PSALM 111<\/b><\/p>\n
He provided redemption for His people; He ordained His covenant forever\u2014holy and awesome is His name<\/i><\/p>\n
(Ps. 111:9 niv).<\/i><\/p>\n
We conclude our brief study of the doctrine of election by taking a closer look at the complexities surrounding the sovereignty of God. God\u2019s sovereignty, as presented in the Bible is not fatalistic determinism that robs man of his freedom to make choices. Exactly how God\u2019s sovereignty relates to man\u2019s freedom is a mystery. We will never know in this life how the two co-exist. We must simply accept that they do.<\/p>\n
Any attempt throughout Christian history to explain how they work has ended in a deviation into the extreme, either in one direction or the other. Critics of God\u2019s sovereignty have ended up embracing pantheistic notions that barely distinguish God from His creation. They make God an \u201copen\u201d God, one who is vulnerable, and subject to the choices of His creation. On the other hand, critics of man\u2019s freedom of choice (freedom as defined by liberty to act true to one\u2019s nature without any external coercion) end up espousing fatalistic philosophies wherein man is a mere puppet in the hand of a cold and heartless God.<\/p>\n
We must always be aware of these two extremes when we consider the sovereignty of God. It is important, as always, to stay close to the Scriptures, to let them speak, and to put all those questions that inevitably lead to idle speculation to rest. Of this we can be sure, that God has ordained all things to be, and that in particular, He has ordained some to salvation while passing over others. At the same lime, we are responsible for our sin and are responsible to answer the call of the Gospel. If we reject God\u2019s offer of salvation, it is our<\/i> rejection. God is not forcing us to refuse His Gospel. It is our<\/i> decision, and we will face the consequences.<\/p>\n
But for those whom God has chosen to save, He will give a new heart. He will not force rebellious sinners to believe in Him, but He will change them at the root, enabling them to put their faith in His Son. This divine action is not a senseless, arbitrary decision, but it is an act of purposeful love.<\/p>\n
If you are left with nothing else from these studies, remember this, \u201cGod is sovereign.\u201d He is in control. Therein is our hope and our comfort.<\/p>\n
CORAM DEO<\/b><\/p>\n
Isaiah 4\u20136<\/p>\n
Galatians 3<\/p>\n
Read Acts 2:22\u201324 and 4:23\u201331 (as well as the passages below, if you have time). How are God\u2019s sovereignty and man\u2019s responsibility reflected in these passages? Do you ever blame God for the consequences of your sin? Do you struggle to believe that God is in control? Meditate on the sovereignty of God\u2019s goodness.<\/p>\n
For further study: Gen. 45:1\u20138; 50:15\u201321 \u2022 Ex. 9:1\u201335 \u2022 Luke 22:14\u201323<\/i><\/p>\n
friday<\/p>\n
september<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PSALM 111 He provided redemption for His people; He ordained His covenant forever\u2014holy and awesome is His name (Ps. 111:9 niv). We conclude our brief study of the doctrine of election by taking a closer look at the complexities surrounding the sovereignty of God. God\u2019s sovereignty, as presented in the Bible is not fatalistic determinism … Continue reading “THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13073\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}