7. The Sovereignty of God
“Thus says God the Lord who created the heavens and stretched them out; Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it; Who gives breath to the people on it; And spirit to those who walk on it” (Isa 42:5).
Human comprehension of the concept of the Sovereignty of God is not possible. We are not told in the Scriptures that we are held responsible for comprehending it. However, we are called upon to trust the Sovereignty of God. Why? Because God has revealed Himself through His written word and His works that He is love. He can be trusted because He loves His creation. God calls upon humanity to return His love. The impact of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us and over shadows us, is One in whom we experience the love of God.
God is number one. Nothing or no one is above Him. God acts alone. He does not share His glory with anyone. He does not depend upon the arm of flesh to bring salvation to His creation.
If God is sovereign and rules alone, then what role does the believer have in the works of God? Our works are designed by Him, but we have a choice as to whether we want to follow Him, love, rejoice, and praise Him.
We can make plans. However, it is the Lord who disposes those plans (Pro 16). They don’t always work out the way we planned, but they do work out. The Psalmist sings praise unto the Lord because of who He is (Psa 145-150).
How does this apply to the Christian? God is sovereign in His rule of His creations. He shares with no one. The sovereign rule of God is the foundation of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the believer’s life. The mystery of God’s sovereign rule lies behind the existence of Satan, evil, sin, death, and in particular to the Christian’s understanding of freedom of choice. It is a mystery that cannot be comprehended by man. The Christian is not called upon to understand the sovereignty of God, but rather to trust the words of the Sovereign God.
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