This statement may come as a shock to those who pit God’s sovereignty against man’s free will, and then go on to claim that God had decreed that whatever comes to pass is because God has decreed it – thus presenting a robotic universe, where all human decisions are “pre-programmed” by God. However this is a totally false doctrine of God’s sovereignty, as we shall see from Scripture.
There is absolutely no question that the LORD God Almighty is sovereign over His entire universe. In other words, He is the Supreme Ruler, Controller, and Sustainer of the universe. There are dozens of Psalms which extol the sovereignty of God.
And since God the Father has put all things into the hands of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is shown as the sovereign Lord God by Paul (1 Tim 6:14-16): That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
So this is an indisputable truth. But what too many Christians have failed to understand is that under His own sovereignty, God decreed the free will of man, so that men would believe Him, obey Him, worship Him, and serve Him willingly and voluntarily. Therefore God created man in His own image and likeness: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Gen 1:26, 27).
As we know from other Scriptures, this meant that mankind would have a spirit, a soul, and a body (1 Thess 5:23), as well as a mind, a will, and a “heart” (emotions), with the potential to resemble God and Christ (1 Jn 3:1-3). But God’s primary goal was for man to have free and full fellowship with Him through the spirit (1 Jn: 1:1-10).
Thus God gave the first man Adam free will – the ability (or capacity) to make free choices, and thus display (a) either his genuine love and obedience to God (without coercion) or display (b) his own self-centered behavior, and forfeit God’s fellowship. As we know, Adam and Eve chose option (b) to the detriment of the human race.
But here is the proof that God decreed man’s free will under His own sovereignty: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen 2:15-17).
God could have easily created man as a robot, programmed to be perfectly obedient to God, so that the issue of a choice between obedience and disobedience did not exist. But that would have defeated God’s plan to have human beings within the family of God, who willingly and voluntarily surrendered themselves to God without reservation, and conformed themselves to the character of God and Christ.
When we now come to the salvation of sinners, God maintains the same principle. Sinners must hear the Gospel (which is the power of God unto salvation to all those who believe) and be convicted and convinced by the Holy Spirit (who Himself is the power of God accompanying the Gospel). In other words, sinners must obey the Gospel willingly and voluntarily, just as Adam was meant to obey God willingly and voluntarily.
Thus we have this revelation in Scripture (Rom 16: 25-27): Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Just as Adam was given a commandment, all men, in all nations, in all the world, are commanded to come to “the obedience of faith”, which is obedience to the Gospel. But God will not coerce anyone, and His grace is not “irresistible”. His grace (not His sovereignty) desires that ALL men should be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:3,4), but He does not elect any to be saved, and will not compel any to be saved. Instead He simply commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). There’s His sovereignty.
There is absolutely no question that the LORD God Almighty is sovereign over His entire universe. In other words, He is the Supreme Ruler, Controller, and Sustainer of the universe. There are dozens of Psalms which extol the sovereignty of God.
And since God the Father has put all things into the hands of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is shown as the sovereign Lord God by Paul (1 Tim 6:14-16): That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
So this is an indisputable truth. But what too many Christians have failed to understand is that under His own sovereignty, God decreed the free will of man, so that men would believe Him, obey Him, worship Him, and serve Him willingly and voluntarily. Therefore God created man in His own image and likeness: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Gen 1:26, 27).
As we know from other Scriptures, this meant that mankind would have a spirit, a soul, and a body (1 Thess 5:23), as well as a mind, a will, and a “heart” (emotions), with the potential to resemble God and Christ (1 Jn 3:1-3). But God’s primary goal was for man to have free and full fellowship with Him through the spirit (1 Jn: 1:1-10).
Thus God gave the first man Adam free will – the ability (or capacity) to make free choices, and thus display (a) either his genuine love and obedience to God (without coercion) or display (b) his own self-centered behavior, and forfeit God’s fellowship. As we know, Adam and Eve chose option (b) to the detriment of the human race.
But here is the proof that God decreed man’s free will under His own sovereignty: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen 2:15-17).
God could have easily created man as a robot, programmed to be perfectly obedient to God, so that the issue of a choice between obedience and disobedience did not exist. But that would have defeated God’s plan to have human beings within the family of God, who willingly and voluntarily surrendered themselves to God without reservation, and conformed themselves to the character of God and Christ.
When we now come to the salvation of sinners, God maintains the same principle. Sinners must hear the Gospel (which is the power of God unto salvation to all those who believe) and be convicted and convinced by the Holy Spirit (who Himself is the power of God accompanying the Gospel). In other words, sinners must obey the Gospel willingly and voluntarily, just as Adam was meant to obey God willingly and voluntarily.
Thus we have this revelation in Scripture (Rom 16: 25-27): Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Just as Adam was given a commandment, all men, in all nations, in all the world, are commanded to come to “the obedience of faith”, which is obedience to the Gospel. But God will not coerce anyone, and His grace is not “irresistible”. His grace (not His sovereignty) desires that ALL men should be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:3,4), but He does not elect any to be saved, and will not compel any to be saved. Instead He simply commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). There’s His sovereignty.
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