Right doctrine about God is essential for soundness in all other aspects of theology. Many theological errors arise from a fundamentally low view of God. The purpose of this series is to address one area of theology proper by considering the crucial issue of the sovereignty of God in relationship to all things. First, we’ll consider the over-arching truth of God’s glory. Second, we’ll examine the sovereignty of God over all things, from the major events in history to our daily, seemingly minute choices. Third, we’ll consider some practical implications the doctrine of God’s sovereignty has for our lives.
Preliminary Considerations: The Glory of God
God is more committed to his own glory than anything else. This is the bedrock of all biblical truth. God’s zeal for his name and his renown are foremost in everything he does. God’s purpose in all things – creation, the Fall, the covenants, the cross, salvation, suffering, and things yet to come – is to display the infinite beauty of his own attributes. This is seen most clearly in Isaiah 48:9-11:
9 For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I my not cut you off. 10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
In this passage God’s passion for his glory rings out with six pounding claims:
“For my name’s sake…”
“For the sake of my praise…”
“For my own sake”
“For my own sake”
“How should my name be profaned?”
“My glory I will not give to another.”
God has determined to bring about his glory in all things. From beginning to end, the whole of redemptive history attests to this. Consider the following texts:
In creation:
Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 104:31: May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works.
In the Exodus:
Exodus 14:4: “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
Psalm 106:7-8: Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the Sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.
Ezekiel 20:9: But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
In God’s covenant with David:
2 Samuel 7:23: And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?
In the dedication of the temple:
1 Kings 8:41-43: Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your nameand fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.
In defeating Assyria:
2 Kings 19:34: For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.
In the cross:
John 12:27-28: “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
John 17:24: Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
In salvation:
Isaiah 43:6-7: I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.
2 Corinthians 4:6: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
In good works:
1 Peter 4:11: Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Matthew 5:16: In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
In Christ’s return:
2 Thessalonians 1:10: When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
In the new heaven and new earth:
Revelation 21:23: And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for theglory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
All of Scripture testifies that the chief aim of God in all things is to glorify Himself. Nothing else is foremost in God’s purposes. It is on this foundation that the psalmists pleaded for forgiveness and guidance:
Psalm 23:3: He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 25:11: For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Psalm 79:9: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!
The Blessed and only Sovereign
How then does God’s passion for his glory relate to his sovereignty over all things? There is a fundamental connection between these two doctrines. In 1 Timothy 6:15-16 Paul hints at the connection by referring to Christ as “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” The word “blessed” here means “happy.” What Paul says in essence is that all the glory in the universe belongs to the happy and only Sovereign God. The connection here is clear. The reason all the glory belongs to Christ is because He is the only Sovereign. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). He is King of kings and Lord of lords and ruler over all creation. Therefore all honor and dominion belong to him, and he is the blessed (happy) God.
What is at stake then in how we view the sovereignty of God is the most fundamental biblical truth of God’s commitment to His glory. If God is not sovereign, then he cannot bring about what will bring him the most glory. Thus, what I aim to show in the rest of this series is what the sovereignty of God really looks like in Scripture, and how it relates to us and our every day lives.
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