That's cool; I got to use a big theological term in the title of this post. After last night's blog, I decided to dig through the Bible to find out what exactly the Bible says about God's authority and control over things in the world. A few selected things I found in my digging:
-God works in the hearts/wills of men to bring about His desired events in history (Joshua 11:20, 1 Ki 12:15).
-Even sinful acts are on some level ordained by God. Of course, James tells us that God doesn't tempt anyone and we know that God cannot sin. But, Scripture shows us examples of how God is sovereign over even sin (story of Joseph, 2 Sam 24:1, the crucifixion).
-God is sovereign over stuff like nature (Jonah 1:4).
-God is sovereign over the salvation of men through election (Romans 9).
-We can lay out plans, but need to ultimately submit to the sovereign will of God when it (James 4:13-17, some of Paul's missionary journeys).
So, after finding all of these examples, I drew some conclusions about how the truth of God's absolute sovereignty should influence the way I live:
1. We need to submit to God's sovereign will. Sometimes we can desire something, pray for it, plan it thoroughly and it just doesn't happen because it's not in God's sovereign will. So, this leads to a humble and submissive attitude before God, realizing that His plan is far greater than those that we try to make. The question I posed to a friend recently was, "If you got everything that you wanted in your life during the past 5 years, where would you be today? Would you really want to be in that place?" I would dare say that for most of us, the answer to that second question is a resounding No.
2. This frees us from fear and worry. We know not only that God is sovereign, but that He exercises His sovereignty in a way that has the best interests of believers in mind (Rom 8:28). I also don't need to worry about making some mistake and causing God's plans to be thwarted. God is sovereign and is going to work in spite of me if necessary. Now, I'm not using that as an excuse to sin. I know that God has laid out His will through the Bible and we are certainly responsible for living according to that.
3. We realize that everything (including hard times, trials, suffering and pain) are from God. Steve Saint (whose father was a martyred missionary) says that he used to think God allowed his dad to be killed, but doesn't believe that anymore. Now, he believes that God planned for his dad to die in that way. We simply can't see God's eternal purposes in what He's doing, but we can cling to the hope in knowing that God doesn't make mistakes, He isn't surprised and not even one sparrow can fall to the ground without his ordaining it (Mt 10:29).
Well, if you've made it this far, I promise I'll make my conclusion short. This seems like an appropriate follow-up to yesterday's entry. It gives me hope keeping in mind God's sovereignty and how He providentially is working in my life. It's not as if he has left me here to figure things out and function without His help. So, I guess He really doesn't need me to "help" by worrying and fretting over the little details of life. One of my own quotes that I thought of one day was: If I can trust God with my very life and eternal destiny, then shoudn't I also be able to trust Him with the little details within this life? After all, eternity is a whole lot longer than the few years we've been given on this earth.
-JRO
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2 comments:
I'm commenting on this quote: I also don't need to worry about making some mistake and causing God's plans to be thwarted.
That is the thing I worry most about because I've seen Christians do things to make a major mess of their lives. I know this might contradict the confidence I displayed in my previous comment - that God works all things according to our good so we should stop worrying about it. But with free will, I wonder to what degree we are able to deviate from God's good plan for our lives. When it comes to our lives, does God have an absolute will (what will come to pass no matter what) and a desired will (his desires for us that may/may not be realized based on our decisions)? Or maybe it's only the end result that matters - not necessarily how we get there. Or maybe God's plan for our lives isn't what we think of (like a particular spouse or job) but a point that He would like for us to reach in our relationship with Him. What do you think?
Thanks for providing me with food for thought today b/c as you can see not much is happening at the office.
Jenn,
I think when we see a Christian who makes a mess of their life it's because they are violated God's moral will (the Bible). We certainly cannot live with disregard for the commands of Scripture and expect to still live life as God intended.
Now, let me attempt to answer your question about two wills of God as briefly as possible. I think that the Bible does teach 2 wills of God, but not in the sense that you've mentioned here. The first is the sovereign will of God or the secret will of God. This will is God's pre-ordained plan that will come to pass and cannot be thwarted. We don't know this will until something has already happened, so it is futile to try to find out what is in the sovereign will of God.
The second will of God spoken about in the Bible is the moral will of God. This is the commands laid out in the Bible for us to follow. This is the will that we are expected to seek after and know (Rom 12:1-2).
So, taking your example of a spouse, here's how I see things: God has ordained whether or not you'll be married and if so, who you will marry. But, it's not your responsibility to try to find this one particular person. God has given us commands about the type of person we should marry in the Bible. It's our responsibility to use those guidelines, wisdom and godly counsel to make a decision. I think following the approach of asking God to reveal a specific person, job, or something like that is not the way we are to approach a decision. Instead, we should be focusing on seeking Christ and allowing Him to shape our desires & motives. I think this is where we can then be better able to make a decision when it isn't a clear case of right vs. wrong.
Interestingly enough, this is going to be our topic of discussion in August.
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