Sovereignty, Free Will, and Salvation - The Difference Sovereignty Makes

Sovereignty

Free Will &

Salvation

Why God’s
Sovereignty
Matters

Why I Believe these Things

―Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been
born of God‖
(1 John 5:1)

Birth is logically prior to life – both in the physical and spiritual.
www.confidentchristians.org

―No man is better for knowing that
God in the beginning created the
heaven and the earth. The devil
knows that, and so did Ahab and
Judas Iscariot. No man is better
for knowing that God so loved the
world of men that He gave His
only begotten Son to die for their
redemption. In hell there are
millions who know that.
Theological truth is useless until it
is obeyed. The purpose behind all
doctrine is to secure moral action.‖
- A. W. Tozer


What does God‘s sovereignty mean to
me?

God’s Sovereignty…

1. Provides assurance He is in
complete control and
supplies trust in His care for
us
2. Provides confidence in every
circumstance
3. Causes us to rely solely and
ultimately on Him and not
ourselves; it keeps us humble


Provides Assurance He is in control

―I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of
Yours can be thwarted. ‖
(Job 42:2)

Provides Assurance He is in control

―For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not
ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am
convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to
Him until that day. ‖
(2 Timothy 1:12)

―For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a
good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ
Jesus. ‖
(Philippians 1:6)


Trust in God’s Care

―Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul;
but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will
fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than
many sparrows.‖
(Matthew 10:28–31)

Trust in God’s Care

―Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. ‖
(Psalm 37:5)

―Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will
never allow the righteous to be shaken. ‖ (Psalm 55:22)

―What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is
against us? ‖ (Romans 8:31)

―Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ‖ (Philippians 4:6–7)


―It is of little comfort to me to
know that God loves me if he
is not in control of the events
of my life. . . . This is one of
the crucial differences. It
enables us to trust God. It
enables us to obey Jesus‘
command, ‗Don‘t be afraid,‘
because we know that our
lives are not subject to
chance or luck, to the whims
of nature, or the malevolent
actions of other people.‖
- Jerry Bridges

Trust Down to the Last detail

―He will also lift up a standard to the distant nation, And
will whistle for it from the ends of the earth; And behold, it
will come with speed swiftly. No one in it is weary or
stumbles, None slumbers or sleeps; Nor is the belt at its
waist undone, Nor its sandal strap broken. ‖
(Isaiah 5:26–27)

―There is no attribute
of God more
comforting to His
children than the
doctrine of Divine
Sovereignty. . . . It is
God upon His throne
whom we trust.‖
- Charles Spurgeon


Everything Depends on God
―For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ‖
(Colossians 1:16–17)

―Come now, you who say, ―Today or tomorrow we will go to such
and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and
make a profit.‖ Yet you do not know what your life will be like
tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and
then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ―If the Lord wills, we
will live and also do this or that.‖ But as it is, you boast in your
arrogance; all such boasting is evil. ‖
(James 4:13–16)

Confidence in Every Circumstance

―Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the
throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. ‖
(Hebrews 4:16)

God’s Sovereignty over Nature

―Under the whole heaven He lets it [thunder] loose, And His lightning to the ends
of the earth. . . . For to the snow He says, ‗Fall on the earth,‘ And to the downpour
and the rain, ‗Be strong.‘ From the breath of God ice is made, And the expanse of
the waters is frozen. Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the
cloud of His lightning. It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it
may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth. Whether for
correction, or for His world, Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.‖
(Job 37:3–13)

God’s Sovereignty Over Calamity

―The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating
calamity; I am the Lord who does all these. ‖ (Isaiah 45:7)
―Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth? ‖
(Lamentations 3:37–38)

―If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it? ‖ (Amos 3:6)

Control over Individual Circumstances
―Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the
Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and the Lord had given the people favor in
the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
(Exodus 12:35–36)

―Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of
Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation
throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying: ‖ (Ezra 1:1)

―The king‘s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.‖
(Proverbs 21:1)

―Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials‖
(Daniel 1:9)

―The Lord said to him, ―Who has made man‘s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind?
Is it not I, the Lord? ‖ (Exodus 4:11)

―Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. ―For I will drive
out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three
times a year to appear before the Lord your God. ‖ (Exodus 34:23–24)

God, in His sovereign power, is able to restrain others from desiring to harm us

The Story of Joseph

The story of Joseph personifies how God is sovereign over our individual
circumstances. It exemplifies what Paul says in Romans: ―And we know that God
causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose‖ (Romans 8:28) . Joseph said it this way: ―As for
you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about
this present result, to preserve many people alive.‖ (Genesis 50:20)


The Story of Joseph – the Tough Part
―When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against
him to put him to death. They said to one another, ―Here comes this dreamer! ―Now then,
come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‗A wild beast
devoured him.‘ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!‖ ‖ (Genesis 37:18–20)

―Judah said to his brothers, ―What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his
blood? ―Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our
brother, our own flesh.‖ And his brothers listened to him. Then some Midianite traders
passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the
Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt. ‖ (Genesis
37:26–28)

―She [Potiphar‘s wife] caught him by his garment, saying, ―Lie with me!‖ And he [Joseph] left
his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. . . . Now when his master heard the words
of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, ―This is what your slave did to me,‖ his anger
burned. So Joseph‘s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king‘s
prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail. ‖ (Genesis 39:19–20)

―Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. ―Now it happened at the
end of two full years. . .‖ (Genesis 40:23-41:1)

We Need to Remember God is still with us

―The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he
was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that
the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to
prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became
his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all
that he owned he put in his charge. ‖ (Genesis 39:2–4)

―But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and
gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed
to Joseph‘s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that
whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did
not supervise anything under Joseph‘s charge because the Lord was
with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper. ‖
(Genesis 39:21–23)


The Story of Joseph – the Good Part
―Then Pharaoh said to his servants, ―Can we find
a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?‖ So
Pharaoh said to Joseph, ―Since God has
informed you of all this, there is no one so
discerning and wise as you are. ―You shall be over
my house, and according to your command all my
people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be
greater than you.‖ Pharaoh said to Joseph, ―See, I
have set you over all the land of Egypt.‖ Then
Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and
put it on Joseph‘s hand, and clothed him in
garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace
around his neck. He had him ride in his second
chariot; and they proclaimed before him, ―Bow the
knee!‖ And he set him over all the land of Egypt.
Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, ―Though I am
Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall
raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.‖ ‖
(Genesis 41:38–44)


God is still with us

―The sovereignty of God is the one impregnable rock to which the suffering human
heart must cling. The circumstances surrounding our lives are no accident: they may
be the work of evil, but that evil is held firmly within the mighty hand of our God. . . .
All evil is subject to Him, and evil cannot touch His children unless He permits it.
God is the Lord of human history and of the personal history of every member of
His redeemed family.‖
- Margaret Clarkson

Rely Ultimately on God instead of Ourselves

―So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not
as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God
who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good
pleasure. ‖ (Philippians 2:12–13)

God Works in Us for Other’s Good

―God energizes the mind and
heart of the believer to want to
do His will. Paul does not explain
how this transformation occurs,
but we may reasonably assume
that the Holy Spirit creates in
us a desire and a love for that
which, prior to regeneration, we
spurned and hated.‖
-C. Samuel Storms


God Performs the Work

―The Lord‘s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all,
able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those
who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance
leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their
senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held
captive by him to do his will. ‖
(2 Timothy 2:24–26)

―While we must always remember that it is our
responsibility to proclaim salvation, we must
never forget that it is God who saves. It is
God who brings men and women under the
sound of the gospel, and it is God who brings
them to faith in Christ. Our evangelistic work
is the instrument that He uses for this
purpose, but the power that saves is not the
instrument: it is in the hand of the One who
uses the instrument. We must not at any stage
forget that. For if we forget that it is God‘s
prerogative to give results when the gospel is
preached, we shall start to think that it is our
responsibility to secure them. And if we forget
that only God can give faith, we shall start to
think that the making of converts depends, in
the last analysis, not on God, but on us, and
that the decisive factor is the way in which we
evangelize.‖
- J. I. Packer

―For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return
there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And
furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be
which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without
accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I
sent it. ‖ (Isaiah 55:9–11)


―Far from making evangelism pointless,
the sovereignty of God in grace is the
one thing that prevents evangelism
from being pointless, for it creates the
possibility – indeed, the certainty –
that evangelism will be fruitful. Apart
from it, there is not even a possibility of
evangelism being fruitful. Were it not
for the sovereign grace of God,
evangelism would be the most futile
and useless enterprise that the world
has ever seen, and there would be no
more complete waste of time under the
sun than to preach the Christian
gospel.‖
- J. I. Packer


―And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ―Do not be afraid
any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you,
and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people
in this city.‖‖
(Acts 18:9–10)

Remind me again why I pray if God is
sovereign…

―If God has eternally decreed that you
should live, what is the use of your
breathing? If God has eternally
decreed that you should talk, what is
the use of your opening your mouth? If
God has eternally decreed that you
should reap a crop, what is the use of
your sowing the seed? If God has
eternally decreed that your stomach
should contain food, what is the use of
your eating? In order to educate us,
God demands that we should use the
means, or go without the ends which
depend upon them.‖
- A. A. Hodge


―Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will
spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you‖
(2 Thessalonians 3:1)

―If it is legitimate for God to ‗plant a
longing‘ in a person‘s heart, how strong
can the longing be that God chooses to
plant? There are two kinds of longings
God could plant in an unbeliever‘s heart.
One kind of longing is so strong that it
leads the person to pursue and embrace
Christ. The other kind of longing is not
strong enough to lead a person to
embrace Christ. Which should he pray
for? If we pray for the strong longing, then
we are praying that the Lord would work
effectually and get that person saved. If
you pray for the weak longing, then we are
praying for an ineffectual longing that
leaves the person in sin (but preserves his
self-determination).‖
- John Piper

―People who really believe that man
must have the ultimate power of self-
determination can‘t consistently pray
that God would convert unbelieving
sinners. Why? Because if they pray
for divine influence in a sinner‘s life
they are either praying for a successful
influence (which takes away the
sinner‘s ultimate self-determination), or
they are praying for an unsuccessful
influence (which is not praying for God
to convert the sinner). So either you
give up praying for God to convert
sinners or you give up ultimate human
self-determination.‖
- John Piper


The Most Humbling Teaching Ever

―So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the
man who runs, but on God who has mercy. ‖
(Romans 9:16)

―Those who have received
salvation are to attribute it to
sovereign grace alone, and
give all the praise to Him,
who makes them to differ
from others.‖
- Jonathan Edwards


His ways Aren’t Our Ways

―For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My
ways,‖ declares the Lord. ―For as the heavens are higher than
the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My
thoughts than your thoughts.‖
(Isaiah 55:8–9)
We quote this all the time, but do we really believe and practice
it?

―The seriousness of this question has been brought
home to me during fifteen years of ministry to the cults. I
have found at least one common denominator among all of
those I studied – the belief in human autonomy. . . .
History has shown that the dogma of human autonomy
gradually eats away at the foundations of orthodoxy until
eventually it collapses entirely. The idea of God is
radically modified or discarded altogether as the hope for
salvation is transferred to humanity‘s determination and
ingenuity rather than God‘s sovereign grace. . . . The
gospel must be made palatable to the sinner, whose
personal autonomy, after all, must be respected even by
God.‖
- Dr. Alan Myatt

The Paradox of sovereignty and ‘free will’

• We are saved by sovereign grace yet
we must believe
• We are kept by the security of God
yet we must persevere
• We live by sovereign power yet we
must obey
• We will endure trials and we must
endure trials
• We will produce good works and we
must produce good works
• What God says will be true of you
must be true of you
- John MacArthur


―There is no attribute more comforting to His
children than that of God‘s Sovereignty. Under
the most adverse circumstances, in the most
severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has
ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty
overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify
them all. There is nothing for which the children
ought more earnestly to contend than the
doctrine of their Master over all creation—the
Kingship of God over all the works of His own
hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit
upon that Throne. On the other hand, there is
no doctrine more hated by worldlings, no truth of
which they have made such a football, as the
great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine
of the Sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men
will allow God to be everywhere except on His
throne.‖
- Charles Spurgeon


―They will allow Him to be in His workshop to
fashion worlds and make stars. They will allow
Him to be in His almonry to dispense His alms
and bestow His bounties. They will allow Him
to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars
thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the
waves of the ever-moving ocean; but when God
ascends His throne, His creatures then gnash
their teeth, and we proclaim an enthroned God,
and His right to do as He wills with His own, to
dispose of His creatures as He thinks well,
without consulting them in the matter; then it is
that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is
that men turn a deaf ear to us, for God on His
throne is not the God they love. But it is God
upon the throne that we love to preach. It is
God upon His throne whom we trust.‖
– Charles Spurgeon


Who’s Ultimately in Control – God or Us?

Non-Reformed Reformed
We’re able to live or die again God ensures we live again
Total Depravity
We first choose God God first chooses us
Unconditional election
We limit the atonement God limits the atonement
Limited atonement
We can overcome God’s will God’s will overcomes ours
Irresistible grace
We control our eternal God controls our eternal
Perseverance of the saints security security


A Parting Warning Worth Remembering

―Assigning to God any thing
by him not assumed is making
to ourselves a deifying of our
own imaginations.‖
- John Owens


Teacher’s Summary Statement
Because of their first parent‘s sin, each person inherits a sin nature that renders
them dead in sin and hostile to God. They do not seek God nor do they wish God
in their lives.

But because God is sovereign, and because He loves humanity, He has decided to
have mercy on some and has provided a way of salvation through His Son who took
on the form of a servant and died a substitutionary death for those who God has
drawn to Him.

And when Christ went to the cross, He died an atoning death for everyone that
He intended to save; He missed not one.

These are the ones who the Father has drawn to His son and called to be His
children. Their previous resistance to Him has been overcome by His mercy so that
their heart of stone has been replaced by a heart of flesh, and now they willingly
choose to love and trust Him for their salvation.

And these that He saved are held fast by His power, protected in faith, and can
never lose their salvation.

Sovereignty, Free Will, and Salvation - The Difference Sovereignty Makes

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