Sovereignty of God: What Does It Mean?

[Chad]

Sovereignty of God

The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the counsel of His own will (see Eph. 1:11). His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (see Isa. 46:11); 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. In other words, God is not merely sovereign de jure (in principle), but sovereign de facto (in practice).

Quotes

"What do we mean by [the sovereignty of God]? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the god-hood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psa. 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is "The Governor among the nations" (Psa. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the "Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible."<small style="font-size: 14px; display: block; line-height: 20px; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">A. W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God, chapter 1.

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God's sovereignty in salvation

God's sovereignty in salvation means that He saves whom He will, and those whom He saves owe nothing to anything in or of themselves. They are saved because God graciously chose them in eternity and regenerated and called them in history. They cannot even take credit for their faith because it is the gift that He Himself sovereignly bestows.

• God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him (Revelation 21:6).
• God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).
• God knows all things past, present, and future. There is no limit to His knowledge, for God knows everything completely before it even happens (Romans 11:33).
• God can do all things and accomplish all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He orchestrates and determines everything that is going to happen in your life, in my life, in America, and throughout the world. Whatever He wants to do in the universe, He does, for nothing is impossible with Him (Jeremiah 32:17).
• God is in control of all things and rules over all things. He has power and authority over nature, earthly kings, history, angels, and demons. Even Satan himself has to ask God’s permission before he can act (Psalm 103:19).

That’s what being sovereign means. It means being the ultimate source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. Only God can make those claims; therefore, it’s God’s sovereignty that makes Him superior to all other gods and makes Him, and Him alone, worthy of worship.

Just as peasants always bowed before their king for fear of offending the one who had the authority to take their life, God’s sovereignty compels us to bow before Him. But unlike corrupt earthly kings who abuse their authority to terrorize their subjects, God rules in love. He loves you and wants the best for you.

Romans 8:28 promises that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

That’s an amazing promise not only because it demonstrates that an all-powerful God cares about you and me, but because it cannot be fulfilled unless the One Who gives it is all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful, and all-loving. The promise itself is a testimony to God’s sovereignty.

But God makes that promise, and millions throughout history have testified to its truth because God has proven His ability to back it up time and time again.

Think about the implications of that promise. Because God is sovereign and He loves you, nothing will ever come into your life that He does not either decree or allow. Consequently, no matter what you face in life, you can take comfort in the fact that God is sovereign.

article source: from Christian Theology and Theopedia

 

[judge not]

Sovereignty of God

The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the counsel of His own will (see Eph. 1:11). His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (see Isa. 46:11); 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. In other words, God is not merely sovereign de jure (in principle), but sovereign de facto (in practice).

Quotes

​

God's sovereignty in salvation

God's sovereignty in salvation means that He saves whom He will, and those whom He saves owe nothing to anything in or of themselves. They are saved because God graciously chose them in eternity and regenerated and called them in history. They cannot even take credit for their faith because it is the gift that He Himself sovereignly bestows.

• God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him (Revelation 21:6).
• God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).
• God knows all things past, present, and future. There is no limit to His knowledge, for God knows everything completely before it even happens (Romans 11:33).
• God can do all things and accomplish all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He orchestrates and determines everything that is going to happen in your life, in my life, in America, and throughout the world. Whatever He wants to do in the universe, He does, for nothing is impossible with Him (Jeremiah 32:17).
• God is in control of all things and rules over all things. He has power and authority over nature, earthly kings, history, angels, and demons. Even Satan himself has to ask God’s permission before he can act (Psalm 103:19).

That’s what being sovereign means. It means being the ultimate source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. Only God can make those claims; therefore, it’s God’s sovereignty that makes Him superior to all other gods and makes Him, and Him alone, worthy of worship.

Just as peasants always bowed before their king for fear of offending the one who had the authority to take their life, God’s sovereignty compels us to bow before Him. But unlike corrupt earthly kings who abuse their authority to terrorize their subjects, God rules in love. He loves you and wants the best for you.

Romans 8:28 promises that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

That’s an amazing promise not only because it demonstrates that an all-powerful God cares about you and me, but because it cannot be fulfilled unless the One Who gives it is all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful, and all-loving. The promise itself is a testimony to God’s sovereignty.

But God makes that promise, and millions throughout history have testified to its truth because God has proven His ability to back it up time and time again.

Think about the implications of that promise. Because God is sovereign and He loves you, nothing will ever come into your life that He does not either decree or allow. Consequently, no matter what you face in life, you can take comfort in the fact that God is sovereign.

article source: from Christian Theology and Theopedia

Does God's sovereignty allow people to exercise free will?

To make their choices in life even though it is contrary to His will?

 

[Chad]

Does God's sovereignty allow people to exercise free will?

To make their choices in life even though it is contrary to His will?

Do you disagree with my post @judge not?

Why ask a question that is clearly evident even in your own life? It comes off sarcastic and unfruitful, unedifying.

You know for a fact that people have free will, that's GOD's given free will. You know for a fact sin is man's disobedience to free will.

The article is not referring to that at all. Study a little before asking such questions like that.

 

[grit]

Does God's sovereignty allow people to exercise free will?

To make their choices in life even though it is contrary to His will?

I suppose the question then is what does God's sovereignty mean as pertaining to the will of His creatures - that is, especially man's "free will"?

Meaning no offence, and certainly as a simplification for clarity, any challenge from the will of a creature toward the will of it's sovereign Creator reminds me of the old adage, "If God is all-powerful, can He make a rock too big for Him to move?" The question may seem straight forward, but is actually a non sequitur - whether the question is answered "yes" or "no" it's innate design is to declare that God is not all-powerful by forcing a conflict which does not exist.

When it comes to the free-will of God's creatures, that will cannot possibly ever be independent of the sovereign will of God, but is rather wholly dependent on God who makes both the creature and it's will possible, sustaining the creature's very existence by the sovereign power of God's own will. The creature can do noting apart from the Creator. The Creator does not and cannot make of the creature it's own God by somehow relinquishing sovereignty to the creature and thus becoming co-equal or subservient to the creature God has made. The creature's will (man's free-will) must always be subject to the sovereign will of the One who created it - in that sense it cannot ever be completely or independently free or over-riding of the sovereign will of the Creator.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect in this to grasp is that God indeed gives unto his human creatures a will of our own, both commanding us to submit our will to His own and holding us responsible and accountable for failure to conform our will to that as He has commanded us - this is our necessary station as creatures of self-will under God's sovereign will. God is not the author of sin and does not force any to sin. There is no conflict within God Himself, and certainly not as to His utter holiness in some ill-supposed juxtaposition with devilish evil. God does not will both perfect obedience and disobedience to His own will - His will is consistent within itself. But since our will is indeed in sinful conflict with His will, this causes us great consternation in both being out of kilter with His will and our trying to understand how, as His creatures, that conflict is resolved within God Himself to both His holiness and glory. That is, God has and does purpose our rebellious self-will to the holiness and glory of His own sovereign will - both in redeeming some of us rebels and in duly condemning others, in His grace and mercy and holiness and justice.

 

[SteveL]

I think thats a fair question, and not one that easy to answer!
My answer would be, we dont really know.

 

[spirit1st]

Listen ? God allowing lots of evil on this planet !It not God perfect will all this evil and death and storms and all other bad things !

God has a Perfect will and permissive will !

He allowing these bad things under His permissive will !
Like divorce !

Like this ! He allowed it ! Things happen , that just happen for different reasons !
This world full pf pitfalls and bad things 1 Nothing here is how He created it ! We cannot blame Him because sin has messed up every thing we see 100% !
It our fault !

does He have the power to stop it all ? Of course 1 will He ? No ! Not until He ready to put a stop to it or we need help and ask Him or we led by the Holy ghost stop whatever we need to in our lives here ?

God already revealed in His living word how far or how long He going to suffer though this evil here !

He could stop it all 100% right now ! But then He would not gain the eternal work He started !

what would that be ?
Gaining the Holy Family He wants to spend eternally with Him ! He thinking long term , we tend to think about the now or only ourselves ?
when He gets all He wants to share His kingdom with ? HE will stop sin and No one will ever sin again in All that He has ?

The angels sinning was the first time in His kingdom anyone ever even saw sin ! Of course though those evil wicked minded creatures, all mankind has sinned !

God goal is what we see at the end of it all !

The goal of everything I think ? Is how it ends , not how it begins !

I personal look forward to the finish of it all ! when there is no devil or evil or sin ! Only love and truth and great rewards for us . Sharing and dwelling forever with our Wonderful , Lord in the New Heavens and Earth and our City New Jerusalem !

That why LOVE is so important ! It can make a man a real loving Dad and a mother ? A real loving Mother ! kids obey There Dads and Moms ! Much more! That why we should always preach Love as much as possible ?
rebuking can come from Love also ?

 

[B-A-C]

If there is no free will, and everything that happens is because "God made it happen that way" and every choice we make is really "God making that choice through us" then that means
every single sin is God's fault. Every single divorce, homosexual act, child molestation, murder, lie, theft, act of adultery, is God's fault. If there is no free will, and sin isn't our choice,
then it has to be God's will. There is no in between.

 

[spirit1st]

I like to add ! Once we have given Him all that we have and are He in charge of us 100% !
He might stop us or even take us out if we keep refusing to obey HIM !
He deals with us personally !

I know in my life time ! He has blessed me when I did wrong most of the time ! Which hurt me worse than if something bad took place !

I think HE deals with His children differently at times ?

We are not like this world ! We are in HIS hands and He only lets us go so far ?


It appears this young man was born again ! later the young guy repented and was welcomed back into the church ! But He had been kicked out for a time !


1Co 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
1Co 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Too me this met ? He was going to die 1 But He was not going to lose salvation 1


i believe this is paul telling them ? the young guys suffered enough !


2Co 2:6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.
2Co 2:7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

We are all weak in the flesh ! That why we should not be looking down on other ! Who we think are not living like us or up too what we count Good ?
i been just as guilty as any in my life time ! I once refused to go to a church ! Because i saw some of the guys smoking after church !

 

[Aadi]

Lord Jesus has given us different choices. Depending on those you choose will impact your life that Lord Jesus will also give. The Lord did not create humans to be His "robots" whom He will control. He has given us free will. His love is so amazing.