God's sovereignty is at the root of reformed theology. For those that don't understand what this means (not to belittle anyone, but I do know the odd person who reads this blog aren't "up" on all the lingo) it means that God is in charge of everything. There is nothing that He is either not directly or indirectly in control of. Nothing catches Him by surprise, and all things are in His control. This is different from the view of agnostics that believe God created everything, but he stepped back from creation and doesn't have anything to do with anything going on around us. Then there are those that believe something in between. I cannot logically reconcile that one, for either God is in control, or He's constantly being surprised by those events happening here on Earth and being 'reactionary' to what we do here on earth. It's important to think through this issue as it directly affects how you view the world around you, and your reaction to those happenings.
My Mormon sister once told me that God still has prophets today because God couldn't foresee all of the things that we sinful humans would do. The example she gave was marijuana. "God didn't know we would ever use marijuana in that way, so He had to send prophets to help us create laws against such use." I think anyone that understands the attributes of God can quickly determine the error of this thinking. (To be fair, she could have a misunderstanding of Mormon doctrine, but I don't think so.) God is clearly omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful) and omnipresent (not limited by time and space) from our reading of scripture. With these clear attributes, it is impossible for God to not be sovereign. The argument brought forth at this point is the freedom of the will of humanity, and that God leaves us to determine our own lives. This is only partially true. We do not have free will. Scripture tells us that we are in bondage to sin (Romans 6:16-23) and that we do not have the ability to choose any moral decision available, only that to which we have the will to do, which is evil continually, unless regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
We are radically depraved due to our sinful nature. We are bound by sin, and unless God Himself regenerates us, we will continue to live and lust after our own sinfulness, in rebellion against Him. God is the One who moves to save us in His sovereignty, and according to His will. Without His saving grace and power, we would never choose Him, for our will is in bondage to evil. We are considered free agents, responsible for our sinfulness, and we will be held accountable for our sin unless we are covered by the blood of Christ. God is God, and He is in charge.
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Sola Ministries is hosting a 6 part study on the Holiness of God, an in-depth look at the attributes of God from the Old and New Testaments. This study will be held on Thursday evenings beginning next week (May 12). This study is free, and will be held in Cochrane, AB. If you would like to join us for this study, please contact us at hillcountrychurch@gmail.com
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