David Flatt and his family have labored with the Thayer Street congregation in Akron, Ohio since 2008. He can be reached at dflatt85@yahoo.com.

DOCTRINE

Synopsis: The sovereignty of God establishes the free will of man; moreover, He holds us accountable for how we exercise our free will.

As we continue to explore various doctrinal subjects of the Bible, we turn our attention to another subject related to salvation: the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. Like the doctrines of grace and faith, the sovereignty of God and the free will of man are often pitted against each other. We will examine the meaning of each concept and seek to reconcile them together.

Sovereignty of God

What is sovereignty? The term “sovereign” means supreme power or authority. The word can be used to describe an individual who possesses power. A king could be described as being sovereign. As this term relates to God, God is sovereign in the sense that power and authority belong to Him. He is the source of all power and authority. There are many pieces of evidence which reveal the sovereignty of God. The greatest evidence of God’s sovereignty is His plan of human redemption. Consider how the second Psalm describes the power of God to redeem humanity.

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him (Ps. 2).

This psalm describes the futility of the kings of the earth conspiring against the Lord’s Anointed. Neither Herod, Caiaphas, nor Pilate could prevent God from redeeming humanity through Jesus of Nazareth. Like a strong rod of iron crushing a clay pot, God would easily destroy the kings of the earth. The only hope the kings of the earth would have would be to kiss the very Son they had murdered. By raising His Son from the dead, God demonstrated He was the only sovereign this world has ever known.

Jesus and Sovereignty

There were certain consequences of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Mainly, God gave Jesus all authority over Heaven and earth. This was affirmed by Jesus after He was raised from the dead (Matt. 28:18). The apostle Paul described how God’s power was demonstrated through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. After a heavenly coronation, Jesus was given sovereignty.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all (Eph. 1:18–23).

The consequences of God’s sovereign will are exceedingly great. His sovereignty initiated the universe into existence (Gen. 1). By the breath of God, He gave life to man (Gen. 2:7). God revealed redemption through His Son (Heb. 1:1-4). God has determined the difference between good and evil. He commanded acts of consecration whereby we can become holy. He holds humanity accountable. The sovereign rule of God remains unthreatened by the forces of evil (Rev. 11:19).

The Free Will of Man

As a product of God’s sovereignty, He has given man free will. God’s sovereignty and man’s free will may appear to be contradictory concepts. For example, if God is sovereign, how can man have free will? God’s sovereignty should force man into submission without his choice. In reality, if God is sovereign, He can permit man to either obey or reject His commands. Consider the history of God’s sovereignty permitting man’s free will.

Garden of Eden.

Of course, this is the first time where man’s free will was exercised. God used His sovereign right to legislate in the Garden of Eden. He prohibited Adam and Eve of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For a time, they chose to abide by God’s law. After being tempted by Satan, Eve transgressed this law. She ate of the tree. Adam ate of the tree. The use of their free will came at a price. There were negative consequences for their decision. Sin, death, and the need for redemption became part of the human experience.

The Flood

As time continued, humanity increasingly used their free will to sin. Ten generations after Adam and Eve, Noah’s generation was far from God. The Bible says of this generation, “GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). God used His sovereignty to destroy the earth with a flood. Before this divine reckoning, God used Noah to preach repentance to the people. However, mankind used their free will to reject Noah’s calls of repentance. In the end, those who chose to reject Noah’s pleading drowned.

The Nation of Israel

God’s people serve as a powerful example of man’s free will. God established a covenant with the family of Abraham. God would bless this family. If this family chose to reject God, God would punish them. Israel chose to reject God many times over the course of their history. In rejecting God, the nation was punished. There were always consequences for Israel’s defiant free will.

Reconciling God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Free Will

Our sovereign God has revealed Himself to us. He has made His existence observable. He has clearly and understandably communicated His sovereign will to mankind. God’s sovereignty has established man’s free will (Ezek. 18). He permits us to choose to serve Him (Josh. 24:15). Our free will comes with great responsibility.

Paul explained, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:9–12). We are to use our free will to obey our sovereign God.

Our sovereign God has determined to save mankind through the blood of His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. God has determined to make mankind aware of this salvation through Gospel preaching (1 Cor. 1:17-31). God has determined to allow mankind to decide how to respond to the Gospel. We can obey the Gospel or we can reject the Gospel. The choice is ours. However, our choices are not without consequence. The sovereignty of God holds us accountable for the exercise of our free will (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10).

Sources

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations come from The Holy Bible: King James Version (KJV).