The Doctrine of the Sovereignty of God
God is sovereign. This means God alone controls everything. He rules every sector of the universe He created.1 God’s decrees govern history.2 God’s sovereignty includes the calling of those who will be saved by Him.3 God determines the outcome of all things according to His wise purposes. God controls and guides all events for His glory and our good.Like their ancestors centuries earlier, the people of Israel desired a king.4 They recognized Jesus’s authority and correctly speculated about His identity. However, they wanted a king who ruled on their terms and satisfied their desires. They stood before eternity’s sovereign King seeking to mold His agenda to meet their demands. Because of humankind’s inherited sinful nature,5 we long to exercise sovereignty that belongs only to God. People long to control what only God controls. We desire autonomy more than submission. God rules rightly, justly, compassionately, and eternally. His sovereignty remains steadfast despite our rebellion and utter failure to understand His character and purposes.
Without a proper understanding of God’s absolute rule over time, history, and every earthly event, we flounder in uncertainty. People’s whims, the world’s constantly changing landscape, and our own lives seem to careen randomly forward. Certainly legitimate questions arise as we attempt to interpret the chaos around us. However, failure to recognize God’s present purposefulness leaves us without the rudder we need to direct our lives.
The truth about God’s sovereignty stabilizes our thinking in many ways. We do not need to fully comprehend what God expressly controls. When our understanding fails to grasp all that God is doing, we trust the infinite perfections within His character. Knowing that God will one day eradicate evil, end injustice, and reign without rival offers hope when current events trouble us.6 Recognizing God’s right to reign over everything helps me relinquish my own desire to rule what I cannot control or to mold God to fit my image of Him. Surrendering to the Sovereign God who rules time and eternity is always right. How will you find comfort today recognizing God’s wise rule over this world and your life?
1. God’s authority: 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Psalm 47:7
2. God governs history: Daniel 4:34-35; Acts 2:23; 17:24-27
3. God’s call: Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:2
4. Israel’s desire for a king: 1 Samuel 8:4-5
5. Sinful nature: Genesis 3; Isaiah 53:6; 59:12-13; Romans 7:14; 8:7
6. God’s eternal rule: Revelation 21-22
Resource: Bible Study Fellowship, People of Promise: Kingdom Divided, Lesson 8, The Gospel of John
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