Monday, June 6, 2011

Sovereignty of God and Free-Will of Man: Divine Sovereignty

Divine Sovereignty

The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology defines the sovereignty of God as, “The Biblical teaching that God is king, supreme ruler, and lawgiver of the entire universe.”[1] A.W. Pink defines sovereignty in this manner:

“The sovereignty of God! What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the Godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35) To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purposes, or resist His will (Ps. 115:3). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Ps. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the “Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.”[2]

Charles Hodge defines this concept in his Systematic Theology, stating the following: “Sovereignty is not a property of the divine nature, but a prerogative arising out of the perfections of the Supreme Being. If God be a Spirit, and therefore a person, infinite, eternal, and immutable in his beings and perfections, the Creator and Preserver of the universe, He is of right its absolute sovereign.”[3] God is the Supreme Being who reigns over all of Creation. The point of Hodge is that God’s sovereignty is not an attribute, such as holiness, love, or omniscience. Rather, God’s sovereignty is the notion which arises from understanding each of God’s attributes collectively.

The sovereignty of God arises from the understanding of God’s attributes as expressed in Scripture. As Hodge notes, “Although this sovereignty is thus universal and absolute, it is the sovereignty of wisdom, holiness, and love. The authority of God is limited by nothing out of Himself, but it is controlled, in all its manifestations, by his infinite perfections.”[4] God does not use His control over the universe for wicked gain, for this is not in His character. He instead exercises His authority over all creation in accordance with His characteristics of love, justice, holiness, and mercy.

The sovereignty of God is a concept taught very plainly in Scripture. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.”[5] The possessive “Lord’s” shows God’s ownership of the entire earth, and all who belong on it. John Calvin notes on this verse, “In short, the Psalmist pronounces God to be the King of the whole world, to let all men know that, even by the law of nature, they are bound to serve him.”[6] God has created the world, and He alone has exclusive rights to everything that is on it. As supreme King, God also extends His right to do whatever He wishes. According to Psalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”

The right of God over His creation also means that He can do with it whatsoever He pleases. As Isaiah says in Isaiah 45:9-10, “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’? Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’” The right to question belongs not to the created being, but only to the Creator. God shows His sovereignty over everything by carrying out His eternal plan. As Millard Erickson states, “God is now at work carrying out his plan, which is from all eternity and includes everything that occurs.”[7] This is emphasized, again, in Psalm 135:6, “Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” Also, in Daniel 4:35, Nebuchadnezzar proclaims, “all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’”

God’s sovereignty over creation does not cease when it comes to those who were made in His image. Ezekiel 18:4 says, “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” Because God is the owner of every soul, He can execute justice in sentencing rebellious souls to death. Indeed, even the life of men is in the hands of God. According to James 4:15, “you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’” I Samuel 2:6 says, “The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.”

Despite the clarity of God’s sovereignty declared in Scripture, it is still very possible to go to unbiblical lengths in defining the concept. Gordon Clark, according to Millard Erickson, draws from God’s Sovereignty to explain the problem of evil. It is possible to explain the problem of evil by understanding God’s sovereignty more fully; however, Clark takes it to unbiblical lengths. Clark claims, “It may seem strange at first that God would decree an immoral act, but the Bible shows that He did.”[8] He goes so far as to say, “Let it be unequivocally said that this view certainly makes God the cause of sin. God is the sole ultimate cause of everything. There is absolutely nothing independent of him. He alone is the eternal being. He alone is omnipotent. He alone is sovereign.”[9] However, Millard Erickson notes of Clark’s view, “This is not to say that God is the author of sin. He is the ultimate cause of sin, not the immediate cause of it. God does not commit sin although God wills it decretively, determines that it shall happen, and is the ultimate cause of it.”[10] Clark’s view of God’s sovereignty extends to unbiblical heights, by making all that is evil to be redefined as “good” because God is the ultimate cause of everything that happens. It is true that God is sovereign over every event that happens, but that does not need to necessarily redefine evil as “good” based on that fact. The Christian’s understanding of the sovereignty of God must be based on what the Bible has to say, and not over-extended implications based on human reasoning.

It is plain from Scripture that God is sovereign over all of His creation. Abraham Kuyper once said, “There is not one square inch of the entire creation about which Jesus Christ does not cry out, ‘This is mine! This belongs to me!’”[11] However, does this claim, which spreads over all of creation, encompass the will of those who have been made in His image? Does God’s sovereignty over all of creation include sovereignty over the will of man? What is the nature of the will of man?



[1] Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001.1131.

[2] Pink, A. W. The Sovereignty of God. Swengel: Reiner Publications, 1961.20-21

[3] Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology, Vol. I. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952.440.

[4] Ibid 441

[5] English Standard Version

[6] Calvin, John. "Commentary on Psalms Volume 1." Christian Classics Ethereal Library. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom08.xxx.i.html (accessed May 14, 2011).

[7] Erickson, Millard J. Introducing Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1992.112

[8] Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Academics, 1998.442

[9] Ibid 443

[10] Ibid

[11]Mouw, Richard J. "This Belongs to Me." Bible.org. http://bible.org/illustration/belongs-me (accessed May 14, 2011).

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