Chapter 1
GOD'S
SOVEREIGNTY DEFINED
"Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the
majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the
kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all"
1 Chronicles 29:11
The Sovereignty of God is an
expression that once was generally understood. It was a phrase commonly used in
religious literature. It was a theme frequently expounded in the pulpit. It was
a truth which brought comfort to many hearts, and gave virility and stability
to Christian character. But, today, to make mention of God’s
sovereignty is, in many quarters, to speak in an unknown tongue. Were we to
announce from the average pulpit that the subject of our discourse would be the
sovereignty of God, it would sound very much as though we had borrowed a phrase
from one of the dead languages. Alas! that it should be so. Alas! that the
doctrine which is the key to history, the interpreter of Providence, the warp
and woof of Scripture, and the foundation of Christian
theology, should be so sadly neglected and so little understood.
The sovereignty of God. What
do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of
God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to
declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is
the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what
doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is
the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will
(Ps. 115:3). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is "The
Governor among the nations" (Ps. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing
empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say
that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the "Only Potentate, the
King of kings, and Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.
How different is the God of
the Bible from the God of modern Christendom! The conception of Deity which
prevails most widely today, even among those who profess to give heed to the
Scriptures, is a miserable caricature, a blasphemous travesty
of the Truth. The God of the twentieth century is a helpless, effeminate being
who commands the respect of no really thoughtful man. The God of the popular
mind is the creation of a maudlin sentimentality. The God of many a present-day
pulpit is an object of pity rather than of awe-inspiring reverence.[1] To say
that God the Father has purposed the salvation of all mankind, that God the Son died with the express intention of saving the whole human
race, and that God the Holy Spirit is now seeking to win the world to Christ;
when, as a matter of common observation, it is apparent that the great majority
of our fellow-men are dying in sin, and passing into a hopeless eternity: is to
say that God the Father is disappointed, that God the Son is dissatisfied, and
that God the Holy Spirit is defeated. We have stated the
issue baldly, but there is no escaping the conclusion. To argue that God is
"trying His best" to save all mankind, but that the majority of men
will not let Him save them, is to insist that the will of the Creator is
impotent, and that the will of the creature is omnipotent. To throw the blame,
as many do, upon the Devil, does not remove the difficulty, for if Satan is
defeating the purpose of God, then, Satan is Almighty and
God is no longer the Supreme Being.
To declare that the Creator’s
original plan has been frustrated by sin, is to dethrone God. To suggest that
God was taken by surprise in Eden and that He is now attempting to remedy an
unforeseen calamity, is to degrade the Most High to the level
of a finite, erring mortal. To argue that man is a free moral agent and the
determiner of his own destiny, and that therefore he has the power to checkmate
his Maker, is to strip God of the attribute of Omnipotence. To say that the
creature has burst the hounds assigned by his Creator, and that God is now
practically a helpless Spectator before the sin and suffering entailed by
Adam’s fall, is to repudiate the express declaration of Holy
Writ, namely, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of
wrath shalt Thou restrain" (Ps. 76:10). In a word, to deny the sovereignty
of God is to enter upon a path which, if followed to its logical terminus, is
to arrive at blank atheism.
The
sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite. When
we say that God is sovereign we affirm His right to govern the universe, which
He has made for His own glory, just as He pleases. We affirm that His right is
the right of the Potter over the clay, i.e., that He may mould that clay into
whatsoever form He chooses, fashioning out of the same lump one vessel unto honor
and another unto dishonor. We affirm that He is under no
rule or law outside of His own will and nature, that God is a law unto Himself,
and that He is under no obligation to give an account of His matters to any.
Sovereignty characterizes the
whole Being of God. He is sovereign in all His attributes.
He is sovereign in the exercise of His power. His power is exercised as He
wills, when He wills, where He wills. This fact is evidenced on every page of
Scripture. For a long season that power appears to be dormant, and then it is
put forth in irresistible might. Pharaoh dared to hinder Israel from going
forth to worship Jehovah in the wilderness—what happened? God exercised His
power, His people were delivered and their cruel
task-masters slain. But a little later, the Amalekites dared to attack these
same Israelites in the wilderness, and what happened? Did God put forth His
power on this occasion and display His hand as He did at the Red Sea? Were
these enemies of His people promptly overthrown and destroyed? No, on the
contrary, the Lord swore that He would "have war with Amalek
from generation to generation" (Ex. 17:16). Again, when Israel entered the
land of Canaan, God’s power was signally displayed. The city of Jericho barred
their progress—what happened? Israel did not draw a bow nor strike a blow: the
Lord stretched forth His hand and the walls fell down flat. But the miracle was
never repeated! No other city fell after this manner. Every other city had to
be captured by the sword!
Many other instances might be
adduced illustrating the sovereign exercise of God’s power. Take one other
example. God put forth His power and David was delivered from Goliath, the
giant; the mouths of the lions were closed and Daniel escaped unhurt;
the three Hebrew children were cast into the burning fiery furnace and came
forth unharmed and unscorched. But God’s power did not always interpose for the
deliverance of His people, for we read: "And others had trial of cruel
mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were
stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute,
afflicted, tormented" (Heb. 11:36, 37). But why? Why were not these men of
faith delivered like the others? Or, why were not the others suffered to be
killed like these? Why should God’s power interpose and rescue some and not the
others? Why allow Stephen to be stoned to death, and then deliver Peter from
prison?
God is sovereign in the
delegation of His power to others. Why did God endow Methuselah with a vitality
which enabled him to outlive all his contemporaries? Why did God impart to
Samson a physical strength which no other human has ever possessed? Again; it
is written, "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth" (Deut. 8:18),
but God does not bestow this power on all alike. Why not? Why has He given such
power to men like Morgan, Carnegie, Rockefeller? The answer to all of these
questions, is, Because God is Sovereign, and being Sovereign He does as He
pleases.
God is
sovereign in the exercise of His mercy. Necessarily so, for mercy is directed
by the will of Him that showeth mercy. Mercy is not a right to which man is
entitled. Mercy is that adorable attribute of God by which He pities and
relieves the wretched. But under the righteous government of God no one is
wretched who does not deserve to be so. The objects of mercy, then, are those
who are miserable, and all misery is the result of sin,
hence the miserable are deserving of punishment not mercy. To speak of
deserving mercy is a contradiction of terms.
God bestows His mercies on
whom He pleases and withholds them as seemeth good unto Himself. A remarkable
illustration of this fact is seen in the manner that God responded
to the prayers of two men offered under very similar circumstances. Sentence of
death was passed upon Moses for one act of disobedience, and he besought the
Lord for a reprieve. But was his desire gratified? No; he told Israel,
"The Lord is wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the
Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee" (Deut. 3:26). Now mark the second
case
those days was Hezekiah sick
unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto
him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not
live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I
beseech Thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before Thee
in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy
sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out
into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn
again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God
of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I
will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the
house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years" (2 Kings
20:1-6). Both of these men had the sentence of death in themselves, and both
prayed earnestly unto the Lord for a reprieve: the one wrote: "The Lord
would not hear me," and died; but to the other it was said, "I have
heard thy prayer", and his life was spared. What an illustration and
exemplification of the truth expressed in Romans
9:15!—"For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
The sovereign exercise of
God’s mercy—pity shown to the wretched—was displayed when
Jehovah became flesh and tabernacled among men. Take one illustration. During
one of the Feasts of the Jews, the Lord Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He came to
the Pool of Bethesda, where lay "a great multitude of impotent folk, of
blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water." Among this
"great multitude" there was "a certain man which had an
infirmity thirty and eight years." What happened?
"When Jesus saw hint lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in
that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man
answered Him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into
the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith
unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made
whole, and took up his bed, and walked" (John 5:3-9).
Why was this one man singled out from all the others? We are not told that he
cried "Lord, have mercy on me." There is not a word in the narrative
which intimates that this man possessed any qualifications which entitled him
to receive special favor. Here then was a case of the sovereign exercise of
Divine mercy, for it was just as easy for Christ to heal the whole of that "great multitude" as this one "certain man."
But lie did not. He put forth His power and relieved the wretchedness of this
one particular sufferer, and for some reason known only to Himself, He declined
to do the same for the others. Again, we say, what an illustration and
exemplification of Romans 9:15!—"I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
God is sovereign in the
exercise of His love. Ah! that is a hard saying, who then can receive it? It is
written, "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from
heaven" (John 3:27). When we say that God is sovereign in the exercise of
His love, we mean that He loves whom He chooses. God does
not love everybody;[2] if He did, He would love the Devil. Why does not God
love the Devil? Because there is nothing in him to love; because there is
nothing in him to attract the heart of God. Nor is there anything to attract
God’s love in any of the fallen sons of Adam, for all of them are, by nature,
"children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3). If then there is nothing in any member of the human race to attract God’s love, and if,
notwithstanding, He does love some, then it necessarily follows that the cause
of His love must be found in Himself, which is only another way of saying that
the exercise of God’s love towards the fallen sons of men is according to His
own good pleasure.[3]
In the
final analysis, the exercise of God’s love must be traced back to His
sovereignty, or, otherwise, He would love by rule; and if He loved by rule, then
is He under a law of love, and if He is under a law of love then is He not
supreme, but is Himself ruled by law. "But," it may be asked,
"Surely you do not deny that God loves the entire human family?" We
reply, it is written, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated" (Rom. 9:13). If then God loved Jacob and hated Esau, and
that before they were born or had done either good or evil, then the reason for
His love was not in them, but in Himself.
That the exercise of God’s
love is according to His own sovereign pleasure is also clear
from the language of Ephesians 1:3-5, where we read, "Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before Him. In love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of
His will." It was "in love" that God the Father predestined His
chosen ones unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself,
"according"—according to what? According to some excellency He
discovered in them? No. What then? According to what He foresaw they would
become? No; mark carefully the inspired answer—"According to the good
pleasure of His will."
God is sovereign in the
exercise of His grace. This of necessity, for grace is favor shown to the
undeserving, yea, to the Hell-deserving. Grace is the antithesis of justice.
Justice demands the impartial enforcement of law. Justice requires that each shall receive his legitimate due, neither more nor less.
Justice bestows no favors and is no respecter of persons. Justice, as such,
shows no pity and knows no mercy. But after justice has been fully satisfied,
grace flows forth. Divine grace is not exercised at the expense of justice, but
"grace reigns through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21), and if grace
"reigns", then is grace sovereign.
Grace has been defined as the
unmerited favor of God;[4] and if unmerited, then none can claim it as their
inalienable right. If grace is unearned and undeserved, then none are entitled
to it. If grace is a gift, then none can demand it. Therefore, as salvation is
by grace, the free gift of God, then He bestows it on whom He pleases. Because salvation is by grace, the very chief of sinners is
not beyond the reach of Divine mercy. Because salvation is by grace, boasting
is excluded and God gets all the glory.
The sovereign exercise of
grace is illustrated on nearly every page of Scripture. The Gentiles
are left to walk in their own ways, while Israel becomes the covenant people of
Jehovah. Ishmael the firstborn is cast out comparatively unblessed, while Isaac
the son of his parents’ old age is made the child of promise. Esau the
generous-hearted and forgiving-spirited is denied the blessing, though he
sought it carefully with tears, while the worm Jacob receives the inheritance
and is fashioned into a vessel of honor. So in the New
Testament. Divine truth is hidden from the wise and prudent, but is revealed to
babes. The Pharisees and Sadducees are left to go their own way, while
publicans and harlots are drawn by the cords of love.
In a remarkable manner Divine
grace was exercised at the time of the Saviour’s birth. The
incarnation of God’s Son was one of the greatest events in the history of the
universe, and yet its actual occurrence was not made known to all mankind;
instead, it was specially revealed to the Bethlehem shepherds and wise men of
the East. And this was prophetic and indicative of the entire course of this
dispensation, for even today Christ is not made known to all. It would have
been an easy matter f or God to have sent a company of
angels to every nation and announced the birth of His Son. But He did not. God
could have readily attracted the attention of all mankind to the
"star;" but He did not. Why? Because God is sovereign and dispenses
His favors as He pleases. Note particularly the two classes to whom the birth
of the Saviour was made known, namely, the most unlikely classes—illiterate shepherds and heathen from a far country. No angel stood
before the Sanhedrin and announced the advent of Israel’s Messiah! No
"star" appeared unto the scribes and lawyers as they, in their pride
and self-righteousness, searched the Scriptures! They searched diligently to
find out where He should be born, and yet it was not made known to them when He
was actually come. What a display of Divine sovereignty—the
illiterate shepherds singled out for peculiar honor, and the learned and
eminent passed by! And why was the birth of the Saviour revealed to these
foreigners, and not to those in whose midst He was born? See in this a
wonderful foreshadowing of God’s dealings with our race throughout the entire
Christian dispensation—sovereign in the exercise of His grace, bestowing His
favors on whom He pleases, often on the most unlikely and
unworthy.[5]
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[1] Some years ago an evangelical
(?) preacher of nation-wide reputation visited the town in which we then were,
and during the course of his address kept repeating, “Poor God! Poor God!”
Surely it is this “preacher” who needs to be pitied.
[2] John 3:16 will be examined in Appendix III.
[3] We are not unmindful of
the fact that men have invented the distinction between God’s love of
complacency and His love of compassion, but this is an invention pure and simple. Scripture terms the latter God’s “pity” (see Matt.
18:33), and “He is kind unto the unthankful and the evil” (Luke 6:35).
[4] An esteemed friend who
kindly read through this book in its manuscript form, and to whom we are
indebted for a number of excellent suggestions, has pointed out that, grace is something more than “unmerited favor.” To feed
a tramp who calls on me is “unmerited favor,” but it is scarcely grace. But
suppose that after robbing me I should feed this starving tramp—that would be
“grace.” Grace, then, is favor shown where there is positive de-merit in the
one receiving it.
[5] It has been pointed out to us that God’s
sovereignty was signally displayed in His choice of the place where His Son was
born. Not to Greece or Italy did the Lord of Glory come, but to the
insignificant land of Palestine! Not in Jerusalem—the royal city—was Immanuel
born, but in Bethlehem, which was “little among the thousands (of towns and
villages) in Judah” (Micah 5:2)! And it was in despised Nazareth
that He grew up!! Truly, God’s ways are not ours.