Is God sovereign
Metaphysical questions were being raised on radio talk shows and on TV. Of all the questions, the most haunting one was the topic of a Larry King Live interview. Larry King assembled a panel consisting of prominent Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders, as well as New Age pundit, Deepak Chopra. His question: “Where was God on 9/11?”
It was a question of sovereignty. Is God in control of everything or not? Here are some of the answers offered by the panel of religious experts…
DEEPAK CHOPRA: God is infinite creativity, infinite love, infinite compassion… God is not the problem, Larry. It’s our ignorance about our inseparability with each other and our tribal instinct. We’ve sacrificed God. We’ve made a brand name out of God, and we’ve gone to war. … the name of God is not “God.” That’s our essential problem.
KING: Rabbi, if God is omnipotent, he could have prevented this, could he not?
RABBI HAROLD KUSHNER: No, because I think at the very outset God gave human beings the freedom to choose between being good people and being bad people. And at tremendous risk to God’s creatures and God’s creation, he will not take that power away from us, that freedom, because we stop being human beings if he does.
KING: John, … do you question whether there is a God?
PASTOR JOHN MACARTHUR: I don’t question whether there is a God. I don’t even question what God chooses to allow. It’s not a matter of my opinion. … Scripture tells us that God is absolutely sovereign; that everything that occurs, occurs within the framework of his purpose.
Needless to say, this answer sparked a lively debate among the panelists. But all MacArthur did was to supply the biblical view of God. God reveals himself as sovereign, or in control of everything in the world, and he explicitly says that he is able to overrule man’s free will whenever he wants to. And in fact he does override free will each and every time a person gets saved.
You might be wondering where in the Bible it says that. Let’s look at Luke 10:21-23.
The context here is that the 72 evangelists have just come back and are rejoicing at the miracles they had seen. Jesus tells them rather to “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:20.
3 RESPONSES TO SOVEREIGN GRACE SO THAT YOU DON’T MISTAKENLY THINK YOUR FREE WILL IS MORE POWERFUL THAN GOD
1. APPLAUD SOVEREIGN GRACE
Luke 10: 21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Have you ever wondered if God can do anything he wants? Anything? If he wants to save me, can he, or is he bound by my free will?
If he can’t save me without my self-initiated cooperation, then he is not all powerful. And then why do I pray for the salvation of other people if God cannot influence them? And if he can influence those I pray for, why does he not influence all people everywhere to choose him?
Welcome to the doctrine of sovereign grace.
“Sovereign” means that God is in control, all-powerful, ruling, and reigning.
“Grace” is the free gift of salvation he gives sinners.
“Sovereign grace” is the biblical doctrine which teaches that God can and does save whomever he wants, even by overruling their free will.
So let’s carefully examine this passage…
Luke 10:21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Notice that Jesus not only believes in sovereign grace, but he rejoices in it:
21 In that same hour he rejoiced.
He applauds it, he calls it God’s gracious will. He even thanks God for doing it that way.
Some people say sovereign grace makes us seem like robots. But Jesus makes it about God, not us. Jesus applauds this doctrine and worships God. His point is that the people who are great in worldly standards merit nothing with God. You can study philosophy and theology, and still not be saved. Because no one is saved due to their IQ, education, or experience.
Salvation is by grace alone, not your own efforts.
Ephesians 2: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
So yes, God actually hides the truth from some people so that he gets glory, not them.
Here are some examples…
Exodus 4: 21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
Matthew 13: 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
John 12: 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him… 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Wow. This is a lot of bad news. So, to whom does God reveal truth?
Luke 10: 21… “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; …
Here Jesus thanks God for revealing truth to people, who think of themselves as children, people who don’t have faith in their own intelligence, who know they are sinners, who know they are helpless, who know they need a Savior.
What gives Jesus joy is not that some are rejecting God, but that their education and IQ, their earthly, human wisdom and understanding is not what saves them. He rejoices in the fact that God does reveal himself to people and does save people and that his choice of them is based on his graciousness, not their qualifications.
No one seeks God, no one deserves grace, no one earns merit, no one qualifies for salvation. But God saves us anyway.
This should give you tremendous hope. No matter how uneducated you are. No matter how little of the Bible you know. No matter how wicked your past or disgusting your present. God can and will save anyone and everyone who believes in Jesus.
This is not a scary doctrine. It’s a glorious doctrine that brightens Jesus’ day.
He loves that all the world’s education and wisdom is not enough to save you. He loves that even the lowliest, most ungifted, unconnected, underachievers can be saved. There are no human qualities needed to save you, only God’s sovereign grace.
For two more responses to sovereign grace, so that you don’t mistakenly think your free will is more powerful than God
