The Sovereignty of God
Luther said: “Religion is a matter of personal pronouns.” It depends, however, on which personal pronouns one is able to use. Nebuchadnezzar said “your”; Darius said “thy”; Ruth, David, and even poor, doubting Thomas were enabled by grace to say, “my”: “Thou art my Cod, and I will praise Thee; thou art my Cod, I will exalt Thee.” “This is our God for ever and ever.”
This awful God is ours, our Father and our love;
He shall send down his heavenly powers to carry us above.
Divine Sovereignty furnishes a solid foundation for Christian confidence.
The Gospel of the grace of God is as immutable as the throne on which He sits. It is called “the everlasting Gospel” because it is based upon the pillars of His eternal purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. It is called “the Gospel of Jesus Christ” because it brings good tidings of salvation to guilty sinners, not for their doings or deservings, but by His doing and dying, by His redeeming love and blood. “It is finished!” hear Him cry. It is the Gospel of a finished salvation, so complete that not even the creature’s consent is needed to complete it.
Such a Gospel is good news indeed to the sinner who, like the “woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,” feels himself to be “bowed together,” so that he can “in no wise lift up” himself. “The humble hear thereof and are glad,” as the Holy Ghost leads them away from creature confidence to repose all their trust in One who “is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him”; whose ability covers all their inability; whose blood can cleanse from every stain; whose love is everlasting. “From everlasting through predestination, to everlasting through glorification: the one knows no beginning, the other no end,” says Bernard. In another place he writes: ‘The purpose of God stands, the sentence of peace upon them that fear him also stands, so that not only their graces but even their sins, work together for good. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is completely for my justification to have Him propitious against whom only I have sinned. Everything which He has decreed not to impute to me is as if it has never been.” How firm a foundation is here for the sinner who has learned something of “the plague of his own heart,” and who can now rejoice that his soul’s salvation depends not on his doings and deservings, not on his fickle frames and feelings, but upon Jehovah’s unchanging purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
Luther said: “Religion is a matter of personal pronouns.”
The fact that God’s purpose is sovereign and immutable affords the Christian a solid ground for confidence at the throne of grace. “What comfort would it be to pray to a god that, like the chameleon, changed color every moment?” asks Charnock. “Who would put up a petition to an earthly prince that was so mutable as to grant a petition one day and deny it another?” Who, indeed! But we pray to the Sovereign of the universe, “the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,” “and this is the confidence which we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us.”
Divine sovereignty enables a Christian to rejoice in tribulations.
A practical recognition of this great truth will exclude all murmuring and cause us to cry: “He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”
When Nadab and Abihu were suddenly slain before the Lord, we read that “Aaron held his peace.” What sublime resignation! When Eli heard from Samuel that his two sons were to be cut off by divine judgment, he exclaimed: “It is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth Him good.” What marvellous submission! When Job heard that the Sabeans had carried off his cattle, and that the winds had slain his children, he not only recognized, but rejoiced in God’s sovereignty, for he exclaimed: “The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away,” and forthwith added: “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
“Faith can sing through days of sorrow: All, all is well.” Bernard Gilpin was being brought to London, in the days of Queen Mary, to be burned at the stake, “for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God.” On the way he fell and broke his leg. During the delay caused by this “accident,” the news came that bloody Mary had been called to her account, and thus he was free. Instead of going to the stake, Gilpin lived for many years to proclaim the Gospel, and became known as “The Lion of the North.”
The Christian is not only resigned to, but can sometimes even rejoice in divine sovereignty.
Rev. S. Leigh Hunt was born in England and was originally destined for the priesthood but in the providence of God was brought to saving faith in Christ. He was a gracious and gifted servant of Cod. This concludes the article commenced in August’s issue.
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Bekijk de hele uitgave van zaterdag 1 februari 1986
The Banner of Truth | 28 Pagina's
Bekijk de hele uitgave van zaterdag 1 februari 1986
The Banner of Truth | 28 Pagina's