Tension: God’s Sovereignty vs Man’s Free Will

This subject has been on my heart for as long as I got saved. I am someone who has seen bad things happen to good people. I don’t have all the answers but I have been pondering this for awhile. I see all sorts of teachings in the church about authority (which the Bible does say we have), but I also see that some of it appears to be bad theology that can shipwreck someone else’s faith.

One person says it’s always God’s will to heal. Well, what happens when a family has all of the faith in the world, people come together in prayer, everyone is believing for a healing and then that person dies? They are told they didn’t have enough faith or have sin in their life (works). What happens when someone is told they can just declare something that is in line with God’s ultimate will but then it doesn’t happen? Where is the line between grace, faith, faith proven by works, works themselves, free will, and God’s sovereignty? Sometimes, I think what we are REALLY doing is trying to play God by putting ourselves in HIS place. Are we unintentionally putting ourselves on even playing field with God? You, my friend, are not that powerful to speak a word and it happen based on you alone….

There are two ways this can go and two extremes of thinking. The first school of thought is that God is in total control over everything and we have no responsibility to respond. No action or our part needs to be taken whatsoever. Then there’s the other side of the pendulum. People who want to control everything. They decree and declare to make things go how they think they should because of the authority they believe that they have in Christ. They play both judge and jury. But aren’t God’s ways higher than our ways? Do we believe that we can understand the magnitude of His plans by what we see?

What is free will defined? Free will is defined as the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion. As humans, created beings, we have a responsibility to respond to God. Can we as created beings truly act without constraint? I would say no….

Really, God is the only one who can possess total free will because He is God. He has THE ULTIMATE authority over everything. Here’s a great example I heard my friend Casey use to explain this. He has a driving teenager. He allows her to drive a car that he owns. She has guidelines for the operation and use of the car, in which she borrows. She has a responsibility to follow those guidelines but ultimately, the car belongs to her father. He has ultimate authority over the car and her driving privileges; she has the responsibility to respond.

Here is what I’m learning. God is sovereign AND I have a responsibility. There is instruction and wisdom in God’s word, and I am called to obey. God also can speak to believer’s hearts, which should be tested, and we are to obey that as well. I can only control ME and my growth in the Lord. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I am going to stand before the Lord one day alone. I can follow God’s precepts to the best of my ability. And I can have a submitted spirit, trusting God in the things I can’t control. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that you cannot control people, the government, the weather, or unforeseen circumstances. I can pray that God brings about His will (not mine) and trust that He will bring about the best outcome both here on earth, but especially for eternity, in His own timing.

What I think may be “bad” maybe ultimately it’s what is in God’s good plan. I want you to picture this in your head. I have a toddler. She wants to be independent, but doesn’t have the knowledge and isn’t mature enough yet to be independent or truly helpful. She’s not even two years old at the time I’m writing this. If I am on my computer, working on completing a project and she comes in behind me and starts typing over me…what happens? The project gets messed up. I am the author and finisher of the project. I know every letter and stroke that needs to happen on the keyboard. She doesn’t. Now, if she wants to partner with me and I can give her a task she is able to complete with my guidance and guidelines as she is physically and emotionally capable. She can respond to me, but she can’t take control of the project. She operates within constraint. How many of us look like a toddler, trying to type over God on the project He is currently working on? “No, God, THIS needs to happen..Let me speak it in faith!” It is good to have faith and it is essential for the Christian life. We should be speaking life and encouragement. But just because we speak it, doesn’t mean it can or should happen. It’s also important to look at heart motive. Are we speaking something out of that fact God already said it and we are reinforcing and building up with our words? Or are we speaking something with the heart motive that the circumstance will manifest because we spoke it out loud? This is called new age manifestation and is witchcraft. Unfortunately, it has seeped into areas of the church.

The verse (Proverbs 18:21), ‘the power of life and death is in the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit’ is talking about the impact of speech and words on a person- words can either build up and encourage or completely tear down, thus making a person act a certain way because of what they believe about themselves. It doesn’t mean just because we speak it that it manifests. This is important to know because we are taking scripture out of context and bringing it under the realm of the authority we have in Christ. When God gave us dominion over the earth- it was the ability to influence and steward according to God’s principles. Now, sowing and reaping is a true and biblical principle that affects our lives. So, if we’ve sown bad seed, we will reap bad seed. This is why it’s so important to follow the spiritual principles and commands found in the Bible, morphing into the nature of Christ and allowing the fruits of the Spirit to emanate from our lives. I will be talking about sowing and reaping next week.

Now, I’ve said a mouthful but here is my takeaway. God gave us His perfect and complete will and principles in His word. We control what we can in our lives by knowing and following Jesus, being obedient to His principles and commands. We are to have faith, to pray, to speak life, and have unwavering hope in Jesus. We must act in wisdom and according to God’s ways. It’s our responsibility to do our part. We build others up, speak truth in love while correcting when needed, and we pray. But, we can’t control everything; there are some things that just need to be left at His feet. What we cannot control, we submit to God. We seek Him on the matter and pray for His will. When we do our part by being obedient, He can do His part. We are ultimately not in control, God is. He knows the “finished project.” We don’t, but we can trust Him with it. Or, maybe God gave you a confirmed promise that aligns with His word, character, and nature. Have faith in that word and hold onto it. Persevere in faith, endurance, and hope. Let God complete the work He is doing in your situation.

The pastor from our last church did a sermon on the sovereignty of God and the Christmas story, and he used a quote that I had never heard before but made my spirit leap.

“God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.”- Andrew Murray.

This quote gives me comfort because when I do my part of surrendering my life to Christ and His ways, I can be assured I am under His wing and His perfect, sovereign plan for my life will unfold. Also, it’s not just about us. The plans God has for us not only affect us but have a ripple affect to others. He will work it all for our eternal good and the eternal good of others. I also want to mention, that God was working to pursue me LONG before I was pursuing Him. His grace is a byproduct of His sovereignty. He came and gripped my heart in the middle of my rebellion. I did nothing to deserve Him chasing me down and His forgiveness. When I look back at my life, I can truly see how His hand moved over me the entire time, drawing me outside of time. I was in the middle of my rebellion, and He was after my heart. Eventually, I responded. We do live in a fallen world. In His Sovereignty, God allows evil to ultimately accomplish His purposes for good and redemption. I’ve heard a great saying that there are two storms in life – a perfecting storm and a correcting storm. It may not make sense to us, but He is the master chess player, using everything for His ultimate plan of salvation and redemption for sinful humans.

Here are some verses I found on God’s sovereignty and attritubutes that I want us to meditate on.

Psalm 115:3 “Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.”

Deuteronomy 4:39 “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”

Colossians 1:16-17 “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Psalm 90:2 “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

Isaiah 43:10-11 ““You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.”

1 Timothy 6: 11-16 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.”

Psalm 135:6 “The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.”

Romans 9:20 “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”

Jeremiah 18:4-6 “But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.”

Psalm 47:6-7 “Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.”

Matthew 10:30 “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

Isaiah 40:21-28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”

1 Chronicles 29: 11-13 “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”

Lamentations 3:22 “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”

Romans 11:33-34 “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?’”

Ephesians 1:11 “ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will”