What is the ‘Sovereignty of God’?

The study of God

We will be having a closer look at what we as Christians actually mean when we speak about God’s ‘sovereignty’. What do we mean in times of uncertainty when we say, “God is still in control”?

As we do this we should not fall into the trap of seeking understanding in order that we may believe. The question of ‘How can I live a life that pleases God?’ is far more important than the question of ‘Why does God do the things that does?’ We study these things in order for us to think about God in a way that is worthy of who he really is. This enables us to worship him even more because his glory is revealed through his dealings with mankind.

Also keep in mind that we are going to be ‘joining the dots’ of a complex picture in the unfolding drama of God’s interaction with mankind. In the end you will almost certainly find that you are not able to ‘join all the dots’ because there is a mystery in God’s dealings with man that goes beyond our ability as humans to fully comprehend. I have made peace with this fact, and I encourage you to do the same.

Differing perspectives on God’s sovereignty in modern times

After reading this article, hopefully you will be able to appreciate the delicate and somewhat mystical interplay between the sovereign will of God, the human response to grace and the antagonism of Satan that defines the nature of life as we know it.

When we do not hold all these factors in tension we can easily form a distorted view of God. There are two unhelpful extremes which modern thinkers have fallen into regarding the sovereignty of God which I would like to outline right at the outset in order to bring you into the discussion and spell out what is at stake here. They are:

a.) Overly-deterministic sovereignty

The first extreme is to overstate God’s control of the events in the world and the actions of both men and demons. This overly-deterministic view is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, the logical implication of this view of God’s sovereignty is that God is the author of evil because he unilaterally determines all the evil that happens in the world. This would mean that God himself is both good and evil.

Secondly, it removes all authentic agency from humans and demons, which would mean that God holds them responsible for actions that were not ultimately determined by them. How can God hold humans responsible for actions that were determined by himself? This calls the justice of God into question.

Here are a few sample quotes which exemplify this view:

• “Foreordination means God’s sovereign plan, whereby he decides all that is to happen in the entire universe. Nothing in this world happens by chance. God is in back of everything. He decides and causes all things to happen that do happen. He is not sitting on the sidelines wondering and perhaps fearing what is going to happen next. He has foreordained everything ‘after the counsel of his will’ (Eph 1:11): the moving of a finger, the beating of a heart, the laughter of a girl, the mistake of a typist—even sin.” – Edwin H. Palmer

 

• “God foreordains everything which comes to pass. His Sovereign rule extends throughout the entire Universe and is over every creature. “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things” (Rom. 11:36). God initiates all things, regulates all things, and all things are working unto His eternal glory… And again, “According to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11).” – A. W. Pink

 

• “When he [God] decides for a thing to happen, it happens. Or to put it another way, everything happens because God wills it to happen…” “Or as the apostle Paul sums up: “[He] works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (Eph. 1:11) “All things.” Not some things. And “according to his will,” not according to wills or forces outside himself. In other words, the sovereignty of God is all-encompassing and all-pervasive. He holds absolute sway over this world.” – John Piper

 

b.) Sovereign but not in control

The second extreme view tends to down-play God’s control of the world because it over-emphasizes the agency of men and/or down-plays God’s knowledge and control of future events. According to this view, God would seem to have abdicated his responsibility to steward his creation. This view will inevitably produce insecure Christians because they feel a need to fulfil a responsibility which God alone can do.

Here are two quotations that illustrate this kind of thinking:

• “God is in charge but He is not in control. He has left us in control.” – Bill Johnson

 

• “But since we believe that God can know only what can be known and that what humans will freely do in the future cannot be known beforehand, we believe that God can never know with certainty what will happen in any context involving freedom of choice.” – Basinger

What does God’s ‘sovereignty’ actually mean?

Maybe before attempting any definitions, let me reveal my sources for addressing this specific question. I am well aware that Christians have wrestled with this question from the very beginning of our faith and so I will rely heavily on the commentary of the early Church Fathers.[1]

Strictly speaking God’s sovereignty refers to his freedom and his power as sovereign of the universe to do whatever he wills (Job 42:2)[2]. The crucial question then becomes – What is God’s will for mankind and what is his will for me?

So when most of us speak of the sovereignty of God we are dealing with the more practical issue of how God’s sovereignty impacts upon our lives. This is more technically referred to as God’s ‘providence’. With regard to this question, Christian thinkers have historically explained God’s involvement in his creation in three ways:

• God preserves his creation
• God cooperates with agents in his creation
• God guides his creation toward his larger purpose

Let us unpack what each of these things mean.

1. God preserves his creation

Explanation:    Every living thing (and creation itself) owes its continued existence to God because he continues to preserve it. He is not only the creator but also the sustainer of all things.

This is maybe best summarized in the verse regarding Christ, that he is “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Heb 1:3). The universe and everything in it was not created by God and then left alone to continue autonomously from him.

Scripture teaches us that everything in creation is being actively sustained by God. Imagine a human body and the function of the heart inside that body. When the heart stops beating, the body ceases to function. In the same way it is God’s active involvement in every aspect of the universe that enables it to go on.

This is true even of the enemies of God. Though they rage and plot against him, it is only by his mercy that they continue to live at all.

Scripture references:

• “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Heb 1:3
• “Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.” Psalm 36:6
• “When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust. When You send Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth.” Ps 104:29,30
• “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28
• “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Col 1:17

1a. Common grace[3]

Explanation:   Because God is generous and kind, we read that, “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” (Ps 145:9) He gives countless blessings to all people, even while they are his enemies.

It is quite remarkable to think about how good and kind and patient God is to all, even toward those who do not acknowledge him or thank him for his good gifts. Jesus said about God, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Mat 5:44-45)

There are many arenas of life where we can witness the goodness of God toward all mankind. To mention just a few, think of the goodness that remains in nature, of our sense of reason and morality, or our abilities for creativity and the blessing of society and relationships. More than this, think about God’s goodness in reaching out to us through conscience and the drawings of his Spirit.

God continues to reach out to fallen humanity in an effort to reconcile with them and has made provision for their redemption (more on this later). Scripture says that God inwardly draws every person to himself, he gives them an awareness that he exists and makes unbelievers experience the lack that they have within themselves.

Although all humans experience this spiritual blessing, this on its own is not enough to gain salvation if it is not responded to in faith.

It is because of God’s grace toward all that our bodies themselves are preserved and held together by the active, sustaining power of God so that every breath we breath is a gift from God.

Scripture references:

• “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” Ps 145:15-16
• “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Mat 5:44-45
• “In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Acts 14:16-17
• “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.” Rom 2:14-15
• “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:18-21
• “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” (Rom 13:4)
• “And I, when I am lifted up[a] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32
• “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:26,27
• “That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” 1 tim 4:10
• “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
• Ps 145:9, Rom 1:32, Gen 5:4, Gen 9:6

 

1b. Special grace

Explanation:   Believers in Christ come into special favour with God and therefore experience countless blessings that are the peculiar inheritance of God’s own people.

Through the reconciliation that Christ brought about on the cross, believers have been transferred from the kingdom and dominion of Satan into the kingdom of Christ. Satan no longer has the same kind of power and influence over people’s lives when they come into God’s kingdom through Christ.

Saints are taught to call upon God in the hope that is inspired by calling him ‘our Father who is in heaven.’ We now claim a wonderfully intimate relationship with the creator of the universe. Because of this, we are encouraged by Christ to pray and ask for anything that we need. This includes provision for daily life, forgiveness for our sins and healing in our bodies. We are also encouraged to pray for protection from the schemes and temptations of the evil one.

The favour and the grace that we enjoy and that we pray for is framed in the context of serving the purposes of God on the earth and his all-knowing, all-wise plans, both for our lives individually and for his kingdom generally.

We are taught that our inheritance in Christ is being received in an unfolding two-part fulfilment, a down-payment in this life and the balance to be received in the next life when Christ reigns in the fully-realized kingdom of God.

Scripture references:

• “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” Col 1:13
• “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Col 2:15
• “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:14-16
• “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.“ Ps 103:2-4

• Mat 6:6-13, Mat 6:25-34, Heb 11

 

2. God cooperates with secondary causes in his creation

2a. Laws in Nature

Explanation:    God’s divine power cooperates with natural laws and processes in his creation. He sustains and enables those natural laws to influence and shape life on earth. Natural laws and processes are entirely dependent on the constant cooperation of God in order to operate reliably in creation.

It is for this reason that we are able to study the natural sciences and investigate the way nature works. There is no conflict between the study of science and studying theology because it is God that empowers the laws which govern nature.

As we engage with the natural world we experience the cause and effect nature of the universe; this is the world of physics.

These secondary causes affect our lives in very real ways, all of which are only indirectly attributed to God. For example, if I stub my toe on a misplaced chair, God’s sovereignty is only indirectly involved.

God is only responsible in that he empowers the ongoing efficacy of the laws that govern nature, but the effects of those laws in our lives as we interact with them are not necessarily predetermined by God. i.e. God predetermined the laws of physics but not necessarily that I would stub my toe on the chair.

Scripture references:

• “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be.  When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was constantly at his side.” Prov 8:22-31
• “All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.” Ecc 1:7
• “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Mat 5:45
• Ps 135:6,7, Gen 1:11,12, Gen 1:20-25, prov 6:6-8, mat 6:26,

 

 2b. Human freedom

Explanation:   God’s sovereignty does not exclude free human agency, it enables and sustains it. There are limits on human freedom, but God’s sovereignty gives and permits it.

God in his sovereignty determines that we have the ongoing freedom to make our own choices, not what choices we make. God even sustains the human will that chooses sin rather than righteousness.

God allows freedom to be authentic, even permitting freedom to distort a good creation, but that does not mean that God affirms or permanently allows the consequences of human freedom when it is abused.

It is essential for us to appreciate God’s role in allowing the authentic expression of human freedom because it would hardly be consistent with the stress in Scripture on God-given responsible freedom if God were absolutely determining every action. If our freedom to make choices were not real then any assumption that people are responsible for their actions would also not be true.

Although human freedom is authentic, God does limit and ultimately overrule the abuse of human freedom when it threatens to distort his broader purposes in redemptive history (more on this later).

So wherever we see secondary causes at work, whether it be natural laws, human agency or even angelic activity, God is also at work, not absolutely or unilaterally determining what that secondary cause will do, but cooperating with it so that it can continue to work.

Scripture references:

• “For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Mark 14:21
• Jer 2:21, Isa 5:1-4, Is 65:2, Jer 25:3-11, Jer 26:1-9, Jer 35:1-19, Ezek 24:13, Ecc 7:29, Neh 9, Zech 7:11-14, 1 Sam 15:35, 2 Kgs 17:7-23, Matt 23:37,Luke 7:30, John 5:34, 40, Acts 7:51-53,Rom 2:4-5, 2 Cor 6:1-2, Heb 10:29

 

2c. The agency of Satan and demons

Explanation:   The judgement and punishment of the devil and demons are a consequence of the abuse of their free choices. Their will and their actions are not determined, they are permitted by God. They chose to rebel against God and wage war for the souls of humanity. God has permitted them to exercise authentic agency despite that their actions are contrary to his will and cause harm to others.

Satan has been permitted to establish a kingdom and to exercise dominion over people’s lives who are in rebellion against God. He is referred to as the ‘prince of this world’ and the world is said to be under his power and captive to him.

This kingdom rivals the kingdom of God and is in active conflict with the kingdom of God. Since the advent of Christ, the kingdom of God is advancing and plundering the kingdom of Satan. Nevertheless, Satan and his demons actively seek to combat, frustrate, pervert and resist the purposes and gifts of God.

Satan and his demons actively entice humans and promote sin however they can. They not only prevail upon the souls of humans, they also torment them physically, actively seeking to cause them suffering and pain.

Scripture teaches that although Satan exercises authentic agency in the world, his powers and his influence are limited and restrained by God. This is especially true with regard to his activity in the lives of those who belong to Christ. We are taught that Christians can pray for and expect a special protection from the schemes and temptations of the evil one.

Christians are taught not to take a fatalistic view toward the actions and designs of Satan, either that his actions are determined by God or that believers are powerless against his advances. Instead we are encouraged to actively resist and fight against him and his demons.

The war which the saints wage against Satan will cause them suffering and, at times, cost them their lives without necessarily costing them their souls.

At the second coming of Christ, all the enemies of God including Satan and all his demons will be finally and permanently brought into subjection to Jesus and his church who will ‘crush Satan under their feet’ because Jesus has been made king.

Scripture references:

• “The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”” Ps 110:1
• “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” Mark 4:15
• “The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.” Mat 13:39
• “Then He will also say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;” Mat 25:41
• “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” Mat 6:13
• “The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one” Mat 13:38
• “And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” Luke 4:6
• “Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” Luke 13:16
• “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” Luke 22:31-34
• “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” John 17:15
• “[You know of] Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and [how] He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38
• “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?” Acts 13:10
• “I am sending you to them to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:17,18
• “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Rom 16:20
• “Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 cor 15:25,26
• “BE ANGRY, AND [yet] DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Eph 4:26,27
• “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Eph 6:11-13
• “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Eph 6:16
• “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” 2 Cor 12:7
• “For we wanted to come to you–certainly I, Paul, did, again and again–but Satan blocked our way.” 1 thess 2:18
• “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,” 2 thess 2:9
• “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” Heb 2:8,9
• “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
• “Be of sober [spirit], be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in [your] faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen [and] establish you. To Him [be] dominion forever and ever.” 1 pet 5:8-11
• “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:7,8
• “We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.” 1 john 5:18,19
• “And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2 thess 3:2,3
• “and they may come to their senses [and escape] from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” 2 tim 2:26
• “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Rev 11:15
• “Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.” Rev 13:7
• “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.” Rev 20:7,8
• “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Rev 2:10
• “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Rev 2:13
• “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Rev 12:7-12

 

3. God guides his creation

The Spirit of God is at work in all the activities of the earth, guiding them toward the fulfillment of God’s purposes in creation.

God is constantly resisting and working to prevent the consequences of sin from excessively undermining his larger purposes. God would never allow sin to ultimately overcome his purposes. God will ultimately overrule all the injustices that are caused by the abuse of human freedom.

God is working in complex ways to allow the wretched story of abused freedom to play itself out so that his divine goodness may be displayed through and beyond our free actions. Even so, God’s governance of creation works without coercing or making redundant the dimension of human freedom.

God’s sovereignty ultimately brings about redemption because he makes provision to deal with evil in the earth (more about this later).

 3a. God guides human and demonic agency

Explanation:    God restricts the challenges which threaten to overwhelm our faith and puts boundaries upon what our enemies can do to us. God also hinders and sometimes directly resists our ill-fated decision-making. At times God can even directly correct or overrule our bad decisions when we wander completely out of line.

God’s involvement and guidance in the affairs of this world is a bit like a caring parent in the way they would raise their children. God guides human freedom in the following ways: (a) he permits human freedom despite the risks that this creates, (b) he prepares a way out for people to do what is right in the face of what would otherwise be insurmountable odds, (c) at times he hinders human freedom from getting itself into too much trouble, (d) he will at other times correct or overrule human actions when they could jeopardize his purposes or when ill-fated freedom seriously loses its way.

So when we speak of human freedom we are not implying that God does not continue to exercise influence over our decision-making and also direct affairs in the world for the promotion of his good purposes for us. In this way God actively guides human freedom without making that freedom inauthentic or meaningless. This is abundantly evidenced in the many millions of people who continue to live in active rebellion to God despite all God’s interventions to guide them differently.

Scripture references:

God permits human freedom

• “For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.” Prov 1:29-31
• “But My people would not listen to Me, and Israel would not obey Me. So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices” ps 81:11,12
• “’So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’ But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.” Jer 18:11,12
• “In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Acts 14:16,17

God’s prepares a way out for freedom

• “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Cor 10:13
• “The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.”” Job 1:12
• “The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”” Job 2:6
• “Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.” Rev 13:7

God hinders and resists ill-fated actions

• “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me.” Gen 20:6
• “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” Ps 19:13
• “He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains.” Lam 3:7

God sometimes directly corrects or overrules our decisions and actions

• “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.” Job 5:17,18
• “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.” Ezek 20:33,34

 

3b. God guides human history

Explanation:    God actively guides human history because it includes free agents who are prone to go wrong.

The tapestry of history is interwoven with endless strands of rebellion against God. After Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the garden they were alienated from God but thereafter they still had the possibility of choosing to respond positively to the grace of God.

The Biblical narrative of history is a story of ongoing struggle involving temptation, rebellion and judgment as well as mercy, repentance and redemption.

If we think of God’s broad purposes for humanity, we can think of it like the ocean at the end of a rivers long and winding journey. The river is God’s guiding of the course of history toward the end-goal of the ocean. The actions of human or demonic agents may alter the direction of the flow of the river, sometimes a nudge, sometimes a huge diversion, but the diversion is only temporary. The river always finds its way around the obstacle and continues its way toward the ocean.

God has created a world in which human choices have real, tangible and lasting effects in the world, both choices for good and choices for evil. Yet despite authentic human agency, the river will always find its way to the ocean in the end. As it says in Scripture, “Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.” (Is 8:10)

Thus faith in God’s sovereignty is the belief that God is silently working out the divine purpose throughout history, and that whatever the diversions, God’s purpose will be accomplished in the long run.

Our greatest source of hope for human history is that through it all, God is accomplishing a slowly unfolding plan for our redemption.

Scripture references:

• “who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’ Isaiah 44:28
• “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Is 46:9-10
• “Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.” Is 8:10
• “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Dan 2:20,21
• Isaiah 45:1, Is 40:1-11, Ezek 38, Dan 2-3, Ps 67:4, Ps 75

 

3c. God’s judgement and redemption in the world

Both the justice and the mercy of God is revealed in his governance of the world. His justice is demonstrated in his judgement of wickedness, his mercy is demonstrated in his provision for redemption through the sacrificial giving of his own son as a sacrifice for our sins.

As we will explore further, even in the just judgements of God in the world we can see his redemptive purposes in guiding people who have fallen from grace back to his original design for their lives.

 

i. God’s judgement on the earth[4]

Explanation:    The sin of Adam and the subsequent sin of all the descendants of Adam has brought about God’s judgement on the earth.

God’s original will for life on earth was for humans to live at peace, free from suffering. God’s will subsequent to man’s rebellion against him was to ‘subject’ his creation to ‘futility’ (Rom 8:20-22) which included a “corruption” of his original design in creation.

So it is true to say that no suffering or death on earth is God’s perfect will, it is God’s will subsequent to man’s abuse of freewill to punish evil and to work redemptively in the context of a fallen world to bring about reconciliation and peace.

When we experience suffering and tragedy resulting from natural disasters including famines, floods, disease, death and tsunamis, these are all a part of the general judgement which is being meted out against sinful humanity (Rom 1:18-20). These are not punishments for specific sins, they are God’s general judgement on the sin that pervades all of humanity.

God’s judgement can also come on people for specific sins. Although God sometimes judges specific sins even in this life, Scripture teaches us that God often reserves judgment of specific sins until the final judgement when all sin will be judged comprehensively.

Christians experience much of the same general judgement as the rest of mankind but we do not experience it as judgement but rather as purification for holiness. Christians can also experience judgement for specific sins but these are also regarded as loving discipline.

Ultimately, all judgement from God in this life is a mercy to us because it teaches us that sin produces painful consequences. God’s hope for all humanity is that his painful judgement will cause us to turn away from sin and in so doing avoid the far more terrible judgement which lies ahead from which there will be no opportunity for repentance.

Scripture references:

• “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Rom 1:18-20
• “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Rom 8:20-22
• “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” Acts 12:23
• “God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” Rom 2:6
• “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” Rom 8:23
• “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
• “because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” heb 12:6
• “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Rom 8:1
• “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 1 Pet 4:17-18
• Heb 12:6, Rom 5:16, Gen 3:1-19, Rom 5:12, 1 Thess 5:9, John 5:24

 

ii. God’s provision for redemption

Explanation:    From the very beginning, God has planned for and provided for the malady of sin. He has been actively guiding all of history according to his plan for the redemption of fallen humanity.

Because of his great mercy, God has consistently acted redemptively toward fallen humanity by providing a means for salvation. If mankind is pictured as a drowning swimmer in the ocean, God has always thrown a lifeline for us to take a hold of.

The history of mankind is interwoven with God’s history of salvation. Beginning immediately after man’s first sin which brought upon him God’s righteous condemnation we read these words spoken to our great Adversary, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”(Gen 3:15) The “He” referred to here is Christ, and us along with him. His victory will be our victory.

God acted within the history of nations by making a covenant with Abraham through whom he would reveal his salvation to the whole world.

God never left himself without a witness on the earth. He continued to speak through the prophets, guiding his people and warning them from danger.

Through the giving of the Law, the temple and the sacrificial system God taught us what is required for salvation in order that we would see our need for atonement through Christ.

God’s redemptive work within history reached its culmination in the giving of his Son, Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, who made salvation possible for everyone in the world who feels their need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

The end of history will coincide with the fulfilment of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind, when Christ returns and rules bodily over a perfectly restored and redeemed creation. This is the end that God has planned and God is actively guiding all of history towards it. The end is certain because God is sovereign.

Scripture references:

• “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Heb 1:1-3
• “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Gen 12:3
• “So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.” Gal 3:24
• “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Eph 1:5
• “God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.” Eph 1:9,10
• Gen 3:15, heb 10, Gal 4:4,5

  

Summary and conclusion

I now return to the question where this all began – What do we mean in times of uncertainty when we encourage ourselves with the words, “God is still in control”? How can we understand this phrase in light of all of the facts which we have considered in this article so far?

The easiest way to summarize an answer to this question is perhaps to state what it does not mean as well as to clarify what it does mean.

God’s sovereignty:

• Does not mean that Christians will never experience pain and suffering, but it does mean that God cares for them in a special way and that he is attentive and responsive to their prayers.
• Does not mean that all natural disasters are directly caused by God, but it does mean that the earth has been cursed by God because of sin and that natural disasters are forms of God’s general judgement against the sin that permeates humanity.
• Does not mean that all the evil done by wicked people in the world is determined by God, but it does mean that He limits evil so that the world is not as wicked as it could be.
• Does not mean that Satan’s actions are determined by God, but Satan does sometimes unwittingly fulfil God’s purposes. Satan’s power is also limited by God and Satan will be completely vanquished soon. Although Christians need to be wary of Satan’s schemes, we do not need to fear him.
• Does not mean that everything that happens happens because it was determined by God, but it does mean that God is guiding human history toward his own end goal and he is able to work all things for the good of those who love him.

After reading all of this you may find (as I suggested at the beginning) that you are still not able to make sense of it all. That is ok. Thankfully the Bible does not leave us in any doubt about how to respond in times of suffering. Perhaps the best encouragement I have read, written to Christians experiencing many trials and troubles, is summarized in this one verse and I leave it with you,

“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Peter 4:19)

Footnotes:

[1] There is a wonderful summary of their commentaries on this topic in Oden’s ‘Classic Christianity’ which I am referencing extensively in this article.

[2] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/are-gods-providence-and-gods-sovereignty-the-same

[3] I’m grateful to Wayne Grudem for his contribution to the topic of common grace in his book ‘Bible Doctrine (abridged)’ chapter 17.

[4] On the topic of God’s judgement I am grateful for the contribution Piper makes in his book ‘Coronavirus and Christ’, ch 6,7

References:

Grudem, W. Bible Doctrine (abridged)

Oden, T. Classic Christianity

Piper, J. Coronavirus and Christ

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/are-gods-providence-and-gods-sovereignty-the-same