Cultivating Deeper Understanding of God's Sovereignty and Goodness

The concept of God's sovereignty and goodness is deeply rooted in biblical teachings. According to Ephesians 3:10, God's manifold wisdom is made known through the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places ^[1]. To cultivate a deeper understanding of this concept, one must seek a fuller comprehension of God's nature and character.

The Bible describes God's goodness in various ways, highlighting its greatness, excellence, and marvelousness ^[3]. For instance, Psalm 36:7 speaks of God's excellent loving-kindness, while Psalm 17:7 and 31:21 describe it as marvelous. To grasp this concept, believers must be strengthened to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of God's love, as prayed for in Ephesians 3:18 ^[2].

Spiritual growth is essential in gaining a deeper understanding of God's sovereignty and goodness. As believers grow spiritually, they develop a clearer and deeper comprehension of Christian truth and conduct that pleases the Lord (Colossians 1:9-10) ^[4]. This growth enables them to stand firm against evil and to be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9) ^[11].

The pursuit of knowledge and understanding is a recurring theme in biblical teachings. Matthew Henry notes that David endeavored to perfect himself in his religion, desiring to know more about God's righteous judgments (Psalm 119:7) ^[6]. Similarly, John Gill emphasizes the importance of attending to spiritual and evangelical wisdom, which is found in Christ and communicated through the Gospel (Proverbs 5:1) ^[7].

As believers seek to deepen their understanding of God's sovereignty and goodness, they are drawn into a richer experience of God's grace and peace. According to John Gill, this can involve a larger discovery of God's love and favor, an increase in the internal graces of the Spirit, and a clearer view of God's goodness (2 Peter 1:2) ^[5]. Ultimately, this understanding is rooted in the knowledge of God's glory, which will one day fill the earth (Habakkuk 2:13) ^[10].

The dimensions of God's love, as described in Ephesians 3:18, provide a framework for understanding the scope of God's sovereignty and goodness. The breadth, length, height, and depth of God's love correspond to the fullness of God, which the church is called to reflect ^[8]. As believers grasp this concept, they are better equipped to navigate the complexities of life, trusting in God's goodness and sovereignty.

In the biblical narrative, the knowledge of God's goodness is closely tied to the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 2:5; 1:7) ^[9]. As believers cultivate a deeper understanding of God's sovereignty and goodness, they are drawn into a deeper reverence for God and a greater appreciation for the riches of His special grace and goodness.

Sources

Ephesians “to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, -- Ephesians 3:10”
Ephesians “may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, -- Ephesians 3:18”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Loving-Kindness of God, The — Is through Christ -- Eph 2:7; Tit 3:4-6. Described as Great. -- Ne 9:17. Excellent. -- Ps 36:7. Good. -- Ps 69:16. Marvellous. -- Ps 17:7; 31:21. Multitudinous. -- Isa 63:7. Everlasting. -- Isa 54:8. Merciful. -- Ps 117:2. Better than life. -- Ps 63:3. Consideration of the dealings of God gives a knowledge of -- Ps 107:43. Saints Betrothed in. -- Ho 2:19. Drawn by. -- Jer 31:3. Preserved by. -- Ps 40:11. Quickened after. -- Ps 119:88. Comforted by. -- Ps 119:76. Look for mercy through. -- Ps 51:1. Receive mercy through. -- Isa 54:8. Are ”
Colossians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Colossians 1:9: 1:9-10 Paul prays that God would grant his readers deeper understanding of the Good News and its full expression in their lives. Spiritual growth yields a clearer and deeper comprehension of Christian truth and conduct that pleases the Lord, through which a believer will have the endurance and patience to stand firm against evil (1:11).”
2 Peter (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Peter 1:2: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you,.... By a multiplication of grace may be meant a larger discovery of the love and favour of God; which though it admits of no degrees in itself, being never more or less in God's heart, yet, as to the manifestations of it, it is different, and capable of being increased, and drawn out to a greater length; or else an increase of the internal graces of the Spirit of God, as to the actings and exercise of them; or a larger measure of the gifts of the Spirit, for greater usefulness among them; or a clearer view, and a more enlarged k”
Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 119:7: Here is, I. David's endeavour to perfect himself in his religion, and to make himself (as we say) master of his business. He hopes to learn God's righteous judgments. He knew much, but he was still pressing forward and desired to know more, as knowing this, that he had not yet attained; but as far as perfection is attainable in this life he reached towards it, and would not take up short of it. As long as we live we must be scholars in Christ's school, and sit at his feet; but we should aim to be head-scholars, and to get into the highest form. God's judgments ar”
Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 5:1: My son, attend unto my wisdom,.... Not the wisdom of the world or of the flesh, worldly wisdom and carnal policy; but spiritual and evangelical wisdom; such as one that is greater than Solomon has in him, even Christ; "for in him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge", Col 2:3; and which he teaches and communicates to others, even all proper instructions for conduct in life: the Gospel, and each of the doctrines of it, which are "the wisdom of God in a mystery", Co1 2:7, these every child of God, and disciple of Christ, ought carefully and diligently to atten”
Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 3:18: May be able--even still further. Greek, "May be fully able." breadth . . . length . . . depth . . . height--namely, the full dimensions of the spiritual temple, answering to "the fulness of God" (Eph 3:19), to which the Church, according to its capacity, ought to correspond (compare Eph 4:10, Eph 4:13) as to "the fulness of Christ." The "breadth" implies Christ's world-wide love, embracing all men: the "length," its being extended through all ages (Eph 3:21); the "depth," its profound wisdom which no creature can fathom (Rom 11:33); the "height," ”
Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 2:5: Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord,.... The grace of fear, and the exercise of it: which is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge, and is a treasure itself, Pro 1:7. By means of the Gospel the Lord works it in the hearts of his people by his Spirit; and by the same leads them into the riches of his special grace and "goodness", which they are influenced by to "fear", and the Lord for the sake of it: and particularly they are led hereby to the pardoning grace and mercy of God, which is with him, that he may "be feared"; and it is the Gospel which induces ”
Habakkuk (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Habakkuk 2:13: For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,.... Of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ; of the glory of his person, as the Son of God, and truly God; which is essential to him, and underived; the same with his Father's, and what transcends the glory of all created beings; and of the glory of his office as Mediator, which itself is glorious and honourable: and this his glory lies in his fitness for it; in his faithful performance of it, and the honour given him by his Father upon it; as well as in the fulness of grace in him, which makes”
Colossians (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Colossians 1:9: The apostle proceeds in these verses to pray for them. He heard that they were good, and he prayed that they might be better. He was constant in this prayer: We do not cease to pray for you. It may be he could hear of them but seldom, but he constantly prayed for them. - And desire that you may be filled with the knowledge, etc. Observe what it is that he begs of God for them, I. That they might be knowing intelligent Christians: filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Observe, 1. The knowledge of our duty is the best k”

Ask Your Own Question