God's Essence - Sovereignty
The next few posts will examine the Essence of God. To love God, you must first know God. His Essence is revealed through His attributes, each of which is absolute and unchangeable. Through these attributes, God makes Himself known to mankind. As we study each attribute, we will also learn how it can be applied to the adversities of life. The first attribute we will examine is the sovereignty of God.
The sovereignty of God is His eternal (Psalm 93:2), infinite (Psalm 8:1), unchangeable will. God is the Supreme Being. Sovereignty means God is supreme over all living creatures—angels, mankind, and animals. God is King and Ruler over all and no one is greater than He is (Hebrews 6:13; Deuteronomy 4:39; Psalm 47:7a). The fact that God exists eternally speaks of His sovereign status over all other creation. No other creature is without beginning and end.
God’s sovereign will and His authority are absolute. There is no one greater than God (Hebrews 6:13). As the creator and the maintainer of the universe (Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:2-3), God has absolute authority over all creation. God desires that all should be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). God’s sovereignty makes decisions for the benefit of every believer (Jeremiah 29:11).
The sovereignty of God and free will of man coexist throughout human history. Even though God’s will is absolute, He allows man to make his own decisions. Man is free to choose for or against God, His plan of salvation, and His Word. Man's choices, whether good or bad, do not change God's overall plan as directed by His sovereign will.
The One Constraint on God's Sovereignty. Although He is sovereign in every way, God cannot do anything that would compromise His essence. He cannot make decisions that compromise or contradict His divine essence or His Word as revealed in the Scripture.
As the Sovereign Being, His will is absolute, and therefore, He makes decisions for the personal benefit of every believer and for the benefit of all mankind. Therefore, whether prosperity or adversity, every circumstance of life is for our benefit.
As Sovereign God, nature and the animal kingdom are subject to His authority. We see this with Daniel in the lions’ den, where God shut the mouths of the lions so that they could not harm him (Daniel 6:22-23), and with the storm on the Sea of Galilee when our Lord calmed the storm with a command, “Be still” (Mark 4:39). So the next time you encounter a wild creature that might do you harm, you do not need to be overcome by fear. You can trust in the sovereignty of God. It cannot harm you apart from what God permits. Likewise, the next time you are faced with a natural disaster—for example, a prolonged period without rain—you do not need to be consumed by worry. You can trust in the sovereignty of God. God can change the circumstances with a command, just as He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee.
God’s sovereignty has also delegated authority to mankind for man’s benefit. All authority is from God and no authority exists apart from God (Romans 13:1-3). He also delegated authority to parents so that they might teach their children in the way that they should go (Ephesians 6:1-3; Proverbs 22:6).
Memory Verse: Jeremiah 29:11 “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”