This is one of the questions I’ve been asked concerning assisted dying. There is a point there isn’t there? God knows everything: past present, future. In fact, Scripture goes further and points to him being in control, planning and purposing what will happen. Every minute and every day is in his hand. Doesn’t that mean that even if I take my own life through assisted dying that this was his plan anyway?
It is important first of all to recognise the truth here. God really is sovereign. It is right to observe that everything in our lives is purposed by him. Nothing can happen without his say so. At the same time, consistently through history, Christians have insisted two things. First, that this does not make God culpable for evil. That’s because we recognise that his intent is good and he fulfils his good purposes. Some will also distinguish things that are directly caused by God without intermediate causes and those where intermediate players are involved. Secondly, that God’s sovereignty does not take away from our responsibility and therefore where sin and evil are involved, our culpability.
This means that we can consider a number of events that might happen in our lives. We might choose to cheat at an exam, speed to get somewhere on time, steal, be unfaithful to a spouse or ignore the Sabbath Day because we are driven by the need for success at work. In each circumstance we would insist that God is sovereign and so will be using those events as part of his plan for his glory. Yet, this doesn’t mean that we should just go and do those things. At this point I’m reminded of the way that Paul in Romans 6 dismisses the suggestion that we should sin more because grace abounds where there is more sin.
Coming specifically to the question of death. There are a number of ways in which I might meet my demise. I might die as a result of an illness taking its course. I may also die as a result of a tragic accident or I could be the victim of murder or manslaughter. In each and every one of those cases, I might say that God’s hand is in it. However, this doesn’t mean I should be reckless with road safety or refuse medical treatment that could save my life. Nor is the murderer less culpable because of God’s sovereignty. They must still serve their sentence.
Christians also talk about God’s hidden or secret will and his decreed, public will. We cannot second guess the former and so we should stick with what God has clearly said to us.. Furthermore, rather than second guessing, our decisions are better shaped by consideration for what they tell us about what we believe about God, his creation and us.
Faithroots 