Sovereignty of God
God exercises complete authority and control over all creation, events, salvation, and history. Nothing occurs outside His sovereign will and purpose. He is not surprised by anything, not limited by anything, and not dependent on anything — He rules over all.
Core Concepts
Interpretation Guardrails
- •God is never reactive to human will
- •God's purpose is not contingent on human decision
- •God's sovereignty includes salvation — it is not merely permissive
Misconceptions We Reject
- God is waiting for human free will to decide His plans
- God's sovereignty is limited by human choice
Key Scriptures
What We Reject
(1)Open Theism (God Reacts, Does Not Rule)
The Claim
God does not meticulously control all events. He sovereignly works within history but leaves genuine openness for human decisions, responding to choices as they unfold rather than decreeing them.
God's sovereignty is not reactive but declarative. He works all things according to the counsel of His will — not some things, not most things, but all things. Even the wicked actions of men serve His predetermined purpose.
Original Language: The Hebrew 'ʿāśâ' (H6213) in Psalm 115:3 — 'He does whatever He pleases' — uses the Qal imperfect for continuous, unhindered action. 'ṣāḇāʾ' (H6633) in Lamentations 3:37 — 'Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?' — 'commanded' (ṣiwwāh, ) denotes a sovereign decree that cannot be overridden.