How do you respond to the phrase, “God is sovereign?” Do you agree and submit to Him, or do you bristle and think, “That’s not fair!”
The truth is that God isthe supreme ruler of the universe (which He alone created) who brings about all things according to His desire, will and purposes.
God is sovereign and that will never change. The fact that He is sovereign cannot be denied by weak, puny, human beings who were created by the One and only Creator. Whether some choose to acknowledge the truth of His sovereignty or not, quite honestly, is irrelevant!
· “Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things” (Ecclesiastes 11:5).
The dictionary definition of sovereign is: “self-governing, independent, possessing supreme power or authority.” At the end of the word “sovereign” is the word “reign.” We say that a king “reigns.” That means he is the ruler, the one with the rightto make the rules. That describes God precisely!
“Sovereignty is a theological term that refers to the unlimited power of God, who has sovereign control over the affairs of nature and history (Is. 45:9–19; Rom. 8:18–39). The Bible declares that God is working out His sovereign plan of redemption for the world and that the conclusion is certain. Immediately after the Fall, He talked about the curse of human sin and specified the cure for it. To the serpent He said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15). The whole redemptive story of the Bible is the fulfillment of this prophecy by the sovereign God, as Paul clearly teaches in Romans [Chapters] 8–11.
The story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation is possible only because the sovereign God loves the created world, fallen though it is, and is able to do something about it. Without the sovereign love of the Father, ministered to us through the Son and the Holy Spirit, there would be no real human freedom and no hope of everlasting life” (Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995).
Here are only but a few verses to read and consider. There are hundreds more:
· Deuteronomy 10:14. “Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.”
· 2 Samuel 7:22. “Therefore you are great, O Lord[sovereign]God, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true!”
· 1 Chronicles 29:11-12. “O Lord God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore! 11O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereignover all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all. 12You are the source of wealth and honor; you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all.”
· 1 Samuel 2:6-8. “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with nobles, and inherit a seat of honor; for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He set the world on them.”
· Psalm 50:10-11. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine.”
· Psalm 22:27-28. “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. 28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.”
· Romans 13:1. “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”
As you consider the sovereignty of God from these above verses, what do you think could stop God’s plans from being carried out in this world, or in your life, or in the life of someone you love?
Nothing can stop God! He will accomplish everything according to His will and purposes. We may not understand it, but who are we to question the One who gives and sustains our very lives? Our very next breath is purely a gift from Him.
Theologians, generally, have three views of God’s Sovereignty:
1. Meticulous Sovereignty: Everything that happens happens because God, who is the ultimate First Cause in all things, caused it to happen.
2. Providential Sovereignty: Everything that happens happens either because God caused it to happen, or He allowed it to happen. He is sometimes the First Cause of the event and sometimes He utilizes secondary causes.
3. Providential Oversight: Everything that happens happens because God allowed it to happen.
These are here to give you something to think about as you form your view of God’s sovereignty.
For each individual:
· God Himself told us, in many places in the Bible, that He created everything. God is sovereign—the king—over the universe, over the earth, over all the creatures on the earth, and over every human being. If you create something, do you have the right to make the rules concerning how your creation should live and work? God is the sovereign ruler of His creation. He rules it with supreme authority and power.
· If God is the sovereign ruler of His creation, that means He is the sovereign ruler of all of us. Adding together God’s sovereignty with His great love, as expressed through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, should give us a great sense security and confidence.
· We need to think of Him as our sovereign King and be willing to respect and obey Him. We can trust His care for His creation, including all of us.
· If you believe and continually remember the truth that the God of the Bible is sovereign, how might that influence the way you live your life, the way you connect with others, the way you share the Gospel with family and friends?
For world events:
· As we watch the events of the world unfold before our eyes, remember, God is Sovereign and He is working out all things according to His sovereign plan for His creation and His people.
· The God of the Bible is the sovereign ruler of His creation. He rules it with supreme authority and power and no person, no political party, no style of human government will ever change that truth.
· “Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord before the new court, 6 and he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, art Thou not God in the heavens? And art Thou not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Thy hand so that no one can stand against Thee” (2 Chronicles 20:5-6).
If you really want an excellent understanding of God’s sovereignty and power, sometime this week read Job chapters 38 – 41 all at one time. Be prepared to be humbled.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and your families.
By His Grace,
Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.
