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God's Sovereignty and Your Mistakes
Dr. Robert Jeffress
Pathway to Victory
I'm continually amazed at the number of people who argue with the idea that God has a detailed master plan that governs our lives. They picture God as passively watching and waiting for us to make our choices as free human agents and then adjusting His plan to fit our preferences.
Do we really believe God would surrender control of His creation to the whims of His creatures? Is it plausible that a universe so intricate in design is run by Someone whose motto is "The best ability is flexibility" when it come to planning?
My former pastor Dr. W.A. Criswell once observed:
Before a stone was laid in the construction of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, the idea was born in the mind of Sir Christopher Wren. He saw it in his mind and purposed it in his heart. Before he struck a chisel against the heavy rock marble, Michelangelo saw the mighty Moses in his mind and purposed it in his heart. ...Why should it surprise us then that God, the designer and architect of the universe, should have a plan and purpose for His creation? The greater the project, the more necessary the plan.
God has a detailed plan for the universe that governs everything that happens in His creation. The apostle Paul described that plan when he wrote,
"Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11, emphasis added).
"All things" fall within God's intricate design for His creation. "All things" also encompasses everything that might affect your life.
Your circumstances. The decisions of governmental leaders (Proverbs 21:1), the outcome of the rolled dice in a Las Vegas casino (Proverbs 16:33), and the change of seasons (Daniel 2:21, NIV) are just some of the external circumstances that God directs. Obviously, each of these forces has the power to impact your life.
Your physical and emotional makeup. "All things" also includes the smallest details of your life. The color of your eyes, the number of hairs on your head, and even the bent of your emotions were all designed by God. The psalmist expressed that truth this way:
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:13-14).
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cncoughlan
3/6/2008 1:59 AM
God is indeed sovreign over our lives and knew us when we were formed in our mother's wombs. He also knows us intametly, even the numbers of hairs on our heads. But to say God is in control of every situation is over the top. God I believe can choose to intervene in situations ,as He is omnipotent. BUT I also believe that our lives on this Earth are complex and we have no way of fully understanding the real meaning of life and all God's purposes.I too cannot fully understand the writer of the article in relation to his point of view. What about people who prey on innocent children such as paedophiles. That is beyond my comprehension! I totally believe in a loving God and the Christian ethos but some things, because of Satanic influence and personal choices are what cause destruction in this world. I do not believe God has planned the cruel acts perpertrated on innocent people especially babes or children.
mikegoss
3/4/2008 1:13 PM
So God controls all things, huh? Like the decisions of our governmental leaders. So God made Hitler order the killing of six million Jews, right?
And God controls every aspect of our bodies -- eye color, etc. So it's His fault that babies are born with deformities or mental retardation, right?
And God controls the circumstances we live in. Like the ice on the highway that led to the death of a loved one, right?
God surely "cares" what happens to His creation, but I don't think it's very realistic to think that He controls all things. Maybe He has the POWER to control everything (sovereignty), but the evidence doesn't seem to indicate that He EXERCISES that power over everything. Or if He does, He does some pretty scary, even cruel things.
Faith is so simple if you "just accept," but an examined faith is very hard. An examined faith is, however, a deeper one.
And God controls every aspect of our bodies -- eye color, etc. So it's His fault that babies are born with deformities or mental retardation, right?
And God controls the circumstances we live in. Like the ice on the highway that led to the death of a loved one, right?
God surely "cares" what happens to His creation, but I don't think it's very realistic to think that He controls all things. Maybe He has the POWER to control everything (sovereignty), but the evidence doesn't seem to indicate that He EXERCISES that power over everything. Or if He does, He does some pretty scary, even cruel things.
Faith is so simple if you "just accept," but an examined faith is very hard. An examined faith is, however, a deeper one.
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Rather than taking an either-or approach to freewill vs. predestination, why not take a both-and approach, seeing that the Bible seems to teach both? One might object that the two are mutually exclusive, but this is only because we are looking at it from the perspective of linear time which is part of the physical (i.e. not spiritual) universe. As the author points out, these things are over our heads anyway.
DO we really want to portray theology as an exercise in pounding square pegs into round holes?