What I contribute to my redemption.

“All is of God; the only thing of my very own which I contribute to my redemption is the sin from which I need to be redeemed.”

- William Temple, quoted by Sinclair Ferguson, In Christ Alone (Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2007), 42.

[HT: Of First Importance]

Where are the faithful young men and women?

God NOT The Author of Sin

At last night's group study at church, after watching the first session of John Piper's newly recorded TULIP series, our discussion turned to the problem of evil, and the question of whether or not God authored sin. I believe the question arose mainly from Piper's reading of Revelation 13:8 - in the context of explaining some of the mindboggling truths in Scripture - as well as his reference to his sermon series, "Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ."

Other texts which beg the question: Acts 4:27-28; Genesis 50:20; Job 42:10-11

Quoting John Piper, from the above sermon series (quotes courtesy of David Mathis):

• August 12: “God created [Satan and his demons] knowing what they would become and how, in that very evil role, they would glorify Christ. Knowing everything they would become, God created them for the glory of Christ.”
• August 19: “God is sovereign over Satan, and therefore Satan’s will does not move without God’s permission. And therefore every move of Satan is part of God’s overall purpose and plan.”
• August 26: “[E]verything that exists—including evil—is ordained by an infinitely holy and all-wise God to make the glory of Christ shine more brightly. . . . Adam’s sin and the fall of the human race with him into sin and misery did not take God off guard and is part of his overarching plan to display the fullness of the glory of Jesus Christ.”
  

For the record, I believe it would be a mistake, and in error, to suggest or outright teach that God is the author of sin. As provocative as the above statements are, I don't hear Piper suggesting there that God is the author of evil/sin. I have never heard or read John Piper suggest that God is the author of sin.

Here is John Frame wrestling with the two truths that (1) God is totally and ultimately sovereign over all things, and (2) evil/sin exists...and yet, God is not the author of sin (courtesy of David Mathis, from his (Frame's) book The Doctrine of God):

The term authors is almost universally condemned in the theological literature. It is rarely defined, but it seems to mean both that God is the efficient cause of evil and that by causing evil he actually does something wrong.¹ So the [Westminster Confession] says that God “neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin” (5:4). Despite this denial in a major Reformed confession, Arminians regularly charge that Reformed theology makes God the author of sin. They assume that if God brings about evil in any sense, he must therefore approve it and deserve the blame. In their view, nothing less than libertarian freedom will serve to absolve God from the charge of authoring sin.

But as we saw [in chapter 8] libertarian freedom is incoherent and unbiblical. And as we saw [in chapter 4] God does bring about sinful human actions. To deny this, or to charge God with wickedness on account of it, is not open to a Bible-believing Christian. Somehow, we must confess both that God has a role in bringing evil about, and that in doing so he is holy and blameless. . . . God does bring sins about, but always for his own good purposes. So in bringing sin to pass he does not himself commit sin. If that argument is sound, then a Reformed doctrine of the sovereignty of God does not imply that God is the author of sin.

Suggested Reading:

Theopedia's Resource Page on "The Problem of Evil"
John Piper's sermon series, "Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ"
Does God Author Sin? (David Mathis, DesiringGod)
Does God Cause Sin? (David Mathis, DesiringGod)
Does God Permit Sin? (David Mathis, DesiringGod)
The Author-Story Model (David Mathis, DesiringGod)
Piper sermon: Is God Less Glorious Because He Ordain That Evil Be? Jonathan Edwards on the Decrees of God
Piper sermon: The Suffering of Christ and the Sovereignty of God (from the 2005 DG National Conference)
John MacArthur sermon: The Problem of Evil
John Frame: The Bible On The Problem of Evil: Insights from Romans 3, 5, and 8