Position paper:
The Sovereignty of God
The elders of Front Range Alliance Church strongly believe and proclaim the sovereignty of God as it is revealed in the Bible. By this we mean that God is independently in absolute control of everyone and everything. He does whatever He pleases and accomplishes all that He purposes either by His direct intervention or His gracious permission in both the physical and spiritual realms. No one – neither angel nor human, neither king nor empire – can thwart His hand or act outside of the bounds of His will. He does all that He does for His own glory and the good of His people. Nothing is too small to escape God’s sovereignty, nor is so big as to be beyond His power to sovereignly control it.
Some of the areas that God’s sovereignty controls are listed below:
He is sovereign in the giving of human life (Psalm 139:13, 14).
He is sovereign over the quality of human life (Exodus 4:11).
He is sovereign over the length of human life (Job 1:21, 14:5, Hebrews 9:27, Psalm 139:16).
He is sovereign over the establishment of kings and kingdoms, what they do, and the duration of their existence (Daniel 4:17, 35 and Daniel 2:20, Proverbs 21:1).
He is sovereign over Satan, the demons, and evil men (Job 1:7-12 and Job 42:2, Lamentations 3:38, Psalm 115:3, Isaiah 14:27, Matthew 17:14-21).
He is sovereign over all creation and the forces of nature (Colossians 1:16-17, Matthew 10:29, Amos 4:7).
He is sovereign over all of the circumstances that we face in this life (Romans 8:28).
He is sovereign over the salvation of individuals (Romans 9:14-23, John 1:9-13, 6:65) This means that He elects and brings to salvation those whom He chooses based upon what is in Him, not what is in man (Ephesians 1:3-6). It means that none that the Father has given the Son will be lost (John 17:1-3, 10:27-29). It also means that none who want to be saved will be turned away because they are not part of the elect.
By these affirmations, we do not mean that God’s sovereign control is always comprehensible (Isaiah 55:9, Romans 11:33). Nor do we mean that God is responsible for the evil that either angels or men do within His sovereign plan (James 1:13-16). Created beings are permitted to act contrary to God’s moral will which is declared in the Bible, but even their sinful acts are included in God’s overall sovereign plan which He decreed before the foundation of the world. In addition, when men act contrary to God’s revealed will, they are morally responsible and will be held accountable for their evil actions. The truth that God allows for evil and difficult circumstances in His sovereign plan does not allow us to adopt a fatalistic attitude towards life. We must always resist evil and seek to overcome it. We must also depend upon God to enable us to do what we must do for ourselves.
Finally, we believe that instruction regarding the sovereignty of God is absolutely necessary for the spiritual health of the church. It will provide the assurance we need to trust Him in every circumstance of life and, because of His nature, know for certain that these circumstances are for our ultimate good. It will supply guidance and keep us from error in establishing a philosophy of ministry for the church gathered and the church in the world as it seeks to evangelize the lost. It will help us in our theology regarding Satan and his demons especially in reference to what they can and cannot do to the child of God. It will enable us to respond properly when a child of God is not healed of sickness or is taken home to be with the Lord through death. It will assist us in focusing proper attention upon the Lord and worshipping Him who alone is God and sovereign over all. And, ultimately, it will promote a desire to submit all of our plans and hopes to the will of God and to do so with great peace and joy.