Our Sovereign and Redemptive God

Sunday our topic was God’s Sovereignty and Redemption. Nothing like trying to cover a couple of God-sized topics in one service! We heard some big truths, such as: God has undisputed ascendancy and superiority. He doesn’t only rule the church, he rules the nations. And one I’m still working on: God not only creates good; he at times sends calamity. (Isaiah 45:7)

Since Sunday I’ve been thinking some additional thoughts to feed the conversation. God is sovereign, yet He leaves a lot of his will up to us. For instance, God sovereignly appointed His Son to come at exactly the right time in history. He also appointed a time when He will return. Yet we choose our eternal destiny by deciding whether to become Christ’s followers and receive His salvation.

Also, God sovereignly determines certain aspects of our lives, such as our parents, our gender, and when we would be born. But then He gives us lots of freedom to make choices. When our choices aren’t good, he responds by offering us his help and redemption as a way to bring good from them.

Lastly, God has a plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11), but we still need to drive safely, not play in the street, and take good care of our bodies so we live long enough to fulfill His plan.

Tragically, things happen that are not God’s plan. People are abused, accidents take our loved ones, and people reject Christ. Our world has been subject to decay, so we have floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes.

In a world waiting for redemption (Romans 8:19-25), I’m so glad our sovereign God is still redemptively at work. He makes sure the determined events take place, and He works through the tragic events for our good and His glory.

God is too wise and loving to take away our power to choose or leave us when we choose wrongly. Many times I have needed to accept His love and mercy for my failures or those of others. Until heaven, we are faced with the effects of those bad choices. Yet I am amazed at how redemptive He is even now when we choose to turn to Him.