Thread: A Biblical Look at God's Sovereignty.......
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A Biblical Look at God's Sovereignty.......
Posted : 23 Aug, 2011 05:25 PM
A Biblical look at God�s Sovereignty: God�s Perfect Control over Man
As we saw earlier, God is in control of everything in the physical world, and God is in control of everything in the spiritual world. God can do absolutely anything except sin. And man is no exception. In fact, God controls all men�s thoughts and actions, whether they are Christians or not �
A) God controls the heart of man:
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Proverbs 21:1)
The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. (Proverbs 16:1)
B) God controls the actions of man:
A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
C) Nobody is able to come to Christ unless granted by the Father:
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. (John 6:65)
D) Everybody who God gives to Christ certainly will come to Christ:
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)
E) People cannot repent on their own. They can only repent if God grants them repentance:
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25)
F) Under the Covenant based on Christ�s sacrifice on the cross, God promises to cause people to know Him and obey Him.
Earlier, we already established Biblically that man is naturally evil, and that there is no natural good in man. In the Old Testament, God clearly said what He would do to solve this problem:
I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD. (Jeremiah 16:21b)
I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:31-33)
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
And the New Testament clearly reveals that the above passages are specifically referring to salvation through the blood of Jesus:
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. . . . But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:1-13)
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:14-22)
What could possibly turn a fallen man from being evil to being holy? Nothing but a radical change of his nature will do. Superficial evil temptations cannot reach God�s holy heart. Similarly, no mere external call to holiness can reach man�s evil heart. Before a man can respond to the Gospel, his very nature must be radically changed. Responding to the Gospel requires a heart that is soft towards God. And responding to the Gospel is a good thing to do. Therefore, no one with an evil nature can respond to the Gospel. Instead, God first must give a person a good nature. Then, because of his changed heart, he will readily respond to the Gospel. Remember that God said, �A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.� (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
How many scripture verses will you people deny. You might as well deny the whole counsel of God. If he is not the Almighty God ruler and maker of everything, you might as well deny him to. Oh never mind you already have numerous times.
Hummm...:rolleyes:...what kind of Smart Alec remark is that from a Women of GOD...Maybe you should let the people Read and Learn instead of Berating with Opinionated Comments before anyone comments on the post...Just because some people do not accept the doctrine of Calvinism as you do is No reason the accuse ALL people here of denying GOD's Sovereignty...Can't catch bees with Vinegar...just saying...xo
How many times must I point this out to you Calvinists! You are Color Blind. I show you Red and you �see� Gray.
God�s Will can be Defined as in Three Senses:
God DECIDES to do something and God does it (nothing can Stop this).
This what (Proverbs 21:1) speaks to. This God�s Will Be Done!
God DESIRES this to happen (Our Salvation), but allows us Free Will in choosing whether to Cooperate.
This is what (Proverbs 16:1) alludes to�the man that by choosing God is Filled with The Holy Spirit who brings forth Truths.
God PERMITS something to happen (Hurricane Katrina).
Here is what David had to say�Please read it�this is Important:
Psalm 32:1-9
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 32
Of David. A maskil.[a]
1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.[b]
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, �I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD.�
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
Verse 4 ��4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;�� God is always �watching you��always by your side�His Will ( the second sense�what God Desires of us) is ever Present.
Verse 5 �� 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, �I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD.�
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin�� Man by his �Own Free Will (allow him by God) TURNS to God and Acknowledges his sins.
In Verses 8 and 9 God Replies ��8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you��
God does not want �mules� that God has to �Bridle� in order to Control. God wants a Mutual Relationship of Love.
Ask yourself why did God allow Mankind to sin? Why doesn�t God simply stop Man from sinning in the first place?
The answer is obvious:
God does not want his Children to Love Him because they are Forced to do so. He wants those who will Love Him and Serve Him to do so Freely, Willingly Accepting His instructions and counsel.
He wants a Relationship with His Children based on Mutual AFFECTION and LOVE, and not because they were Forced to do so.
The Almighty God (if He so desired), certainly has The POWER to Bridle His Children, forcefully manipulating their Minds and Hearts and turning them into robots (or mules), so that they are forced to do His will.
But if He did this, He would not be able to achieve His Purpose of developing Free Relationships, like the one He desired with David, with His Children. He wants all men to Repent and enter a Free Love-Relationship with Himself.
If He FORCED them to do this,
as Calvinists allege,
their Allegiance could not be Freely Given, that is, they would no longer be
Men but Mules.
God, who made man in His own image, wants him to be conformed to the image of His Son.9 Unless man is a free moral agent, this simply cannot be done!
�Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.� (John 6:65)
God has COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE of The Future. Is this so Difficult to believe or understand? Since God has ForeKnowledge of just who will or will not Believe and Obey�God can then (even before they are born)�declare those that will come to Believe�as His Adopted Children and also Give them the Grace they Need to be able to �Come to JESUS�.
James�nowhere in this Scripture does it say that God Forced some (elected) to be Reborn and therefore be able to come to Jesus!
James *you write) ��E) People cannot repent on their own. They can only repent if God grants them .repentance�
2 Timothy 2:25
New International Version (NIV)
25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
This is a �Tricky� bit of Scripture and perhaps the first One that can be construed as a Stumbling Block for those that oppose the Calvinistic Doctrine that says man has no Free Will.
To begin with
�How will God Know that a man (or woman) feels the need to Repent or has indeed Repented�? I mean does God just go around and Pick people and place in their Minds and Hearts the Thoughts or Desire to REPENT? People that until that moment�had no Thoughts or Desire to Repent. Is that what God does�is that what this Scripture says?
2 Peter 3:16
New International Version (NIV)
16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
��His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction��
James�James�I submit to you (and to all Calvinists) that your Minds and Hearts are ENSLAVED by Calvin�s Seductive New Gospel.
The rest of your verses are true�but they Speak of what happens once man turns toward God.
Repent James and come back to The Gospel (the True Gospel).
Is a man or woman wrong when others are and they bring forth another god adding to and taking away from the word of God in themselves and by their actions claiming to be above God, why is every comment by a Calvinist to those who believe the word of God, as though you are a fool because you do know forsake the lord and believe Calvinism. Why is it when Christians post scripture's that prove the lies of Calvinist opinion's, that they are always attacked and even called heretics.
And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Why is it that Calvinist continually ignore scripture that refute the FALSE DOCTRINE. Why is it that Jesus is always in error to Calvinist?
