Ultimately, your view of God's sovereignty will determine your view of salvation...& your view on everything. This blog will be the first of many attempts to get you, the reader, to understand what the Bible clearly teaches. I ask you....I BEG you to read this blog with a clear mind & an open heart. Trust me when I tell you that everything I say, I say out of love. Even if it sounds harsh. So, empty your mind of what you have been taught your whole life & what you think sounds right. Realize that there is what you grew up learning, what you learned in church, what church tradition teaches, what your preacher taught you, & then realize there is what the Bible actually says. Abandon your tradition & simply let the Word of God say what it says. I pray that the Sovereign Lord will give you eyes to see, ears to hear, & a heart to understand. What you are going to read will probably offend you greatly, so I want to add this disclaimer. This is not an attempt to make you believe any sort of "ism" or adopt a certain belief system or make you believe what I believe. This is simply pointing out what the Word of God clearly says. Failure to accept this cannot simply be shrugged off as a simple "I don't believe what you believe" or a "Let's just agree to disagree". Failure to accept this is a complete failure to accept the Word of God. It's not me you have to agree with. It's the Bible. So as a professing believer, I would be very, VERY slow to reject God & His Word. Do we have to like it...not necessarily. But we do have to accept it. The doctrine of God's sovereignty is meant to be a great comfort, not a burden. STOP listening to false teachers & doctrines & START listening to God.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions (2 Timothy 4:3). Yes, even Christians can be guilty of this.
You do not have to take my word for it, and I prefer that you don't. Read the Bible, listen to God, & let Him lay it out for you. To echo Jesus when he spoke with the Pharisees, "If I do them (miracles) even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (John 10:38) In the same way, if you do not believe me, believe the Bible, that you may know the truth & the truth will set you free & understand that God is completely, totally sovereign over all things.
I will quote many things in this blog (lots of Scripture, quotes from A.W. Pinks book The Sovereignty of God, Charles Spurgeon, & more), but again, you don't have to take their word. These are faithful men who are simply going based off Scripture. You can let Scripture decide if what they say is true. Christianity is defined & based on the Bible. If you don't believe Scripture, that's fine, but you cannot call yourself a Christian. By definition, you are not one if you do not believe the Bible. This blog is for Christian believers in pursuit of biblical truth. I am not trying to lay out subjective truth, but objective truth from the bible. The truth itself is knowable & obtainable. That truth is laid out in Scripture & is embodied in Jesus Christ (the way, the truth, & the life). If objective truth is open to interpretation, then it no longer remains objective truth. It becomes subjective, opinion, or preference. 1+1=2. That is a fact. It is not open for interpretation. The truth by definition is narrow-minded. We are not open-minded to the idea that the answer could ever be 3 or 4 or 100. It will always be 2. All objective truth works the same way.
In this introduction, I would like to address something before we get into the sovereignty of God. There is a very dangerous idea floating around the church today, that somehow teaching doctrine & theology are no longer important. Because after all, "knowledge puffs up" they say (1 Corinthians 8:1) which would be a complete butchering of the context of that verse. The old phrase is "Experience unites, doctrine divides". Most the people who quote that phrase think doctrine is a bad thing. If the Word of God divides a church, THEN GOOD! That needed to happen because your church was based on something outside of the Word of God. If doctrine divides, it's meant to. It's meant to divide sheep from goats, truth from error, the wheat from the chaff.
As a good friend once said, "You cannot love what you do not know." Even the Apostle Paul said, "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness" (Romans 10:2-3). The professing Christian believer who does not test his faith by going deeper into the Word of God to try to understand the more complicated areas of the bible, but is simply content with what he already knows, has shallow faith. He is arrogant & prideful, in need of being humbled. He does not have deep roots. So when the trials & tests of this life hit him, he will be uprooted. Proving thus his faith was never really genuine faith (1 John 2:19). I would hope that people would be willing to heed Paul's exhortation to "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Remember, if you can be talked into Christianity, you can be talked out of it. This is why theology is so important. Teaching doctrine, teaching theology, teaching people about Jesus Christ....that IS the rock & firm foundation that isn't easily moved! If you do not have theology, you are building a house on sand. The idea that theology is not important is absurd. It's an uneducated statement & it's exactly the kind of statement you would expect to hear from an uneducated person. I apologize for my bluntness, but it's just the truth. It's uneducated to say you shouldn't seek education. Now, I'm not saying theology is everything. JESUS is everything! Knowing him & obeying him is the most important thing one could ever do. But what does one do to know Christ?
Read (or hear) the Bible!
Romans 10:17 - faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
What does one do after they know Christ? Grow with Christ!
1 Thessalonians 4:3 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification....
How does one grow? By learning the bible correctly, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Learning it, practicing it, doing it....it's what we call "theology!" Which means the study of the nature of God & religious belief. Is it really not important to know the study of God? How can we in one breath say, "Know God" & in the same breath say, "It's not important to know God?"
My goal isn't to make anything complicated, but rather, very simple.
As a good friend once said, "You cannot love what you do not know." Even the Apostle Paul said, "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness" (Romans 10:2-3). The professing Christian believer who does not test his faith by going deeper into the Word of God to try to understand the more complicated areas of the bible, but is simply content with what he already knows, has shallow faith. He is arrogant & prideful, in need of being humbled. He does not have deep roots. So when the trials & tests of this life hit him, he will be uprooted. Proving thus his faith was never really genuine faith (1 John 2:19). I would hope that people would be willing to heed Paul's exhortation to "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Remember, if you can be talked into Christianity, you can be talked out of it. This is why theology is so important. Teaching doctrine, teaching theology, teaching people about Jesus Christ....that IS the rock & firm foundation that isn't easily moved! If you do not have theology, you are building a house on sand. The idea that theology is not important is absurd. It's an uneducated statement & it's exactly the kind of statement you would expect to hear from an uneducated person. I apologize for my bluntness, but it's just the truth. It's uneducated to say you shouldn't seek education. Now, I'm not saying theology is everything. JESUS is everything! Knowing him & obeying him is the most important thing one could ever do. But what does one do to know Christ?
Read (or hear) the Bible!
Romans 10:17 - faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
What does one do after they know Christ? Grow with Christ!
1 Thessalonians 4:3 - For this is the will of God, your sanctification....
How does one grow? By learning the bible correctly, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Learning it, practicing it, doing it....it's what we call "theology!" Which means the study of the nature of God & religious belief. Is it really not important to know the study of God? How can we in one breath say, "Know God" & in the same breath say, "It's not important to know God?"
My goal isn't to make anything complicated, but rather, very simple.
The Sovereignty of God Defined
Webster's definition of Sovereignty - supreme power; freedom from external control; autonomy (self-law), controlling influence
Bible's definition of God's Sovereignty - His absolute right to do all things according to His own good pleasure.
Modern Day Church's Definition of God's Sovereignty in 2017 - God is in control of all things, except us human beings. We do as we please & He would never violate our free will.
Bible's definition of God's Sovereignty - His absolute right to do all things according to His own good pleasure.
Modern Day Church's Definition of God's Sovereignty in 2017 - God is in control of all things, except us human beings. We do as we please & He would never violate our free will.
God is either completely sovereign or not sovereign at all. He cannot be partially sovereign. It's all or nothing. It's the definition of sovereignty. He is sovereign over salvation. If He is not, He is not sovereign. Therefore, He is not God.
"God is the Creator, Sustainer, Owner, & final Disposer of all things. He does not merely exert a general influence, but He actually rules in the world in which He has created." -Loraine Boettner
The Bible clearly teaches that God is totally sovereign. It is not just a general rule or influence, but a complete rule. He has universal & absolute power, but it is not blind power. It is compiled with infinite wisdom & love.
"The craving today is for something light & spicy. And few have patience, still less desire to examine carefully that which would make demand a both upon their hearts & their mental powers." -A.W. Pink
Let's avoid that. Let's use our hearts & our brains. After all, the greatest commandment is: Love the Lord your God with all your HEART, all your soul, all your MIND, & all your strength.
Question: Who is regulating affairs on the earth today: God or the devil?
Even within the church, the popular view is that man is some sort of moral free agent & that Satan is to be blamed for the evil in the world. Sadly, the responsibility for man's sin is often attributed to the devil, even though Mark 7:21-23 clearly teaches, "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
2 Timothy 3:12-13 still seems to ring true today.
"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted while evil people & imposters will go on from bad to worse deceiving & being deceived."
"No doctrine in the whole Word of God has more excited the hatred of mankind than the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God." - Charles Spurgeon
Christ is being despised & rejected by millions of people. Even worse in our modern pulpits to quote A.W. Pink, "Christ is being dishonored & disowned."
Pink assesses the conceptions of God's sovereignty from orthodox preachers as,
"Is it not that a disappointed God is the one whom Christians believe in? From what is heard from the average evangelists today, is not any serious hearer obliged to conclude that he professes to believe in a God who is filled with benevolent intentions, yet unable to carry them out? That He is earnestly desirous of blessing men but that they will not let Him? Then must not the average hearer draw the inference that the devil has gained the upper hand & that God is to be pitied rather than blamed."
Is God impotent!? Or indifferent towards this? Can God's sovereignty hear any of this? Does it look like He is in full control? Does it look like He's ruling the world? Doesn't it look like Satan is in more control of things than God is?
The problem is that we are walking by sight & not by faith. For Pink, walking by faith means our thoughts are formed, our actions regulated, & our lives are molded by the Holy Scriptures. Romans 10:17 teaches us that "faith comes from hearing, & hearing through the Word of Christ." In other words, it is only through God's revealed Word that we can fully & accurately understand God's relation to the world.
"God is the Creator, Sustainer, Owner, & final Disposer of all things. He does not merely exert a general influence, but He actually rules in the world in which He has created." -Loraine Boettner
The Bible clearly teaches that God is totally sovereign. It is not just a general rule or influence, but a complete rule. He has universal & absolute power, but it is not blind power. It is compiled with infinite wisdom & love.
"The craving today is for something light & spicy. And few have patience, still less desire to examine carefully that which would make demand a both upon their hearts & their mental powers." -A.W. Pink
Let's avoid that. Let's use our hearts & our brains. After all, the greatest commandment is: Love the Lord your God with all your HEART, all your soul, all your MIND, & all your strength.
Question: Who is regulating affairs on the earth today: God or the devil?
Even within the church, the popular view is that man is some sort of moral free agent & that Satan is to be blamed for the evil in the world. Sadly, the responsibility for man's sin is often attributed to the devil, even though Mark 7:21-23 clearly teaches, "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
2 Timothy 3:12-13 still seems to ring true today.
"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted while evil people & imposters will go on from bad to worse deceiving & being deceived."
"No doctrine in the whole Word of God has more excited the hatred of mankind than the truth of the absolute sovereignty of God." - Charles Spurgeon
Christ is being despised & rejected by millions of people. Even worse in our modern pulpits to quote A.W. Pink, "Christ is being dishonored & disowned."
Pink assesses the conceptions of God's sovereignty from orthodox preachers as,
"Is it not that a disappointed God is the one whom Christians believe in? From what is heard from the average evangelists today, is not any serious hearer obliged to conclude that he professes to believe in a God who is filled with benevolent intentions, yet unable to carry them out? That He is earnestly desirous of blessing men but that they will not let Him? Then must not the average hearer draw the inference that the devil has gained the upper hand & that God is to be pitied rather than blamed."
Is God impotent!? Or indifferent towards this? Can God's sovereignty hear any of this? Does it look like He is in full control? Does it look like He's ruling the world? Doesn't it look like Satan is in more control of things than God is?
The problem is that we are walking by sight & not by faith. For Pink, walking by faith means our thoughts are formed, our actions regulated, & our lives are molded by the Holy Scriptures. Romans 10:17 teaches us that "faith comes from hearing, & hearing through the Word of Christ." In other words, it is only through God's revealed Word that we can fully & accurately understand God's relation to the world.
3 Things Scripture reveals about God's Sovereignty:
1. That God is on the throne of the universe. The scepter is in His hand & all things are being directed by the counsel of His will.
2. Not only did God create all things, but He is ruling & reigning over all the works of His hands.
3. God is the Almighty. His will is irreversible. He is absolutely sovereign in every realm of all His vast dominion.
There are only 2 possible scenarios: God must either rule or be ruled. Sway or be swayed. Accomplish His own will or be thwarted by His creatures. There is NO middle ground. It's either/or.
I do believe that one of the major reasons the church & our culture has become so impotent to impact the culture is because of our weak view of God's sovereignty. Unfortunately, this weak view sees God as a far distant spectator taking no immediate hand in the affairs of man.
So let the words of Daniel 11:32 spur us on to end this apathy:
"But the people who know their God still stand firm & take action."
We must proclaim God's sovereignty to the world. As crazy as things may seem, God is in control. As scary as the thought of having our nation run by Donald Trump, none of this is unexpected. Nothing will ever take God by surprise. God has ordained these things to pass. They are His servants. They do as He commands according to His own purpose & glory.
Ephesians 1:11
In him we have obtained an inheritance; having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will...
Not "some" things. ALL things.
1. That God is on the throne of the universe. The scepter is in His hand & all things are being directed by the counsel of His will.
2. Not only did God create all things, but He is ruling & reigning over all the works of His hands.
3. God is the Almighty. His will is irreversible. He is absolutely sovereign in every realm of all His vast dominion.
There are only 2 possible scenarios: God must either rule or be ruled. Sway or be swayed. Accomplish His own will or be thwarted by His creatures. There is NO middle ground. It's either/or.
I do believe that one of the major reasons the church & our culture has become so impotent to impact the culture is because of our weak view of God's sovereignty. Unfortunately, this weak view sees God as a far distant spectator taking no immediate hand in the affairs of man.
So let the words of Daniel 11:32 spur us on to end this apathy:
"But the people who know their God still stand firm & take action."
We must proclaim God's sovereignty to the world. As crazy as things may seem, God is in control. As scary as the thought of having our nation run by Donald Trump, none of this is unexpected. Nothing will ever take God by surprise. God has ordained these things to pass. They are His servants. They do as He commands according to His own purpose & glory.
Ephesians 1:11
In him we have obtained an inheritance; having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will...
Not "some" things. ALL things.
So keep these 8 things in mind:
1. Man has a "will", but so does God!
2. Man is endowed with power, but God is the All-Powerful.
3. The material world is regulated by law (like the Laws of Logic, Nature) but behind those laws is the Law-Giver & a Law-Administrator.
4. Man is the creature, but God is the Creator.
5. Endless ages before man first saw light, the Mighty God existed where He made His plans & founded the world.
6. Man is finite, God is infinite.
7. God's plan & purpose CANNOT be thwarted or withstood by His creatures.
8. Unlike the beasts of the field, we are not ignorant of our origin or unconscious of what is before us.
1. Man has a "will", but so does God!
2. Man is endowed with power, but God is the All-Powerful.
3. The material world is regulated by law (like the Laws of Logic, Nature) but behind those laws is the Law-Giver & a Law-Administrator.
4. Man is the creature, but God is the Creator.
5. Endless ages before man first saw light, the Mighty God existed where He made His plans & founded the world.
6. Man is finite, God is infinite.
7. God's plan & purpose CANNOT be thwarted or withstood by His creatures.
8. Unlike the beasts of the field, we are not ignorant of our origin or unconscious of what is before us.
So what does Genesis 1:1 say, "In the beginning.....GOD"
"Begin with the world as it is today & try to work back to God & every thing will seem to show that God has no connection with the world at all. But begin with God & work down to the world in light, much light is cast on the problem." -A.W. Pink
Question: What is our objective standard of truth then?
Answer: Scripture.
How do we know anything about God? Of course, it is His word that He has revealed to us.
It is important to know here that even though the Bible was written by the hands of men, they are the very words of God Himself. Just another thing God is sovereign over.
2 Peter 1:19 says,
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
So we therefore rest in God's revealed word, no matter the circumstances we are in.
When Psalm 16:6 says, "the lines of fallen for me in pleasant places", we believe by faith, not by sight, that God is in control because He has promised it.
As Pink says, "So long as we are occupied with any other object other than God Himself, there will be neither rest for the heart nor peace for the mind, but instead of bowing to the testimony of Holy Writ, if instead of walking by faith, we follow the evidence of the eyes, and reason therefrom, we shall fall into a quagmire of virtual atheism."
Like Psalm 39:9 says, "I am mute. I do not open my mouth for it is You who have done it."
Romans 11:33-34 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
The unbeliever is of the world. Judges everything by worldly standards. Views life by the standpoint of time & sense & weighs everything in the balances of his own carnal making.
But the man of faith bring in God, looks at everything from His standpoint, estimates value by spiritual standards, & views life in the light of eternity. -A.W. Pink
"Opposition to divine sovereignty is essentially atheism. Men have no objection to a God who is really no God. I mean by this, a God who shall be the subject to their caprice, who shall be a lackey to their will, who shall be under their control; they have no objection to such a being as that; but a God who speaks, and it is done, who commands, and it stands fast, a God who has no respect for their persons, but does as he wills among the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of this lower world, such a God as this they cannot endure." -Charles Spurgeon
Because God is God, He does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases, that His great concern is the accomplishment of His own pleasure & promotion of His own glory. That He is the Supreme Being, & therefore, sovereign of the universe.
So we will be contemplating God's Sovereignty in:
1. Creation
2. Government (governmental administration over the works of His hands)
3. Salvation of His own elect
4. Reprobation of the wicked
5. Operation upon & within men
6. Human will in particular
7. Human responsibility in general
8. We will show the proper attitude for the creature to view the Creator
9. We will consider the difficulties involved
10. We will examine God's sovereignty in relation to prayer
11. We will show that the Sovereignty of God is a truth revealed in Scripture for the comfort of our hearts, the strengthening of our souls, & the blessing of our lives. (These topics will be discussed in the next blog post, so stay tuned)
Know that my appeal is not to popular beliefs, church creeds, but solely to the Word of God.
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways & my thoughts than your thoughts.
It seems that there is an incompetency in the church where people need to be reminded of God's sovereignty.
Question: What is the Sovereignty of God? What are the decrees of God?
Answer: His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
Isaiah 46:9-11 I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
When you start getting into the Word & start reading about God's sovereignty, God makes it pretty clear in the Bible. There really is no room for error here.
1 Chronicles 29:11 - Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
".....But what about...."
Nope!! ..... that falls under "all".
1. Creation
2. Government (governmental administration over the works of His hands)
3. Salvation of His own elect
4. Reprobation of the wicked
5. Operation upon & within men
6. Human will in particular
7. Human responsibility in general
8. We will show the proper attitude for the creature to view the Creator
9. We will consider the difficulties involved
10. We will examine God's sovereignty in relation to prayer
11. We will show that the Sovereignty of God is a truth revealed in Scripture for the comfort of our hearts, the strengthening of our souls, & the blessing of our lives. (These topics will be discussed in the next blog post, so stay tuned)
Know that my appeal is not to popular beliefs, church creeds, but solely to the Word of God.
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways & my thoughts than your thoughts.
It seems that there is an incompetency in the church where people need to be reminded of God's sovereignty.
Question: What is the Sovereignty of God? What are the decrees of God?
Answer: His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
Isaiah 46:9-11 I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
When you start getting into the Word & start reading about God's sovereignty, God makes it pretty clear in the Bible. There really is no room for error here.
1 Chronicles 29:11 - Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
".....But what about...."
Nope!! ..... that falls under "all".
To say God is Sovereign is to declare 5 things:
1. God is GOD. He is not God if He is not sovereign.
2. He is the Most High. Daniel 4:35 says, "all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?""
3. He is the Almighty. The Possessor of all the power in heaven & earth so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will.
Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens, He does all that He pleases.
4. He is the Governor among nations, setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, & determining the course of dynasties as He pleases.
Psalm 22:28 For kingship belongs to the Lord & He rules over the nations.
Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.
5. He (as 1 Timothy 6:15 states) is the blessed & only sovereign, the King of Kings, & the Lord of Lords.
This is the God we worship. The God of Scripture.
The God of the 21st century; however, is a helpless, effeminate being who commands the respect of no really thoughtful man. An object of pity, rather than awe inspiring reverence. To say that God the Father proposed the salvation of all men is to say that God the Father is disappointed. To say that God the Son intended to die for the salvation of all men at all times is to say the God the Son is dissatisfied. To say that God the Spirit is now seeking all men is to say that God the Spirit is defeated. To say that God is "trying His best" to save all men but the majority of men are rejecting Him is to declare that the Creator's will is impotent & the creatures will is omnipotent. To blame Satan is to insist that he is defeating God's purposes therefore making Satan the Almighty & consequently removing God's title as Supreme Being. - A.W. Pink
Some may say that this is a mystery how God's will & man's will work together, but it is really not. Man has a will, but so does God. His will WILL win out every time. This isn't complicated. It's not like the Holy Trinity (which really is a mystery, yet an unexplainable, biblical truth). Man's will is limited according to his nature. Man cannot fly. He doesn't have wings. It's not in his nature to fly. He cannot free will it into existence. In the same way, we are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2). Man cannot freely choose to worship God. He cannot make Jesus his Savior. He is a slave to sin (Romans 6). He will always choose to sin willingly unless God takes the heart of stone out of him and give him a heart of flesh before he could ever possibly choose God. He must be born again. He cannot choose to be born physically, neither can he spiritually. It is an act of God. The only reason we love him is because he first loved us by changing our heart.
1. God is GOD. He is not God if He is not sovereign.
2. He is the Most High. Daniel 4:35 says, "all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?""
3. He is the Almighty. The Possessor of all the power in heaven & earth so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will.
Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens, He does all that He pleases.
4. He is the Governor among nations, setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, & determining the course of dynasties as He pleases.
Psalm 22:28 For kingship belongs to the Lord & He rules over the nations.
Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.
5. He (as 1 Timothy 6:15 states) is the blessed & only sovereign, the King of Kings, & the Lord of Lords.
This is the God we worship. The God of Scripture.
The God of the 21st century; however, is a helpless, effeminate being who commands the respect of no really thoughtful man. An object of pity, rather than awe inspiring reverence. To say that God the Father proposed the salvation of all men is to say that God the Father is disappointed. To say that God the Son intended to die for the salvation of all men at all times is to say the God the Son is dissatisfied. To say that God the Spirit is now seeking all men is to say that God the Spirit is defeated. To say that God is "trying His best" to save all men but the majority of men are rejecting Him is to declare that the Creator's will is impotent & the creatures will is omnipotent. To blame Satan is to insist that he is defeating God's purposes therefore making Satan the Almighty & consequently removing God's title as Supreme Being. - A.W. Pink
Some may say that this is a mystery how God's will & man's will work together, but it is really not. Man has a will, but so does God. His will WILL win out every time. This isn't complicated. It's not like the Holy Trinity (which really is a mystery, yet an unexplainable, biblical truth). Man's will is limited according to his nature. Man cannot fly. He doesn't have wings. It's not in his nature to fly. He cannot free will it into existence. In the same way, we are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2). Man cannot freely choose to worship God. He cannot make Jesus his Savior. He is a slave to sin (Romans 6). He will always choose to sin willingly unless God takes the heart of stone out of him and give him a heart of flesh before he could ever possibly choose God. He must be born again. He cannot choose to be born physically, neither can he spiritually. It is an act of God. The only reason we love him is because he first loved us by changing our heart.
4 Things Scripture Denies:
1. It denies that the Creator's plan has been frustrated by sin.
2. It denies that God was taken by surprise in the Garden.
3. It denies that a man is a free moral agent & determines His own destiny.
4. It denies that the creature has thwarted the plans assigned by the Creator.
It denies that God has been dethroned. That He has been degraded to finite, erring mortal. That man keeps God in check; therefore stripping Him of His omnipotence & that ultimately, this leads down a long, dark path towards atheism.
1. It denies that the Creator's plan has been frustrated by sin.
2. It denies that God was taken by surprise in the Garden.
3. It denies that a man is a free moral agent & determines His own destiny.
4. It denies that the creature has thwarted the plans assigned by the Creator.
It denies that God has been dethroned. That He has been degraded to finite, erring mortal. That man keeps God in check; therefore stripping Him of His omnipotence & that ultimately, this leads down a long, dark path towards atheism.
6 Things Scripture Affirms:
1. The Sovereignty of God is absolute, irresistible, & infinite.
2. God has the right to govern that universe which He made for His own glory just as He pleases.
3. He has the right as the Potter over the clay to mold it into whatever He chooses, forming out of the same lump some for honor & some for dishonor. (Romans 9)
4. He is under no rule or law outside His own will & nature.
5. God is law unto only Himself.
6. He is under no obligation to give an account to any other being.
How is God sovereign? As we read through Scripture, we read stories about Israel, Pharaoh, Jericho, David & Goliath, Daniel, Stephen, Peter, Paul....in each of these situations some people live & some people suffer & die, but why? Why would God rescue some & allow others to die? Keep these questions in mind as we move on to the last point.
1. The Sovereignty of God is absolute, irresistible, & infinite.
2. God has the right to govern that universe which He made for His own glory just as He pleases.
3. He has the right as the Potter over the clay to mold it into whatever He chooses, forming out of the same lump some for honor & some for dishonor. (Romans 9)
4. He is under no rule or law outside His own will & nature.
5. God is law unto only Himself.
6. He is under no obligation to give an account to any other being.
How is God sovereign? As we read through Scripture, we read stories about Israel, Pharaoh, Jericho, David & Goliath, Daniel, Stephen, Peter, Paul....in each of these situations some people live & some people suffer & die, but why? Why would God rescue some & allow others to die? Keep these questions in mind as we move on to the last point.
4 Ways God is Sovereign
1. God is sovereign in the delegation of His POWER to others
Ex: Methuselah - Why did God give him the vitality to live so long?
Samson - why did God give him more strength than anyone who has ever lived?
Who in modern times? Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Trump, Obama
Deuteronomy 8:18 You shall remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers as it is this day.
God is sovereign; therefore, He does what He pleases, when He pleases, & how He pleases.
God allows evil for His own purposes to accomplish His will. See the story of Joseph in Genesis.
2. God is sovereign in the exercise of His MERCY.
A.W. Pink - Mercy is directed by the will of him who showeth mercy. Mercy is not a right in which man is entitled. Mercy is that adorable attribute of God by which He pities & relieves the wretched. But under the righteous government of God no one is wretched who does not deserve to be so. The objects of mercy then are those who are miserable & all misery is a result of sin. Hence, the miserable are deserving of punishment, not mercy. To speak of deserving mercy is a contradiction.
None of us deserve mercy. We all deserve hell.
A death sentence was pronounced of Moses in Deuteronomy 3 & Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20. Both men earnestly sought the Lord for reprieve. They prayed to God & God showed mercy on Hezekiah, but not Moses. Why?
Romans 9:15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, & I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
What about the invalid in John 5? There was a multitude of invalids at the pool of Bethesda, but Christ only chose to heal one of them. He could have very easily healed all of them. But why not? Again, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy & I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
"The right of punishment is the only right we can now claim upon the footing of justice. Henceforth we are simply in the hands of God awaiting His sentence. He may, if He wills, save the entire human race. If it pleases Him, He may save none. If so He wills, He may make this man a monument of mercy and leave his neighbor to reap the due reward of his works. This is what God has a right to do and He claims His sovereign prerogative!" - Charles Spurgeon
3. God is sovereign in His exercise of His LOVE.
He has the ability to love whom he chooses & hate whom he chooses. This is very hard for many people (including Christians) to hear in our culture. Nonetheless, if God only loves some, then He must hate others.
As Romans 9:13 clearly teaches, As it is written "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated"
God loved Jacob & hated Esau from eternity well before either one of them had a chance to do good or do evil (as it clearly says in Romans 9:11)
"though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad - in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of work but because of him who calls" - (Romans 9:11)
Point blank. Unrefutable.
But how can this be!? God is love right? Jesus loves you! God is love! I'm sure we've heard many Christians say that. But the real problem with people who are offended by this is that they truly do not understand the absolute holiness of the Almighty & the horrific devastation of the abomination that is sin. The answer to this is found in Ephesians 2:3. We are "by nature children of wrath". There is nothing good in us. Nothing that attracts us to God's love.
At this point Spurgeon said, "He loved them not for anything that He could ever gain from them for He had all things in Himself but because of what He would impart to them."
He also said, "Of all the saints in heaven it may be said that God loved them because He would do it; for by nature, there was nothing more in them for God to love than there was in the very devils in hell."
[Now I want to stop & add something here. God IS love. But God is also JUST, HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, & GOOD. All the time. If God is truly fair, just, holy, righteous, & good, then we all deserve to be in hell RIGHT NOW. So thank God, he is also MERCIFUL to those He has sovereignly chosen to save. If God loves you, it's because you DO NOT deserve his love. If God hates you, it's because you DO deserve his hatred (again, as we all do). And that is solely up to God's sovereign prerogative.
If you take issue with that statement, trust me, I do too. But I'm not God. If there was something good in you worth saving, then that opens a whole can of contradicting biblical problems. Just to name a one: It would mean that you are not all that bad, but there is something good in you worth saving, when the bible clearly teaches in Romans 3 "No one is good...Not even one. No one seeks God, no one understands....all have become worthless." So God didn't save you because you were worth it.
This is what truly makes God's so good & Jesus such an amazing Savior. Because "while we were sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Christ died for the ungodly, those who didn't deserve to be saved. Why He chooses some instead of all is His prerogative. We know that is true because hell exists & people go there. So the bible does not teach Universalism, Arminianism, or Molinism.
Ephesians 2:4 BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us...
A.W. Pink - He does love some and it necessarily follows that the cause of His love must be found in Himself.
The exercise of God's love toward us, the fallen sons of men, is according to His own good pleasure. Because God is sovereign, He logically must sovereignly love as He chooses. If God were under some rules or obligation or "Law of Love" if you will, to love all men equally, then guess what, He is no longer sovereign, as He would now be ruled by this law of love & not His own supreme will.
Ephesians 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
He chose to love us...why? Because of something good in us? NO. Because of good works he foresaw in us (which is a popular belief)? NO! According ONLY to the purpose of His good will & to the praise of His glorious grace.
4. God is sovereign in the exercise of His GRACE.
So you've probably heard the quote from the famous English reformer, John Bradford
"There for the grace of God, go I" So what does this mean?
As Pink says, Grace is favor shown to the undeserving; yea, to the Hell-deserving. Grace is the antithesis of justice. Justice demands the impartial enforcement of law. Justice requires that each shall receive his legitimate due, neither more nor less. Justice bestows no favors and is no respecter of persons. Justice, as such, shows no pity and knows no mercy. But after justice has been fully satisfied, grace flows forth. Divine grace is not exercised at the expense of justice, but "grace reigns through righteousness" (Romans 5:21) and if grace "reigns", then is grace sovereign.
God still has to show justice to those who deserve it, but he can show grace to whoever He pleases.
Romans 5:20-21 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So this reigning grace is God's sovereign grace. We can simply define grace as unmerited favor from God.
So resulted from this definition, I will give you 3 "If, Then" Statements.
1. If grace is unmerited, then no one can claim it to be their unalienable right.
2. If grace is unearned & undeserved, then no one is entitled to it.
3. If grace is a gift, then no one can demand it.
So the resulting conclusion is that the free gift of grace is given by God to whom He pleases.
This completely eliminates man's ability to boast; therefore, bringing God all the glory. This also leaves no man, no matter how awful he is, beyond the reach of God's grace.
So once again throughout Scripture we see multiple examples of God's sovereign grace fairly bestowed as He chooses. In the Old Testament, why did God show grace to Israel, but not the Gentiles? Why Isaac, not Ismael? Why Jacob, not Esau? In the NT, why tax collectors & prostitutes, not the Pharisees & Sadducees? Why the uneducated, not the educated? At the time of Christ's incarnation, why the Shepherds & wise men & not all of mankind? The answer, of course, is that God is sovereignly showing His favor to whom He pleases, when He pleases, & how He pleases. Often, to the most unlikely & unworthy.
Grace is the free favor of God & the undeserved bounty of the ever gracious Creator against whom we have offended. The generous part in the infinite spontaneous, loving kindness of the God who has been provoked in anger by our sin, but who delighted in mercy & grieving to smite the creatures He has made is ever ready to pass by the transgression, iniquity, & sin & to save his people from all the evil consequences of their guilt. - Charles Spurgeon
1. God is sovereign in the delegation of His POWER to others
Ex: Methuselah - Why did God give him the vitality to live so long?
Samson - why did God give him more strength than anyone who has ever lived?
Who in modern times? Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Trump, Obama
Deuteronomy 8:18 You shall remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers as it is this day.
God is sovereign; therefore, He does what He pleases, when He pleases, & how He pleases.
God allows evil for His own purposes to accomplish His will. See the story of Joseph in Genesis.
2. God is sovereign in the exercise of His MERCY.
A.W. Pink - Mercy is directed by the will of him who showeth mercy. Mercy is not a right in which man is entitled. Mercy is that adorable attribute of God by which He pities & relieves the wretched. But under the righteous government of God no one is wretched who does not deserve to be so. The objects of mercy then are those who are miserable & all misery is a result of sin. Hence, the miserable are deserving of punishment, not mercy. To speak of deserving mercy is a contradiction.
None of us deserve mercy. We all deserve hell.
A death sentence was pronounced of Moses in Deuteronomy 3 & Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20. Both men earnestly sought the Lord for reprieve. They prayed to God & God showed mercy on Hezekiah, but not Moses. Why?
Romans 9:15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, & I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
What about the invalid in John 5? There was a multitude of invalids at the pool of Bethesda, but Christ only chose to heal one of them. He could have very easily healed all of them. But why not? Again, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy & I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
"The right of punishment is the only right we can now claim upon the footing of justice. Henceforth we are simply in the hands of God awaiting His sentence. He may, if He wills, save the entire human race. If it pleases Him, He may save none. If so He wills, He may make this man a monument of mercy and leave his neighbor to reap the due reward of his works. This is what God has a right to do and He claims His sovereign prerogative!" - Charles Spurgeon
3. God is sovereign in His exercise of His LOVE.
He has the ability to love whom he chooses & hate whom he chooses. This is very hard for many people (including Christians) to hear in our culture. Nonetheless, if God only loves some, then He must hate others.
As Romans 9:13 clearly teaches, As it is written "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated"
God loved Jacob & hated Esau from eternity well before either one of them had a chance to do good or do evil (as it clearly says in Romans 9:11)
"though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad - in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of work but because of him who calls" - (Romans 9:11)
Point blank. Unrefutable.
But how can this be!? God is love right? Jesus loves you! God is love! I'm sure we've heard many Christians say that. But the real problem with people who are offended by this is that they truly do not understand the absolute holiness of the Almighty & the horrific devastation of the abomination that is sin. The answer to this is found in Ephesians 2:3. We are "by nature children of wrath". There is nothing good in us. Nothing that attracts us to God's love.
At this point Spurgeon said, "He loved them not for anything that He could ever gain from them for He had all things in Himself but because of what He would impart to them."
He also said, "Of all the saints in heaven it may be said that God loved them because He would do it; for by nature, there was nothing more in them for God to love than there was in the very devils in hell."
[Now I want to stop & add something here. God IS love. But God is also JUST, HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, & GOOD. All the time. If God is truly fair, just, holy, righteous, & good, then we all deserve to be in hell RIGHT NOW. So thank God, he is also MERCIFUL to those He has sovereignly chosen to save. If God loves you, it's because you DO NOT deserve his love. If God hates you, it's because you DO deserve his hatred (again, as we all do). And that is solely up to God's sovereign prerogative.
If you take issue with that statement, trust me, I do too. But I'm not God. If there was something good in you worth saving, then that opens a whole can of contradicting biblical problems. Just to name a one: It would mean that you are not all that bad, but there is something good in you worth saving, when the bible clearly teaches in Romans 3 "No one is good...Not even one. No one seeks God, no one understands....all have become worthless." So God didn't save you because you were worth it.
This is what truly makes God's so good & Jesus such an amazing Savior. Because "while we were sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Christ died for the ungodly, those who didn't deserve to be saved. Why He chooses some instead of all is His prerogative. We know that is true because hell exists & people go there. So the bible does not teach Universalism, Arminianism, or Molinism.
Ephesians 2:4 BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us...
A.W. Pink - He does love some and it necessarily follows that the cause of His love must be found in Himself.
The exercise of God's love toward us, the fallen sons of men, is according to His own good pleasure. Because God is sovereign, He logically must sovereignly love as He chooses. If God were under some rules or obligation or "Law of Love" if you will, to love all men equally, then guess what, He is no longer sovereign, as He would now be ruled by this law of love & not His own supreme will.
Ephesians 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
He chose to love us...why? Because of something good in us? NO. Because of good works he foresaw in us (which is a popular belief)? NO! According ONLY to the purpose of His good will & to the praise of His glorious grace.
4. God is sovereign in the exercise of His GRACE.
So you've probably heard the quote from the famous English reformer, John Bradford
"There for the grace of God, go I" So what does this mean?
As Pink says, Grace is favor shown to the undeserving; yea, to the Hell-deserving. Grace is the antithesis of justice. Justice demands the impartial enforcement of law. Justice requires that each shall receive his legitimate due, neither more nor less. Justice bestows no favors and is no respecter of persons. Justice, as such, shows no pity and knows no mercy. But after justice has been fully satisfied, grace flows forth. Divine grace is not exercised at the expense of justice, but "grace reigns through righteousness" (Romans 5:21) and if grace "reigns", then is grace sovereign.
God still has to show justice to those who deserve it, but he can show grace to whoever He pleases.
Romans 5:20-21 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So this reigning grace is God's sovereign grace. We can simply define grace as unmerited favor from God.
So resulted from this definition, I will give you 3 "If, Then" Statements.
1. If grace is unmerited, then no one can claim it to be their unalienable right.
2. If grace is unearned & undeserved, then no one is entitled to it.
3. If grace is a gift, then no one can demand it.
So the resulting conclusion is that the free gift of grace is given by God to whom He pleases.
This completely eliminates man's ability to boast; therefore, bringing God all the glory. This also leaves no man, no matter how awful he is, beyond the reach of God's grace.
So once again throughout Scripture we see multiple examples of God's sovereign grace fairly bestowed as He chooses. In the Old Testament, why did God show grace to Israel, but not the Gentiles? Why Isaac, not Ismael? Why Jacob, not Esau? In the NT, why tax collectors & prostitutes, not the Pharisees & Sadducees? Why the uneducated, not the educated? At the time of Christ's incarnation, why the Shepherds & wise men & not all of mankind? The answer, of course, is that God is sovereignly showing His favor to whom He pleases, when He pleases, & how He pleases. Often, to the most unlikely & unworthy.
Grace is the free favor of God & the undeserved bounty of the ever gracious Creator against whom we have offended. The generous part in the infinite spontaneous, loving kindness of the God who has been provoked in anger by our sin, but who delighted in mercy & grieving to smite the creatures He has made is ever ready to pass by the transgression, iniquity, & sin & to save his people from all the evil consequences of their guilt. - Charles Spurgeon
Here are just a few, VERY FEW verses on the sovereignty of God:
Job 9:12 Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, 'What are You doing?'
Job 42:2 I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
Psalm 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
Psalm 147:4-5 He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.
Proverbs 16:1-5 The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives. Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established. The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
Isaiah 14:24,27 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...
For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?
Isaiah 43:13 Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?
Isaiah 45:9-10 Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker-- An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, "What are you doing?" Or the thing you are making say, "He has no hands?" "Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'"
Isaiah 46:8-11 Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
Isaiah 55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Daniel 4:34-35 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
Matthew 10:29-30 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.
Hebrews 4:11-13 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Romans 8:29-30 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Romans 9:11-21 ...though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
Ephesians 1:11-12 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Job 9:12 Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, 'What are You doing?'
Job 42:2 I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
Psalm 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
Psalm 147:4-5 He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.
Proverbs 16:1-5 The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives. Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established. The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
Isaiah 14:24,27 The LORD of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...
For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?
Isaiah 43:13 Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?
Isaiah 45:9-10 Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker-- An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, "What are you doing?" Or the thing you are making say, "He has no hands?" "Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'"
Isaiah 46:8-11 Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
Isaiah 55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Daniel 4:34-35 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
Matthew 10:29-30 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.
Hebrews 4:11-13 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Romans 8:29-30 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Romans 9:11-21 ...though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
Ephesians 1:11-12 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
God has lost none of His power, and it is highly dishonoring to Him to suppose that He is struggling along with the human race, doing the best He can to persuade men to do right, but unable to accomplish His eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose.
Now after all this you may say to yourself, "I don't believe any of this. This is Calvinism. You've made God into some kind of monster."
1. This isn't a monster. This is the God of the Bible.
2. What's wrong with Calvinism exactly? Especially if it is EXACTLY what the Bible teaches?
3. I wouldn't deduce this to some sort of "ism", IT'S WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS!
4. You need to step back, open your eyes, and realize that maybe you've possibly been lied to. Pray that God would remove the veil that is currently pulled over your eyes that is blinding you from seeing the truth. Just because the truth is hard to swallow doesn't make it any less true.
5. There is no hidden meaning here. This isn't figurative. This isn't open to interpretation. This is literal. You should always read Scripture literally unless given a good reason otherwise.
6. Like I said in the beginning, failure to accept this isn't failure to believe what I believe....
It's failure to believe God's Word. It's basically staring God directly in His face & saying,
"I. DO. NOT. BELIEVE. YOU." At that point.....where does your faith come from?
From the Bible.......or from the idol that you've created in your mind that just so happens to bear the name "God" or "Jesus"? Your idol can be called Jesus or God, but if it is not the Jesus or God of the Scriptures, then it is idolatry. You have conformed God into YOUR image instead of being conformed into HIS image. What is that other than an idol?
7. Last but not least. The puppet argument.
"Well, if God is truly in control over everything, even us, then we are reduced to mere puppets."
Here's the deal. You're a puppet anyway. According to the Bible, you are either a "slave to sin" or a "slave to righteousness" (Romans 6). You are either of your Father above (God) or your father below (the devil) (John 8). The Bible uses this type of language all the time. To be "free" is to be a slave of Christ (1 Corinthians 7:22). Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34). One way or the other, someone is always going to be pulling your strings & you will always be doing the will of your father. Whether it be Satan or God. You will always be someone's puppet. And I got to say, if I have to be someone's puppet, I'd want to be God's puppet.
Even your ability to understand anything I'm saying right now is completely governed by the sovereignty of God. Whether you understand & believe is totally up to God, not you.
Deuteronomy 29:2-4 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
Matthew 16:17 ...For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
John 3:27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
John 15:5 .....for apart from me you can do nothing.
Romans 11:8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
John 10:25-30 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
....just to name off a few....
The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over all things (Proverbs 16:33; Matthew 10:29; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:11), even human decisions (Proverbs 20:24; 21:1). Although God does not stir men to sin (James 1:13), He is still working everything, from individuals to nations, to the end that He has willed (Isaiah 46:10-11). God's purposes do not depend upon man (Acts 17:24-26). Nor does God discover or learn (1 John 3:20; Job 34:21-22; Psalm 50:11; Proverbs 15:3). All things are decreed by God's infinitely wise counsel (Romans 11:33-36).
In the next blog post, I will discuss some of the topics addressed above that we didn't get to due to the length of this post. There is still much, much more I'd like to write on the Sovereignty of God, but hopefully for now, I believe I've made my point. God is sovereign. It doesn't mean we don't or can't make decisions of our own. But ultimately, God is still sovereign over every last detail in everything & has the ultimate final say. Your next thought, your next choice, your next breath, your next heartbeat....it all needs permission from God to exist. The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9). This is what Hebrews means when it says, "he upholds the universe by the word of his power." (Hebrews 1:3)
Now after all this you may say to yourself, "I don't believe any of this. This is Calvinism. You've made God into some kind of monster."
1. This isn't a monster. This is the God of the Bible.
2. What's wrong with Calvinism exactly? Especially if it is EXACTLY what the Bible teaches?
3. I wouldn't deduce this to some sort of "ism", IT'S WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS!
4. You need to step back, open your eyes, and realize that maybe you've possibly been lied to. Pray that God would remove the veil that is currently pulled over your eyes that is blinding you from seeing the truth. Just because the truth is hard to swallow doesn't make it any less true.
5. There is no hidden meaning here. This isn't figurative. This isn't open to interpretation. This is literal. You should always read Scripture literally unless given a good reason otherwise.
6. Like I said in the beginning, failure to accept this isn't failure to believe what I believe....
It's failure to believe God's Word. It's basically staring God directly in His face & saying,
"I. DO. NOT. BELIEVE. YOU." At that point.....where does your faith come from?
From the Bible.......or from the idol that you've created in your mind that just so happens to bear the name "God" or "Jesus"? Your idol can be called Jesus or God, but if it is not the Jesus or God of the Scriptures, then it is idolatry. You have conformed God into YOUR image instead of being conformed into HIS image. What is that other than an idol?
7. Last but not least. The puppet argument.
"Well, if God is truly in control over everything, even us, then we are reduced to mere puppets."
Here's the deal. You're a puppet anyway. According to the Bible, you are either a "slave to sin" or a "slave to righteousness" (Romans 6). You are either of your Father above (God) or your father below (the devil) (John 8). The Bible uses this type of language all the time. To be "free" is to be a slave of Christ (1 Corinthians 7:22). Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34). One way or the other, someone is always going to be pulling your strings & you will always be doing the will of your father. Whether it be Satan or God. You will always be someone's puppet. And I got to say, if I have to be someone's puppet, I'd want to be God's puppet.
Even your ability to understand anything I'm saying right now is completely governed by the sovereignty of God. Whether you understand & believe is totally up to God, not you.
Deuteronomy 29:2-4 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
Matthew 16:17 ...For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
John 3:27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
John 15:5 .....for apart from me you can do nothing.
Romans 11:8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”
John 10:25-30 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
....just to name off a few....
The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over all things (Proverbs 16:33; Matthew 10:29; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:11), even human decisions (Proverbs 20:24; 21:1). Although God does not stir men to sin (James 1:13), He is still working everything, from individuals to nations, to the end that He has willed (Isaiah 46:10-11). God's purposes do not depend upon man (Acts 17:24-26). Nor does God discover or learn (1 John 3:20; Job 34:21-22; Psalm 50:11; Proverbs 15:3). All things are decreed by God's infinitely wise counsel (Romans 11:33-36).
In the next blog post, I will discuss some of the topics addressed above that we didn't get to due to the length of this post. There is still much, much more I'd like to write on the Sovereignty of God, but hopefully for now, I believe I've made my point. God is sovereign. It doesn't mean we don't or can't make decisions of our own. But ultimately, God is still sovereign over every last detail in everything & has the ultimate final say. Your next thought, your next choice, your next breath, your next heartbeat....it all needs permission from God to exist. The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9). This is what Hebrews means when it says, "he upholds the universe by the word of his power." (Hebrews 1:3)
Yet this does not negate human responsibility. You are still responsible for your actions.
You may say, "This is crazy! I choose my own destiny!".....but biblically....NO...you don't. God does. And you should take great assurance from that. Because if it were up to you, you'd mess it up. Rest assured that if you have saving faith, it's not because you magically produced it on your own, GOD PUT FAITH IN YOU! One cannot simply "place their faith & trust in Jesus Christ" without the Holy Spirit laying the ground work in that person's heart first. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44). If God saves you, you cannot be lost. EVER! It's God's doing. But I'll save that for the Doctrines of Grace when I get to it later. Trust me, it will be thorough. I hope to continue this topic along with discussing the Doctrines of Grace in the near future.
You may say, "This is crazy! I choose my own destiny!".....but biblically....NO...you don't. God does. And you should take great assurance from that. Because if it were up to you, you'd mess it up. Rest assured that if you have saving faith, it's not because you magically produced it on your own, GOD PUT FAITH IN YOU! One cannot simply "place their faith & trust in Jesus Christ" without the Holy Spirit laying the ground work in that person's heart first. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44). If God saves you, you cannot be lost. EVER! It's God's doing. But I'll save that for the Doctrines of Grace when I get to it later. Trust me, it will be thorough. I hope to continue this topic along with discussing the Doctrines of Grace in the near future.
