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Theological Basis for "God Will Work It Out" in Scripture

The biblical phrase "God will work it out" reflects a theological understanding of God's active involvement in human affairs and His ultimate sovereignty over all creation. This concept is rooted in various scriptural passages that describe God's purposeful action, His providential care, and His commitment to His plans.

One foundational aspect of this belief is God's role as the ultimate worker. The name "Elpaal" itself means "God's work" [4]. Scripture frequently portrays God as actively engaged in His creation and in the lives of individuals. For instance, Job 33:29 states, "Lo, all these things will God worke twise or thrise with a man" [2], indicating God's repeated and persistent intervention. This divine activity extends to judgment, as Ecclesiastes 12:14 declares, "For God will bring euery worke vnto iudgement, with euery secret thing, whether it be good or euill" [1]. This suggests that God's work encompasses not only creation and sustenance but also the administration of justice and the bringing of all things to their appointed end.

The idea that "God will work it out" is closely tied to the doctrine of divine providence, which asserts that God governs all events, including the free acts of rational creatures, without destroying their liberty or responsibility [10]. Charles Hodge explains that God acts according to a preconceived plan, ensuring that "everything is left to chance and allowed to take its undirected course to an undetermined end" [13]. This divine plan is not merely a passive observation but an active working out of His will. The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 2:13, encourages believers to "work out your own salvation, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" [8]. This passage highlights a synergistic relationship where human effort is empowered and enabled by God's prior and ongoing work within them. The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown commentary emphasizes that God's working in believers provides the encouragement and ability to "work it out," meaning to carry out the salvation He has initiated [8].

This divine working is particularly evident in the context of salvation. Scripture consistently teaches that salvation "is of God" and "is of the purpose of God" [6]. It is by Christ alone, and it is revealed in the Gospel [6]. The power of God's grace is essential, as Augustine argued against Pelagianism, stating that human capacity, volition, and action are insufficient without divine assistance [11]. Augustine further supported this by citing biblical passages like those in Chronicles and Ezekiel, which speak of God giving a new heart and spirit, demonstrating His direct intervention in changing human will and disposition [12]. The effects of grace, such as repentance, faith, and holiness, are considered "gifts of God, the fruits of the Spirit," which cannot be produced by human will or effort alone [15].

The confidence that "God will work it out" is also grounded in God's faithfulness. Paul's assurance in 1 Thessalonians 5:24, "God will make this happen," is based on God's faithful character [9]. This faithfulness ensures that God will complete what He has started. Even in missionary work, which requires human effort, it is understood to be "according to the purpose of God" and "directed by the Holy Spirit" [7].

While God's active working is central, it does not negate human responsibility or the importance of good works. The Bible calls believers to perform "good works" that are "by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God" [3]. These works are "wrought by God in us" [3], indicating that even human good deeds are ultimately enabled by divine power. The doctrine of salvation by grace, while emphasizing God's work, does not diminish the importance of good works; rather, it redefines their source and purpose [5]. As John Chrysostom noted, the Jews sought righteousness by works, while Gentiles found it by faith, illustrating that justification is not by the works of the law but by a new system of faith [14].

Sources

  1. Ecclesiastes “Ecclesiastes 12:14 (Geneva1599) — For God will bring euery worke vnto iudgement, with euery secret thing, whether it be good or euill.”
  2. Job “Job 33:29 (Geneva1599) — Lo, all these things will God worke twise or thrise with a man,”
  3. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Works, Good — Christ, an example of -- Joh 10:32; Ac 10:38. Called Good fruits. -- Jas 3:17. Fruits meet for repentance. -- Mt 3:8. Fruits of righteousness. -- Php 1:11. Works and labours of love. -- Heb 6:10. Are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God -- Php 1:11. They alone, who abide in Christ can perform -- Joh 15:4,5. Wrought by God in us -- Isa 26:12; Php 2:13. The Scripture designed to lead us to -- 2Ti 3:16,17; Jas 1:25. To be performed in Christ's name -- Col 3:17. Heavenly wisdom is full of -- Jas 3:17. Justification unattainable by -- Ro 3:20; Ga 2”
  4. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Elpaal — God's work”
  5. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Works, Good — The old objection against the doctrine of salvation by grace, that it does away with the necessity of good works, and lowers the sense of their importance (Rom. 6), although it has been answered a thousand times, is still alleged by many. They say if men are not saved by works, then works are not necessary. If the most moral of men are saved in the same way as the very chief of sinners, then good works are of no moment. And more than this, if the grace of God is most clearly displayed in the salvation of the vilest of men, then the worse men are the bet”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Salvation — Is of God -- Ps 3:8; 37:39; Jer 3:23. Is of the purpose of God -- 2Ti 1:9. Is of the appointment of God -- 1Th 5:9. God is willing to give -- 1Ti 2:4. Is by Christ -- Isa 63:9; Eph 5:23. Is by Christ alone -- Isa 45:21,22; 59:16; Ac 4:12. Announced after the fall -- Ge 3:15. Of Israel, predicted -- Isa 35:4; 45:17; Zec 9:16; Ro 11:26. Of the Gentiles, predicted -- Isa 45:22; 49:6; 52:10. Revealed in the gospel -- Eph 1:13; 2Ti 1:10. Came to the Gentiles through the fall of the Jews -- Ro 11:11. Christ The Captain of. -- Heb 2:10. The Author of. -- Heb 5:9”
  7. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Missionary Work By Ministers — Commanded -- Mt 28:19; Mr 16:15. Warranted by predictions concerning the heathen, &c -- Isa 42:10-12; 66:19. Is according to the purpose of God -- Lu 24:46,47; Ga 1:15,16; Col 1:25-27. Directed by the Holy Spirit -- Ac 13:2. Required -- Lu 10:2; Ro 10:14,15. The Holy Spirit calls to -- Ac 13:2. Christ engaged in -- Mt 4:17,23; 11:1; Mr 1:38,39; Lu 8:1. Christ sent his disciples to labour in -- Mr 3:14; 6:7; Lu 10:1-11. Obligations to engage in -- Ac 4:19,20; Ro 1:13-15; 1Co 9:16. Excellency of -- Isa 52:7; Ro 10:15. Worldly concerns sho”
  8. Philippians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Philippians 2:13: For--encouragement to work: "For it is God who worketh in you," always present with you, though I be absent. It is not said, "Work out your own salvation, though it is God," &c., but, "because it is God who," &c. The will, and the power to work, being first instalments of His grace, encourage us to make full proof of, and carry out to the end, the "salvation" which He has first "worked," and is still "working in" us, enabling us to "work it out." "Our will does nothing thereunto without grace; but grace is inactive without our will" [ST. BERNARD].”
  9. 1 Thessalonians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Thessalonians 5:24: 5:24 God will make this happen: Paul bases his confidence on the faithful character of God (1 Cor 1:9; 2 Thes 3:3; 2 Tim 2:13; 1 Jn 1:9).”
  10. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 66: 332 from these evils. Peace, health, and plenty, are universally recognized as his gifts. This truth lies at the foundation of all religion, and cannot be questioned by any Theist, much less by any Christian. 2. No less clear and universally admitted is the principle that God can control the free acts of rational creatures without destroying either their liberty or their responsibility. Men universally pray for deliverance from the wrath of their enemies, that their enmity may be turned aside, or that the state of their minds may be chang”
  11. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 6 [V.]--PELAGIUS AND PAUL OF DIFFERENT (part 1): OPINIONS. The whole of this dogma of Pelagius, observe, is carefully expressed in these words, and none other, in the third book of his treatise in de-fence of the liberty of the will, in which he has taken care to distinguish with so great subtlety these three things,--the "capacity," the "volition,'' and the "action," that is, the" ability," the "volition," and the "actuality,"--that, whenever we read or hear of his acknowledging the assistance of divine grace in order to our avoidance of evil and”
  12. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 38 [XX.]--THE POWER OF GOD'S GRACE IS PROVED. (part 1): That this is true we do not surmise by human conjecture, but we discern by the most evident authority of the divine Scriptures. It is read in the books of the Chronicles: "Also in Judah, the hand of God was made to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes in the word of the Lord."[2] Also by Ezekiel the prophet the Lord says, "I will give them another heart, and a new spirit will I give them; and I will take away their stony heart out of their flesh, and I wil”
  13. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 59: God himself. As in all these lower departments of his works, God acts according to a preconceived plan, it is not to be supposed that in the higher sphere of his operations, which concerns the destiny of men, everything is left to chance and allowed to take its undirected course to an undetermined end. We accordingly find that the Scriptures distinctly assert in reference to the dispensations of grace not only that God sees the end from the beginning, but that He works all things according to the counsel of his own will, or, according to ”
  14. CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: Homily XVII. Rom. X. 1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is, that they might be saved.” He is now going again to rebuke them more vehemently than before. 1481 1481 In ix. 30–33 Paul had stated that the reason of Israel’s rejection was, that they sought after righteousness not by faith but by works, while the Gentiles sought it by faith and attained it. Chap. x . is an illustration and confirmation of this position. Its leading idea is, that the Jews could not be justified by works of the law, because a new system, that of faith,”
  15. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 30: produced. It is due to the power of God over and above the power of the second causes concerned. The effects of grace, or fruits of the Spirit, are above the sphere of the natural they belong to the supernatural. The mere power of truth, argument, motive, persuasion, or eloquence cannot produce repentance, faith, or holiness of heart and life. Nor can these effects be produced by the power of the will, or by all the resources of man, however protracted or skilful in their application. They are the gifts of God, the fruits of the Spirit. P”
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