For thou hast
possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise
thee; for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth
right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and
curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my
substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto
me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more
in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee (Ps.
139:13-18).
COMMON GRACE ARGUMENT:
“David says in this Psalm that he is ‘fearfully and wonderfully made.’ But
surely this applies to every human
being? The reprobate is knitted together in his mother’s womb in the same way
that David describes he was. In that sense every human being is a wonderful
work. It is appropriate to look at every human being with a sense of wonder and
admiration at what they are (not
necessarily at what they do, but what they are
[minus the fallen stuff].) This holds for God too, who, on account of His
perfection, never fails to appreciate the beautiful and the wonderful. But
appreciation is a weak form of love. Therefore, God loves every human being in
this sense.”
(I)
Prof. David J. Engelsma
With
regard to the Psalm 139 passage, note, first, that David speaks of himself, who
is a child of God, not of all men universally.
I appeal to the passage, in fact, in support of infant salvation of the children
of godly parents. God’s eye was on David
already in his mother’s womb (v. 15).
Second,
it is strange that some should appeal to the text in support of a love of God
for all humans, when verses 19ff. of the Psalm teach God’s hatred of the wicked
and determination to destroy them.
Indeed, the believer hates the wicked (v. 21). Of all psalms to avoid when arguing a love of
God for all, Psalm 139 is outstanding.
But,
third, granting that verse 14 applies to the natural formation of all humans,
the text merely teaches that the human is a marvelous creation of God,
physically and naturally. One can even
admire the mind of an Einstein, the musical ability of a Mozart, and the
sporting ability of a major league baseball player, attributing the abilities
to the Creator, without supposing that this creature, with outstanding human
abilities, is the object of the love of the Creator. The issue is the spiritual life and nature of
the human. Apart from Christ and the
Spirit of Christ he uses all his abilities, in themselves marvelous, to oppose
God (v. 20). He is an enemy of God and
as such an object of the wrath of God.
Sin plunged a good creation under the wrath of God. The devil’s capable mind and extraordinary
talents, bestowed originally by the Creator, do not make him object of the love
of God. God is not impressed by all this
ability that is opposed to Him and His church. (31/05/2018)
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(II)
More to come! (DV)
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