SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
God’s absolute right to decree and exercise His will, plan and purpose without challenge, opposition or question from anyone outside of Himself.
God is the only one who fits this description.
Most recognize that He is the creator of all things in the universe
(Colossians 1:16). All of His creation is in total subordination to
everything that He says and every act that He does. There is a bumper
sticker, which reads, “God said it, I believe it and that settles it.”
In actuality, the fact that He said it, settled it, whether mankind
believes it or not does not negate the legitimacy of it.
When one considers the matter of the Sovereignty of God, few would
argue that God existed before all things, being the cause uncaused.
None would dispute the fact that God made all things by simply
speaking them into existence. However, in the study of salvation
(soteriology), many will abandon the concept of the Sovereignty of
God, i.e., no longer does He have the absolute right to execute His
will without input outside of Himself. Mankind has been taught to
believe that they somehow have input into their salvation, believing
that dead sinners within themselves are capable of initiating a
relationship with God. If this popular and humanistic appraisal of
man’s ability is true, then why does God emphasize in His word that He
is the initiator of the salvation relationship. (Acts 13:48; Romans
8:28-30; 9:10-18, 23-24; 11: 6-7; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:3-6;
11-12; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; Titus 1:1; 2 Peter 1:10)see chart
The Sovereign Grace of God in Election.
The term will is defined, as what one determines shall be done.
Mankind is excluded as actors or initiators from God’s will. His
will, plan and purpose was established in eternity, seeing that
no one other than God existed in eternity, it reasons that His will
was exclusive of man’s participation.
If one is to embrace the statement that God is Sovereign, then the
fact that it is exclusively the sovereign grace of God that leads one
to salvation cannot be ignored. Salvation is the direct result of
God’s plan that He initiated in eternity. All things that occur in
time can be traced back to God’s purpose and plan in eternity. (2
Timothy 1:9). See chart
God's Sovereign Eternal Plan of Salvation.
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