The Sovereignty of God: What It Is and What It Is Not

Just how far does the sovereignty of God extend? Is God so sovereign that He orders and causes everything which occurs? How much autonomy do we have? These questions are the focus of today’s post.

We’ll start with Scripture, and “sovereign” or “sovereignty” with respect to God appears in the following verses:

Psalm 103:19 – God’s sovereignty rules over all
Acts 4:24 – “sovereign Lord” is used in a prayer
1 Timothy 6:15 – a description of God’s character
Revelation 6:10 – “sovereign Lord” is used in a prayer

There are also multiple references to the sovereignty of earthly kings. In Daniel, for example, God is seen giving and taking away the sovereignty of Nebuchadnezzar.

That’s it. This is all Scripture says about the sovereignty of God. For the sovereignty of God to be the underpinning of major doctrinal teachings within church denominations, it would seem that there should be more Scriptural support for the doctrine.

Leonard Ravenhill wrote in “Why Revival Tarries,” “By overstating the sovereignty of God and blundering on in an atmosphere of stagnant dispensationalism, we safeguard our spiritual bankruptcy. All the while hell fills.” Ravenhill offers a rather sharp and pointed assessment of an over-reliance on the sovereignty of God.

A deeper dive deeper into the lexicons demonstrates that “sovereignty” is a reference to the reign of God or His kingdom. For that matter, the word “dominion” appears many more times than “sovereign” and its variations, and I believe this is on purpose. This would be consistent with the description of God’s sovereignty in Psalm 103:19.

We understand the dominion of government in its ability to create and enforce laws and to administer the affairs of the land and people within the dominion of the government. Likewise, God has established certain laws for His kingdom … it’s just that His kingdom encompasses everything which exists. God’s dominion extends to authority over earthly kingdoms, and we read and observe that God has the ability to hold accountable and to overrule.

Does everything which happens occur because God predestined, ordered and caused it? Or are we granted a certain amount of autonomy within God’s dominion? In other words, is every decision we make not ours at all but only the result of God’s sovereign predestining determination, or does God permit us the ability to choose or reject Him?

We’re wading into heavy theological territory, but suffice to say for now several things which I believe are consistent with Scripture:

1. God’s love is a far more important topic in Scripture than sovereignty. The word “dominion,” for example, occurs 32 times in the NASB (which is 4 times as much as “sovereign/sovereignty”). The word “love” occurs 311 times in the NASB, or nearly 10 times as much as “dominion” and 39 times as much as “sovereign/sovereignty.” It would seem just in the usage of words that Scripture intends to attribute far more importance to the love of God for us than the rule of God over us.

2. Nothing in the universe can exist apart from the power of God. However, this does not mean that God is the primary cause of everything which occurs. Many verses in Scripture provide a clear picture that humans have a certain degree of autonomy along with the ability to accept or reject God. For example, many verses are clear that wrong decisions lead to eternal consequences, and right decisions lead to eternal reward. Both truths are inescapable – nothing exists apart from God, but we have a certain amount of freedom and autonomy to accept or reject God. If this were not true, we would not be able to understand love. Love inherently comes with it the possibility of rejection, although its intent is reciprocal action.

3. In Daniel 4:34-37, we see these concepts in action. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges God’s dominion and the extent and duration of God’s dominion. Nebuchadnezzar has sovereignty or is something like an autonomous ambassador of God on the earth. God’s dominion enables Him to overrule Nebuchadnezzar, but the grant of sovereignty necessarily means that Nebuchadnezzar has a degree of autonomous action and independent authority. In other words, Scripture contradicts the notion that God is so sovereign as to order, predestine, determine, and control everything which occurs. We can run into the end of God’s mercy or end up on the wrong side of God’s law, but it does not mean that God determined every bit of it before the world was created.

4. God’s grace contains within itself the power we need to respond to His drawing. Yes, I believe that we must be drawn by God, but Jesus Christ makes it clear that everyone is drawn (John 12:32). It is also clear that God has entrusted us with a certain amount of responsibility to take the gospel to everyone (Isaiah 42:6, Acts 13:47, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8). There is a cooperation between God and man on this point, but when God’s grace is at work in our lives, it comes with it the power we need to respond. We can also refuse God’s grace, although we risk eternal damnation if we do. Our Reformed friends will say that we cannot come to God on our own, for that would be works. I agree, except that this doctrine actually limits the power within God’s grace to enable or quicken (bring to life) our response. This doctrine also eliminates any culpability we may have as sinners. If God is the cause of everything but chose not to bring us to salvation, how can He justly condemn us? It is not that we have zero responsibility for responding to God’s grace, as the Reformed doctrines suggest, nor that we can be saved without God’s grace. For a better understanding of God’s grace, 2 Corinthians 12 is instructive. While we were yet dead in trespasses and sin, God’s grace brought to life our ability to respond to His drawing. Yet we can also refuse God’s grace, although that would risk eternal damnation.

5. The love that God has for us (Greek = agape; see also the Aramaic definition) is one which may or may not be returned. We are actually quite incapable of returning the love that Christ has for us, in that He gave Himself on the cross for our sins. However, God’s love is meant to be returned, and returning love to God is, I believe, God’s design for His creation. If we are meant to return God’s love for us, then we have some degree of responsibility and freedom. God would be returning His own love to Himself if He made the choice for us, and this is not love. Love freely and without any duress or compulsion gives of itself. Yet, we are unable to love God at all, so God’s grace working in us to quicken our response is absolutely necessary. When we return the love that God has for us, it is a most beautiful and righteous act which completes the design God had for creation.

Is God so sovereign that He orders, causes and controls everything? God’s love for us would lead us to believe that this question must be answered in the negative. God can overrule, yes, and His dominion enforces the laws of His kingdom throughout the universe. But to say that God causes everything which occurs is, as Ravenhill put it, “overstating the sovereignty of God.” His love is preeminent.