God's Sovereignty and Control in Theological Perspective
God's Sovereignty and Control
The concept of God's sovereignty is deeply rooted in biblical teachings, emphasizing God's absolute authority and control over all creation. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, God's sovereignty is defined as "his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure" [1]. This understanding is supported by various biblical passages, including Daniel 4:25, 35, Romans 9:15-23, and 1 Timothy 6:15.
The biblical basis for God's sovereignty is evident in the Psalms, where it is written, "God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne" [3]. This theme is further reinforced in Psalms 147:5, which states, "Great is our Lord, and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite" [4]. The Psalmist also affirms God's power, saying, "God has spoken once; twice I have heard this, that power belongs to God" [6].
Theological interpretations of God's sovereignty vary across traditions. The Nonconformist/Puritan tradition, as represented by Matthew Henry, emphasizes God's dominion over all creation, noting that "next to the being of God there is nothing that we are more concerned to believe and consider than God's dominion" [7]. Similarly, the Baptist/Reformed tradition, as seen in John Gill's commentary, highlights God's possession of "all greatness and immensity, of dignity of nature, and of all perfections; of almighty power, of excellent glory, of superiority to all beings and of honour, and majesty" [8].
The Protestant academic tradition also underscores God's sovereignty, with the Tyndale House commentary on Deuteronomy 32:8 noting that God is "sovereign over and concerned with all nations and has allotted their land in accord with his own purposes" [9]. This understanding is echoed in the commentary on Psalms 135:6, which states that "God is sovereign over the whole created order—he does whatever pleases him" [10].
The decrees of God are considered an essential aspect of His sovereignty, described by Easton's Bible Dictionary as "his eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose, comprehending at once all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions, successions, and relations" [2]. This concept is closely tied to God's foreknowledge, which is seen as an attribute that is "essentially appertaining to him" [5].
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: Decrees of God — "The decrees of God are his eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose, comprehending at once all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions, successions, and relations, and determining their certain futurition. The several contents of this one eternal purpose are, because of the limitation of our faculties, necessarily conceived of by us in partial aspects, and in logical relations, and are therefore styled Decrees." The decree being the act of an infinite, absolute, eternal, unchangeable, and sovereign Person, compre”
- Psalms “God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne. -- Psalms 47:8”
- Psalms “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite. -- Psalms 147:5”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Foreknowledge of God — Acts 2:23; Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:2), one of those high attributes essentially appertaining to him the full import of which we cannot comprehend. In the most absolute sense his knowledge is infinite (1 Sam. 23:9-13; Jer. 38:17-23; 42:9-22, Matt. 11:21, 23; Acts 15:18).”
- Psalms “God has spoken once; twice I have heard this, that power belongs to God. -- Psalms 62:11”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 93:1: Next to the being of God there is nothing that we are more concerned to believe and consider than God's dominion, that Jehovah is God, and that this God reigns (Psa 93:1), not only that he is King of right, and is the owner and proprietor of all persons and things, but that he is King in fact, and does direct and dispose of all the creatures and all their actions according to the counsel of his own will. This is celebrated here, and in many other psalms: The Lord reigns. It is the song of the gospel church, of the glorified church (Rev 19:6), Hallelujah; the Lord ”
- 1 Chronicles (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Chronicles 29:11: Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty,.... That is, either God is possessed of all greatness and immensity, of dignity of nature, and of all perfections; of almighty power, of excellent glory, of superiority to all beings and of honour, and majesty, and all that grandeur, might, and honour in men, and victory over others; the majestic appearance they make, and exaltation above others they have, are all of God: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; they are both made by him, and all t”
- Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 32:8: 32:8 God is sovereign over and concerned with all nations and has allotted their land in accord with his own purposes (see Ps 74:17; Acts 17:26). • the Most High (Hebrew ‘Elyon): Abraham learned this name for God when he encountered Melchizedek (Gen 14:19). This ancient name describes God’s universal sovereignty. • assigned lands: One evidence of God’s sovereignty was his distribution of lands to the nations (see Gen 10).”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 135:6: 135:6 God is sovereign over the whole created order—he does whatever pleases him him. • The phrase heaven and earth refers to all of creation.”