One of the greatest truths that is denied by the majority of mankind is the absolute sovereignty of God. In fact, it is the very essence of Original Sin to abhor it. Did not the serpent say to Eve, “…you will be like God”? This is what is at the heart of every unregenerate man, the desire to be like God. It is to be the master of one’s own universe with no outside control. Thus, when our wicked ancestors created their false religions, they set up a system of many finite deities so that no one god would have absolute power. They set up a universe that came out of randomness, chance, and spontaneity so that there would be no control over their actions. This is clearly seen in ancient Greek religion which comprised a system of multiple deities that consisted of both ‘good’ and ‘evil’ characters so that no particular system of ethics was either right or wrong. It was a universe ‘created’ out of ‘Chaos’ and one which will end in ‘Chaos’ (i.e. everything is an accident). Dr. Robert Morey notes the pagan Greek view of man:
“The pagan worldview taught that man was autonomous in an absolute sense. He was totally and absolutely “free” and even the gods could not violate this freedom. The Greek philosophers were the first to articulate the idea that man had a “free will” and that no one, not even a god, could violate it. The Greek philosopher Epictetus wrote,
Not even Zeus himself can get the better of my free will.
Who can any longer restrain or compel me, contrary to my own opinion? No more than Zeus.
In a contingent (i.e. chance-driven) universe in which no one was in control, not even the gods, man was totally free to be or do whatever he wanted…The pagan philosophers claimed that man had to be “free” in order for man to be responsible for his actions…The Greek philosophers demanded that man must be autonomous in order for man to be responsible because they assumed that man was the measure of all things – including his responsibility…There was no concept in the pagan worldview that man’s responsibility meant accountability to his Creator who would one day judge him. Thus the pagan concept of man’s autonomous “free will” was possible only in the context of that polytheistic worldview.”
-Dr. Robert
A. Morey, The Nature and Extent of God’s Knowledge, 2nd Edition (
The idea of a libertarian free-will is based on the existence of a chance driven universe. The Biblical doctrine, however, is far different. It teaches that God created this universe by His sovereign decree and that all things that take place in time happen for a purpose because they were foreordained by God to come to pass. Sadly enough, many religious groups that call themselves ‘Christian’ (and some that truly are Christian) deny this plain Biblical teaching. In this article, the true Biblical teaching of the absolute sovereignty of God will be proven and some objections to it will be answered.
The True Biblical
Doctrine
The Westminster Confession states that God has foreordained all things to come to pass by His sovereign decree without being the author of evil:
“I. God, the great Creator of all things, doth
uphold, direct dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy
providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory
of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.
II. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause,
all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, yet, by the same providence, he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature
of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.
III. God, in his ordinary providence, maketh use of means, yet is free
to work without, above, and against them, at his pleasure.
IV. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God,
so far manifest themselves in his providence, that it extendeth itself even to the first Fall, and all other sins of angels and men,
and that not by a bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a most wise and powerful bounding, and otherwise ordering and governing
of them, in a manifold dispensation, to his own holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and
not from God; who being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin.”
-The
http://www.reformed.org/documents/westminster_conf_of_faith.html#chap5
Indeed, this is what the Scriptures teach. All quotes are from the NASB (emphasis mine):
Genesis 20:6
Then God said to him in the
dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore
I did not let you touch her.”
Commentary:
God was able to control the actions of Abimelech so that he did not sleep with Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 50:19-20
But Joseph said to them, “Do not be
afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this
present result, to preserve many people alive.”
Commentary:
God actively foreordained that Joseph’s brothers would attack Joseph and sell him into slavery. Mysteriously, Joseph’s brothers were the one’s who were guilty of what they had done even though God had foreordained what had come to pass. Thus, Joseph’s brothers “meant evil” against him, but God “meant it for good”.
Psalm 115:3
But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever
He pleases.
Psalm 135:6
Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
Commentary:
God is the one with free-will.
Proverbs 16:4
The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of
evil.
Commentary:
The text says what it says. God has foreordained
all things to come to pass, and God has created wicked men for the Day of Judgment (see also Romans
Proverbs 16:9
The
mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 19:21
Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the LORD
will stand.
Proverbs 20:24
Man's steps are ordained by the LORD, how then can man understand his way?
Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is
like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Commentary:
God is able to control the actions of men.
Isaiah 10:5-7
Woe to
Commentary:
God used
Isaiah 14:27
“For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for
His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
Isaiah 43:12-13
“It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no
strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And I am God. Even from eternity I am He, and there is
none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
Isaiah 46:9-10
“Remember the former things long past, for I am God,
and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things
which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;”
Lamentations
3:37
Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?
Commentary:
The LORD has commanded all events to come to pass by His sovereign decree.
Daniel 4:34-35
“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the
earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no
one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
Acts 4:27-28
“For truly
in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along
with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”
Commentary:
God predestined the acts of evil men for the purpose of bringing about good. The crucifixion of Christ was predestined to occur including all the evil acts of the men who did it. Mysteriously, God still holds them accountable for the deeds that they willingly did! Two seemingly contradictory beliefs are forged together into a Mystery of the Faith. (See the Objections section below.)
Romans 9:18-23
“So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then,
“Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The
thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? What if God, although willing to demonstrate
His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to
make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory…”
Commentary:
Paul explains the absolute sovereignty of God and expects the typical reply of a person who believes that if God foreordains
all things to come to pass, then God cannot judge anyone for their deeds. Paul answers him and tells him that he is just a pot
made by the Potter (i.e. God) for whatever purpose the Potter has and that it is not man’s view of justice that counts but God’s.
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Objections
to God’s Sovereignty
In the face of the weight of Scriptural
proof, opponents of God’s sovereignty run off to philosophical objections in order to get around God’s sovereign decree. Some
of the questions and the proper refutations are as follows:
Q. Doesn’t God’s absolute sovereignty make Him the author of
evil?
A. No. It is a mystery of the faith. This means that God caused all things to come to pass and that He
will judge all men for their deeds which they freely choose. Both are true even though man cannot fully explain or comprehend
it.
Q. If God is sovereign, then doesn’t that mean that we are all just a bunch of robots?
A. The Scriptures say that we freely choose our evil deeds, we will be judged for those deeds, and that God has decreed all things to
come to pass. It is a mystery of the faith, two seemingly contradictory beliefs that are both true. Why they are both
true, man cannot explain. Any attempt to attack this doctrine based on philosophical rationalism will fail because humanistic
rationalism only takes into account the temporal side of the equation. Just as God can create everything out of nothing, He
can have both of these things happen at the same time. The Scriptures say that these things are true, end of story.
Q. Doesn’t man have to be free in order for God to judge us fairly?
A. No. This philosophical objection comes out of the reasoning of the pagan Greek philosopher, Aristotle, and it is not founded in Scripture. God says that He is both completely sovereign (i.e. He decrees all things to come to pass) and that He will judge people for what men freely choose to do (Romans 9:18-23). Those are the cold hard facts, and no amount of human reasoning can ever change that. As the saying goes, “Reason is a whore.”
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Also, some helpful audio on this topic can be found at:
http://www.straitgate.com/aom/dl/99.htm (June 26-August 21)
Some helpful online reading can be found here:
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/topic/sovereignty.html
http://www.mslick.com/verses.htm
Suggested
reading:
- Robert Morey, Studies in the Atonement (Las Vegas, Nevada: Christian Scholars Press, 1989).
- James R. White, The Potter’s Freedom (
- James R. White, The Sovereign Grace of God (
- Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will, trans. J.I. Packer and O.R. Johnston (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1957).
The Sovereignty of God