AMA: Does God “Decree” Wicked Actions?

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Does God decree that someone gets raped? If man has no free will, and God is sovereign over all man’s actions, does that mean that He foreordained a woman to get raped by an evil man from before the foundation of the world? Or does He simply know that the evil act was going to happen? And if He only knew, why would He allow it?

Before endeavoring to answer this loaded and valid question, it is necessary to first deal with a couple of misconceptions within the question itself.

An assumption is made in the question that “man has no free will.” That assumption is neither what I believe, nor what Scripture teaches. We do have a “free” will; we make genuine decisions and bear the full responsibility for those decisions.

There are limitations, or caveats, to that free will, however. The Bible reveals that all of humanity, prior to salvation. has inherited the curse of Adam, a sinful nature which places us under the righteous judgment and wrath of God:

📘 And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Ephesians 2:1-3

What does that have to do with our “free” will? Just as God cannot lie because it is beyond His divine nature, our own free will is confined to that which is consistent with our nature. The unbeliever is a “child of wrath” by nature and will therefore always make decisions in keeping with rebellion. The unconverted heart will always choose to sin, but they choose to do so freely.

It is only through rebirth, being granted a new heart in Christ, and being made into a new creation (with a new nature) that man can choose to please God.

So we need to recognize that first, before answer the rest of your questions: man does have free will, but that free will is confined to his nature.

Now, does God “decree” or ordain rape (or any other sinful tragedy) before the foundation of the Earth? To answer that, I will start by asking a different question:

What was the most unjust, wicked thing that has ever happened in the history of the Earth?

It wasn’t rape. It wasn’t the Holocaust. It wasn’t slavery or even abortion.

The most wicked and unjust thing that ever happened was the sinless, blameless Son of God being slain on the cross for the sins of those who would believe! Jesus Christ is the only man who ever lived that truly did not deserve to die, and yet He was murdered.

When did God ordain the crucifixion of Christ? Did He formulate the plan of salvation before the foundation of the world and sovereignly orchestrate all history to culminate with Jesus’ death and resurrection? Or did He, in His omniscience, simply know it was going to happen?

Scripture answers those questions. Peter tells us in Acts 2:23 that Jesus was “delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.”

Even going back to the prophet Isaiah, we see that Jesus’ death was always a part of God’s plan for the salvation of His people:

📘 But Yahweh was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If You would place His soul as a guilt offering, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of Yahweh will succeed in His hand.

Isaiah 53:10

Peter tells us again in 1 Peter 2:10-11 that Jesus was “foreknown before the foundation of the world […] so that [our] faith and hope are in God.”

📘 [God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity…

2 Timothy 1:9

So from eternity past, it was always God’s plan of redemption to have His Son take on flesh, live in a sinless life, and die a horrible death, even death on a cross, for us.

The most wicked and evil plan of men was laid out, by God, before the foundation of the Earth.

Does this sovereignty of God apply to rape, murder, genocide, and others sins as well? Why would it not? Does God take pleasure in men behaving wickedly? Absolutely not. He does not create the sin, but He will use it for His glory and for the good of His people:

📘 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

“All things” means all things, both the good and the bad. God regularly uses evil men to accomplish His will.

Even the horrible sin of rape can be used and redeemed by God. We do not know His ways or why He may allow certain things to happen; remember, Job was never given a reason for his suffering. God does not owe any of us an explanation.

One final thing to note, that you may have hinted at in your question.

Whether God decreed something or simply foreknew it would happen and allowed it, the end result is still that God made the decision. Whether He caused or allowed, He is all-powerful and could have changed the course of events regardless.

So everything that happens on this Earth, in one way or another, was a part of God’s plan and sovereign will.

Instead of making excuses or apologies for God, we as Christians need to come to terms with the fact that God can do as He wishes with His creation. He “owes” us only judgment and death because that is what we have earned.

📘 But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7

That is not a grace we deserve!

When we are tempted to question God’s sovereignty over even the great tragedies of our life, let us all remember Job and make his response our own:

📘 I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too marvelous for me, which I did not know.

‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You make me know.’

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I reject myself, and I repent in dust and ashes.”

Job 42:2-6