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Do Christians Believe in a Sovereign God or Not?
By Editor | November 13, 2008
One thing a crisis has always been able to do, is to reveal the weaknesses in a person’s life, whether in their character or their beliefs, and it will show up in their conduct. The recent election of Barack Hussein Obama to the presidency of the USA has been treated with every possible dire prediction imaginable. Now, I am not saying I like his policies. From what I have read and heard, I most certainly do not.
But there is something that seems to literally jump off the pages of various Christian / fundamental and even Reformed web-sites and blogs. The collective sigh of so many Christians makes one wonder just how real is the faith of those - especially in the Reformed camp - in the doctine of God’s sovereignty.
Did God fall asleep in the days leading up to the election? Or worse yet, is He dead? Of course not! But to read the despair emanating from the keyboards as the end-time prophets click away at their messages of doom and then post them on their websites, (which were ostensibly established to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ), one could be forgiven for thinking that not only is the end of the world here, but so is the active working of Almighty God!
Our confession of faith (1689 LBC) states this about God.
“God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.”
Now either we believe that God is sovereign or we do not. And if God is not sovereign, then He really isn’t God. Christians need never cease to rejoice because contrary to this ever-changing world, we have an unchanging God who is absolutely sovereign over all His creation … and yes that includes presidential elections in the United States. America may consider herself a super-power, but God holds and exercises supreme power.
And Psalm 75:6,7 says “promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. but God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another”. If the American voters have chosen to put another man in the presidential office, then let us never forget it was God who oversaw the election and thus there are reasons, known only to Him, as to why this was part of His sovereign will.
Personally, I can see a lot of good coming out of Obama’s election. I think the open hostility towards Christians will serve several positive purposes.
(1) It should drive the Christian church to earnest, Christ-honouring prayer, (very little prayer today is that)
(2) It should move the Christian church to do some earnest soul-searching and bring it to repentance,
(3) It should take the focus of the Christian church from a worldly-minded focus to a heavenly-minded one,
(4) It should fill the hearts and minds of the Christian church to pray for revival,
(5) It should make Christians much more earnest and fervent in their personal witnessing and desire to see sinners brought to Christ,
(6) It should make the Christian church look to the Lord and His Holy Spirit to accomplish the work of building the church, rather than relying on worldly programs and sinful practices.
Now if anything could bring all this change about in the Christian church of Canada and the U.S., then surely we can see the hand of the Lord in it! Let us never forget, that “Elijah’s God still lives, and answers still by fire!” Let us pray and labour, serve and love the Lord with all our heart, soul and might.
And when Obama has fulfilled what God has purposed for him, God will put him down and set up another. And all the glory will be the Lord’s. And the all the praise will be to His sovereign grace.
Topics: Prayer, Serving The Lord, Uncategorized, Victory in Christian living |
November 14th, 2008 at 8:32 am
I thought about it and what can I say? But a hearty Amen!
November 14th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Jonathan, I think this is an excellent site, very well laid out and pleasing to the eye. The article on the Sovereignty of our God in regard to the US election, I say Amen! to it. If we and our church cannot rest our lives and our future on a Sovereign God, then may God have mercy on us! SL
November 14th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Excellent article!