The Sovereignty of God in Human Decisions and Choices

The sovereignty of God is a doctrine that affirms God's absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure ^[2]. This concept is rooted in biblical teachings, such as Daniel 4:25, 35, Romans 9:15-23, and 1 Timothy 6:15, which emphasize God's supreme authority over all creation.

The decrees of God are considered eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign, comprehending all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions, successions, and relations ^[1]. This understanding is crucial in grasping the extent of God's sovereignty in human decisions and choices. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the decree being the act of an infinite, absolute, eternal, unchangeable, and sovereign Person, comprehends all things.

The biblical basis for the sovereignty of God in human decisions is evident in various passages. For instance, Psalms 82:1 states, "God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods," highlighting God's supreme presidency and power in all councils and courts ^[4]. Matthew Henry interprets this as God's supreme authority over both the legislative and executive powers of princes ^[8]. Additionally, Psalms 75:7 affirms that "God is the judge. He puts down one, and lifts up another," demonstrating God's sovereignty in human affairs ^[5].

The doctrine of predestination is closely related to the sovereignty of God. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, predestination refers to God's plan or purpose of salvation, which is eternal, sovereign, immutable, and unconditional ^[3]. The Greek word rendered "predestinate" is found in several passages, including Romans 8:29, 30, and Ephesians 1:5, 11, which teach that God's decree governs all events.

Different traditions have interpreted the sovereignty of God in human decisions and choices in various ways. The Presbyterian tradition, as represented by Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, emphasizes God's sovereignty in the context of predestination, stating that God's foreknowledge is not merely a perception of future events but an active foreordination ^[10]. Similarly, the Baptist/Reformed tradition, as represented by John Gill, understands predestination as including both election and reprobation, and reaching to all affairs and occurrences in the world ^[11].

The Nonconformist/Puritan tradition, as represented by Matthew Henry, highlights the righteousness of God's government, emphasizing that God's word is righteousness and an everlasting righteousness ^[6]. This tradition also stresses the importance of reverence for God's word, as it is the standard of righteousness and will direct God's judgment for eternity.

The sovereignty of God in human decisions and choices is not limited to salvation but extends to all aspects of human life. As John Gill notes, God's counsel stands forever, relating to all things in providence and grace ^[9]. This understanding is echoed in one commentary tradition on Job 23:13, which states that God's sovereignty is characterized by a single, unchanging purpose ^[7].

Sources

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”
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: Predestination — This word is properly used only with reference to God's plan or purpose of salvation. The Greek word rendered "predestinate" is found only in these six passages, Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11; and in all of them it has the same meaning. They teach that the eternal, sovereign, immutable, and unconditional decree or "determinate purpose" of God governs all events. This doctrine of predestination or election is beset with many difficulties. It belongs to the "secret things" of God. But if we take the revealed word of God as our guid”
Psalms “God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods. -- Psalms 82:1”
Psalms “But God is the judge. He puts down one, and lifts up another. -- Psalms 75:7”
Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 119:142: Observe, 1. That God's word is righteousness, and it is an everlasting righteousness. It is the rule of God's judgment, and it is consonant to his counsels from eternity and will direct his sentence for eternity. The word of God will judge us, it will judge us in righteousness, and by it our everlasting state will be determined. This should possess us with a very great reverence for the word of God that it is righteousness itself, the standard of righteousness, and it is everlasting in its rewards and punishments. 2. That God's word is a law, and that law is tr”
Job (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Job 23:13: in one mind--notwithstanding my innocence, He is unaltered in His purpose of proving me guilty (Job 9:12). soul--His will (Psa 115:3). God's sovereignty. He has one great purpose; nothing is haphazard; everything has its proper place with a view to His purpose.”
Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 82:1: We have here, I. God's supreme presidency and power in all councils and courts asserted and laid down, as a great truth necessary to be believed both by princes and subjects (Psa 82:1): God stands, as chief director, in the congregation of the mighty, the mighty One, in coetu fortis - in the councils of the prince, the supreme magistrate, and he judges among the gods, the inferior magistrates; both the legislative and the executive power of princes is under his eye and his hand. Observe here, 1. The power and honour of magistrates; they are the mighty. They are so”
Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 33:11: The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever,.... By which are meant, not the doctrines of the Gospel, nor the ordinances of it; though these will stand firm, and remain to the end of the world; but the purposes and decrees of God, which are wisely formed in himself, are eternal and unfrustrable, and relate to all things in providence and grace. The Lord does all things according to the counsel of his will in the government of the world, and in the salvation of men: the choice of persons to everlasting life is according to it; and so are their redemption, effectual call”
1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 1:2: foreknowledge--foreordaining love (Pe1 1:20), inseparable from God's foreknowledge, the origin from which, and pattern according to which, election takes place. Act 2:23, and Rom 11:2, prove "foreknowledge" to be foreordination. God's foreknowledge is not the perception of any ground of action out of Himself; still in it liberty is comprehended, and all absolute constraint debarred [ANSELM in STEIGER]. For so the Son of God was "foreknown" (so the Greek for "foreordained," Pe1 1:20) to be the sacrificial Lamb, not against, or without His will, but His ”
Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 1:5: Having predestinated us,.... Predestination, taken in a large sense, includes both election and reprobation, and even reaches to all affairs and occurrences in the world; to the persons, lives, and circumstances of men; to all mercies, temporal or spiritual; and to all afflictions, whether in love or in wrath: and indeed providence, or the dispensations of providence, are no other than the execution of divine predestination; but here it is the same with election, and is concerned with the same persons, and has regard to a special blessing, the elect are appointed to”

Ask Your Own Question