The Sovereignty of God

The sovereignty of God may be defined as God’s absolute control over all His creation. This would include His absolute control over all His creatures and all their actions. Man might object to this, but is this not God’s right? After all, it is His creation. Absolute sovereignty, is that not a part of what it means to be God?

The reason men object to this doctrine lies in the fact that they seek to entertain the notion that we have an existence that is independent of God. That, indeed, is the false concept the devil introduced to the human race back in the Garden of Eden. The Lord God had explicitly told Adam, “In the day you eat the fruit of the forbidden tree you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17.) When the devil said to Eve, “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:5,) he was asserting that God, in fact, has no control over His creatures. God may threaten them as a means of inducing their obedience to His commandments, but He is unable to carry out His threat, man’s life is independent of God. However, upon partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve tragically found the devil’s insinuation to be a lie. The truth, as it was expressed by the apostle Paul before the Athenians, is that “in God we live, and move, and have our existence” (Acts 17:28.)

Does the sovereignty of God nullify human responsibility? Not so, according to the Word of God. On the contrary, the two are intimately related. God’s sovereignty insures that His decisions are of His own volition, not contingent upon any force apart from God Himself. Since man has been created in the image of God, our decisions are patterned after His; and, hence, in a divine way God’s sovereignty guarantees human responsibility.

To learn more about this topic, check out the Bible study courses on The Sovereignty of God.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

This Bible study course, based on Exodus 6:28-7:7, explores the sovereignty of God as it is manifested in God’s dealings with Pharaoh.

This Bible study course discusses three characteristics of God’s sovereignty as they are presented to us in the Book of Proverbs.

This Bible study course, based upon the testimony of the Book of Daniel, provides us with the biblical assurance of God’s sovereign rule.

This Bible study course, examining the trial of the Lord Jesus and its ultimate outcome, encourages us to be assured of God’s sovereign control over the devil and all the forces of evil.

This Bible study courses, based upon the apostle Paul’s teaching found in Ephesians 1:3-10, discusses God’s sovereignty as it relates to redemption.

This Bible study course, based upon the apostle Paul’s teaching contained in Ephesians 2:1-10, discusses the role of God’s sovereign grace in the redemption of His people.