To save you some time - I could beat around the bush and make it sound a little bit nicer - but to be honest with you, most people who talk about the permissive will of God are fudging. They're having a real difficulty understanding the full strength of God's sovereignty. And so they try to soften it by saying, 'Well God, in some cases, permits things to happen.' Well stop and think about it. If God permits things to happen, that is, He's not behind them, He hasn't planned them or purposed them, then why are they happening that way? It's like there's some inherent tendency or direction in the course of history and God says, 'Well, I'm just not going to touch that. I'll stand back and let that happen.' No, that isn't true. He works all things after the counsel of His own will. So there is no permissive will of God.
-Greg Bahnsen in the lecture on providence from his systematic theology course
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