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The Bible: The Sovereignty Of God

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Introduction
The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God 's rule and control and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11). His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted; nothing takes Him by surprise.
This paper will prove that if the Bible clearly describes God as absolutely sovereign over all things and the Universe, that mankind has the free will to choose Him or reject Him and live a life of sin by their own choosing. Also, the character of God will be discussed in detail; A detailed definition of the meaning of sovereignty of God. It is necessary to fully understand what the meaning …show more content…

The question that is asked most frequently is whether or not God is truly sovereign? All typical Christian groups will agree that God is all-powerful and authoritative. God’s sovereignty is a natural consequence of His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. To what extent does God apply His sovereignty and how much control does He exert over the wills of men. When we speak of the sovereignty of God, we mean He rules the universe, but then the debate begins over when and where His control is direct and when it is …show more content…

A prisoner has the freedom to pace up and down in his cell, but he is constrained by the walls of that cell and can go no further, no matter how much his will might desire it. So it is with a man. Because of sin, man is imprisoned within a cell of corruption and wickedness which permeates to the very core of our being. Every part of man is in bondage to sin – our bodies, our minds, and our wills. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us the state of man’s heart: it is “deceitful and desperately wicked.” In our natural, unregenerate state, we are carnally minded, not spiritually minded. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be” (Romans 8:6-7). These verses tell us that before we are saved, we are at war with God, we do not submit to God and His law, neither can we. The Bible is clear that, in his natural state, man is incapable of choosing that which is good and holy. In other words, he does not have the “free will” to choose God because his will is not free. It is constrained by his nature, just as the prisoner is constrained by his cell. R.C. Sproul summarizes the concept of freedom best in relation to God’s character stating, “if God’s sovereignty is limited one ounce by our freedom, He is not sovereign. What kind

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