Sovereignty and the Role of Tradition in Theology
God's sovereignty refers to his absolute right to govern all things according to his will [1]. This concept is foundational in biblical theology, asserting that God is the sole and supreme ruler, with no other deity beside him [3]. The prophet Daniel affirms this, stating that God's dominion is over all things, and he does as he pleases [1].
The Bible frequently emphasizes God's unique authority. In Isaiah, God declares his sole and sovereign dominion, challenging any other pretenders to deity [3]. Similarly, Deuteronomy highlights God's sovereign right to establish laws for his people, based on his natural claim and covenant relationship [9]. This divine authority is not merely a matter of power but also of his good pleasure [1].
The concept of tradition, in a theological context, refers to teachings, whether written or spoken, that are passed down through generations [2]. The Bible uses the term "tradition" in both positive and negative senses. In some instances, it refers to arbitrary human interpretations that can undermine God's commands, as seen in Jesus' critiques of certain Jewish traditions [2]. For example, Mark 7:3, 9, 13 and Colossians 2:8 describe traditions that are contrary to divine instruction [2]. Peter also uses the term to describe the "degenerate Judaism" of his time [2].
However, "tradition" is also used positively in scripture. Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 3:6, uses the word to refer to sound teaching that should be upheld [2]. This suggests that while human traditions can be flawed, there is also a legitimate sense of passing down faithful instruction.
The interplay between God's sovereignty and tradition is significant in theological discourse. God's sovereign will is often seen as the ultimate standard against which all traditions must be measured. For instance, the enduring nature of God's promises, such as the perpetual spiritual seed of Christ, is guaranteed by his oath, underscoring his sovereign faithfulness [5, 6]. This spiritual seed, composed of believers, is described as "mighty upon earth," not in a worldly sense, but in their spiritual strength derived from God [8].
The stability of God's rule provides comfort and assurance, especially when faced with the prosperity of the wicked or the struggles of the righteous [7]. Matthew Henry notes that attempts to shake one's faith can lead to a deeper cleaving to foundational principles, such as God's sovereignty [7]. The divine promise to David, that his mercy would not depart from his lineage as it did from Saul's, illustrates God's sovereign choice and enduring covenant, culminating in Christ's spiritual reign [4]. This spiritual marriage between Christ and the Church, founded on Christ leaving the Father's bosom, is a profound example of God's sovereign plan unfolding through history [10].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Sovereignty — Of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15-23; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 4:11).”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Tradition — Any kind of teaching, written or spoken, handed down from generation to generation. In Mark 7:3, 9, 13, Col. 2:8, this word refers to the arbitrary interpretations of the Jews. In 2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6, it is used in a good sense. Peter (1 Pet. 1:18) uses this word with reference to the degenerate Judaism of the "strangers scattered" whom he addresses (comp. Acts 15:10; Matt. 15:2-6; Gal. 1:14).”
- Isaiah (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Isaiah 45:5: God here asserts his sole and sovereign dominion, as that which he designed to prove and manifest to the world in all the great things he did for Cyrus and by him. Observe, I. How this doctrine is here laid down concerning the sovereignty of the great Jehovah, in two things: - 1. That he is God alone, and there is no God besides him. This is here inculcated as a fundamental truth, which, if it were firmly believed, would abolish idolatry out of the world. With what an awful, commanding, air of majesty and authority, bidding defiance, as it were, to all pretenders,”
- 2 Samuel (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 2 Samuel 7:15: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul - His house shall be a lasting house, and he shall die in the throne of Israel, his children succeeding him; and the spiritual seed, Christ, possessing and ruling in that throne to the end of time. The family of Saul became totally extinct; the family of David remained till the incarnation. Joseph and Mary were both of that family; Jesus was the only heir to the kingdom of Israel; he did not choose to sit on the secular throne, he ascended the spiritual throne, and now he is exalted to the right h”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 89:35: His seed shall endure for ever,.... This is a confirmation by his oath of what he had before said, Psa 89:29 which may be understood either of the perseverance of particular believers, of everyone of the spiritual seed of Christ; or of the duration of the church in general, throughout all ages, as before observed; and these being matters of moment and importance, and of which there are sometimes doubts in the minds of the Lord's people about them, and that they may be firmly believed by them, he confirms them with an oath; for God never swears to trivial things; and ”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 89:28: His seed also will I make to endure for ever,.... Not a race of kings from David, which ended at the Babylonish captivity; not the natural seed of David, not the Messiah himself, who sprung from him, but the Messiah's spiritual seed, which were given him by the Father, adopted through him, regenerated by his Spirit and grace, begotten through his Gospel, and the ministry of it, and born again in his church, and to whom he stands in the relation of the everlasting Father, Isa 9:6. The "enduring" of these "for ever" may denote the final perseverance of particular belie”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 11:4: The shaking of a tree (they say) makes it take the deeper and faster root. The attempt of David's enemies to discourage his confidence in God engages him to cleave so much the more closely to his first principles, and to review them, which he here does, abundantly to his own satisfaction and the silencing of all temptations to infidelity. That which was shocking to his faith, and has been so to the faith of many, was the prosperity of wicked people in their wicked ways, and the straits and distresses which the best men are sometimes reduced to: hence such an evil ”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 112:2: His seed shall be mighty upon earth,.... The Targum is, "mighty in the law;'' as Apollos is said to be "mighty in the Scriptures", Act 18:24. This must be understood of such of them as fear the Lord also, and love him, and delight in his commandments, according to Exo 20:6 and not in a literal sense, for not many mighty are called; but in a spiritual sense, of their being strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, and in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Some understand this of the spiritual seed of Christ; and make him to be the man that feared the Lord”
- Deuteronomy (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Deuteronomy 5:6: I am the Lord thy God--The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Exo 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Exo. 20:1-17), and in some of them there is a distinct reference to that promulgation.”
- Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 5:31: For--The propagation of the Church from Christ, as that of Eve from Adam, is the foundation of the spiritual marriage. The natural marriage, wherein "a man leaves father and mother (the oldest manuscripts omit 'his') and is joined unto his wife," is not the principal thing meant here, but the spiritual marriage represented by it, and on which it rests, whereby Christ left the Father's bosom to woo to Himself the Church out of a lost world: Eph 5:32 proves this: His earthly mother as such, also, He holds in secondary account as compared with His spir”