Sovereignty of God

Today’s Bible Verse: Is not a verse, but a concept. It is the Sovereignty of God.

Calvinism is represented by the acrostic TULIP. It stands for Total Depravity; Unconditional Election; Limited Atonement; Irresistible Grace; and Preservation of the Saints. I believe that there is a sixth principal; Sovereignty of God and that would make it TULIPS.

Today’s principal will be the Sovereignty of God.

Sovereignty: supreme power of authority.

[Isaiah 45:7-9 ESV] 7 I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things. 8 "Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it. 9 "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'?

God is totally responsible for everything in this universe and has been since the beginning.

[Proverbs 16:33 ESV] 33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

There is no such thing as random chance. God controls everything, including who wins the lottery. If He wants you to have something you will. Everything has been predetermined.

[Job 42:2 ESV] 2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

[Lamentations 3:37-39 ESV] 37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? 39 Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?

You have no choice.

[Ephesians 1:11-12 ESV] 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

[Romans 8:28-30 ESV] 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

[Matthew 10:29-31 ESV] 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

[Colossians 1:16-17 ESV] 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

[Acts 4:27-28 ESV] 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

[Ephesians 1:4-6 ESV] 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

These are the New Testament witnesses to what I presented from the Old Testament.

I said that there is no choice and that there is predestination and that it has all been determined from the beginning. Some believe that this means that God looked down the annals of time from the beginning and made the choices based on that; no, it was all done before time even began.

So, we are all marionettes? No as well. He has revealed himself through His creation to all. From our point of view, we can choose to accept that or not and God knows who will and who will not.

From my perspective He revealed Himself to me through His creation and His word; He came to me. I accepted His invitation and went to Him. I am humbled by being part of His elect because I am not worthy of any of it.

I am humbled by Him giving me the ability to understand His word through His Holy Spirit. Now, I don’t get it all. I cannot fully explain predestination because I fell like I have a choice and have made Him my choice.

I am humbled by the faith He has given me because I don’t deserve it but, that is what grace is all about.

God is in charge of it all and has been before time began. Thank you God for choosing me and thank you for being a catalyst for some that read these words.

It is the elect that have salvation and it is my prayer that you are among the elect and that this serves as your catalyst for awakening.

This is the gospel:

[1 Corinthians 15:1-6 ESV] 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

[Acts 2:22-24 ESV] 22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-- 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

[1 John 2:2 ESV] 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Propitiation: ἱλασμός hilasmós, hil-as-mos'; atonement, i.e. (concretely) an expiator:—propitiation.

This is penal substitution; that is, our sins were transferred to Jesus and His righteous transferred to us.

We all have a job.

[Matthew 28:18-20 ESV] 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

All of the disciples of Jesus are to spread His word and the gospel.

Go forth and spread this good news.

I pray that God has revealed Himself to you and that you have salvation.

Remember, God is sovereign. That means that he controls everything.

I hope this has been a blessing to you. May the rest of your day be blessed. Peace.