THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
The Sovereignty of God, means His absolute right to do all things according to His own good pleasure.
Dan 4:24-27 24; This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: 25;That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 26; And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. 27; Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Dan 4:34-36 34; And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 35; And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? 36; At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
Rom 9:13-23 13; As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14; What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15; For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16; So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17; For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18; Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19: Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20; Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21; Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22; What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23; And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
John 9:1-3 1: And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2: And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3: Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
1Ti 6:12-19 12: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 13; I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15; Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. 17: Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18: That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19: Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Rev 4:8-11 8: And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9: And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10: The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
The Biblical teaching that God is the source of all creation and that all things come from and depend upon God. Sovereignty means that God is in all and over all.
Psa 24:1-5 A Psalm of David. 1; The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2: For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. 3: Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4: He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5: He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Creative Sovereignty God is the Lord of creation, the source of all things, who brought the world into being and who guides His creation toward a meaningful end. God's creativity is not the result of chance or randomness. It holds promise and purpose which God intends.
Deu 10:14-21 14: Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. 15: Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. 16: Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17: For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: 18: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. 19: Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20: Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. 21: He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.
Moral Sovereignty God's sovereignty, His authority over creation, is grounded in God's essential nature which is moral. God is to be obeyed not simply because He is mighty but because He is righteous . God judges His creation on the basis of His profound moral character. He is both the source of all creation and the source of all goodness.
Psa 50:1-5 A Psalm of Asaph. 1: The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. 2: Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. 3: Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. 4: He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. 5: Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
Transcendent Sovereignty God's sovereignty is transcendent, beyond our complete comprehension Isa. 6:1. God is separate from His creation and works in ways that human beings do not always understand. Transcendence is closely related to God's holiness, His surpassing moral purity and essential otherness.
Isa 6:1-3 1: In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2: Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3: And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 57:15 15: For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Purposeful Sovereignty God's sovereignty moves toward a particular end, a specific purpose Phil. 2:1. God's purpose is to bring His creation--His whole creation--to fulness and completion, to fellowship with Him: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" 2 Cor. 5:19. The kingdom of God is the end toward which God moves His creation.
Phil 2:5-13 5: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
2 Cor 5:17-21 17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18: And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Sovereignty and Freedom Divine sovereignty does not mean that everything which occurs in the world is God's will. God has created a world in which freedom is a real possibility. His permissive will provides for human freedom and the laws of nature. This freedom means that sovereignty must always be distinguished from "fate" or "destiny," the belief that everything which occurs in the world has been predetermined, scheduled in advance, by God. That view, carried to extremes, makes human beings pawns or puppets of a mechanical universe in which all choices are made in advance and where freedom is not possible. Yet the gospel suggests that human beings find genuine freedom, not in doing everything they wish, but in submitting themselves to the sovereign will of God, the rule and reign of God in their individual and collective lives. The sovereignty of God involves God's self-limitation in order that His creation might also choose freedom in Him.
Sovereignty and Providence God guides, sustains, loves, and longs to have fellowship with His creation. He reveals himself as a parent in love and in relationship with humanity. He "has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows" Isa. 53:4. God has chosen to participate in human history to care for human beings in their strengths and their weaknesses. Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Isa 53:2-6 2:For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us
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