On Clark, Equal Ultimacy, and Cause of God

Let it be unequivocally said that this view certainly makes God the cause of sin. God is the sole ultimate cause of everything there is absolutely nothing independent of him. He alone is the eternal being. He alone is omnipotent. He alone is sovereign. Not only is Satan his creature, but every detail of history was eternally in his plan before the world began; and he willed that it should all come to pass. The men and angels predestined to eternal life and those foreordained to everlasting death are particularly and unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished. Election and reprobation are equally ultimate. God determined that Christ should die; he determined as well that Judas should betray him. There was never the remotest possibility that something different could have happened.

(Emphasis is mine)Gordon H. Clark., Religion, Reason and Revelation., Pg.  173

God the ultimate Cause of all things whether sin or good

During the times of scripture the people assumed a belief that all things were already controlled. For instance the reason why I had a headache this morning was not because it just happened that way but it goes far deeper than that there were forces yet unseen which caused such things to occur. For instance not only was my head hurting but further the situation with which my head ached was also the cause. But, not only this but going yet more deeper is the fact that my head was hurting not because of the circumstances at hand but also the spiritual forces which was fundamentally the cause of my headache. Either by the influences of the flesh or by the direct actions of the spirits themselves. I woke up w/ a headache because of the spiritual forces at hand. There is a reason for my headache. But still further these spiritual forces whether they be evil spirits sent from Satan or good spirits are ultimately from the direct and final cause of the ruler and sustainer of all things - the Triune God. Who not only commanded the spirits to do such but also had brought about the very necessary actions (if I am using the word correctly) who alone remains the primary or ultimate cause of it all by his sovereign active decree. Men I would say are either committing various actions for either sin or good reasons. Which in turn goes further back. Satan who entices the flesh sent by God or the Spirit of God who is working in them to bring about his good purposes.

God is still in charge and involved in the world

"Rather, we reduce God by making him a figurehead. We too often portray him as standing back from a world that runs on its own. We banish him to the hidden corners of our lives while we amble through life, pursuing our own ambitious goals driven by narcissism, hedonism, and materialism, and refusing to allow God to bridle our self-sufficiency." - John H. Walton

We should always live our lives knowing the fact that God who presents himself all through out salvific History (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is still ruling over it and ordering it and also moving it toward an end. When we think that God is too far away from us or not there we will start ruling our own lives and living how we think is right.

Topics of Reality and Idealism

Kirk - Dr. Groza, can a realism take some of the aspect of idealism?
Adam - idealism is a form of realism
Kirk - What does idealism state exactly? I only know what I think the antithesis is of realism...
Adam -philosophical realism is the view that reality is ontologically objective and independent of our language, concepts, etc. Idealism is the view that reality consists in being percieved. Since God is always percieving, reality still maintains complete objectivity.
Kirk - ok. So to some degree trying to hold to a type of view between these two are i suppose futile?
or I guess would be vague and so I would have to say what exactly I see in each of them?
Adam - well, reality is either ultimately objective and real or it is not. Basically, your dealing with a correspondance theory of truth
Kirk - OK. I haven't taken Epistemology yet. So when you say that I am dealing with a correspondence theory of truth, what do you mean?
Adam - something is true if it corresponds to reality. So there is a reality. Thus, realism.
A reality vs. MY reality or OUR reality, which would be subjective expressions
Kirk - ok. So the way I saw it before was that Hell exist whether one knows it or not...
Adam - yes...that is an expression of realism. hell exists apart from whether you see it, believe it, or can talk intelligently about it.
Kirk - ok. Now could you say that reality for God is whatever he thinks (I suppose Idealism), whereas reality in the world corresponds with the reality of what God has ultimately willed to be (realism)?
Adam - No, reality in both cases is what is perceived. God's perception determines reality causally. Ours does not. God's perception is active...he sees what he wills. Ours is passive in that we percieve what God wills.