Freedom of the will - Edwards - IX - Part IV continued

Required reading
Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards (available from Amazon or free here) - Continue Part IV by reading Section IX to XI.

My summary
Now in Section IX Edwards answers the objection that God's sovereignty makes God the author of sin.  Edwards primary answer is that God is not the author of sin as a doer of wickedness, but God is the author of sin if that means he is a permitter of sin for good.

Then in Section X Edwards looks at how Arminians imply that God is the author of sin if God was in control of the first sin.  Edwards basically attacks this objection by saying that the Arminian's answer of free will does not solve the problem either because God would have made the free will too and so thus be the author of sin.

Lastly, in Section XI we read about the supposed inconsistency between God's sovereignty and his moral character in commanding people to do things that they cannot do without him.  To answer this objection Edwards uses similar arguments to those he has used earlier in the book.

What grabbed me
God being the author of sin is one of the more difficult objections to answer because I do believe it cannot be answered fully - there is a mystery as to why sin is in the world and God is sovereign over it.

I did enjoy Edwards statement of complete opposition to the idea that God is the author of sin: 'If by The Author of Sin, be meant the Sinner, the Agent, or Actor of Sin, or the Doer of a wicked thing; so it would be a reproach and blasphemy, to suppose God to be the Author of Sin.  In this sense, I utterly deny God to be the Author of Sin; rejecting such an imputation on the Most High, as what is infinitely to be abhorred; and deny any such thing to be the consequence of what I have laid down.'

I reject such a notion too.  Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!

Next week's reading
Conclude Part IV by reading Section XII, XIII & XIV and also read the Appendix (Section XV).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.