It has often been said that people who teach that God is sovereign and that man is still responsible for his actions are sending mixed signals. To tell you the truth, sometimes I feel that way too, yet I believe that this is due to our inability to communicate or understand clearly rather than that the two positions are mutually exclusive.
What is the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? Well, it is to a large part a mystery, for the secret things belong to God (Deut 29:29), and yet the part that is not a mystery is what has been revealed to us in Scripture. Here is my understanding of what the Scriptures teach us about the subject, as best as I can explain it.
Truth #1 – God has complete power over all things in creation.
The Bible teaches us that God is all-powerful or sovereign. This means that nothing comes to pass that He does not allow to come to pass. Nothing is beyond His power. All things happen according to what He has determined beforehand should happen.
Isa 43:1313 "Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?"
Isa 46:9-11 “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,' Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it."
Isa 45:77 - "I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.'
Isa 48:3- "I have declared the former things from the beginning; they went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass."
Isa 14:24 -“The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand:”
Prov 19:21- “There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel-- that will stand.
Prov 16:33 -“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”
Ps 135:5-7 - “For I know that the LORD is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places.”
Ps 115:3 -“But our God is in heaven; he does whatever He pleases.”
Ps 33:10-11 -“The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.”
Dan 4:35 -“All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; he does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?"
Job 42:2- "I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.”
Lam 3:37-38 -“Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed?”
1 Chr 29:11-12 -“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”
Eccl 3:14 “I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.”
Eccl 7:13 -“Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?”
Matt 10:29 -"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.”
Eph 1:11 -“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,”
Truth #2 - All men choose according to their own desires and are held accountable for those decisions.
The Bible also teaches us that all men are held accountable for the decisions that they make. Each of us will be judged according to our obedience to the revealed will of God (the law and gospel as revealed in the Scriptures). We are the ones that make our own decisions according to the greatest desires of our hearts and are therefore totally culpable for those decisions.
James 2:12 -“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”
2 Thes 1:8 -“In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Rom 2:12 -“For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.”
2 Cor 5:10 -“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Rev 22:12 -"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”
Rev 20:12 -“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
Col 3:24-25 -“knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.”
Rom 2:5-11 -“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who "will render to each one according to his deeds": eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness-- indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.
Matt 16:27 -"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works”
Isa 3:10-11 -"Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.”
Truth #3 – God is not the author of evil.
The Bible also teaches us about the holiness of God. God hates sin. He cannot look upon sin. He does not commit sin nor does He tempt anyone to sin.
Job 34:10 -"Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity.” (Job 34:10)
Hab 1:13 -"You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.”
Zeph 3:5 -“The LORD is righteous in her midst, he will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; he never fails, but the unjust knows no shame.”
Ps 34:15-16 -“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.”
Ps 5:4-5 -“For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; you hate all workers of iniquity.”
James 1:13 -“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”
1 Pet 1:15-16 -“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
Hence, we have three concurrent biblical truths. They are all true all the time and they are not mutually exclusive but coalesce perfectly with each other in God’s world. How do these truths coalesce? Some say that we cannot grasp how they work together and form one truth. They say by faith we must just accept them all as absolutely true because God’s Word teaches them and we are to live by faith in the belief of all of them. This may well be the case.For others that is not good enough. We all tend to long for some explanation of how these truths are in harmony with one another rather than contradictory. For these I proffer my best attempt at an answer:
God’s will is always perfectly accomplished in these various possible ways:
1) Since God knows each man perfectly, He directs all things so that we will choose to do exactly what God wants us to do. This way we are accountable, because we are choosing according to our own desires. We are acting on the intents of our own heart. God, knowing those intents and desires perfectly, then arranges the events of life so that we act on those intents in the given situations, thus fulfilling His perfect sovereign will. This way, in the end, His will is perfectly accomplished (sustaining His sovereignty), we make our choices alone (sustaining our responsibility), and God is wholly sinless (sustaining His holiness). One instance of this in Scripture is the story of Joseph and his' brothers. The familiar ending to the story is "But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." (Gen 50:20) Or…
2) Since our whole person is corrupted by sin, God graciously imparts new good desires within our hearts so that we make the right decision. God, in His great love and mercy, changes the inclinations of our hearts so that we desire to do good more than evil, and thus fulfill His sovereign decree when that sovereign decree is for us to do that good. This way, in the end, God’s good, pleasing and perfect will is still done (sustaining His sovereignty), we still choose according to the greatest desires and intents of our hearts (sustaining our responsibility), and God is wholly righteous (sustaining His holiness). One instance of this in Scripture is in Ezra.Ezra 1:1 – “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing”. Here we see that God stirs the heart of a king so that His (Gods) will would be fulfilled. The king still chose according to His desires, yet it was Gods will that was perfectly accomplished by the stirring a mans heart.
The final and ultimate example of this truth is found at the cross.
Acts 2:23 - "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death”
Acts 4:27-28 -"For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.”
In these verses we see that the sinful actions of men, from those of Herod and Pilate, to those of the multitudes in the crowds, and Judas, were all to accomplish God’s purpose. All of these men sinned and will be held accountable for their sin (ie “lawless hands”), yet their sin was what God had “determined” beforehand to be done.”
How perfect and glorious is the unity of divine sovereignty and human responsibility! I do hope that this has clarified things a bit. God is great! He is the holy King of the universe. All authority in heaven and on earth are His. At the same time, we are accountable to this King for obeying His rule and submitting to His authority. In the end we can trust Him with absolute confidence because He will bring everything to pass that is His GOOD, PLEASING and PERFECT WILL, which is consequently good, pleasing, and, yes, perfect for us! Hallelujah and Amen!
Showing posts with label Sovereignty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sovereignty. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Only God Can Prevent Forest Fires part 2
“Only you can prevent forest fires.” –Smokey the Bear
Smokey was wrong. I could do everything within my might to prevent forest fires and yet they could still occur. Try as I might, I cannot prevent lightning from striking in the middle of the forest, or any other “natural” beginning points to forest fires. Neither can I control whether or not someone else carelessly or even intentionally starts a fire. I wasn’t there when Terry Barton started the Hayman fire. There is no way I could have prevented that forest fire unless God had redirected my path to cross with the hers that day. This is why the sovereignty of God is so important. Despite all of my efforts, I cannot control what happens in this universe, but there is Someone who does! To know that nothing occurs by random happenstance but that everything is a part of His glorious plan is the cornerstone of Christianity. To know that everything that enters my life is from the loving hand of God is the core of trusting God. To know that what other people intend for evil only comes about when God intends it for good is the backbone of faith. "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” (Gen 50:20)
But is this what Smokey meant? Was he implying that each of us is almighty and that we all have the power, like God, to prevent forest fires? Obviously not. Was Smokey saying that we are supposed to be running our fool heads off trying to find anyone being careless with fire? Again, no. Should each and every one of us be out there spending all of our waking hours watching for lightning strikes in the middle of the forest? I think not. I believe what Smokey was saying was, “You are responsible, as much as lies within your power, to keep from starting forest fires.”
What Smokey was saying is that each of us is responsible for not starting a forest fire. We are to follow the rules of the land and the law of God so that our actions are not the cause of a forest fire. Now if this is what Smokey really meant, was he right? Since only God can prevent forest fires are we really accountable for any of our actions in the process of fulfilling His sovereign decree? Will God judge Terry Barton for wrongdoing since He did not prevent her from starting the fire? Absolutely, because within the parameters of divine sovereignty lies human responsibility. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are like two sides of a coin. You cannot have one without the other. The Bible teaches both with equal ultimacy. Though from all eternity God decrees all things that come to pass, we are still accountable for the choices we make. We are obligated before God to do what He commands, and are responsible for those choices. Could God change those choices? Of course He could. Could He change our desires? Again, yes. (Phil 2:13; ; Prov 16:33; 19:21; 21:1; 2 Chron 30:12; Rev 17:17; Ezra 6:22) Yet the fact remains that we still act on our desires, we still choose from our heart to act in the way we do. The fact that it fulfills God’s eternal decree does not release us from our duty to obey Gods commands. Man is still responsible because He is still acting on his desires.
The arsonist of the Hayman fire is accountable and responsible for every choice she made that day. She acted according to her desires and thoughts and sinned, both against God and against the civil authorities and against everyone else who was affected by the fire. She disobeyed the civil authorities[1] and, therefore, disobeyed God that day. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” (Rom 13:1-3)
We must understand that God did not make the arsonists choices for her. In the same way, God does not make our choices for us. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” (James 1:13) "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity.” (Job 34:10)
When we sin God simply allows us to act out our own sinful desires. We are the ones acting. We are the ones choosing according to the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Therefore we are responsible. The fact that God determines the course of all things so that our choices are in accordance with His sovereign decree does not at all diminish our responsibility for making those choices. Let me say that again. The fact that God determines the course of all things so that our choices are in accordance with His sovereign decree does not at all diminish our responsibility for making those choices.“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” (Eph 1:11) The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand.” (Isa 14:24) We are not accountable for determining the course of all things, but we are accountable for the choices we make in our own lives. Therefore we are not accountable for knowing Gods sovereign decree but we are accountable for knowing and obeying His revealed will: the law of God and the gospel of God. By this standard we will be judged. “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” (James 2:12) “In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thes 1:8) “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.” (Rom 2:12) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor 5:10)
Therefore, each of us is responsible for not starting forest fires insofar as it is within our power, and each of us will be held responsible by God for our individual obedience, or lack thereof, in this realm. The same is true of every area of jurisdiction that God has placed us over. Whether it is our own personal prayer and study life, our obedience to the civil magistrate, our stewardship of finances, the spiritual leading of our families, our preaching of the gospel, or any other of the myriad of responsibilities God has given us, we are held responsible for our obedience to all that He has called us to.God is sovereign over all things and we are responsible for all of our actions. This is the truth of Scripture and therefore what we must believe. Conscious of this truth, we must now realize that we will be judged by how we respond to it.
There are really only two responses to the truth of divine sovereignty and human responsibility:1) We can worship God for Who He is and obey His Word …or 2) We can despise Him for being sovereign and rebel against His authority.Worship and obedience is the only true and biblical response to the sovereignty of God. This is Gods call to us whenever we have greater revelation of Who He is.
“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’” (Matt 11:27-29)
“The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.' For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,”(Acts 4:26-29)
“So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."… I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 9:16-21; 10:8,9,11; 12:1-2)
So what will my response to the sovereignty of God be? Will I hate Him for being Almighty? Will I rebel against the whole counsel of His Word? Will I despise His authority and thereby reject the King of the universe? Or will I praise and worship Him for His greatness? Will I obey Him because He is worthy to be obeyed? Will I present my body as a living sacrifice in light of His might?
I pray that each and every one of us will respond to God in the same way Nebuchadnezzar did when Gods sovereignty was revealed to Him:“And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding 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 is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; he does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”(Dan 4:34-35)
[1] We are to obey the civil magistrate “in the Lord”, which means that insofar as they do not violate the law or commands of God we are to obey them.. But if the civil magistrate oversteps its jurisdiction and makes laws that violate the commands of Scripture, we are to follow God.
Smokey was wrong. I could do everything within my might to prevent forest fires and yet they could still occur. Try as I might, I cannot prevent lightning from striking in the middle of the forest, or any other “natural” beginning points to forest fires. Neither can I control whether or not someone else carelessly or even intentionally starts a fire. I wasn’t there when Terry Barton started the Hayman fire. There is no way I could have prevented that forest fire unless God had redirected my path to cross with the hers that day. This is why the sovereignty of God is so important. Despite all of my efforts, I cannot control what happens in this universe, but there is Someone who does! To know that nothing occurs by random happenstance but that everything is a part of His glorious plan is the cornerstone of Christianity. To know that everything that enters my life is from the loving hand of God is the core of trusting God. To know that what other people intend for evil only comes about when God intends it for good is the backbone of faith. "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” (Gen 50:20)
But is this what Smokey meant? Was he implying that each of us is almighty and that we all have the power, like God, to prevent forest fires? Obviously not. Was Smokey saying that we are supposed to be running our fool heads off trying to find anyone being careless with fire? Again, no. Should each and every one of us be out there spending all of our waking hours watching for lightning strikes in the middle of the forest? I think not. I believe what Smokey was saying was, “You are responsible, as much as lies within your power, to keep from starting forest fires.”
What Smokey was saying is that each of us is responsible for not starting a forest fire. We are to follow the rules of the land and the law of God so that our actions are not the cause of a forest fire. Now if this is what Smokey really meant, was he right? Since only God can prevent forest fires are we really accountable for any of our actions in the process of fulfilling His sovereign decree? Will God judge Terry Barton for wrongdoing since He did not prevent her from starting the fire? Absolutely, because within the parameters of divine sovereignty lies human responsibility. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are like two sides of a coin. You cannot have one without the other. The Bible teaches both with equal ultimacy. Though from all eternity God decrees all things that come to pass, we are still accountable for the choices we make. We are obligated before God to do what He commands, and are responsible for those choices. Could God change those choices? Of course He could. Could He change our desires? Again, yes. (Phil 2:13; ; Prov 16:33; 19:21; 21:1; 2 Chron 30:12; Rev 17:17; Ezra 6:22) Yet the fact remains that we still act on our desires, we still choose from our heart to act in the way we do. The fact that it fulfills God’s eternal decree does not release us from our duty to obey Gods commands. Man is still responsible because He is still acting on his desires.
The arsonist of the Hayman fire is accountable and responsible for every choice she made that day. She acted according to her desires and thoughts and sinned, both against God and against the civil authorities and against everyone else who was affected by the fire. She disobeyed the civil authorities[1] and, therefore, disobeyed God that day. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” (Rom 13:1-3)
We must understand that God did not make the arsonists choices for her. In the same way, God does not make our choices for us. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” (James 1:13) "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity.” (Job 34:10)
When we sin God simply allows us to act out our own sinful desires. We are the ones acting. We are the ones choosing according to the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Therefore we are responsible. The fact that God determines the course of all things so that our choices are in accordance with His sovereign decree does not at all diminish our responsibility for making those choices. Let me say that again. The fact that God determines the course of all things so that our choices are in accordance with His sovereign decree does not at all diminish our responsibility for making those choices.“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” (Eph 1:11) The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand.” (Isa 14:24) We are not accountable for determining the course of all things, but we are accountable for the choices we make in our own lives. Therefore we are not accountable for knowing Gods sovereign decree but we are accountable for knowing and obeying His revealed will: the law of God and the gospel of God. By this standard we will be judged. “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” (James 2:12) “In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thes 1:8) “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.” (Rom 2:12) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor 5:10)
Therefore, each of us is responsible for not starting forest fires insofar as it is within our power, and each of us will be held responsible by God for our individual obedience, or lack thereof, in this realm. The same is true of every area of jurisdiction that God has placed us over. Whether it is our own personal prayer and study life, our obedience to the civil magistrate, our stewardship of finances, the spiritual leading of our families, our preaching of the gospel, or any other of the myriad of responsibilities God has given us, we are held responsible for our obedience to all that He has called us to.God is sovereign over all things and we are responsible for all of our actions. This is the truth of Scripture and therefore what we must believe. Conscious of this truth, we must now realize that we will be judged by how we respond to it.
There are really only two responses to the truth of divine sovereignty and human responsibility:1) We can worship God for Who He is and obey His Word …or 2) We can despise Him for being sovereign and rebel against His authority.Worship and obedience is the only true and biblical response to the sovereignty of God. This is Gods call to us whenever we have greater revelation of Who He is.
“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’” (Matt 11:27-29)
“The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.' For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,”(Acts 4:26-29)
“So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."… I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 9:16-21; 10:8,9,11; 12:1-2)
So what will my response to the sovereignty of God be? Will I hate Him for being Almighty? Will I rebel against the whole counsel of His Word? Will I despise His authority and thereby reject the King of the universe? Or will I praise and worship Him for His greatness? Will I obey Him because He is worthy to be obeyed? Will I present my body as a living sacrifice in light of His might?
I pray that each and every one of us will respond to God in the same way Nebuchadnezzar did when Gods sovereignty was revealed to Him:“And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding 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 is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; he does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”(Dan 4:34-35)
[1] We are to obey the civil magistrate “in the Lord”, which means that insofar as they do not violate the law or commands of God we are to obey them.. But if the civil magistrate oversteps its jurisdiction and makes laws that violate the commands of Scripture, we are to follow God.
Only God Can Prevent Forest Fires
Do you remember Smokey the Bear? He was an icon in my youth. I would watch the television commercials throughout the week as they showed how easily forest fires could be started by minor acts of carelessness. Then, at the end of each one, the wise old sage bear would appear, point his finger at me, and with that deep, gruff voice declare, “Only you can prevent forest fires!”
Our family’s favorite campsite lies in a small area along the Platte River that is surrounded by the devastation of the Hayman fire. Whenever we drive through the remains of the once abundant forest I think about Smokey. I think strange things like, “ If Smokey had been there he could have prevented this forest fire!”
Smokey wasn’t there that day, but God was. Couldn’t God have prevented the Hayman fire? Of course He could have. He is all-powerful. As I think about the omnipotence of God, it becomes apparent that there are multiple billions of ways He could have prevented or snuffed-out that fire.
First, Gods power extends over nature. He has complete supremacy over every bit of natural creation. “With moisture He saturates the thick clouds; he scatters His bright clouds. And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, that they may do whatever He commands them on the face of the whole earth.” (Job 37:11-12) The rocks, trees, wind and flames do whatever God commands. That day God could have sent rain to douse those first flames…or He could have simply caused the flames to immediately die out…or He could have changed the magnitude of the wind so that, instead of igniting the fire, it would have snuffed it out…or He could have changed the direction of the wind so as to cause the smoldering paper to land on a patch of dirt… or He could have stayed the wind altogether…or…or…or.
At any moment God could have commanded those flames to halt or even to cease. Yet God willed that they continue. They burned as hot as God dictated, as high as God decreed, and as far as God directed them. From before it began to its very last moments, the fire did only what Gods power and wisdom allowed it to do.
This, though, is only the beginning. God could have prevented the fire numerous other ways. A simple red-light could have kept the arsonist from that fateful moment…or a misfiring sparkplug, a loose wire, or a crack in the cylinder under the hood of the truck…or for the engine to stall, or for a flat tire to occur. God is, after all, almighty over spark plugs and engines and stoplights. “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever He pleases.” (Ps 115:3) "I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” (Job 42:2)
God also could have prevented the Hayman fire by changing the arsonist’s path. Yes, God is even almighty over the mind, emotions, and will of men.” A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Prov 16:9) “There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel-- that will stand.” (Prov 19:21) “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; he turns it wherever He wishes.” (Prov 21:1)
Our Almighty God could have changed any one of a thousand thoughts, desires or circumstances in the arsonist’s life that day. He could have allowed her to be sick that morning or to leave the house at a different time. He could have steered her heart to go to a friend’s house, or a bar, or a church instead of into the forest. God could have changed the arsonists desire to set fire to a letter by reminding her of Smokey the Bear! He could have planted new desires within her heart, desires to do something righteous given the particular circumstance. He could have planted different thoughts in her mind or given her different emotions; any one of them changing her course that dreadful day.
God could also have moved the hearts of any number of other people to direct them into the path of the arsonist so that she would not have done what she did. “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.” (Isa 46:11) He could have stirred a friends heart to drive over to the arsonists home before she left, or a neighbor, or just caused them to call her on the phone. He could have caused someone to mistakenly dial the arsonist’s phone number, hence altering her path. He could have caused her boss to have her work in the office that day, or to go somewhere other than she did. Yet in the counsel of His’ will God determined that everything would happen exactly the way it did.
Why rehash a catastrophe from several years ago? Simply to point out that every event, no matter how colossal or seemingly insignificant, past, present, and future has occurred, and will continue to occur under the providence of the Almighty power of God. Only God can prevent forest fires and only God can allow forest fires to rage. The same is true of tsunamis…and hurricanes…and tornados…and wars…and roadside bombs…and airplanes crashing into buildings…and starvation…and famine…and looting…and murder…and rising gas prices…and falling stock indexes…and sin…and sickness…and unbelief. God is in control. He is almighty. There is no part of creation that acts independently of Him. There is nothing outside of or beyond His power. God is able at all times and in every way to direct His creation in whatever paths He chooses. All creation does the will of its King, from the electron to the supernova, the angels and the demons and even Satan, the smallest child to the greatest ruler.
Rest assured, for this King is none other than King Jesus. This King that controls all things loves us with a greater love than we could ever imagine! How comforting and peace infusing this is! What hope can be gained, what assurance is to be had knowing that whatever comes into our lives is coming from the hand of this loving, almighty King! The One that gave His own life for us, to make us His people, is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the One that has all authority in heaven and on earth, and that works all things together for our good! We can look at all of the events of our past and all that the future holds and know that this King is the one who is bringing it about through His good, pleasing and perfect will! Trust King Jesus and the works of His hands, for He is good!
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. (I Chron 29:11-12)
Our family’s favorite campsite lies in a small area along the Platte River that is surrounded by the devastation of the Hayman fire. Whenever we drive through the remains of the once abundant forest I think about Smokey. I think strange things like, “ If Smokey had been there he could have prevented this forest fire!”
Smokey wasn’t there that day, but God was. Couldn’t God have prevented the Hayman fire? Of course He could have. He is all-powerful. As I think about the omnipotence of God, it becomes apparent that there are multiple billions of ways He could have prevented or snuffed-out that fire.
First, Gods power extends over nature. He has complete supremacy over every bit of natural creation. “With moisture He saturates the thick clouds; he scatters His bright clouds. And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, that they may do whatever He commands them on the face of the whole earth.” (Job 37:11-12) The rocks, trees, wind and flames do whatever God commands. That day God could have sent rain to douse those first flames…or He could have simply caused the flames to immediately die out…or He could have changed the magnitude of the wind so that, instead of igniting the fire, it would have snuffed it out…or He could have changed the direction of the wind so as to cause the smoldering paper to land on a patch of dirt… or He could have stayed the wind altogether…or…or…or.
At any moment God could have commanded those flames to halt or even to cease. Yet God willed that they continue. They burned as hot as God dictated, as high as God decreed, and as far as God directed them. From before it began to its very last moments, the fire did only what Gods power and wisdom allowed it to do.
This, though, is only the beginning. God could have prevented the fire numerous other ways. A simple red-light could have kept the arsonist from that fateful moment…or a misfiring sparkplug, a loose wire, or a crack in the cylinder under the hood of the truck…or for the engine to stall, or for a flat tire to occur. God is, after all, almighty over spark plugs and engines and stoplights. “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever He pleases.” (Ps 115:3) "I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” (Job 42:2)
God also could have prevented the Hayman fire by changing the arsonist’s path. Yes, God is even almighty over the mind, emotions, and will of men.” A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Prov 16:9) “There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel-- that will stand.” (Prov 19:21) “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; he turns it wherever He wishes.” (Prov 21:1)
Our Almighty God could have changed any one of a thousand thoughts, desires or circumstances in the arsonist’s life that day. He could have allowed her to be sick that morning or to leave the house at a different time. He could have steered her heart to go to a friend’s house, or a bar, or a church instead of into the forest. God could have changed the arsonists desire to set fire to a letter by reminding her of Smokey the Bear! He could have planted new desires within her heart, desires to do something righteous given the particular circumstance. He could have planted different thoughts in her mind or given her different emotions; any one of them changing her course that dreadful day.
God could also have moved the hearts of any number of other people to direct them into the path of the arsonist so that she would not have done what she did. “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.” (Isa 46:11) He could have stirred a friends heart to drive over to the arsonists home before she left, or a neighbor, or just caused them to call her on the phone. He could have caused someone to mistakenly dial the arsonist’s phone number, hence altering her path. He could have caused her boss to have her work in the office that day, or to go somewhere other than she did. Yet in the counsel of His’ will God determined that everything would happen exactly the way it did.
Why rehash a catastrophe from several years ago? Simply to point out that every event, no matter how colossal or seemingly insignificant, past, present, and future has occurred, and will continue to occur under the providence of the Almighty power of God. Only God can prevent forest fires and only God can allow forest fires to rage. The same is true of tsunamis…and hurricanes…and tornados…and wars…and roadside bombs…and airplanes crashing into buildings…and starvation…and famine…and looting…and murder…and rising gas prices…and falling stock indexes…and sin…and sickness…and unbelief. God is in control. He is almighty. There is no part of creation that acts independently of Him. There is nothing outside of or beyond His power. God is able at all times and in every way to direct His creation in whatever paths He chooses. All creation does the will of its King, from the electron to the supernova, the angels and the demons and even Satan, the smallest child to the greatest ruler.
Rest assured, for this King is none other than King Jesus. This King that controls all things loves us with a greater love than we could ever imagine! How comforting and peace infusing this is! What hope can be gained, what assurance is to be had knowing that whatever comes into our lives is coming from the hand of this loving, almighty King! The One that gave His own life for us, to make us His people, is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the One that has all authority in heaven and on earth, and that works all things together for our good! We can look at all of the events of our past and all that the future holds and know that this King is the one who is bringing it about through His good, pleasing and perfect will! Trust King Jesus and the works of His hands, for He is good!
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. (I Chron 29:11-12)
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