GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY SEEN IN THE BIBLE
God rules His entire creation according to His sovereign will. As we are told in Psalm 103:19, “The LORD (Yahweh) has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.” In other words, God does as He pleases and when He pleases. There is no power great enough to hinder His will from being done. He is the Sovereign Master of all creation. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 115:3, “But our God (Elohim) is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” Also, in Psalm 135:5-6, “For I know that the LORD (Yahweh) is great, and that our Lord (Adonai) is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all the deeps.” In these three Psalms all three primary names for God found in the Bible are used (Yahweh, Elohim and Adonai) to indicate that the Eternal All-powerful Master of the universe is Sovereign. God is supreme in majesty, infinite in power, unlimited in knowledge and wisdom, and unaffected by anything outside Himself. His sovereign will was accomplished in eternity past, is being accomplished now and will be accomplished in the future. He is the Sovereign Master of all creation.
There are many passages in the Bible that illustrate the sovereignty of God. The one that impresses me the most is God’s dealings with Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the book of Daniel Chapters Three and Four. Nebuchadnezzar respected the God of Daniel. We see this in Daniel 3:29 when he said, “Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.” However, Nebuchadnezzar had a prideful heart. He saw himself as being sovereign rather than God. Nebuchadnezzar thought a little more highly of himself than he ought (Romans 12:3). That was true even after God told him what He was going to do and why He was going to do it before he did it in Daniel 4:24-25. In Daniel 4:30 we are told, “The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’” God needed to reveal to Nebuchadnezzar who the Sovereign truly was. So God did what He said He would do in Daniel 4:24-25. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and Daniel interpreted the dream saying, “...this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it in whomever He wishes.” According to the sovereign word and will of God, Nebuchadnezzar was taken to his knees, literally. He lived like an ox. His insanity lasted seven years – until he humbled himself and acknowledged the sovereignty of God (Daniel 4:31-37). Indeed, according to Daniel 4:17, 25, 32, “...the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes...”
God reveals His sovereignty in the affairs of government, its leaders and its people. He hinders the plans of people and nations in order to accomplish His plans and His will from one generation to another. We are told in Psalm 33:10-11, “The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the people. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” Knowing this should cause us to humble ourselves before God, turn from sin and pray for our nation with pure hearts desiring God’s will to be done (2 Chronicles 7:14). We must acknowledge His sovereignty in our lives and in our nation. We must pray with thanksgiving that His will be done according to His purposes and good pleasure. We must praise, exalt and honor Him as individuals and as a nation, for He is our Sovereign Lord. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12).
God not only reveals His sovereignty in the affairs of government, its leaders and its people, but also in creation. In Psalm 33:6-9 we are told, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their hosts. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” The Word of the Lord that spoke into existence the heavens and earth and all that is in them expresses His sovereign will, purposes, good pleasure and eternal power. Indeed, the world should stand in awe of Him and fear Him. For: “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). DIGGING
DEEPER INTO GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY
God’s sovereignty is declared and illustrated throughout the Bible. His will, plan and purpose for our lives through the Lord Jesus Christ are clearly seen. T
he following Bible study will help us see some of those plans and the purpose God has for our lives by looking at what His will is for each of us. These are things that God has predetermined to take place by His sovereign will either in the past, present or future. Look up the verses listed below and answer the following questions:
What is God’s sovereign will for our lives?
- Ephesians 1:5. ___________________________________________________________
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Note: The word “us” in this verse refers to that which is written in verses 1-4. Paul wrote to the saints at Ephesus. Paul wrote, “To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus” (verse 1). Then, Paul included himself with those who are called saints and faithful in Christ, with those who have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (verse 3), with those whom God chose to be in Christ before the foundation of the world (verse 4) and with those who are adopted into God’s family through Christ (verse 5). Also, by extension, the word “us” refers to everyone called saints (1 Corinthians 1:2), those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 4:15), those in whom the Spirit of God dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 John 4:12), those who walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) and those called children of God. As we are told in Romans 8:14-15, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” This is the sovereign will of God for every person: That we be adopted into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ as children of God. As we are told in 1 John 3:1a, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.”
- Ephesians 1:9. ___________________________________________________________
Note: The mystery of God’s will, which He purposed in Christ, is expounded upon in verses 10-13. There are four aspects to God’s sovereign will listed in this passage that affects every person:
- That everything would be summed up in Christ, both the things in heaven and the things on earth (Ephesians 1:10). Jesus Christ is the central focus of all things. All of creation was made for Him (Colossians 1:16). The Father reconciles everything to Himself through Christ (Colossians 1:20), including us (Colossians 1:21-22, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
- That all believers will be recipients of an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11). In Romans 8:16-17 we are told, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” “Fellow heirs with Christ” means that we are equal heirs with Christ. Whatever Jesus is heir of, we share equally in that full inheritance including eternal life (Titus 3:7), His glory (John 17:22), His kingdom (Galatians 5:21) and everything in the universe (Hebrews 1:2). The condition for the inheritance is: “...we suffer with Him.” We may face opposition, alienation, persecution and rejection because of our faith in Jesus Christ and our stance on Biblical matters. However, suffering with Him does not just refer to physical suffering, though many Christians around the world are indeed persecuted for their faith. Since we are in Christ, whatever breaks His heart breaks ours. Whenever He is ridiculed we feel the pain. We suffer “with Him.”
- That we would be “the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12). “The praise of His glory” refers to the supreme purpose of redemption made possible through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:6, Ephesians 1:14). This includes making those who put their faith in Jesus Christ acceptable to the Father through His Son’s substitutionary death upon the cross and by His grace to forgive us of our sins through Christ. It also includes the indwelling Holy Spirit that seals us until we are taken into heaven as His possession and given our eternal inheritance, which will all be “to the praise of His glory.”
- That we be “sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).” The phrase “were sealed” (past tense) indicates that at the moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord the Holy Spirit dwells within us as our guarantee of the security of our salvation.
All of this is the “mystery of His will...which He purposed in Him” for every believer. It is His sovereign will, and by His sovereign actions they have and will all take place.
- Ephesians 2:10. __________________________________________________________
Note: God has prepared beforehand, by His sovereign will, good works for each of us to accomplish in our lifetime. Understand that they are not our works but His. He has prepared good works for each of us specifically designed to be accomplished using our spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities, which He has given to us. He then equips us through the ministry of His Word and by the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit so we can accomplish those good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Colossians 2:29). Therefore, we cannot boast in the success of ministry as though it were our accomplishments. We are merely the vessel He chose to use in Christ for His glory.
Romans 8:29. _________________________________________________________________
Note: As adopted children of God, through Jesus Christ, we will bear resemblance to Him in our eternal state. Philippians 3:20-21 tells us, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to submit all things to Himself.” When Jesus returns, our bodies will be instantly transformed and made like His body of glory. Perhaps the reason God transformed a caterpillar into a beautiful new monarch butterfly was to give us assurance that He can transform our earthen bodies into a new body of glory. We are also told in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” Not only will we resemble Him in our bodies, but also spiritually in sinless purity (verse 3) and in righteousness (verse 7). This is God’s sovereign will.
What else was according to the sovereign will of God?
Acts 2:22-23. __________________________________________________________________
Note: We only need to read, with an open mind, a few passages from the Old Testament Scriptures to see the sovereignty of God at work on the cross. Scriptures such as Psalm 22, which was written by king David 1,000 years before the crucifixion and Isaiah 53, which was written 700 years before the actual event took place. The remarkable detail included in these two passages unmistakably declare God’s sovereign plan of redemption through the crucifixion of Christ. As we are told in Psalm 103:19, “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all.”
APPLYING GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY
Though much has been written by various theologians, words cannot adequately explain the sovereignty of God. Our human minds struggle with the idea. This Chapter, certainly, does not do it justice. The following only summarizes God’s sovereignty by looking at five Bible passages that show how it is applied to our lives. As you will see, we take the first step in faith and God does the rest. All He requires from us is an obedient life that abides in Christ and walks by the leading of His Spirit according to His Word.
It starts when we personally receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-13). By believing in and accepting His redemptive work on the cross and His bodily resurrection from the dead, which was God’s sovereign plan (Acts 2:22-24), we enter into the eternal sovereign plan and purpose that God has for our lives. As we are told in 2 Timothy 1:8b-9, “...according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity...” God has a plan and a purpose for our lives in Christ, that is part of His sovereign will.
Part of His sovereign will for our lives, which took place the moment we received Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, is to adopt us into His eternal family. We become children of God (John 1:12). Also, in Romans 8:14-16, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba!’ Father! The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” Then, in 1 John 3:1a, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” Being adopted into God’s eternal family is part of His sovereign grace and is not a result of anything we do except to place our faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).
In addition, as part of His grace and sovereign will, He prepares good works for us to accomplish. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” We are created in Christ for good works. He then equips us through His Word so we can accomplish these good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17). He also gives each of us a special spiritual gift so we can accomplish His good works (1 Peter 4:10-11). We cannot in any way take credit for these good works since God is the One who prepared them beforehand for us to walk in them. To Him be the praise, honor and glory.
Once we receive Jesus as our Savor and Lord, and become children of God, we become heirs and joint heirs with Him. As we are told in Romans 8:17, “...if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ...” In other words, all that Jesus has is ours. We are part of His family. Therefore, we are promised His inheritance. We can do nothing to earn it, buy it, or invest in it apart from our faith in Him. It is freely given at the moment of salvation as part of His sovereign will and grace. As we are told in Ephesians 1:10b-11, “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”
Before the crucifixion of Christ and the moment of our salvation it was determined, by the sovereign will of God, that we be transformed into the image of His son. Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son...” Placing our faith in Jesus Christ begins the process that will end in glory. Again, we cannot influence the outcome other than to place our faith in Jesus. It is already determined by God’s sovereign plan and purpose. However, we can enjoy the process as we live for Him and stand in awe of what He does and is about to do. As Ecclesiastes 3:14 says, “I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.”