The Sovereignty of God

Two, it is the solid foundation of all true religion. This naturally follows from what we have said above under the first head. If the doctrine of divine sovereignty alone gives God his rightful place, then it is also true that it alone can supply a firm base for practical religion to build upon. There can be no progress in divine things until there is the personal recognition that God is supreme, that he is to be feared and revered, and he is to be owned and served as Lord. We read the scriptures in vain unless we come to them earnestly desiring a better knowledge of God's will for us. Any other motive is selfish and utterly inadequate and unworthy. Every prayer we send up to God is but carnal presumption unless it be offered according to his will. Anything short of this is to ask amiss that we might consume upon our own lusts the thing requested. Every service we engage in is but a dead work unless it be done for the glory of God. Experimental religion consists mainly in the perception and performance of the divine will, performance both active and passive. We are predestinated to be conformed to the image of God's Son, whose meat it ever was to do the will of the one that sent him. And the measure in which each saint is becoming conformed practically in his daily life is largely determined by his response to our Lord's word, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. 3. It repudiates the heresy of salvation by works. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14.12 The way which seemeth right, and which ends in death, eternal death, is salvation by human effort and merit. The belief in salvation by works is one that is common to human nature. It may not always assume the grosser form of Popish penances or even of Protestant repentance, that is, sorrowing for sin, which is never the meaning of repentance in Scripture. Anything which gives man a place at all is but a variety of the same evil genus. To say, as alas many preachers are saying, God is willing to do his part if you will do yours, is a wretched and excuseless denial of the gospel of his grace. To declare that God helps those who help themselves is to repudiate one of the most precious truths taught in the Bible, and in the Bible alone, namely, that God helps those who are unable to help themselves, who have tried again and again only to fail. To say that the sinner's salvation turns upon the action of his own will is another form of the God-dishonoring dogma of salvation by human efforts. In the final analysis, any movement of the will is a work. It is something from me, something which I do. But the doctrine of God's sovereignty lays the axe at the root of this evil by declaring, It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Romans 9, 16 Does someone say such a doctrine will drive sinners to despair? The reply is, be it so. It is just such despair the writer longs to see prevail. It is not until the sinner despairs of any help from himself that he will ever fall into the arms of sovereign mercy. But if once the Holy Spirit convicts him that there is no help in himself, then he will recognize that he is lost and will cry, God be merciful to me, a sinner. And such a cry will be heard. If the author may be allowed to bear personal witness, he has found during the course of his ministry that the sermons he has preached on human depravity, the sinner's helplessness to do anything himself, and the salvation of the soul turning upon the sovereign mercy of God, have been those most owned and blessed in the salvation of the lost. We repeat then, a sense of utter helplessness is the first prerequisite to any sound conversion. There is no salvation for any soul until it looks away from itself, looks to something, yea, to someone outside of itself. 4. It is deeply humbling to the creature. This doctrine of the absolute sovereignty of God is a great battering ram against human pride, and in this it is in sharp contrast from the doctrines of men. The spirit of our age is essentially that of boasting and glorying in the flesh. The achievements of man, his development and progress, his greatness and self-sufficiency, are the shrine at which the world worships today. But the truth of God's sovereignty with all its corollaries removes every ground for human boasting and instills the spirit of humility in its stead. It declares that salvation is of the Lord, of the Lord in its origination, in its operation, and in its consummation. It insists that the Lord has to apply, as well as supply, that He has to complete, as well as begin, His saving work in our souls, that He has not only to reclaim, but to maintain and sustain us to the end. It teaches that salvation is by grace, through faith, and that all our works before conversion, good as well as evil, count for nothing toward salvation. It tells us we are born, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1, 13 And all this is most humbling to the heart of man, who wants to contribute something to the price of his redemption, and do that which will afford ground for boasting and self-satisfaction. But if this doctrine humbles us, it results in praise to God. If in the light of God's sovereignty, we have seen our own worthlessness and helplessness, we shall indeed cry with the psalmist, All my springs are in thee. Psalm 87, 7 If by nature we were children of wrath, and by practice rebels against the divine government, and justly exposed to the curse of the law, and if God was under no obligation to rescue us from the fiery indignation, and yet, notwithstanding, he delivered up his well-beloved Son for us all, then how such grace and love will melt our hearts, how the apprehension of it will cause us to say in adoring gratitude, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Psalm 115, 1 How readily shall each of us acknowledge by the grace of God, I am what I am. With what wondering praise shall we exclaim, Why was I made to hear his voice and enter while there's room, when thousands make a wretched choice and rather starve than come, t'was the same love that spread the feast, that sweetly forced us in, else we had still refused to taste and perished in our sin. 5 It affords a sense of absolute security. God is infinite in power, and therefore it is impossible to withstand his will or resist the outworking of his decrees. Such a statement as that is well calculated to fill the sinner with alarm, but from the saint it evokes naught but praise. Let us add a word and see what a difference it makes. My God is infinite in power, then I will not fear what man can do unto me. My God is infinite in power, then what time I am afraid, I will trust in him. My God is infinite in power, then I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only, makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 4, 8 Right down the ages, this has been the source of the saints' confidence. Was not this the assurance of Moses, when in his parting words to Israel he said, There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, Israel, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33, 26 and 27 Was it not this sense of security that caused the psalmist, moved by the Holy Spirit to write, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God. In Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee, because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee. Instead, all things will work together for good. Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. Psalm 91, 1 through 7 and 9 and 10. Death and plagues around me fly. Till He bid, I cannot die. Not a single shaft can hit till the God of love sees fit. Oh, the preciousness of this truth! Here am I, a poor, helpless, senseless sheep. Yet am I secure in the hand of Christ. And why am I secure there? None can pluck me, thanks, because the hand that holds me is that of the Son of God, and all power in heaven and earth is His. Again, I have no strength of my own. The world, the flesh and the devil are arrayed against me, so I commit myself into the care and keeping of the Lord, and say with the Apostle, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. 2 Timothy 1, 12. And what is the ground of my confidence? How do I know that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him? I know it, because God is almighty, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. 6. It supplies comfort in sorrow. The doctrine of God's sovereignty is one that is full of consolation and imparts great peace to the Christian. The sovereignty of God is a foundation that nothing can shake, and is more firm than the heavens and earth. How blessed to know that there is no corner of the universe that is out of His reach, as said the psalmist, whither shall I go from my spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and my right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from me, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. Psalm 139, 7-12 How blessed it is to know that God's strong hand is upon every one and everything. How blessed to know that not a sparrow falleth to the ground without His knowledge. How blessed to know that our very afflictions come not by chance nor from the devil, but are ordained and ordered by God. That no man should be moved by these afflictions. For yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. 1 Thessalonians 3, 3 But our God is not only infinite in power, He is infinite in wisdom and goodness too. And herein is the preciousness of this truth. God wills only that which is good, and His will is irreversible and irresistible. God is too wise to err, and too loving to cause His child a needless tear. Therefore, if God be perfect wisdom and perfect goodness, how blessed is the assurance that everything is in His hand and molded by His will according to His eternal purpose. Behold, He taketh away who can hinder Him. Who will say unto Him, What doest Thou? Job 9, 12 Yet how comforting to learn that it is He and not the devil who taketh away our loved ones. Ah, what peace for our poor, frail hearts to be told that the number of our days is with Him. Job 7, 1 Job 14, 5 That disease and death are His messengers and always march under His orders. That it is the Lord who gives and the Lord who takes away. 7 It begets a spirit of sweet resignation. To bow before the sovereign will of God is one of the great secrets of peace and happiness. There can be no real submission with contentment until we are broken in spirit. That is until we are willing and glad for the Lord to have His way with us. Not that we are insisting upon a spirit of fatalistic acquiescence. Far from it. The saints are exhorted to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12, 2 We touched upon this subject of resignation to God's will in the chapter upon our attitude toward God's sovereignty. And there in addition to the supreme pattern we cited the examples of Eli and Job. We would now supplement their cases with further examples. What a word is that in Leviticus 10, 3 And Aaron held his peace. Look at the circumstances. And Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord which He commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord. And Aaron held his peace. Two of the high priest's sons were slain. Slain by a visitation of divine judgment. And they were probably intoxicated at the time. Moreover this trial came upon Aaron suddenly without anything to prepare him for it. Yet he held his peace. Precious exemplification of the power of God's all-sufficient grace. Consider now an utterance which fell from the lips of David And the king said unto Zadok Carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and show me both it and his habitation. But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold, here am I. Let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. 2 Samuel 15 25-26 Here to the circumstances which confronted the speaker were exceedingly trying to the human heart. David was sore pressed with sorrow. His own son was driving him from the throne and seeking his very life. Whether he would ever see Jerusalem and the tabernacle again he knew not. But he was so yielded up to God he was so fully assured that his will was best that even though it meant the loss of the throne and the loss of his life he was content for him to have his way. Let him do to me as seemeth him good. There is no need to multiply examples but a reflection upon the last case will be in place. If amid the shadows of the Old Testament dispensation David was content for the Lord to have his way now that the heart of God has been fully revealed at the cross how much more ought we to delight in the execution of his will. Surely we shall have no hesitation in saying ill that he blesses is our good. And unblessed good is ill. And all is right that seems most wrong if it be his sweet will. Eight. It evokes a song of praise. It could not be otherwise. Why should I who am by nature no different from thee careless and godless throngs all around have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world and now blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in him? Why was I that once was an alien and a rebel singled out for such wondrous favors? Ah, that is something I cannot fathom. Such grace, such love passeth knowledge. But if my mind is unable to discern a reason my heart can express its gratitude in praise and adoration. But not only should I be grateful to God for his grace toward me in the past his present dealings will fill me with thanksgiving. What is the force of that word? Rejoice in the Lord all way? Philippians 4.4 Mark. It is not rejoice in the Savior but we are told to rejoice in the Lord as Lord as the Master of every circumstance. Need we remind the reader that when the Apostle penned these words he was himself a prisoner in the hands of the Roman government. A long course of affliction and suffering lay behind him. Perils on land and perils on sea hunger and thirst, scourging and stoning had all been experienced. He had been persecuted by those within the church as well as by those without. The very ones who ought to have stood by him had forsaken him and still he writes Rejoice in the Lord all way. What was the secret of his peace and happiness? Had not this same Apostle written and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8.28 But how did he and how do we know that all things work together for good? The answer is because all things are under the control of and are being regulated by the Supreme Sovereign and because he has not but thoughts of love toward his own then all things are so ordered by him that they are made to minister to our ultimate good. It is for this cause we are to give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5.20 Yes, give thanks for all things for as it has been well said Our disappointments are but his appointments. To the one who delights in the sovereignty of God the clouds not only have a silver lining but they are silver all through the darkness only serving to offset the light. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take the clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings o'er your head. 9. It guarantees the final triumph of good over evil. Ever since the day that Cain slew Abel the conflict on earth between good and evil has been a sore problem to the saints. In every age the righteous have appeared to defy God with impunity. The Lord's people for the most part have been poor in this world's good whereas the wicked in their temporal prosperity have flourished like the green bay tree. As one looks around and beholds the oppression of believers and the earthly success of unbelievers and notes how few are the former and how numerous the latter as he sees the apparent defeat of the right and the triumphing of might and the wrong as he hears the roar of battle the cries of the wounded and the lamentations of the bereaved as he discovers that almost everything down here is in confusion, chaos and ruins it seems as though Satan were getting the better of the conflict. But as one looks above instead of around there is plainly visible to the eye of faith a throne a throne unaffected by the storms of earth a throne that is set, stable and secure and upon it is seated one whose name is the Almighty and who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will Ephesians 1.11 This then is our confidence God, his own throne the helm is in his hand and being Almighty his purpose cannot fail for he is in one mind and who can turn him and what his soul desireth even that he doeth Job 23.13 Though God's governing hand is invisible to the eye of sense it is real to faith that faith which rests with sure confidence upon his word and therefore is assured he cannot fail What follows below is from the pen of our brother Mr. A.C. Gabylene There can be no failure with God God is not a man that he should lie neither the son of man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23.19 All will be accomplished The promise made to his own beloved people to come for them and take them from hence to glory will not fail He will surely come and gather them in his own presence The solemn words spoken to the nations of the earth by the different prophets will also not fail Come near ye nations to hear and hearken ye people Let the earth hear and all that is therein the world and all things that come forth of it For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations and his fury upon all their armies He hath utterly destroyed them He hath delivered them to the slaughter Isaiah 34.1-2 Nor will that day fail in which the lofty looks of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted Isaiah 2.11 The day in which he is manifested when his glory shall cover the heavens and his feet shall stand again upon this earth will surely come His kingdom will not fail nor all the promised events connected with the end of the age and the consummation In these dark and trying times how well it is to remember that he is on the throne the throne which cannot be shaken and that he will not fail in doing all he has spoken and promised Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read No one of these shall fail Isaiah 34.16 In believing blessed anticipation we can look on to the glory time when his word and his will is accomplished when through the coming of the Prince of Peace righteousness and peace comes at last and while we wait for the supreme and blessed moment when his promise to us is accomplished we trust him walking in his fellowship and daily find afresh that he does not fail to sustain and keep us in all our ways 10. It provides a resting place for the heart Much that might have been said here has already been anticipated under previous heads The one seated upon the throne of heaven the one who is governor over the nations and who has ordained and now regulates all events is infinite not only in power but in wisdom and goodness as well He who is Lord over all creation is the one that was manifest in the flesh 1 Timothy 3.16 Ah, here is a theme no human pen can do justice to The glory of God consists not merely in that he is highest but in that being high he stooped in lowly love not to bear the burden of his own sinful creatures for it is written God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 2 Corinthians 5.19 The church of God was purchased with his own blood Acts 20.28 It is upon the gracious self-humiliation of the king himself that his kingdom is established O wondrous cross! By it he who suffered upon it has become not the lord of our destinies he was that before but the lord of our hearts Therefore it is not in abject terror that we bow before the supreme sovereign but in adoring worship we cry worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing Revelation 5.12 Here then is the refutation of the wicked charge that this doctrine is a horrible calumny upon God and dangerous to expound to his people Can a doctrine be horrible and dangerous that gives God his true place that maintains his rights that magnifies his grace that ascribes all glory to him and removes every ground of boasting from the creature Can a doctrine be horrible and dangerous which affords the saints a sense of security in danger that supplies them comfort in sorrow that begets a patience within them in adversity that evokes from them praise at all times Can a doctrine be horrible and dangerous which assures us of the certain triumph of good over evil and which provides a sure resting place for our hearts and that place the perfections of the sovereign himself No, a thousand times no Instead of being horrible and dangerous this doctrine of the sovereignty of God is glorious and edifying and a due apprehension of it will but serve to make us exclaim with Moses Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness fearful in praises, doing wonders Exodus 15, 11 Conclusion Alleluia For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth Revelation 19, 6 In our forward to the second edition we acknowledge the need for preserving the balance of truth Two things are beyond dispute God is sovereign, man is responsible In this book we have sought to expound the former In our other works we have frequently pressed the latter That there is real danger of over-emphasizing the one and ignoring the other we readily admit Yea, history furnishes numerous examples of cases of each To emphasize the sovereignty of God without also maintaining the accountability of the creature tends to fatalism To be so concerned in maintaining the responsibility of man as to lose sight of the sovereignty of God is to exalt the creature and dishonor the creator Almost all doctrinal error is really truth perverted, truth wrongfully divided truth disproportionately held in thought The fairest faith on earth with the most comely features would soon become ugly and unsightly if one member continued growing while the others remained undeveloped Beauty is primarily a matter of proportion Thus it is with the Word of God Its beauty and blessedness are best perceived when its manifold wisdom is exhibited in its true proportions Here is where so many have failed in the past A single phase of God's truth has so impressed this man or that he has concentrated his attention upon it almost to the exclusion of everything else Some portion of God's Word has been made a pet doctrine and often this has become the distinctive badge of some party But it is the duty of each servant of God to declare all the counsel of God Acts 20.27 It is true that the degenerate days in which our lot is cast when on every side man is exalted and superman has become a common expression there is real need for a special emphasis upon the glorious fact of God's supremacy the more so where this is expressly denied Yet even here much wisdom is required lest our zeal should not be according to knowledge The words meet in due season should ever be before the servant of God What is needed primarily by one congregation may not be specifically needed by another If called to labor where Arminian preachers have preceded then the neglected truth of God's sovereignty should be expounded though with caution and care lest too much strong meat be given to babes The example of Christ in John 16.12 I have yet many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now must be borne in mind On the other hand if I am called to take charge of a distinctly Calvinistic pulpit then the truth of human responsibility in its many aspects may be profitably set forth What the preacher needs to give out is not what his people most like to hear but what they most need that is those aspects of truth they are least familiar with or least exhibiting in their walk To carry into actual practice what we have inculcated above will most probably lay the preacher open to the charge of being a turncoat but what matters that if he has his master's approval he is not called upon to be consistent with himself nor with any rules drawn up by man His business is to be consistent with holy writ and in scripture each part or aspect of truth is balanced by another aspect of truth There are two sides to everything even to the character of God for he is light 1 John 1.5 as well as love 1 John 4.8 and therefore are we called upon to behold therefore the goodness and severity of God Romans 11.22 to be all the time preaching on the one to the exclusion of the other caricatures the divine character when the son of God became incarnate he came here in the form of a servant Philippians 2.7 nevertheless in the manger he was Christ the Lord Luke 2.11 all things are possible with God Matthew 19.26 yet God cannot he Titus 1.2 scripture says bear ye one another's burdens Galatians 6.2 yet the same chapter insists every man shall bear his own burden Galatians 6.5 we are enjoined to take no thought for the morrow Matthew 6.34 yet if any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel 1 Timothy 5.8 no sheep of Christ can perish John 10.28 and 29 yet the Christian is bidden to make his calling and election sure 2 Peter 1.10 and so we might go on multiplying illustrations these things are not contradictions but complementaries the one balances the other thus the scriptures set forth both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man so too should every servant of God and that in their proper proportion but we return now to a few closing reflections upon our present theme and Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court and said O Lord God of our fathers art not thou God in heaven and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen and in thine hand is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand thee 2 Chronicles 20.5 and 6 yes the Lord is God ruling in supreme majesty and might yet in our day a day of boasted enlightenment and progress this is denied on every hand a materialistic science an atheistic philosophy hath bowed God out of his own world and everything is regulated forsooth by impersonal laws of nature so in human affairs at best God is a far distant spectator and a helpless one at that God could not help the launching of the dreadful war and though he longed to put a stop to it he was unable to do so and this in the face of 1 Chronicles 5.22 2 Chronicles 24.24 having endowed man with free agency God is obliged to let man make his own choice and go his own way and he cannot interfere with him or otherwise his moral responsibility would be destroyed such are the popular beliefs of the day one is not surprised to find these sentiments emanating from German theologians but how sad that they should be taught in many of our seminaries echoed from many of our pulpits and accepted by many of the rank and file of professing Christians one of the most flagrant sins of our age is that of irreverence the failure to ascribe the glory which is due the august majesty of God men limit the power and activities of the Lord in their degrading concepts of his being and character originally man was made in the image and likeness of God but today we are asked to believe in a God made in the image and likeness of man the creator is reduced to the level of the creature his omniscience is called into question his omnipotency is no longer believed in and his absolute sovereignty is flatly denied men claim to be the architects of their own fortunes and the determiners of their own destiny they know not that their lives are at the disposal of the divine despot they know not they have no more power to thwart his secret decrees than a worm has to resist the tread of an elephant they know not that the Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom ruleth over all Psalm 103, 19 in the foregoing pages we have sought to repudiate such paganistic views as the above mentioned and have endeavored to show from scripture that God is God on the throne and that so far from the recent war being an evidence that the helm has slipped out of his hand it was sure proof that he still lives and reigns and is now bringing to pass that which he had foredetermined and foreannounced Matthew 24, 6-8, etc. that the carnal mind is enmity against God that the unregenerate man is a rebel against the divine government that the sinner has no concern for the glory of his maker and little or no respect for his revealed will is freely granted but nevertheless behind the scenes God is ruling and overruling fulfilling his eternal purpose not only in spite of but also by means of those who are his enemies how earnestly are the claims of man contended for against the claims of God has not man power and knowledge but what of it has God no will or power or knowledge suppose man's will conflicts with God's what then turn to the scripture of truth for answer man had a will on the plains of Shinar and determined to build a tower whose top should reach unto heaven but what came of their purpose Pharaoh had a will when he hardened his heart and Pharaoh refused to allow Jehovah's people to go and worship him in the wilderness but what came of his rebellion Balak had a will when he hired Balaam to come and curse the Hebrews but of what avail was it the Canaanites had a will when they determined to prevent Israel occupying the land of Canaan but how far did they succeed Saul had a will when he hurled his javelin at David but it entered the wall instead Jonah had a will when he refused to go and preach to the Ninevites but what came of it Nebuchadnezzar had a will when he fought to destroy the three Hebrew children but God had a will too and the fire did not harm them Herod had a will when he fought to slay the child Jesus and had there been no living reigning God his evil desire would have been effected but in daring to pit his puny will against the irresistible will of the Almighty his efforts came to naught yes my reader and you too had a will when you formed your plans without first seeking counsel of the Lord therefore did he overturn them there are many devices in a man's heart nevertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand Proverbs 19 21 what a demonstration of the irresistible sovereignty of God is furnished by that wonderful statement found in Revelation 17 17 for God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled the fulfillment of any single prophecy is but the sovereignty of God in operation it is the demonstration that what he has decreed he is able also to perform it is proof that none can withstand the execution of his counsel or prevent the accomplishment of his pleasure it is evidence that God inclines men to fulfill that which he has ordained and perform that which he has foredetermined if God were not absolute sovereign then divine prophecy would be valueless for in such a case no guarantee would be left that what he had predicted would surely come to pass for God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree and give their kingdom unto the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled Revelation 17 17 we cannot do better than quote here the excellent comments of our esteemed friend Mr. Walter Scott upon this verse God works unseen but not the less truly in all the political changes of the day the astute statesman the clever diplomatist is simply an agent in the Lord's hands he knows it not self-will and motives of policy may influence to action but God is steadily working toward an end to exhibit the heavenly and earthly glories of his Son but instead of kings and statesmen thwarting God's purpose they unconsciously forward it God is not indifferent but is behind the scenes of human action the doings of the future ten kings in relation to Babylon and the beast the ecclesiastical and secular powers are not only under the direct control of God but all is done in fulfillment of his words closely connected with Revelation 17 17 is that which is brought before us in Micah 4 11 and 12 now also many nations are gathered against thee that say let her be defiled and let our eye look upon Zion but they know not the thoughts of the Lord neither understand they his counsel for he shall gather them as sheaves into the floor this is another remarkable statement inspired of God and three things in it deserve special notice first, a day is coming when many nations shall gather together against Israel with the express purpose of humiliating her second, quite unconsciously to themselves for they understand not his counsel they are gathered together by God for he shall gather them third, God gathers these many nations against Israel in order that the daughter of Zion may beat them in pieces verse 13 here then is another instance which demonstrates God's absolute control of the nations of his power to fulfill his secret counsel or decrees through and by them and of his inclining men to perform his pleasure though it be performed blindly and unwittingly by them once more what a word was that of the Lord Jesus as he stood before Pilate who can depict the scene? there was the Roman official and there also was the servant of Jehovah standing before him said Pilate, whence art thou? and weary, Jesus gave him no answer then said Pilate unto him speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee and have power to release thee? John 19, 10 ah, that is what Pilate thought that is what many another has thought he was merely voicing the common conviction of the human heart the heart which leaves God out of its reckoning but here the Lord Jesus as he corrects Pilate and at the same time repudiates the proud boasting of men in general thou couldst have no power against me except it were given thee from above John 19, 11 how sweeping is this assertion man, even though he be a prominent official in the most influential empire of his day has no power except that which is given him from above no power even to do that which is evil that is, carry out his own evil designs unless God empowers him so that his purpose may be forwarded it was God who gave Pilate the power to sentence to death his well beloved son and how this rebukes the sophistries and reasonings of men who argue that God does nothing more than permit evil why go right back to the very first words spoken by the Lord God to man after the fall and hear him saying I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed Genesis 3, 15 bare permission of sin does not cover all the facts which are revealed in scripture touching this mystery as Calvin succinctly remarks but what reason shall we assign for his permitting it but because it is his will at the close of chapter 11 we promise to give attention to one or two other difficulties which were not examined at that time to them we now turn if God has not only predetermined the salvation of his own but has also foreordained the good works which they are to walk in Ephesians 2, 10 then what incentive remains for us to strive after practical godliness if God has fixed the number of those who are to be saved and the others are vessels of wrath fitted to destruction then what encouragement have we to preach the gospel to the lost let us take up these questions in the order of mention 1. God's sovereignty and the believer's growth in grace if God has foreordained everything that comes to pass of what avail is it for us to exercise ourselves unto godliness 1 Timothy 4, 7 if God has foreordained the good works in which we are to walk Ephesians 2, 10 then why should we be careful to maintain good works Titus 3, 8 this only raises once more the problem of human responsibility really it should be enough for us to reply God has bidden us do so nowhere does the scripture inculcate or encourage a spirit of fatalistic indifference contentment with our present attainments is expressly disallowed the word to every believer is press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Philippians 3, 14 this was the apostles aim and it should be ours instead of hindering the development of Christian character a proper apprehension and appreciation of God's sovereignty will forward it just as the sinners despair of any help from himself is the first prerequisite of a sound conversion so the loss of all confidence in himself is the first essential in the believer's growth in grace and just as the sinner despairing of help from himself will cast him into the arms of sovereign mercy so the Christian conscious of his own frailty will turn unto the Lord for power it is when we are weak we are strong 2 Corinthians 12, 10 that is to say there must be consciousness of our weakness before we shall turn to the Lord for help while the Christian allows the thought that he is sufficient in himself while he imagines that by mere force of will he shall resist temptation while he has any confidence in the flesh then like Peter who boasted that though all forsook the Lord yet should he not so we shall certainly fail and fall apart from Christ we can do nothing John 15, 5 the promise of God is he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might of their own he increaseth strength Isaiah 40, 29 the question now before us is of great practical importance and we are deeply anxious to express ourselves clearly and simply the secret of development of Christian character is the realization of our own powerlessness acknowledged powerlessness and the consequent turning unto the Lord for help the plain fact is that of ourselves we cannot do this or make ourselves do it in nothing be anxious but who can avoid and prevent anxiety when things go wrong awake to righteousness and sin not but who can help sinning these are merely examples selected at random from scores of others does then God mock us by bidding us do what he knows we are unable to do the answer of Augustine to this question is the best we have met with God gives commands we cannot perform that we may know what we ought to request from him a consciousness of our powerlessness should cast us upon him who has all power here then is where a vision and view of God's sovereignty helps for it reveals his sufficiency and shows us our insufficiency if God has determined before the foundation of the world the precise number of those who shall be saved then why should we concern ourselves about the eternal destiny of those with whom we come into contact what place is left for zeal in Christian service will not the doctrine of God's sovereignty and its corollary of predestination discourage the Lord's servants from faithfulness in evangelism no instead of discouraging his servants a recognition of God's sovereignty is most encouraging to them here is one for example who is called upon to do the work of an evangelist and he goes forth believing in the freedom of the will and in the sinner's own ability to come to Christ he preaches the gospel as faithfully and zealously as he knows how but he finds the vast majority of his hearers are utterly indifferent and have no heart at all for Christ he discovers that men are for the most part thoroughly wrapped up in the things of the world and that few have any concern about the world to come he beseeches men to be reconciled to God and pleads with them over their soul's satisfaction but it is of no avail he becomes thoroughly disheartened and asks himself what is the use of it all shall he quit or had he better change his mission and message if men will not respond to the gospel had he not better engage in that which is more popular and acceptable to the world why not occupy himself with humanitarian efforts with social uplift work with the purity campaign alas that so many men who once preached the gospel are now engaged in these activities instead what then is God's corrective for his discouraged servant first he needs to learn from scripture that God is not now seeking to convert the world but that in this age he is taking out of the Gentiles a people for his name Acts 15 14 what then is God's corrective for his discouraged servant this a proper apprehension of God's plan for this dispensation again what is God's remedy for dejection at apparent failure in our labors this the assurance that God's purpose cannot fail that God's plans cannot miscarry that God's will must be done our labors are not intended to bring about that which God has not decreed once more what is God's word of cheer for the one who is thoroughly disheartened at the lack of response to his appeals and the absence of fruit for his labors this that we are not responsible for results that is God's side and God's business Paul may plant and Apollos may water but it is God who gives the increase 1 Corinthians 3 6 our business is to obey Christ and preach the gospel to every creature to emphasize the whosoever believeth and then to lead the sovereign operations of the Holy Spirit to apply the word in quickening power to whom he wills resting on the sure promise of Jehovah for as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not return unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I please it may not that which we please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it Isaiah 55 10 and 11 was it not this assurance that sustained the beloved apostle when he declared therefore see context I endure all things for the elect's sake 2 Timothy 2 10 yea is not this the same lesson to be learned from the blessed example of the Lord Jesus when we read that he said to the people ye also have seen me and believe not he fell back upon the sovereign pleasure of the one who sent him saying all that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out John 6 37 he knew that his labor would not be in vain he knew God's word would not return unto him void he knew that God's elect would come to him and believe on him and this same assurance fills the soul of every servant who intelligently rests upon the blessed truth of God's sovereignty O fellow Christian worker God has not sent us forth to draw a bow at a venture the success of the ministry which he has committed into our hands is not left contingent on the fickleness of the wills of those to whom we preach how gloriously encouraging how soul sustaining the assurance are those words of our Lord's if we rest on them in simple faith and other sheep I have have mark you not will have have because given to him by the father before the foundation of the world which are not of this fold that is the Jewish fold then existing them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice John 10 16 not simply they ought to hear my voice not simply they may hear my voice not they will if they are willing there is no if no uncertainty about it they shall hear my voice is his own positive unqualified absolute promise here then is where faith is to rest continue your quest dear friend after the other sheep of Christ be not discouraged because the goats heed not his voice as you preach the gospel be faithful be scriptural be persevering and Christ may use even you to be his mouthpiece in calling some of his lost sheep unto himself therefore my beloved brethren be you steadfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord 1 Corinthians 15 58 it now remains for us to offer a few closing reflections and our happy task is finished God's sovereign election of certain ones to salvation is a merciful provision the sufficient answer to all the wicked accusations that the doctrine of predestination is cruel horrible and unjust is that unless God had chosen certain ones to salvation none would have been saved for there is none that seeketh after God Romans 3 11 this is no mere inference of ours but the definite teaching of Holy Scripture attend closely to the words of the apostle in Romans 9 where this theme is fully discussed though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea a remnant shall be saved and as Esaias Isaiah said before except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrah Romans 9 27 and 29 the teaching of this passage is unmistakable but for divine interference Israel would have become as Sodom and Gomorrah had God left Israel alone human depravity would have run its course to its own tragic end but God left Israel a remnant or seed of all the cities of the plain had been obliterated for their sin and none was left to survive them and so it would have been in Israel's case had not God left or spared a remnant thus it is with the human race but for God's sovereign grace in sparing a remnant all of Adam's descendants had perished in their sins therefore we say that God's sovereign election of certain ones to salvation is a merciful provision and be it noted in choosing the ones he did God did no injustice to the others who were passed by for none had any right to salvation salvation is by grace and the exercise of grace is a matter of pure sovereignty God might save all or none many or few one or ten thousand just as he saw best should it be replied but surely it were best to save all the answer would be we are not capable of judging we might have thought it best never to have created Satan never to have allowed sin to enter the world or having entered to have brought the conflict between good and evil to an end long before now ah God's ways are not ours and his ways are past finding out God foreordains everything which comes to pass his sovereign rule extends throughout the entire universe and is over every creature for of him and through him and to him are all things Romans 11 36 God initiates all things regulates all things and all things are working unto his eternal glory there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him the one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him 1 Corinthians 8 6 and again according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will Ephesians 1 11 surely if anything could be ascribed to chance it is the drawing of lots and yet the word of God expressly declares the lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord Proverbs 16 33 God's wisdom in the government of our world shall yet be completely vindicated before all created intelligences God is no idle spectator looking on from a distant world at the happenings on our earth but is himself shaping everything to the ultimate promotion of his own glory even now he is working out his eternal purpose not only in spite of human and satanic opposition but by means of them how wicked and futile have been all efforts to resist his will shall one day be as fully evident as when of old he overthrew the rebellious Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red Sea it has been well said the end and object of all is the glory of God it is perfectly divinely true that God hath ordained for his own glory whatsoever comes to pass in order to guard this from all possibility of mistakes we have only to remember who is this God and what the glory that he seeks it is he who is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of him in whom divine love came seeking not her own among us as one that serveth it is he who sufficient in himself can receive no real accession of glory from his creatures but from whom love as he is light cometh down every good and every perfect gift in whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning of his own alone can his creatures give to him the glory of such an one is found in the display of his own goodness righteousness, holiness, truth in manifesting himself as in Christ he has manifested himself and will forever the glory of this God is what of necessity all things must serve adversaries and evil as well as all else he has ordained it his power will ensure it and when all apparent clouds and obstructions are removed then shall he rest rest in his love forever although eternity only will suffice for the apprehension of the revelation God shall be all in all gives in six words the ineffable result F.W. Grant on atonement that what we have written gives but an incomplete and imperfect presentation of this most important subject we must sorrowfully confess nevertheless if it results in a clearer apprehension of the majesty of God and his sovereign mercy we shall be amply repaid for our labors if the reader has received a blessing from the perusal of these pages let him not fail to return thanks to the giver of every good and every perfect gift ascribing all praise to his inimitable and sovereign grace the Lord our God is clothed with might the winds and waves obey his will he speaks and in the shining heights the sun and rolling worlds stand still rebel ye waves and o'er the land with threatening aspect foam and roar the Lord hath spoken his command that breaks your rage upon the shore ye winds of night your force combine without his holy high behest you shall not in a mountain pine disturb the little swallow's nest his voice sublime is heard afar in distant appeals it fades and dies he binds the cyclone to his car and sweeps the howling murky skies great God how infinite art thou what weak and worthless worms are we let all the race of creatures bow and seek salvation now from thee eternity with all its years stands ever present to thy view to thee there's nothing old appears great God there can be nothing new our lives through varied scenes are drawn and vexed with mean and trifling cares while thine eternal thought moves on by fixed and undisturbed affairs Alleluia for the Lord God omnipotent Rayneth Revelation 19.6 www.SWRB.com We can also be reached by email at swrb.com by phone at 780-450-3730 by fax at 780-468-1096 or by mail at 4710-37A Edmonton, Alberta Abbreviated Capital A, Capital B, Canada T6L3T5 You may also request a free printed catalog and remember that John Calvin in defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship commenting on the words of God which I commanded them not neither came into my heart from his commentary on Jeremiah 731 writes God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions since he condemns by this one phrase I have not commanded them whatever the Jews devised There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions than that they are not commanded by God for when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies and attend not to his commands they pervert true religion and if this principle was adopted by the Papists all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions There is an immense number of them as it is well known and as it manifestly appears Were they to admit this principle that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying his word they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error The prophet's words then are very important when he says that God had commanded no such thing and that it never came to his mind as though he had said that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required nay, what he never knew