| THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD A DIFFERENT VIEW Mike Clegg |
God's Sovereignty & Man's Authority
T or F: The Creator owns and is responsible for that which He creates and what
the created does.
In our understanding about the sovereignty of God we must also understand the
limits of the authority given by Him. The authority God delegates to man is given
within the bounds of Himself under His eye. Also, the authority given does not
effect the plan or purpose of God regardless of how man uses it either for good or
evil. Is everything man does while operating his God given authority the perfect will
of God? Sovereignty is always self derived and any authority given by God derives
its power from the One giving it.
T or F: A thing/person created/born cannot be sovereign because it requires a
Creator/Progenitor to exist.
Absolute sovereignty cannot be granted. It must be an inherent characteristic in the
one who is sovereign. We have traditionally defined the Sovereignty of God from
His Omnipotence rather than from the aspect of who God is which is Love. God's
sovereignty operates in conjunction with His love, mercy, kindness, justice and
truth. His sovereignty is exercised only in perfect harmony with all of His other
attributes—and all within His character of Fatherly Love.
It is easy to say that God is responsible for all that happens and in the end it will
turn to our good. But, we must see God in the face of the Christ who is God's
express or visible image. Jesus was a fighter in the since He rebuked the winds
and He rebuked sickness and disease acting against anything that brought harm to
men. If the destructive winds, sickness, and disease were sent by God – why was
He rebuking a work or an act of God? It is easy to stand back and like Job's friends
say that God is in control and He knows what He is doing and everything good and
bad are in accordance with His will but is that really Good News? Does that
comfort the mother who just lost her son or the young wife whose husband was
killed in a tragic accident?
Another point in the authority versus sovereignty line of thought is the true portrait
of sovereignty is seen when God allowed the crucifixion of the Christ as well as
His demonstration of the power of His holiness in becoming sin. God did not give
up His sovereignty to die as Christ but it was His sovereignty that permitted it.
God's unchanging character is also depicted in His willingness and ability to
become what He wasn't and to suffer that which is antithetical to Himself which is
death and in overcoming it He becomes life for all men. The power of His
sovereignty allowed Him to become subject to death in Christ.
It is the power of His sovereignty from which He governs rather than the
sovereignty of His power. The power of His sovereignty places it in Him, in His
character and in His name operating out of who He is which is love. Then His
sovereignty is bound by His love and follows those characteristics which suffers
long, is kind, patient, and never fails. The opposite idea, the power of His
sovereignty, makes it about what He is able to do as the Almighty. His sovereignty
is not found in His omnipotence but His love and it is not about His ability but about
His purpose.
the created does.
In our understanding about the sovereignty of God we must also understand the
limits of the authority given by Him. The authority God delegates to man is given
within the bounds of Himself under His eye. Also, the authority given does not
effect the plan or purpose of God regardless of how man uses it either for good or
evil. Is everything man does while operating his God given authority the perfect will
of God? Sovereignty is always self derived and any authority given by God derives
its power from the One giving it.
T or F: A thing/person created/born cannot be sovereign because it requires a
Creator/Progenitor to exist.
Absolute sovereignty cannot be granted. It must be an inherent characteristic in the
one who is sovereign. We have traditionally defined the Sovereignty of God from
His Omnipotence rather than from the aspect of who God is which is Love. God's
sovereignty operates in conjunction with His love, mercy, kindness, justice and
truth. His sovereignty is exercised only in perfect harmony with all of His other
attributes—and all within His character of Fatherly Love.
It is easy to say that God is responsible for all that happens and in the end it will
turn to our good. But, we must see God in the face of the Christ who is God's
express or visible image. Jesus was a fighter in the since He rebuked the winds
and He rebuked sickness and disease acting against anything that brought harm to
men. If the destructive winds, sickness, and disease were sent by God – why was
He rebuking a work or an act of God? It is easy to stand back and like Job's friends
say that God is in control and He knows what He is doing and everything good and
bad are in accordance with His will but is that really Good News? Does that
comfort the mother who just lost her son or the young wife whose husband was
killed in a tragic accident?
Another point in the authority versus sovereignty line of thought is the true portrait
of sovereignty is seen when God allowed the crucifixion of the Christ as well as
His demonstration of the power of His holiness in becoming sin. God did not give
up His sovereignty to die as Christ but it was His sovereignty that permitted it.
God's unchanging character is also depicted in His willingness and ability to
become what He wasn't and to suffer that which is antithetical to Himself which is
death and in overcoming it He becomes life for all men. The power of His
sovereignty allowed Him to become subject to death in Christ.
It is the power of His sovereignty from which He governs rather than the
sovereignty of His power. The power of His sovereignty places it in Him, in His
character and in His name operating out of who He is which is love. Then His
sovereignty is bound by His love and follows those characteristics which suffers
long, is kind, patient, and never fails. The opposite idea, the power of His
sovereignty, makes it about what He is able to do as the Almighty. His sovereignty
is not found in His omnipotence but His love and it is not about His ability but about
His purpose.
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