A Reformed (Compatibilist) Perspective
> Few theological issues are as stretching—and as spiritually important—as the relationship between God’s absolute sovereignty and genuine human responsibility. Scripture seems to affirm both without embarrassment. The Reformed / Calvinist tradition has wrestled deeply with this tension, and its dominant answer is what philosophers and theologians call compatibilism.
This post will:
- Explain the nature of the paradox
- Show how Scripture affirms both truths
- Outline compatibilism as understood in the Reformed tradition
- Touch on other broad approaches (without going into detail)
- Show why this matters for our lives today
✨ Discover FAQs of Faith Mobile App! ✨Looking for a convenient way to access all your favorite faith-based content? Introducing the FAQs of Faith mobile app, your go-to resource that combines insightful and inspiring content from Faith Answers Press LLC into one easy-to-use platform. Whether you’re seeking answers to faith questions, daily inspiration, or spiritual growth resources, our app has it all. 📲 Download now and start your journey! Click on FAQs of Faith
1. The Nature of the Paradox
The apparent contradiction is usually framed like this:
- God is absolutely sovereign.
- He “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).
- His purposes cannot be thwarted (Job 42:2; Isaiah 46:9–10).
- Humans are morally responsible and make real choices.
- We are commanded, warned, invited, judged, and held accountable (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Romans 2:5–8).
- Our choices are not illusions; they have real consequences.
The paradox:
If God sovereignly ordains all that comes to pass, in what meaningful sense are our choices free?
And if our will is truly free, how can God foreordain everything without violating that freedom?
The Reformed tradition insists:
- This is not a logical contradiction (like a “square circle”), but a mystery—truths that exceed our comprehension but are not irrational.
- Scripture presents both truths side by side without softening either.
“Where God closes His holy mouth, I will desist from inquiry.”
—John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (paraphrased)
2. Scriptural Foundations: Both Sovereignty and Responsibility
A. God’s Exhaustive Sovereignty
God’s decree and providence
- “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3)
- “I declare the end from the beginning… saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” (Isaiah 46:10)
- “He… works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (Ephesians 1:11)
Specific, detailed control
- Casting lots: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:33)
- Kings’ hearts: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1)
- Seemingly small events: A sparrow doesn’t fall to the ground “apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29–30).
Reformed theology concludes:
Nothing is outside God’s sovereign governance—large or small, global or personal, including human decisions.
B. Genuine Human Responsibility and Real Choices
Alongside sovereignty, Scripture clearly teaches:
- Commands and calls to choose
- “Choose this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)
- “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!” (Isaiah 45:22)
- “Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
- Real moral accountability
- “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
- God “will render to each one according to his works.” (Romans 2:6–8)
- Our actions described as truly ours
- We “refuse,” “stiffen [our] necks,” “harden [our] hearts” (Hebrews 3:7–8).
- Our choices are praised or condemned.
Scripture simply holds these together: God ordains all things, and we are responsible agents within that ordained order.
3. Key Biblical Case Studies Where Both Meet
A. Joseph and His Brothers (Genesis 37–50)
Joseph’s brothers commit real, wicked acts in selling him into slavery. Yet God was sovereignly working through those sins.
- Joseph to his brothers: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,
to bring it about that many people should be kept alive…”
(Genesis 50:20)
Note carefully:
- The same event (their betrayal) had two intentions:
- They meant it for evil (their real, sinful will).
- God meant it for good (His sovereign, righteous purpose).
This is classic compatibilism in narrative form.
B. The Crucifixion of Christ
The clearest biblical example is the cross:
- Peter’s sermon: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,
you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”
(Acts 2:23) - Later: “…to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”
(Acts 4:27–28)
In one event:
- God’s definite plan is being fulfilled.
- The people involved are lawless and morally guilty.
The cross is not God’s reaction to human choices; it is His sovereign plan carried out through genuine, accountable human choices.
4. Compatibilism: The Reformed Explanation
A. What Is Compatibilism?
Compatibilism (in theology and philosophy) says:
God’s absolute sovereignty over all things is fully compatible with genuine human responsibility and meaningful choice.
In Reformed thought:
- God ordains whatsoever comes to pass (Westminster Confession of Faith 3.1),
yet He does so in such a way that:- He is not the author of sin,
- He does not violate the will of His creatures,
- Secondary causes (our choices, events, means) are real and significant.
“God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will,
freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass;
yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin,
nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures,
nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”
—Westminster Confession of Faith 3.1
B. Freedom: Not “Ability to Do Otherwise,” But “Acting According to One’s Nature”
Reformed compatibilism typically defines human freedom as:
We are free when we act voluntarily, according to our desires, intentions, and character—without external coercion—even though those desires fall under God’s sovereign decree.
- You are not forced against your will; you choose what you most want at the moment of choice.
- But your wants (desires, loves, inclinations) are not neutral—they flow from your nature and heart.
Before regeneration, Scripture describes our natural state:
- “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34)
- “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God… it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” (Romans 8:7–8)
- “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44)
So:
- We freely choose sin because, apart from grace,
we love sin and dislike the light (John 3:19–20). - Our will is in bondage to our nature; it is not indifferent or neutral.
Jonathan Edwards (a key Reformed thinker) argued:
“The will is always as the greatest apparent good is.”
—Jonathan Edwards, Freedom of the Will (paraphrased)
Meaning: at any given moment, you choose what you want most, based on how you perceive “good” at that moment. That is real freedom—but it is conditioned by your heart.
C. God’s Sovereignty Over the Will—Without Coercion
Reformed compatibilism teaches that:
- God can sovereignly govern hearts (Proverbs 21:1) and
- ordain whatsoever comes to pass (Ephesians 1:11)
- while human choices remain voluntary and morally accountable.
In salvation:
- God sovereignly regenerates (gives new birth) and changes the heart (Ezekiel 36:26–27).
- With a new heart, the person freely comes to Christ, now seeing Him as beautiful and desirable.
“Man is so enslaved by the yoke of sin, that he can of his own nature aim at nothing right.”
—John Calvin, Institutes (2.3.5, paraphrased)
“The grace which is able to make a man will is more powerful than the very will itself.”
—Augustine, often quoted approvingly in the Reformed tradition
Modern Reformed theologian John Piper puts it this way:
“God is sovereign over our choices, but we are still choosing.
We are morally responsible because when we choose, we are doing what we want.”
—John Piper (summary of his teaching on sovereignty and freedom)
5. Other Broad Approaches (Briefly)
While this post focuses on the Reformed compatibilist view, it’s important to recognize that:
- Some traditions (often labeled libertarian in their view of freedom)
emphasize a “power of contrary choice”—a kind of freedom where a person could genuinely have done otherwise in exactly the same circumstances.- You often see something like this in many Arminian, Wesleyan, or some Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox accounts.
- Other articulations (like some forms of Molinism) posit God’s use of “middle knowledge”—knowing what every free creature would do in any circumstance—to reconcile exhaustive foreknowledge with libertarian freedom.
Compatibilism does not say these views are meaningless or that they deny Scripture; it simply argues that the best way to hold all the Bible’s data together is to affirm:
- God’s decree is ultimate and exhaustive,
- Our choices are real and responsible,
- These are compatible because of how God sovereignly works through human desires and decisions, not in spite of them.
6. Why This Matters Today
This is not abstract philosophy. It profoundly shapes:
A. Humility and Worship
If God is truly sovereign over all, including our salvation:
- Boasting is excluded.
- “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)
- Salvation is from start to finish of grace:
- “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world…” (Ephesians 1:4–6)
- “It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:16)
This leads to worship:
“The doctrine of election is a fountain of praise, admiration, and consolation.”
—Charles Spurgeon, A Defense of Calvinism (paraphrased)
B. Confidence in God’s Providence
In suffering, compatibilism gives a deep, stabilizing hope:
- The worst things that happen are not outside God’s plan.
- Like Joseph and like the cross, God is able to “mean” even evil for ultimate good (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28).
This doesn’t trivialize pain; it anchors it:
“There is no such thing as chance.
Our Father’s hand is in all, working all things for the good of those who love him.”
—R.C. Sproul (paraphrased from Chosen by God and lectures on providence)
C. Seriousness About Sin and Responsibility
Compatibilism does not excuse sin:
- Because God decrees all things, we might be tempted to say,
“If everything is determined, my choices don’t matter.” - Scripture responds:
- Paul rejects this reasoning strongly in Romans 9:19–20.
- God still commands, warns, and judges.
We cannot shrug off our actions. We are:
- Really choosing,
- Really responsible,
- Really accountable before a holy God.
D. Motivation for Evangelism and Prayer
Far from killing evangelism and prayer, Reformed compatibilism fuels them:
- Evangelism
- God uses means: preaching, witness, love, patience.
- Paul stays in Corinth because God has “many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:9–10).
- God’s sovereign choice guarantees that evangelism will bear fruit, not that evangelism is unnecessary.
- Prayer
- If God is sovereign, He is actually able to answer prayer.
- Our prayers, ordained by God, are real means He uses to accomplish His will (James 5:16; Philippians 1:19).
“Prayer is the ordained means whereby God accomplishes His ordained ends.”
—J.I. Packer (often summarized this way in discussions of sovereignty and responsibility)
E. Assurance and Perseverance
If salvation ultimately rests on God’s sovereign grace:
- Our assurance doesn’t rest on the strength of our will,
but on the faithfulness of God. - “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion…” (Philippians 1:6)
- “Those whom he predestined he also called… justified… glorified.” (Romans 8:30)
This breeds both security and persevering effort:
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
(Philippians 2:12–13)
Paul tethers our active obedience (“work out”) to God’s prior, deeper action (“for it is God who works in you”). That’s compatibilism in one verse.
7. Living in the Tension, Resting in the Truth
We may never fully understand how divine sovereignty and human responsibility fit together. But we can:
- Affirm both clearly, because Scripture does.
- Avoid simplistic answers that solve the tension by denying one side.
- Rest in God’s character—His wisdom, justice, goodness, and love.
John Calvin, who has often been caricatured as coldly theoretical, actually emphasizes the pastoral point:
“When the human mind hears this doctrine of predestination,
it inevitably boils over with so many questions that it nearly bursts.
But the Spirit of God wills that we should rest in the Word,
and soberly embrace what it teaches.”
—John Calvin, Institutes (3.21–24, paraphrased)
The Reformed compatibilist approach does not claim to exhaust the mystery. It simply seeks to say:
- God is absolutely sovereign.
- We are genuinely responsible.
- Both are true, both matter, and both are good news in the hands of a crucified and risen King.
Visit our companion site
Discover the Truth About Jesus Christ
Are you new to the Christian faith or seeking answers about Jesus? Visit JesusIsLordBlog.com for insightful articles, compelling reasons to believe, and a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. Start your journey today!
