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7. Sovereignty a) Definitions (1) God’s
sovereignty means that He is the absolute and sole ruler who is independent
of all other rule.
Keathley (2) God’s sovereignty can be defined as God’s
established plan of all things from the beginning, which He carries out
according to all that He purposed and desired. (3) Divine
sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that He is on
the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things after
the counsel of His own will. Pink (4) The sovereignty of God … may be considered
from two different points of view… His sovereign will and His sovereign
power. The will of God is represented in Scripture as the final cause of all
things…. [The power of God means] that God can, by the mere exercise of His
will, bring to pass whatsoever He has decided to accomplish. Berkhof b) The
Sovereignty of God is the preordained plan and purpose which He sovereignly
performs (Eph 1:11). (1) “Predestined”
(from proorízō - a boundary set beforehand) means that God
has preset a course for certain things to take place in order to accomplish
His will. (2) “Purpose” (próthesis - to set
forth ) is the course or plan of God, which is independent of all other
factors, and ultimately results in His glory. (3) “Counsel” (boulê - plan or deliberation)
is the deliberation and determination of a plan within the Godhead which
coincides with His eternal omniscience. (4) “Will” (thélêma - bring about by action)
is that which God actively performs, accomplishing all that He predestined
according to His plan. (5) We might understand this whole process as
God’s omniscient counsel, having deliberated His ultimate purposes, and
predestining them to be accomplished by His will. c) The Sovereignty of God does whatever
He desires (Is 46:10; Da 4:35). (1) God carries out whatever His soul desires
(Jb 23:13) in all the universe (Ps 135:6). But since God is perfect, good,
and righteous, we need not ever fear His will. (2) Since God is absolute ruler, His
sovereignty and His plans cannot be questioned (Da 4:35). d) The Sovereignty of God establishes His
purposes (Is 14:24; Is 40:8). (1) God sovereignly established what He has
planned (Is 14:24), so it therefore stands eternally (Is 40:8). (2) God accomplishes His purposes in all
generations (Ps 33:11). e) The Sovereignty of God is impossible
to thwart (Pr 21:30; Is 14:27). (1) Since God is all wise, His sovereign plans
cannot be restrained or confounded by the wisdom of man (Jb 11:10; Pr 21:30). (2) Since God is all powerful, His sovereign
plans cannot be frustrated (Is 14:27), reversed (Is 43:13; Jb 42:2), or
overturned (Pr 19:21 cf. Ps 33:10). f) The Sovereignty of God declares the
end from the beginning (Is 46:10). (1) Since God is sovereign, He is able to
predict the future (Is 44:7) and declare the end from the beginning (Is
46:10; Is 41:22-23). (2) God commands events to come to pass and
they do (La 3:37), thereby showing that He alone is God and there is none
beside Him (Is 45:21). g) The Sovereignty of God is over all
things (1) God is sovereign over the creation (De
10:14; Ne 9:6; Je 27:5 ) (2) God is sovereign over the nations (Jos
11:20; Ps 22:28; 33:10; 66:7; Jb 12:23; 2Ch 20:6) (3) God is sovereign over the angels (Ps
103:20; He 1:14) (4) God is sovereign over man (Da 4:35; Ps
33:11; Pr 16:9; 19:21; 20:24; Ecc 7:13-14) (5) God is sovereign over all things (1Ch
29:11-12; Ps 103:19; 145:13) h) The
Sovereignty of God does not violate the responsibility of man. (1) God
is sovereign but can never be accused of evil or making anyone do evil (Jam
1:13). (2) All creatures are responsible for their own
sin (Satan - Eze 28:15; man - Rom 5:12). (3) God is sovereign and at the same time man
is responsible for his own sin (Acts 2:23). (4) At times, God sovereignly removes the
restraints from evil in order to accomplish His will (Ex 7:3 cf. Ex 8:15; Pro
16:4; Rom 9:22; Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28). (5) God has a plan (Act 15:18), which is all
inclusive (Eph 1:11), which He controls (Psa 135:6), which includes but does
not involve Him in evil (Pro 16:4), and which ultimately is for the praise of
His glory (Eph 1:14).
(Ryrie, Basic Theology, 49) (6) They say that to press the sovereignty of
God excludes human responsibility; whereas human responsibility is based upon
Divine sovereignty, and is the product of it. Pink i) The
Sovereignty of God includes the salvation of man. (1) God
is sovereign in salvation since God is ultimately sovereign over everything.
To be a sovereign God, God must be sovereign over everything. If God is
sovereign over everything then is stands to reason that God is going to be
sovereign in salvation. The major issue then is not God’s sovereignty in
salvation, but God’s sovereignty. (2) God must be sovereign in salvation because
man is unable in and of himself to respond to God’s salvation (Rom 3:11; 1Co
2:14). (3) God sovereignly chooses and appoints whom
He will for salvation (Eph 1:4-5; Act 13:48; Rom 9:11, 19-23). (4) God sovereignly draws those whom He
sovereignly chose (Joh 6:37, 44, 64-65; Jon 2:9; Psa 3:8; 37:39). (5) God sovereignly chose believers to be part
of His ministry of reconciliation (2Ti 2:10; 2Co 5:20). j) Practical
Considerations (1) God’s
sovereignty is one of the most important attributes to understand but sadly
is one of the most neglected. (2) God’s sovereignty is the comfort of comforts
to believers. (a) There is
no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God's sovereignty.
Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe
that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules
them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which
the children ought to more earnestly contend to than the doctrine of their
Master over all creation--the Kingship of God over all the works of His own
hands--the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne...for it is
God upon the Throne whom we trust. (Spurgeon). (3) In
some cases, God sovereignly chooses to accomplish His will through the
prayers of His people (Jam 4:2-3; 2Ch 7:14; Luk 11:8). (4) God’s sovereignty demands that believers
submit to His will and not their own (Luk 22:42), and to His Lordship and not
their own (Luk 6:46; 1Ti 6:15). (5) Sanctification is the believer’s
responsibility in cooperation with the sovereignty of God (Phil 2:12-13). (6) We are to have dominion and leadership but
are to do it in the same wise, righteous, and merciful way that our sovereign
Lord does it (Gen 1:26, 28; Col 4:1). |
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Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516 |
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