| THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD A DIFFERENT VIEW Mike Clegg |
The Nature of God's Sovereignty
Blaise Pascal, a noted French mathematician and philosopher wrote: “God made
man in His own image and man returned the compliment”.
Man first defines his understanding of free will and then builds a perception of
God's sovereignty around it. This method of building a concept of man's will first
has produced a false understanding of God's sovereignty. Man has taken this self
derived understanding and stated that God can do anything He wants irregardless
of others and circumstances. He unconsciously states that man's free will
supersedes God's will; or at the opposite end of the idea is God controls every
aspect of creation.
(Through this presentation I wish to introduce several true or false concepts to
cause a focused thought in each section. It is hoped that this paper will present a
response for each proposition as the idea is developed.)
T or F: “Either God governs or He is governed. Either God has His way or we have
ours.” (A. W. Pink)
Sovereignty, although not used in the KJV, is used by religion to define God in one
of His attributes. It gets its premise of understanding from a conglomeration of
ideas about God that include His power; His past, present, and future knowledge;
and His wisdom.
Is the sovereignty of God all about His power, His ability, or His ownership of all
that exists? Traditionally, the sovereignty of God characterizes a God who does
not leave the running of his creation to chance but exercises dominion over all his
creation even to every minute decision of His creatures. It says His sovereignty is
absolute, indefeasible, and irresistible regulation of all of creation—men and
things, both in heaven and on earth, good and evil, moral and immoral—without
leaving anything to chance, pervades the text of Scripture.
Charles H. Spurgeon, a renowned English preacher in the last half of the 19th
century, pinpoints the sovereignty of God that is in the mind of most believers when
he says: “I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not
move an atom more or less than God wishes. The creeping of an aphid over the
rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence. The (path) of
the fall of leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling avalanche.”
One writer, E H Palmer follows the line of thought of A. W. Pink who says God
foreordains everything which comes to pass in his statement that God initiates and
regulates all things. Palmer adds “God is in back of everything. He decides all
things to happen that do happen. He has foreordained after the counsel of His will
(even) the moving of a finger and the mistake of the typist”. To put this thought in
our present day vernacular we might add does that include the changing of the
stop light, when your computer hibernates, the passing of gas or even sin?
At this juncture we face a vital determination. It is one thing for God in His
sovereignty and without diminishing that sovereignty, to give man the power to
rebel against Him by opposing His will as this would allow for man's sole
responsibility for sin by acting in his freedom to choose. It is something entirely
different for God to control everything to such a degree that He must effectively
cause man to sin.
A picture begins to develop of the word that portrays a God who is the highest
power and superior to all others. He is independent of and not limited by an other
power. All of these things are true of God but is sovereignty all about power?
Man tends to impart the idea that God can do anything without limit or restraint
when discussing the sovereignty of God because of His omnipotence. But because
He is all powerful does not mean He exercises all of His power. God being
designated “all powerful” also carries the implication that He is the source of all
power.
If I asked are there things God in His sovereignty cannot do, most would respond
no, God can do anything and everything. Is that true? Can a sovereign God lie? If
he cannot – is he truly sovereign?
God's sovereignty is contained in the aspect that God is the possessor of all
things. Because of His ownership He then has the right of dominion to rule over all
as He is God of all. Inherent in the right as possessor and ruler of all; man's
understanding continues in that He possesses the privilege of having His will
pervade over all that He created. Does His Omnipotence make Him sovereign?
It is generally held that His will and desires are all-inclusive and never thwarted (Isa
46.11) and nothing takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not merely
that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that He does so always
and without exception. Does He?
From where does His sovereignty issue? Is it from His title as an authoritarian God
of the Universe? Or from His character as a Father/Creator who defines love? The
source of His sovereignty determines its effects on His creation and how those
who are under His sovereignty perceive Him. If it issues from His love there can be
no harm or fear to us.
man in His own image and man returned the compliment”.
Man first defines his understanding of free will and then builds a perception of
God's sovereignty around it. This method of building a concept of man's will first
has produced a false understanding of God's sovereignty. Man has taken this self
derived understanding and stated that God can do anything He wants irregardless
of others and circumstances. He unconsciously states that man's free will
supersedes God's will; or at the opposite end of the idea is God controls every
aspect of creation.
(Through this presentation I wish to introduce several true or false concepts to
cause a focused thought in each section. It is hoped that this paper will present a
response for each proposition as the idea is developed.)
T or F: “Either God governs or He is governed. Either God has His way or we have
ours.” (A. W. Pink)
Sovereignty, although not used in the KJV, is used by religion to define God in one
of His attributes. It gets its premise of understanding from a conglomeration of
ideas about God that include His power; His past, present, and future knowledge;
and His wisdom.
Is the sovereignty of God all about His power, His ability, or His ownership of all
that exists? Traditionally, the sovereignty of God characterizes a God who does
not leave the running of his creation to chance but exercises dominion over all his
creation even to every minute decision of His creatures. It says His sovereignty is
absolute, indefeasible, and irresistible regulation of all of creation—men and
things, both in heaven and on earth, good and evil, moral and immoral—without
leaving anything to chance, pervades the text of Scripture.
Charles H. Spurgeon, a renowned English preacher in the last half of the 19th
century, pinpoints the sovereignty of God that is in the mind of most believers when
he says: “I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not
move an atom more or less than God wishes. The creeping of an aphid over the
rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence. The (path) of
the fall of leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling avalanche.”
One writer, E H Palmer follows the line of thought of A. W. Pink who says God
foreordains everything which comes to pass in his statement that God initiates and
regulates all things. Palmer adds “God is in back of everything. He decides all
things to happen that do happen. He has foreordained after the counsel of His will
(even) the moving of a finger and the mistake of the typist”. To put this thought in
our present day vernacular we might add does that include the changing of the
stop light, when your computer hibernates, the passing of gas or even sin?
At this juncture we face a vital determination. It is one thing for God in His
sovereignty and without diminishing that sovereignty, to give man the power to
rebel against Him by opposing His will as this would allow for man's sole
responsibility for sin by acting in his freedom to choose. It is something entirely
different for God to control everything to such a degree that He must effectively
cause man to sin.
A picture begins to develop of the word that portrays a God who is the highest
power and superior to all others. He is independent of and not limited by an other
power. All of these things are true of God but is sovereignty all about power?
Man tends to impart the idea that God can do anything without limit or restraint
when discussing the sovereignty of God because of His omnipotence. But because
He is all powerful does not mean He exercises all of His power. God being
designated “all powerful” also carries the implication that He is the source of all
power.
If I asked are there things God in His sovereignty cannot do, most would respond
no, God can do anything and everything. Is that true? Can a sovereign God lie? If
he cannot – is he truly sovereign?
God's sovereignty is contained in the aspect that God is the possessor of all
things. Because of His ownership He then has the right of dominion to rule over all
as He is God of all. Inherent in the right as possessor and ruler of all; man's
understanding continues in that He possesses the privilege of having His will
pervade over all that He created. Does His Omnipotence make Him sovereign?
It is generally held that His will and desires are all-inclusive and never thwarted (Isa
46.11) and nothing takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not merely
that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that He does so always
and without exception. Does He?
From where does His sovereignty issue? Is it from His title as an authoritarian God
of the Universe? Or from His character as a Father/Creator who defines love? The
source of His sovereignty determines its effects on His creation and how those
who are under His sovereignty perceive Him. If it issues from His love there can be
no harm or fear to us.
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