And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry." (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) "For it is written in the Book of Psalms: 'LET HIS DWELLING PLACE BE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE LIVE IN IT'; and, 'LET ANOTHER TAKE HIS OFFICE.'
Acts 1:15-20
Yesterday we considered the first of two theological matters that Judas exemplifies. That was apostasy. The second is that (a) even though God is sovereign over all things, what we do matters, and (b) when we do what is wrong, that God sovereignly accomplishes His will anyway doesn’t make our sinful deeds any less sinful.
Even though God is sovereign over all things, what we do, matters. Many who are new to understanding the sovereignty of God naively assume that since God sovereignly accomplishes His will no matter what, it doesn’t matter what anyone does. Though God sovereignly decrees the “ends” of all things, He decrees the “means” of all things as well. Prayer and evangelism are good examples of this in practice. God ordains how things will turn out, but He also ordains that He will sovereignly act in answer to prayer (James 4:2), and that He will sovereignly save people when we proclaim the gospel (Romans 10:13-14).
The same is true in everything else. God is sovereign, while at the same time what we do matters, not only for us but also for those around us.
When we do what is wrong, that God sovereignly accomplishes His will anyway doesn’t make our sinful deeds any less sinful. Judas exemplifies this better than anyone else in the Bible. Betraying Jesus was arguably the worst sin ever committed! He sold the Son of God for a handful of coins, leading to Jesus’ crucifixion. Yet Jesus said, “…woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born." (Matthew 26:24)
The only conclusion is that while God does decree all things: (a) He never forces a sinner to sin against the sinner’s will. Instead, God removes His restraining grace, allowing the sinner to sin according to his own sinful will. And (b) the sinner does indeed suffers the consequences of his sin, proving that sin is still sin and carries its consequences even when God uses that sin for the accomplishment of His purposes.