Monergistic Evil? Does God Cause Evil?

Dr. Leighton Flowers, Director of Apologetics for Texas Baptists, explains why John Piper's teaching necessarily entails that God is acting monergistically in regard to evil.

John Piper on Causality
1. Piper teaches that God decisively causes whether or not you will trust in Christ or not. This is like the call of Lazarus out of the grave. Jesus called with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out” (John 11:43). And the dead man came out. This kind of call creates what it calls for. If it says, “Live!” it creates life. If it says, “Repent!” it creates repentance. If it says “Believe!” it creates faith. If it says “Follow me!” it creates obedience… He really did call us — like Lazarus — from death to life… grace was decisive in bringing us to Christ. (i.e. Monergistic regeneration)

2. Piper teaches that God decisively causes whether or not you walk in obedience
God assisted with some conviction of sin and some enlightenment, but he did not transgress the sovereign territory of human self-determination. Therefore, this is his role in sanctification as well. He can assist with nudges and reminders and the like, but the final and decisive cause of progressive holiness is the self-determining power of the human will.

In the one theology God decisively causes me to walk in his statutes. And in the other theology he suggests that I walk in his statutes but I provide the decisive urge from my self-determining power. (i.e. Mongeristic Sanctification/Obedience)

3. Piper teaches that God decisively causes all evil preferences and choice.

The more technical definition of free will that some people use is this: We have free will if we are ultimately or decisively self-determining, and the only preferences and choices that we can be held accountable for are ones that are ultimately or decisively self-determined. The key word here is ultimate, or decisive. The point is not just that choices are self-determined, but that the self is the ultimate or decisive determiner. The opposite of this definition would be that God is the only being who is ultimately self-determining, and is himself ultimately the disposer of all things, including all choices — however many or diverse other intervening causes are.

On this definition, no human being has free will, at any time. Neither before or after the fall, or in heaven, are creatures ultimately self-determining. There are great measures of self-determination, as the Bible often shows, but never is man the ultimate or decisive cause of his preferences and choices. When man’s agency and God’s agency are compared, both are real, but God’s is decisive. Yet — and here’s the mystery that causes so many to stumble — God is always decisive in such a way that man’s agency is real, and his responsibility remains.

[andrewwalsh]

Amen to Rachel Moreno's comment. Thanks Dr. Flowers, this was so necessary to continue exposing the false teaching of John Piper. I saw the light and renounced Calvinism after 40 years. I am a "0" point Calvinist now. The fresh air of the pure Gospel of Jesus is so liberating and common sense simple.

[Scottiepups]

Calvinism is so very inside out it is painful to listen to. Always a pleasure Leighton, such a good video!

[mateusek]

Is there anywhere available full song/cover from the bwginning of the video? I really would like to find it... thanks :)

[hvNews]

I've been a bible study teacher for years and I appreciate the work Leighton has done for the body Christ. He is tackling the hard topics that some gloss over while teaching Romans.

[jroberthowell]

Where can I get a copy of the opening song?

[jaygee]

🎵Joy to the elect, the Lord is come,
🎶Let the elect receive her king!
🎵Let every chosen heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature

[bobbyadkins]

Leighton, You do a pretty good job in refuting Calvinism, probably better than anyone else. But can you please explain how you can call Piper a Christian when you know he teaches that God causes us to sin? The Bible warns us against false teachers, and if Piper isn't among some of the very worst, then who is?

[michaelewing]

thank you leighton you are awesome!!!!

[SherloqX]

Calvinism denies not only the very nature of love, which is God Himself, but it denies the sovereignty of God which is His ability to create free will people in His image and still remain in control. They deny His omniscience. Do you think God didn't plan for what would happen if He created man with free will? But God desired a relationship with man. Love. It's the most powerful thing about God. Love. God knew Adam would fall. Didn't stop Him. The plan of Christ sacrificing Himself, before the foundation of the world does not take away free will. All those that have faith, by the hearing of His Word (Christ) that accept Him are predestined to be conformed to Christ. Why do Calvinist think they are special in God's creation? Why does He choose you for salvation and not all? Doesn't the scriptures teach God wishes none to perish? Does God have two wills?

[omnitheus]

John Piper: "...never is man the ultimate or decisive cause of his preferences and choices. When man's agency and God's agency are compared, both are real, but God's is decisive. Yet - and here's the mystery that causes so many to stumble - God is always decisive in such a way that man's agency is real, and his responsibility remains." What a pile of dribble... It is a stumbling block for any logical thinking person because what he has said is indeed illogical. How can God find fault if he is the deciding factor? How on earth can a person have any real agency if God makes the final decisive choice for them and worse yet, hold him responsible? The ravings of a proper mad individual who has told himself enough times that this is right and therefore believed his own folly. What a mess! To think people follow this garbage that is passed off as philosophy. No wonder Atheists love debating Calvinists.

[agodfortheatheistnow]

God created bodies that demand world things to survive, but we can only get love and belonging and self actualization by giving up our own needs.

[agodfortheatheistnow]

There is power in FAITH. Faith cometh by hearing the word of God. But man needs a physical body to experience a physical world which god created for him. Now the BODY has demands and requirements according to the laws of physics and determinism. FOOD SHELTER AND SECURITY!.. However love belonging and self actualization also have needs and those needs are in direct conflict with the needs of security. Thus one MUST sacrifice his security needs in order to fulfill his need of love belonging and self actualization. Reap what you sow is also the concept of do unto others as you would want done unto you. If you need food, someone has to sacrifice some of their food to feed you, and if they do not the their self esteem is lost because the understand the concept that is the golden rule.

[JonathanGrandt]

We already are sanctified. We’re not working toward it, or trying to achieve some bit by bit progressive sanctification thing. He has sanctified us.

[jessegandy]

The whole calvinist/arminian debate is irrelevant to me. If you're saved, you're saved. Why does it matter if you chose salvation or if God elected you? People get hung up on and obsessed with these minor details. Crazy

[rachelmoreno]

I have been transformed by God; I do NOT need to be reformed by men. Reject Calvinism!

[JohnQPublic]

*ATTENTION SPOUSES* of Calvinists: If your spouse is grimacing in pain with their head in their hands and locked in a frozen pose staring at their kneecaps, *don’t panic, * its only a bad case of sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia brought on by an exposition of flawless logic, which is like Kryptonite to a Calvinist, they’ll come out of it in an hour or two.

[agodfortheatheistnow]

God did not bring evil into the world, Adam did. Before eating from the tree they were naked and knew no sin. IMMEDIATELY after eating from the tree they were naked and felt ashamed. FIRST consider the name of the tree "knowledge of good and evil" Is being naked as sin? Yes or no" Some say god never changes truth never changes so NO it is not ... only Adam changed and it was ADAM who said being naked was a sin, NOT God!
Now Jesus comes along and says JUDGE NOT! Why? Because it is judgement that creates sin. Jesus said "God does not judge you" and "I do not judge you" but you will be judge... by who? By ourselves when we can no longer hide from the truth that WE are the ones who create evil, God created evil in the way down is created when we create up, slow is created when we create fast and cold is created when we create hot. Thus when God created Good he must by default created evil.

[TheJCFan]

Its not a blatent inconsistency. Its a lie.

Jesus would not sugar-coat the truth.

These people do not know the God of Israel .

[joeyhenry]

Dr. Leighton,

You said before that you are willing to be corrected in your understanding of reformed theology. So here is a correction.

When you use the term “decisive cause”, you are limiting the means of control to a single mechanism, i.e. God directly overriding the creaturely will such that the distinction between the creature and the creator is dissolved. That is not what reformed theologians mean when they use that term. When the reformed refer to meticulous control of God over all things, we mean that no event finds its “certainty” outside the decree of God. We are talking here of “certainty” not mechanism. How God makes things “certain” via his decree is not limited to a single mechanism. That is why you will find in the reformed confession that “Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly; yet, by the same providence, He orders them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently” (WFC 5.2). The mechanism of his control on the certainty of events happening according to the reformed are diverse and many. The confession categorised these mechanisms as “necessary, freely, or contingently”. Meaning to say, God can work out his plans even with the free creaturely will (secondary cause) as part of working out his plans (no pun intended). How he can do so without violating the free actions of the creature is a mystery to us.

I hope that you will stop using this red herring to the reformed position. Believe me, those of us who are listening and investigating (even our own tradition) will not find your basic errors appealing or convincing. It does not help your cause at all. And it also misinforms your students who rely on your expertise on this topic. There are able and capable men under SBC who you can dialogue with to explain better to you the reformed position. Contact Founders and have a proper dialogue with them. I am sure it will benefit you and your students for someone who knows the reformed dogmatics to be given time to dialogue with you on one of your programs.

Sincerely,
Joey Henry

[KadesVideoList]

So, instead of "the Devil made me do it" we get "God made me do it." Awesome. /sarcasm