The following was originally posted in October 2020. This post has a few minor revisions.
I explained in a previous post, that the sovereignty of God is the Biblical teaching that all things that occur in the universe, our world and in our individual lives, are under God’s absolute rule and control, and that nothing happens in these domains apart from God ultimately ordaining or permitting that it occurs.
I noted that the sovereignty of God is not merely that God has the power and right to govern and control all things, but that He does so, always and without exception. His rule over all of His creation is absolute, wherein He wisely and justly ordains, orders and superintends all things that come to pass in nature, among the angels and in the affairs of men to achieve His ultimate and eternal purpose in creation, which the Bible reveals to be His glory, the infinite perfections of His being displayed, proclaimed and magnified in the eternal joy, pleasure and satisfaction of all who will pursue Him as the object of their deepest love and source of their greatest joy.
What I want to address in this brief post is why this unchangeable truth should be embraced as one of the most blessed and comforting truths found in scripture, providing peace of mind and giving rise to ever increasing joy in the hearts of all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ.
God being sovereign assures us that none of His plans or promises can be thwarted; when He acts, no one can reverse it; no one can hold back His hand or bring Him to account for His actions (Daniel 4:34-35). God does as He pleases and works out every event to bring about the accomplishment of His will, plans and purposes. Such a bare unqualified statement of the sovereignty of God would terrify us if that were all the Bible reveals about God. However, it also reveals that he is immutably good, infinitely wise and perfectly just, and wills that men and women would come to Him to be saved from His judgement on their sin (2 Peter 3:9).
This should be immensely encouraging to those who have put their faith in Jesus and in His exceedingly great and precious promises regarding their present wellbeing and eternal joy (2 Peter 1:2-4). If there is a single event or action in all of the universe that can occur outside of our heavenly Father’s sovereign control, then we cannot trust Him. His wisdom and love may be infinite, but if His power is limited and His purpose can be thwarted as a result, how can we trust Him? You may entrust to me all of your life savings to invest in a venture I promise will bring great profit. I may love you and my desire to honor your trust may be sincere, but if I do not have the power or ability to ensure my promise is kept, you cannot trust me. The Apostle Paul, in a statement he makes in 2 Timothy 1:12, rightly proclaims His trust in the goodness, wisdom and sovereignty of God when he states, “I know (intimately and personally) the one whom I have believed in (Jesus) and am fully persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him (my whole life) until that day” (the day of judgement).
For those who have in their hearts ceased from their rebellion and opposition to God’s rule over their lives, having submitted themselves to the person and purposes of our Lord Jesus, there should be no more comforting passages in the Bible than those found in Romans 8:28-30 and Romans 8:35-39, which I believe provide a most compelling argument for the sovereignty of God in the lives of His people.
Romans 8:28 begins with this great statement of faith in the sovereignty of God; “and we know that God works all things – our sins and failures – our successes and proud accomplishments – our weaknesses and infirmities – all of our pleasures and pains – all of our apparent good decisions and bad decisions– all of our being victimized by and victimizing others – all that has happened in our past, all that is happening in our present and all that will happen in our future together for our good, for the achievement of His ultimate purpose in our life, which is our being conformed in all of our being to the glorious image of God in Jesus, and restored to the glorious life with God for which we were created (1 John 3:1-3).
There is absolutely no way that God could work all of the innumerable events of even one day of my life for my ultimate good if He were not in absolute control of everything that impacts my life not only that day, but all the days before and all the days after. And there is no way He can promise as He does in Romans 8:35-39, that nothing will separate me from His redeeming and unfailing love if He did not have sovereign control over all of the things and events that the Apostle Paul lists in these verses that could separate redeemed men and women from God’s love.
All of God’s works in creation, in His ordaining mankind’s fall into sin and suffering, and in His redemption/salvation of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, are sovereignly ordained by God for one great purpose. That is so that the glory – the infinite beauty, value, excellence and preciousness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:6) (1 Peter 2:4:7) is exalted and magnified in all things; in our life and in our death, in all the events of this world and the events that will usher out this world, and most importantly in the ages to come, when God will display the exceeding riches of His grace toward all who have come into union with Jesus by faith (Ephesians 2:4-9), who are sovereignly ordained to share in His glorious existence, forever enjoying His abundant goodness, exulting in the love of God clearly demonstrated in the life and death of Jesus on their behalf (Romans 5:8-10).
AND NOTHING, ABSOLUTLY NOTHING, will interfere with the fulfillment of that purpose, as it is achieved by our all-powerful, infinitely wise, infinitely good and infinitely glorious King.
Grace and Peace ×