God has – so you grew up, nice Christian boy in a nice Christian family thinking that everything was kind of flying around in a random world and God somehow intervened here and there and saved a few people to take them to heaven. You have the big – the big picture thing which is government is ordained of God, the powers be ordained of God, Romans 13. He never makes a comment about the government, other than to pay your taxes. JOHN: Well, it’s according to your definition of “fair.” I would have to say that fallen people probably have a fallen view of fair, and it would be a – it would be a view that assumes what is fair. A great many Christians can bear testimony to the earthshaking effects of realizing the sovereignty of God. Many are ready to concede that God is sovereign over the … PHIL: Now we might still say that’s a horrible thing. The sovereignty of God is one of those theological ideas that causes some significant challenges in the lives of believers. He cannot figure out a reason. .He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). In fact, I would argue that denying calvinism takes away sovereignty from God and instead makes him dependent upon man’s actions. They meant it for evil. You know, how could the evil things that somebody does to me with evil intention, how can God have a plan in that that’s good? Thus, when the biblical facts warrant them, we can embrace incomprehensibles in the Bible an… But Scripture offers us considerable insight into how these twin truths harmonize within the plan of redemption. And this is the thing –. So the fact that I’m saved, I don’t get to take any credit for. If He does, then why didn't He? Answer: Human will is fairly straightforward: when we want something to happen, we “will” for it to take place; when we do something, we have shown our “will” in the matter. How do you answer this question? God desired to see Job grow in his understanding and relationship with Him, and; God held divine intention for Job’s example to be immortalized in Scripture for the development of future believers. And then I love the next line that I have determined the end at the beginning. It was actually Edwards that wrote The Freedom of the Will. So the elect have to hear to believe. PHIL: And He’s directing it towards His chosen purpose. JOHN: We know why it happened because Satan came to God and God – and said, “Yeah, Job only serves You because You bless him.” And He said, “I’ll prove different.” God was proving a point to Satan, we know that, Job never knew that. Soli Deo gloria. 1. You can deal with anything in life if you have that sense of what Scripture reveals, that God is in charge. PHIL: Even though He was dragged – He Himself personally was dragged around by the Roman government. JOHN: Why wouldn’t it apply? “My husband and I have been through trials we never thought we’d go through. JOHN: He makes the wrath of men to praise Him. Submit to those who are over you.” And He was talking about those very men, those very pagan-to-the-core men. What kind of a God opens up the ground and swallows people. I realized this demonstrates a lack of trust in His wisdom and sovereignty. Maybe God can make something out of this mess.” That’s not what she believes. JOHN: No, nothing. To put this another way: nothing happens without God’s willing it to happen, willing it to happen before it happens, and willing it to happen in the way that it happens. Enter your email address and we will send you instructions on how to reset your password. This is the Mount Everest of biblical teaching, the towering truth that transcends all theology. It is inescapable, everywhere in Scripture God is designated clearly and revealed to be sovereign. I don’t think it’s a question of revelation, I think it’s a question of comprehension. That God does not prevent evil from existing seems to call into question His omnipotence or His benevolence. Are there realms in the created universe where God does not govern? If He does, then why didn't He? Third, in relation to civic power and authority, there is the question of God’s sovereignty in the determination of rulers and government. 9:20). There’s no equivocating on that. Oh really? Election is therefore a gracious (and not just a sovereign) act. It is to say that He controls all the contingencies. God the Father planned that wretched day when hateful men would condemn His Son to death by crucifixion. JOHN: Yeah, then you’ve got to explain why things are the way they are. JOHN: Well yeah, that’s the other side of the question. But since this is what we call a secret decree and we don’t know, you know, we can’t assume. There – there’s no competitor for God. If God knows what I’m going to say before I say it, His knowledge, rather than limiting my prayer, enhances the beauty of my praise. PHIL: Yeah, you could say that Joseph lived this conversation, as well. The promise itself is a testimony to God’s sovereignty. And yet –. God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. He allowed it so He could put His judgment, justice, vengeance, wrath on display. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. Question: "Is God sovereign or do we have a free will?" PHIL: So the really, the really hard question, if you – if you get beyond the superficial aspect of this, the really hard question – and I think you said it at the beginning – it’s not why does God not save everybody, but why does He save anybody, anyone? PHIL: Yeah, that verse that you just quoted, “How shall they hear without a preacher?” comes in Romans 10 which is in – set in three chapters where the focus is on the sovereignty of God in salvation, Romans 9, 10 and 11. As King of all creation, God exercises His sovereignty throughout the world. PHIL: — on that issue they were saying the same thing. As King of all creation, God exercises His sovereignty throughout the world. Does God have the ability to save everyone? Fatalism would be the assumption that things are going to be whatever they’re going to be, just because they’re going to be that way. Going back to say September 11, something that I think all of us would agree, was a horrible thing and yet, it doesn’t make it any less horrible to say God is sovereign over it. Reformed theology, on the other hand, insists that no event happens that is a surprise to God. JOHN: Yeah, Luther said that. Others emphasize free will to the point of God not having complete control and/or knowledge of all things. And I think – you know, I think that’s the thing that we should seek as the very compassion and tenderness of Christ toward those who are hurting. Was the prophecy true?” The prophecy was supposed to be from God. Did He weep over the grave of Lazarus? So I think you have to start with the fact that we reject the sovereignty of Satan in the world. The Sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of His supremacy. Language of God changing His mind in Scripture is an accommodation to us and our way of speaking, not a description of a true change in God’s mind. These are common questions and they all share the same fallacy, right? It – it –you know, just to give you an illustration. (Jonathan Edwards, Selections, 58–59) A Brief Overview of Romans 9. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. PHIL: — that always comes up with the sovereignty of God. And whatever God does is right, whatever God does is just. Characteristics such as truthfulness, goodness, faithfulness, righteousness, and love define God’s every action. And they ask the question, “Are only a few going to be saved?” So we all have to start there, and we say, “Okay, look, not everybody is going to be saved.” And then the question has to be asked, “By whose determination is that true?” The only possible answer is God. Evil does not deter God. I don’t have any fear about that. Doesn’t it seem cruel of God to allow evil and then punish the evil doer? Framework for understanding God’s sovereignty in our earthly lives comes in the next lines. Well, it is an incomparable privilege to be here with you. 16:33). God has raised up civil governments to be systems of equity and good and peace, for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them who do well (Rom. in all its fullness to as many people as possible. Does God have the ability to save everyone? 4) Sometimes, I would explain; sometimes, I would simply say, “I owe you no explanation.” 5) This illustrates the concept of sovereignty, but God’s sovereignty is much greater. I can honestly tell you, I don’t think I ever heard the answer. Each assertion is a variant of divine sovereignty. JOHN: It is free in the sense that it can choose its sin. One’s writing on the freedom of the will, the other is writing on the bondage of the will. JOHN: It will. Hard Questions: God’s Sovereignty and Human Responsibility On April 11, 2019 By David McDowell In Hard Questions How can God be completely Sovereign over human events (a predetermined plan, exercising control over people and situations) and yet humans be considered free and responsible moral agents? God's will is the final cause of all things. If – if God chooses whom to save, why should we do evangelism? On the contrary, prayer is multidimensional. Well if – if you’re – if there’s no evil in the world then there’s no way to display your wrath, your vengeance, your justice, your judgment. Or He could have – He could have done a myriad of things. JOHN: Yeah, and that’s a good place to go when you’ve got Nero killing Christians and Paul saying, “Submit to Nero.”. “He cannot deny himself,” for example (2 Tim. David McDowell. So that reaffirms the Great Commission. That’s the first thing. JOHN: Well first of all, Phil, let me say this. PHIL: Let me give you some Scripture references that teach the sovereignty of God or deal with the issue and let you comment individually on these. JOHN: Yeah, because we are the means. Certainly Jesus confronted that in the leaders of Israel in no uncertain terms and so did the apostle Paul and even the other apostles who write –. But God distances Himself from evil, God who cannot lie, God who is holy, holy, holy. JOHN: The Bondage of the Will, yeah. These same kinds of testimonies are found in the Bible, perhaps none more profound than the prophet Isaiah’s account of his life-changing encounter with the sovereign Lord. But do you have any idea –. Who were the audience of the captivity narrative? JOHN: Yeah, they’re saying the same thing. Throughout the picture, Jackson's dependence on God is shown, but never more strikingly that in the early morning hours of July 21st, 1861 prior to the First Battle of Bull Run. Subject to none, influenced by none, He is absolutely independent. JOHN: Yeah, John lost his head. You know, your grandma died, your marriage is failing, you lost your job, “Well buck up, God is sovereign, all things work together.” How do we – how do we affirm these truths to someone who is suffering without maybe being too flippant about it? JOHN: No, and that’s right. PHIL: Yeah, and I want to get to that. Is God still in charge of who’s our President and –. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. The mission, passion and purpose of Ligonier Ministries is to proclaim the holiness of God JOHN: Well, Phil, thank you very much for all of your input and your insights and we can – we can do the best we can to understand these things and leave the rest to that time when we shall know as we are known. PHIL: Yeah, I was going to say, that’s the next verse I was going to bring up because it goes exactly with what you’re saying. Registered User We’re offering something to people that they can’t accept, so it’s a false offer, it’s presumptive. But we dare not reason this way. JOHN: And that would be frightening because in Hebrews 11:6 it says, “He that comes to Him must believe that He is.” What do you mean? The Question and Answer section for The Sovereignty and Goodness of God is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. He’s sovereign over absolutely everything. PHIL: Yeah, the other thing that underlines then is that God’s purpose is ultimately good. PHIL: And in the punishment of evil doers, His justice is put on display. Healing is listed as a blessing (Deut. PHIL: That still doesn’t change the sovereignty of God, right? The sovereignty of God is not a secondary doctrine that is relegated to an obscure corner in the Bible. I – I just think that man is always made responsible for his rejection. Yeah, there –there have been all kinds of wrong responses to this doctrine. You know, if – if God ordains when I’m going to die, why should I wear a seatbelt? What was the purpose for which God allowed evil? Then the whole universe is a threat.”. PHIL: Probably the most blessed and favorite promise in all of Scripture and you can’t really claim that promise, you can’t really believe that promise without acknowledging the sovereignty of God. I mean. Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. I mean, you don’t escape –. If he does not, he’s fully culpable. 6) There is no greater authority than God. That He is who He is. Jun 26, 2020 God says, “Why will you die?” You know, Jesus says, “Search the scriptures, they are they that speak of Me.”. Not man, not demons, not Satan. That’s back to Romans 8:28. JOHN: And all of life takes on a frightening character. JOHN: We ought to say, “We will live if it’s within the purpose of God and do this and that.” You know, that takes the whole lofty sort of esoteric discussion about the sovereignty of God down to my life today. As I said at the beginning, you know, this is the most encouraging doctrine of all. And that, I think, is the heart of God. How do we set our minds and hearts at peace? These are the questions that find their answer in Scripture. Satan killed your pastor to – to cancel out a divine plan? It needs to be said at that point that doesn’t mean that God motivates everything that happens, He doesn’t – doesn’t motivate evil, He doesn’t cause evil, He doesn’t do evil. Dr. Sproul considers these questions in this message as he teaches us about the relationship between human freedom and "God's Sovereignty." By John C. Lennox. Plus it was all in the predetermined counsel and foreknowledge of God that it was working out that way and He saw it that way. And at the time that the prophet was speaking, he fell over. In fact, there were so many of them in one group that I was asked if I would go to the choir room at our church, at Grace Church, and meet a choir loft full of these people who had just come over from this other Charismatic Church. And so when you look at the problem of evil, you don’t ask well this seems unfair to me because of how – of how it affect me, or how it affects people. This is that familiar passage where James writes and sort of rebukes people for saying, “Today or tomorrow, I’m going to go such-and-such a place and so such-a-such a thing.” And he says in James 4:15, “You ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or do that.’” Isn’t James expressly affirming the sovereignty of God? If the power to save lies in man’s free will, if it truly lies in their unaided ability to save themselves, why would we implore God to “quicken,” “save,” or “regenerate” them? Fair doesn’t rule the universe. Some emphasize the sovereignty of God to the point that human beings are little more than robots simply doing what they have been sovereignly programmed to do. PHIL: Now you grew up in a Christian family, so you probably grew up hearing these things all your life. That is not what God desires the person to do, but it will not in any sense overpower the final purpose of God and He will – He will work these things into His intention. But there are all those other contingencies in which, while He’s not directly in the act itself, He is working all of those things to His own end. What it is actually saying, it seems, is that God ordained the means by which people will be saved. Absolutely. So if you start at that point – you know, if somebody else brought the universe into existence, and God was trying to get control of it, that would be one thing. His power, knowledge, and presence ensure that His goals are met, that His designs are fulfilled, and that His superintendence of all events is (to God, at least) essentially “risk free.”. © 2021 Grace to You. JOHN: By the way, that verb “falls” is probably the verb for “hops.” So He not only knows when they die, He knows when they hop. There would be little discussion, let alone controversy, among Christians about God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, if both of these concepts were not to be found in the Bible. He could have said “house” and there could have been a house. It deals with future things from our day even. God is responsible for evil in the broad sense that He willed it to exist without causing it in itself. Here’s the most evil act –, PHIL: — ever perpetrated by the hands of evil men –. Who were the audience of the captivity narrative? God has raised up civil governments to be systems of equity and good and peace, for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them who do well (Rom. PHIL: Well, I’ve got to say from my own testimony, it’s hard to appreciate how mind blowing this concept is to someone who’s never really thought of it. JOHN: Yeah, Open theism that God – God doesn’t know the future, that He doesn’t know the end from the beginning, didn’t plan the end from the beginning. So I think, for me, no one understood the sovereignty of God better than the Lord Jesus did. That God does not prevent evil from existing seems to call into question His omnipotence or His benevolence. God determined that when He laid out the plan. That – that is as confusing to me as why He didn’t save somebody else. Since we don’t know who they are, we are called to fulfill the Great Commission and to proclaim the gospel to every creature. PHIL: Not to mention John the Baptist, lost his head over it. You’re bound to sin, you can do nothing but sin. Question: "What is the difference between God’s sovereign will and God’s revealed will?" If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) So far from being a cold, hard doctrine, the sovereignty of God fills the believer’s heart with comfort. Think about this, I would say chance doesn’t exist in – in even the simple things like casting lots. Third, in relation to civic power and authority, there is the question of God’s sovereignty in the determination of rulers and government. Your gift enables our worldwide outreach. PHIL: And it isn’t just saying that He knows it, either, is it? He may make predictions like some cosmic poker player, but He cannot know absolutely. Attributes describe someone so that we can know more about him or her. PHIL: Yeah, one of the reasons it’s so difficult is that no matter how you answer the question; is God in control of everything? The sinner is responsible to act and to come. Even though Nero instituted the harshest kind of persecution, Paul is still saying that God ordained him. I’m going to go here, I’m going to do that. PHIL: Now, I don’t get to correct you very often, so I’m going to jump on my opportunity. Sovereignty of God – How is it seen? Last week I told you about the little 3-year-old. Few are interested in whether we have the free will to choose salad or steak for our dinner tonight. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is sometimes abused by well-meaning believers who affirm the doctrine but abuse it in different ways. Even though from the human perspective, it was evil. But they did. Her confident faith was God has a purpose in this and I rejoice in His purpose. You have to ask the question; how does it affect God? ANSWER: "Sovereignty is God's control over His creation, dealing with His governance over it: Sovereignty is God's rule over all reality." I have a difficult time comprehending that. The human mind cannot grasp why God allows evil and suffering; instead, we are called to have faith and trust in God's goodness and love. You even can go back and say, “What about the pagans? God’s sovereignty has nothing to do with causing violence, pain, and suffering in the world. And He has a right to put Himself on full display in order that He might be forever glorified for the God that He is. 91:1). PHIL: Yeah, coming in that context, it – it is not saying well, you know, that the Lord is helpless to save anyone without our help. And I – I’ve said this through the years in my teaching that when the Lord Jesus came into the world, He could have done all kinds of things to demonstrate His deity. Nothing is by chance. Answer: God’s sovereignty is one of the most important principles in Christian theology, as well as one of its most hotly debated. God’s sovereignty in the matter of salvation, that’s a sticking point for many people. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." PHIL: Yeah, James seems to be rebuking people in that context for careless speech. The amazing reality when you think about the sovereignty of God is how God takes all of those acts of freedom and those infinite contingencies and controls them all to the ultimate end which He has predetermined. How do we answer these questions? PHIL: Hi, I’m Phil Johnson and I’m here in the studio today with John MacArthur and we’re going to talk about the sovereignty of God. JOHN: Absolutely. We can see that the reason God has not stopped human suffering and anguish on the earth is not because He lacks control over what human beings do. You know, we can’t – you know, it’s a mature thing, I think, for people to get to the point where they realize that. She’s saying, you know, “Curse God, and die.” And he’s not – he can’t figure out a reason for this. 3. Accordingly, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions in order to comply with GDPR. But in any case, our salvation displays God’s glory: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. And again, we’re back to the folks who came to the church and said, “We can’t live under the sovereignty of Satan.”. While the sovereignty of God is infinite, the use of His power is defined by His other attributes. “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Prov. Satan is a servant of God, he can only work within the perimeters that God defines. Nothing catches God off guard. But how sovereign is sovereign? Because if you say, “No, He’s not in control of everything,” then you’ve got a God who lacks power over something and if you say, “Yes, He is in control of everything,” you run right up against the problem of evil. We make our plans and the Lord directs our steps. JOHN: And then you have that passage in Luke 13 where His disciples say to Him, “Are only a few going to be saved?” I mean, they’re starting to put two and two together. Sometimes I say it’s a book about the sovereignty of God, which leads to a question from Massiel in the Dominican Republic. JOHN: Yeah, and I think that’s the right view of the Old Testament. But I think you’ve always got to move from the sovereignty of God to the reality that the Bible also holds sinners fully responsible for their sin and their rejection of the gospel. We’re grateful for your faithfulness and your wisdom and thanks for sharing this time with us. God has revealed these attributes about Himself so we can know who He is. We hear about hyper-Calvinism and some Christians do confuse the sovereignty of God with a kind of fatalistic point of view. God meticulously planned each day of Kaleb’s life in such a way that He received maximum glory. What was that saying? And I think that’s – I think that’s borrowed, the language is borrowed from the Westminster Catechism, but that was the first I had heard it and – and it just blew me away. One of the – one of the areas where I think a lot of people seem to struggle with that is human government. They are true about Him all the time. 15:11). 3) When my kids got older, they would sometimes question me persistently about a decision that I have made. And, by knowing Him, we can choose to trust Him with our lives. And then there was something: matter, space, time, energy. So the question really is, why did God allow evil? And there was no Plan B and there was not second string. That’s simply saying that government as a reality, as a social reality is ordained by God for the wellbeing of man. This seems to be the sticking point for a lot of Christians, that if God is sovereign over salvation, the ramifications of that for them are very difficult because it means if God’s not going to save everyone, why? Dr. Sproul considers these questions in this message as he teaches us about the relationship between human freedom and "God's Sovereignty." I mean, it was pretty direct when He drowned the whole world. PHIL: Hi, I’m Phil Johnson and I’m here in the studio today with John MacArthur and we’re going to talk about the sovereignty of God. We are held responsible for our actions and behavior. Question: "What is divine providence?" The Bible is crystal clear that God is the ruler, that God rules, that God does what He will, that no one can thwart His purpose, no one can stop His hand, that all things work together for good, that He is orchestrating all of human history and everything in it. But if I’m obedient and do it, maybe God uses me as the means to that person’s salvation. And if you have – we would say you can’t be a Christian if you have a wrong view of Christ. PHIL: Now, is this one of those issues that’s clear in Scripture or somewhat mysterious? The first 14 verses of Deuteronomy 28 list the blessings of God and the last 53 verses list the curses of God. PHIL: Alright, the issue of salvation is where you usually hear that question. JOHN: I think it is everywhere in Scripture. God’s will is a little more complex. . That’s illegitimate because, you know, we’re wasting our time. “Hello, Pastor John! Answer: When we talk about free will, we are usually concerned with the matter of salvation. All of us have encountered the disastrous results of doing our own thing. That’s pretty well laid out as part of New Testament ministry, New Testament life. PHIL: Does that even apply in a democratic government like ours where we elect our leaders? The Bible has lots of … And you mentioned that if we’re not careful, we can look at this doctrine in a way that makes us too passive or lacking in empathy. The – the assumption is the fatalism takes over and what is going to be is going to be and you forget that within the purpose of God to accomplish His saving end, there are freedoms, right? And, in fact, let’s start with one from Isaiah that talks about the decree of God, the eternal purpose of God. God is sovereign in creation. 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