The Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q7. What are the decrees of God?

A. The decrees of God are His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will,
whereby for His own glory, He hath fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass.[1]

Proofs

[1] Isaiah 40:13; Romans 8:28; Matthew 10:29; Ephesians 1:3–4, 11; Romans 9:22–23.

Comments

The decrees of God are His purposes, or what He has from eternity determined beforehand to do. The answer to this question tells us that whatsoever, i.e., everything that comes to pass has been unchangeably fore-ordained, i.e., pre-determined by God. In other words, nothing happens by chance. What ever happens, happens by the sovereign, providential outworking of God’s decrees. Moreover, His decrees are not influenced by any external factors at all. They are decreed according to His infinite wisdom and for His own glory.

God’s decrees are sometimes apprehended under two categories: general and special. By His general decrees God determined all things and their actions and motion—not only the good actions, but those which, from a temporal human standpoint, may not appear good (Eph 1:11; Acts 2:23; 4:27–28; Prov 16:4). Yet God is not the author of sin (Jas 1:13, 17; 1 Jn 1:5), neither is man less responsible for his sin, since God’s decrees do not involve an external manipulation of the heart of sinners. Sinners sin out of their own evil inclinations and are therefore responsible for their actions (cf. Mk 14:21).

God’s special decrees are His sovereign election and predestination of some men and angels unto life everlasting as well as the reprobation of others unto damnation. In this way, God makes all things work together for good to them that love Him (who have been fore-ordained indeed to love Him), and to demonstrate His justice against those who hate him (who have indeed been ordained unto damnation from the beginning). Through God’s sovereign decrees, the elect are brought eventually to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and preserved unto the very end. The reprobate, on the other hand, are passed by and left to perish in their own sin, unto the praise of His own glory and His infinite justice (Rom 9:21–22).