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THE SOVEREIGNTY
OF GOD AND SALVATION Addendum Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. INTRO A. No doctrine is more despised by the natural
mind than the truth that God is absolutely sovereign. Human pride loathes the
suggestion that God orders everything, controls everything, rules over
everything. The carnal mind, burning with enmity against God, abhors the
biblical teaching that nothing comes to pass except according to His eternal
decrees. Most of all, the flesh hates the notion that salvation is entirely
God’s work. If God chose who would be saved, and if His choice was settled
before the foundation of the world, then believers deserve no credit for
their salvation. But that is, after all, precisely what Scripture teaches. (MacArthur, God's Absolute
Sovereignty) B. After seeing that God the Creator is
necessarily sovereign, we observed God’s description of His sovereignty from
Scripture. C. God’s sovereignty has been defined as
God’s established plan of all things from the beginning, which He carries out
according to all that He purposed and desired. D. If God is sovereign over all things, is He
also sovereign over salvation? At the onset, it appears reasonable to
conclude that if God is sovereign over all things, then He is also sovereign
over salvation. But if God is sovereign over all things including salvation,
how can man be a free moral agent who is responsible for his own actions?
Scripture must be the authority that we appeal to in order to understand such
difficult questions. II. PRELIMINARY PRINCIPLES A. God has the sovereign right to choose
as He pleases. To be consistent with God’s sovereignty, God has the right
to do as He pleases in everything. Salvation therefore must be included in
this sovereign principle. Being sovereign in Himself, God acts in accordance
to His sovereign nature in every area, including salvation (Ep 1:4; Ac 13:48).
B. Man is incapable in himself to seek
God. Scripture teaches that when Adam sinned, mankind died spiritually
(Ro 5:12; Ep 2:1-3). To be dead spiritually is to have no relationship or
desire for God and spiritual things (1Co 2:14a). In fact, God and spiritual
things become foolishness to the spiritually dead person (1Co 2:14b).
Scripture itself teaches that “there is none who understands, there is none
who seeks after God” (Ro 3:11; Ps 14:1-3). C. Salvation becomes dependent upon God.
If man is spiritually dead and cannot seek God, then it must be God who
awakens him (Ep 2:5), draws him (Jn 6:44), and gives him saving faith (Ep
2:8-9). Therefore man’s salvation must be from the Lord (Jon 2:9). D. Not all men are saved. Every
believer, no matter which theological background, knows that all men will not
be saved. Since it is God who must act on behalf of the spiritually dead, and
since all men will not be saved, then it is understood that God saves some
but not all. III. PINNACLE TEXT ON SOVEREIGN ELECTION (Ro
9:22-23) A. A pinnacle passage that explains sovereign
election is found in Ro 9:22-23. Though the context of Romans nine is in
regard to the election of Israel, it also describes God’s sovereignty in
election in general. Paul uses several illustrations to explain God’s
sovereignty: 1) Jacob and Esau (Ro 9:10-13), 2) hardening of Pharaoh’s heart
(Ro 9:17), and 3) the potter and clay (Ro 9:19-21). B. In addition, Paul makes several statements
in regard to God’s sovereign election. These statements are consistent with
all that the Scripture has revealed about God’s sovereignty. 1. God’s sovereign choice according to His
purpose will stand (Ro 9:11b). 2. God’s sovereign choice is not based on
man’s works but on God’s call (Ro 9:11c). 3. God’s sovereign choice does not depend on
man’s will, but on God’s mercy (Ro 9:16). 4. God’s sovereign choice decides to harden
or show mercy (Ro 9:18). C. In addition to these illustrations and
clear statements about God’s sovereign choice in salvation, Ro 9:22-23
explains God’s purposes for His sovereign election. 1. God’s main purpose is to glorify Himself. This is not a sinful self-glory but a truthful
assessment revealed especially to His vessels of mercy. God is glorified when
He manifests His sovereignty and divine nature (cf. Ro 1:20). 2. God glorifies Himself when he
demonstrates His wrath and power (Pr 16:4). Though God also demonstrated His
long-suffering (“endured with much
patience”) on the
“vessels of wrath,” they have been ultimately prepared for destruction. 3. However, this particular point must not
exceed biblical truth or violate God’s nature. When it says that the “vessels
of wrath” have been prepared for destruction, it does not imply that God made
them sinners or did so for the purpose of His wrath. On the contrary, the
“vessels of wrath” are such because of their own sinfulness and rejection of
God. 4. All men are born sinners with a sinful nature
(Ro 3:23; Ep 2:2-3; 4:17-19; Col 1:21). By the necessity of God’s
righteousness, all sinful men are under the condemnation and wrath of God (Ro
6:23; Ep 2:3). It is with this understanding that the “vessels of wrath” have
been prepared for destruction. Their due recompense stems from their own
sinfulness. Furthermore, the vessels of wrath continue in their sin and
continue to be prepared for destruction. Literally they “have been and
continue to be prepared (perfect participle - katartizō)
for destruction.” 5. What then is the difference between the
“vessels of wrath” and “vessels of mercy” if they are both under the
condemnation of God? The “vessels of mercy” are those who God has sovereignly
chosen to receive His mercy. Had God not intervened, all would remain
“vessels of wrath” in and of themselves. 6. God intervened to elect some as “vessels
of mercy” so that He might “make known
the riches of His glory,” namely His mercy. This intervention took place
before the foundation of the world in order to guarantee God’s election (Ep
1:4; 2Th 2:13; 2Pe 1:1-2). A different word is used for “prepared” in regard
to the “vessels of mercy.” It is the Greek word proetoimazō
and means to prepare beforehand for one’s own purpose. So the “vessels of
mercy” have been sovereignly chosen beforehand to be the ones to receive
God’s unmerited favor and mercy. To these alone are made known “the riches of
His glory.” 7. According to God’s sovereignty, He chose
to allow some to remain in their sin for the punishment of their own sin.
Likewise, He also chose some to come unto Christ as Savior, who was Himself
punished for their sin (2Co 5:21). 8. In this way, both shades of God’s
attributes are displayed, that is, His righteous indignation as well as His
righteous mercy. It is to His glory to exercise His wrath upon those who
deserve it. It is also to His glory to exercise His mercy upon some who do
not deserve it. 9. God’s sovereignty in the salvation of the
elect is explained with the same definitive consistency as the rest of
Scripture. Ep 1:11 states, “also we have
obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who
works all things after the counsel of His will.” IV. SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
MAN A. Our hearts may still cry “foul!” Would
this not suggest that no one can resist God’s sovereign will? If no one can
resist God’s sovereign will, why does He hold them responsible? B. Paul answers that expected question (Ro
9:19). His answer is characteristic of the sovereignty of God taught in
Scripture. It is characteristic of the answer of God to Job’s question. It is
simply, God is sovereign, He has the right to do all He pleases, and He
cannot be questioned (Ro 9:20-21). But He does nothing to violate His own
righteous or holy nature. All His ways are blameless (Ps 18:30; De 32:4). C. Furthermore, God does not put evil in
man’s heart or tempt him to evil. Therefore, man is accountable to God for
his own sinful thoughts and actions. D. Though God is sovereign enough to use man’s
evil to bring about His own purposes, it does not make God culpable for man’s
sin. Man alone is culpable for His own sin regardless if a sovereign God
allows him to carry it out and use it for His purposes. God is a sovereign
and holy God who is righteous in both using man’s sin for His purposes and
punishing the sin. |
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Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516 |
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