Necessarily, freely, or contingently (not boring!)

Look at this, how is Calvinism (God being sovereign in all that comes about) not fatalism like Islamic belief? Well, because God is the *first cause* and all that He decrees comes about immutably and infallibly. Yet, he so orders their coming about to be by *secondary causes.*

From the Westminster Confession of Faith:
"Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly; so that there is not anything befalls any by chance, or without his providence; yet by the same providence he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently."

Secondary causes are either *necessary*, *free*, or *contingent.*

Following? (It's like Theory of Relativity, just a little less confusing.)

"The three terms "necessarily, freely, or contingently" are describing how events relate to one another. As relates to God, all events are exhaustively determined.

If some act *necessarily* follows, then the second-causation is defined by a strict deterministic relation--it MUST come. (I.e. if God sends the Holy Spirit into your heart you WILL be regenerated.)

If some act *freely* follows, then the second-causation is defined by a not-necessary relation, entirely relying on the WILL. (I.e. *somebody* will cause it to come about. That is why effort means something in God's plan.)

If some act *contingently* follows, then the second-causation is defined according to a dependent relation, but not without other independent variables affecting the result." (I.e. prayer is effective.)

I stole that from the PuritanBoard (except for the parts in parenthesis, which are from me). From someone who thinks about it much more than me. But I understand it.

Fatalism - what Muslims believe about God and providence and such - makes people say: "Why do anything? God's will will be done no matter what we do. Just sit in the sand and smoke hashish or whatever."

Obviously time is a wild card here too. What God decrees will get done, as He intends it to from the beginning, but because He acts through secondary causes, particularly 'free' and 'contingent' causes, it may take more time than it would otherwise have taken if everybody was on the ball and making real efforts. *Sometimes God has to step in and shake things up.* Or, the fulness of time takes it's course (and God has a time appointed for fulfillment no matter what), but God's elect are called on to do the moving and shaking basically.

So God's sovereignty in creation, *providence*, and grace makes our individual efforts MORE meaningful in the carrying out of His Plan.