to give us what we want and to make us happy.
But we need to know that if we hold such views of God and what He demands of us, such views are flatly contradictory to what He has revealed to us in the Scriptures, and such views do a great disservice to the lost souls who may be seeking truth, forgiveness, and eternal life. Such concepts are foreign to the Scriptures, foreign to the reality of who God is and what He demands of all men, and should be foreign to anyone who truly knows God and His word. Such a view of God and His expectations would make everything about God and His will merely arbitrary, rather than necessary. Friends and brethren, there is nothing arbitrary about God and His ways and demands. Nothing.
But before we get too deeply into this discussion, let us first clarify what is meant by the term arbitrary. According to the Random House Dictionary, it means “subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one’s discretion; based on whim or personal preference, without reason or pattern.” And though many seem to act as if there is no reason or pattern to their religious service, such beliefs and practices do not originate with God. Again, there is nothing arbitrary about God and His ways and demands.
God is Not Arbitrary. Even belief in God is not arbitrary, for God’s word tells us plainly, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). If we truly seek to please God, it is only logical to conclude that we do not have the option of believing that He is real; no one would seek to please one they did not believe existed!
But God Himself is not arbitrary in what He says or does, either; no, God speaks and acts with purpose. We may not always know what that purpose is, but if we know God, we know that He does not act or speak arbitrarily, for He has had a plan in place for our salvation, and it was “according to His own purpose and grace” and set in place “before time began, but…now…revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 1:8-10). As Peter wrote, Christ “was foreordained [as Savior] before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Pet. 1:20). With the plan in place before man was even created, “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son” (Gal. 4:4). In other words, God had the plan in place, and when the time came He deemed was right, He sent Jesus to this world to be our Savior. No one can honestly argue that anything to do with Christ, the church, and the gospel message of salvation was an afterthought or some sort of ‘Plan B’ because some men rejected Jesus as Christ. Nothing was arbitrary. Nothing.
Throughout the Bible record we see that, sometimes, He worked with certain men through Providence, preserving the lineage of the one who would be the Christ [as with Joseph], and sometimes He worked with mankind through miracles, signs, and wonders [such as the virgin birth of Jesus]. But one thing we may know in all this [though He has not revealed everything] is that He has always had a purpose in what He did and said. And as He said of one particular plan He had for punishment of one of the godless nations, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand” (Isa. 14:24). And, again, “Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it” (Isa. 46:11). Neither His blessings nor His punishments were arbitrary.
Something arbitrary is also inherently uncertain, for one cannot ever know if it will change, or even happen as promised. Again, this cannot describe God for as God Himself has revealed, “I am the Lord, I do not change” (Mal. 3:6).
God’s Word is Not Arbitrary. There is no uncertainty with God’s word, either; this is only logical, since God is not arbitrary. There is always a reason behind what He says, commands, promises, or foretells, and it is all certain. We can know this because, first of all, “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18); there is no reason for uncertainty with God’s word. Second, what was spoken to man was for His good (Deut. 6:24); God’s word has never been random, meaningless commands and promises with no purpose, benefit, or expectation of fulfillment. We know that the promises were fulfilled without fail and the record shows this to be true (cf. Josh. 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56), so we may have confidence that promises yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled when God deems it proper.
God’s Salvation is Not Arbitrary. Nothing about the plan of salvation is arbitrary, for there was and is a purpose behind every factor involved in our salvation. God conceived the plan because He knew man would need saving; Christ was chosen to be Savior, again, because he knew man would need one; Christ died for our sins as the perfect sacrifice for our sins because He knew we had nothing we could offer in exchange for forgiveness and salvation; He deemed it necessary this plan be revealed to mankind “through preaching” (Titus 1:3), because His plan demanded men believe in order to be saved (John 3:16).
And for those who believe the gospel and become disciples [followers] of Jesus Christ, every command given is absolutely not arbitrary; it all is purposeful, and has a reason. [We may not always understand why, and many times it is not revealed to us, but if we know God, we can know and believe there is a reason and a purpose.] Though some see the Bible as merely a bunch of “Thou shall nots,” the positive commands are for our good, as well as those that prohibit certain behavior. Just as children do not always understand their parents’ commands and rules, the intent of the parent(s) is for the good of the child. So it is with God.
Our Obedience Should Not be Arbitrary. Having seen that God, His ways, and His commands are not arbitrary, it should only follow then that our obedience to Him and His commands must also not be arbitrary; that is, we do not randomly or haphazardly pick and choose which of His commands we obey. We do not have the right to use our own discretion as to which commands we obey, and our personal preferences are not to decide what is to be obeyed — or ignored.
Paul exhorted the early disciples, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17). We cannot arbitrarily disobey any command, and expect to be pleasing to Him.
May God be true. — Steven Harper
