Questions to ask ourselves concerning the sovereignty of God:
This is not meant to be disrespectful towards the Lord, or towards people who believe and teach a strict Calvinistic view of God. The term ‘hyper-sovereignty” [of God] was coined by a prof at my school, and my using it is not intended to be derogatory to those that feel differently, nor am I advocating that God is not sovereign at all, but I strongly advocate that the way His sovereignty is popularly taught is mostly wrong.
My motives for writing this entry can be gleaned from past entries (The Sacred Cow of Being “Led by the Spirit“, How were we taught to pray?) It is my concern that a lot of this view of God’s sovereignty paralyzes the body of Christ into inaction, “letting the pieces fall where they may” at the expense of taking any initiative of our own. Therefore this entry is not some theological list of things I think, but I hope to stir people up to realizing there is a cooperation to be had between us and the Lord in accomplishing His purposes in the earth.
This is intended to provoke thought, not arguments if people are looking for one with me.
If God is sovereign:
- Then why does He tell us to pray for our enemies? (Matt 5:44). What is God asking us to pray for concerning our enemies?
- Then why does He tell us to pray for the harvest, instructing us to ask that laborers be sent? Surely if He is sovereign, He wouldn’t need to have laborers go, let alone be prayed for to be sent and go. (Luke 10:2)
- Why, when talking of the signs of the end of the age, does Jesus tell the disciples/us readers to pray for their/our flight not to be in winter or on a Sabbath (Matt 24:20). Would it not be a fixed time in the future? Or could the timing of these events be conditional upon something?
- What does Luke 18:7 mean when it says “will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?” What happens if his ‘elect’ don’t cry to him day and night, does that lengthen the delay spoken of? Does God do what is asked of Him if it’s not prayed for?
Why would Jesus instruct us to pray and not lose heart? Why bother praying at all? - What does it mean in Luke 18:8 when the Lord asks if he will find faith on the earth? Wouldn’t He know if He will or not? Or are some things conditional and we play a part in them?
- Why are we instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing?
- What does Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit mean when he says Work out your salvation by fear and trembling? (Phil 2:12)
- What does Jesus mean when He says the violent take the kingdom of heaven by force (Matt 11:12)?
- Why does Peter tell Simon to pray, that “if possible the intent of your heart may be forgiven you” when he tried to buy the power to impart the Holy Spirit to people? Is it feasible to say there was a chance it was not possible for Simon to repent? Would Peter make this suggestion if God had pre-ordained Simon not to be forgiven of his sins?
- Why does God have bowls of incense filled up with prayers of the saints? (Rev 5:8, 8:3-4) What use are they to Him? If they get filled up with prayer [of the saints], do you think it matters if the saints don’t pray, or will they somehow automatically fill themselves up regardless of what the Body of Christ does?
- If God has already pre-ordained who will be saved and who will be damned to hell, how could Moses have persuaded God to change his mind and not wipe out Israel? (Exodus 32:10-14)
Would intercessors be wasting their time? - If God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), then how could there be a single soul in hell?
- And interestingly enough, this passage about the Day of the Lord is rather interesting to me: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! (2 Peter 3:10-12) How can we be involved in hastening the coming of the Lord? Isn’t it some fixed event in the future? Or are there conditions to be met first, that we as a body of believers play a part in?
Anyway, I strongly believe there is way too much inaction in the Body of Christ because of so many sacred cows concerning how God works and operates. If we overcome them, we’d easily see how many things are a cooperation between us and Him, and that He doesn’t just write history and then sit back and let it unfold regardless of our involvement.
Could it be said that certain views of God promote laziness in the believer?
Feel free to leave any comments, but please don’t be offended if I don’t answer right away (or at all).
