Jesse Randolf on Why Share the Gospel if God is Sovereign

As a pastor who has spent several years leading, mobilizing, and equipping church members to share the gospel with lost people in our community, one of the more common sources of foot-dragging (if not outright objection) I have heard in response to the call of all Christians to evangelize is a statement which sounds something like this: “Why do I need to share the gospel? God is sovereign, and He is going to save who He’s going to save.”

Indeed, God is sovereign! He is sovereign over the wind and the waves. He is sovereign over Tokyo and Topeka. He is sovereign over the twenty-first century just as much as He was sovereign over the eighth century. He is the sovereign Ruler of everyone, at every place, at every time. And yes, in His perfect and infinite wisdom, God is sovereign over the hearts of men (Prov 21:1)—meaning, He knows (because He has foreordained) who will respond to the message of the gospel with repentance and faith, and those who will reject that same message (Acts 13:48; Rom 9:15-16).

So, acknowledging that God is sovereign, why should we, as followers of Jesus Christ, share the gospel? If the deck is already stacked (so to speak), why share?

Read the entire post here.

Brad Klassen on the Sovereignty of God

Trusting God in the Little Things

Recently, I learned that one of my doctors who I have been seeing for nearly two decades is retiring. I have to been honest that while I am happy for him and I am not thrilled he is retiring. I have been seeing this man for a long time and trust his care. I am not sure if how excited I will be getting a new doctor who I will see later this year. In fact, I am not even sure who I will be seeing.

As I thought about this, one thought came to mind and that was do I trust God in His providential care to put me with the right doctor. Psalm 62:8 says we are to trust God all times even times like not knowing who your new doctor is. In fact, we need to trust God even in the little things of life.

While getting a new doctor may not seem a little thing, it is little compared to eternity. When was the last you trusted in the Lord for breathable air, appliances in your house to be working, the car will start, or hoping the dog does not vomit all over the rug you just vacuum? Those may seem superficial compared to other matters, but we are to trust God all times even those things I mentioned do not go the way we hope.

Trusting in God all times does not mean just when times are bad, but also when times are good and even in the smallest things that may seem trivial. 

Voddie Baucham: If God is Sovereign, Isn't He Responsible for Sin?

"God Hath Decreed..."

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.

Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath He not decreed anything, because He foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.

The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, Chapter 3, Paragraphs 1 & 2

Around The Web-May 31, 2019

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Around The Web-May 8, 2019

The Gospel is Offensive, but You Shouldn’t Be by Blake Long

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Porn is Not Ultimately About Sex by Jared C Wilson

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The new 9 Marks Journal on Church Membership

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Around The Web-April 10, 2019

Easter resources on sale at WTS Books

Easter Bunnies and Helicopters from Doctrine and Devotion

Josh Moody- Boasting When We Boast Right, We Live Right, and We Bear Much Fruit to God’s Honor from Equipping You In Grace

Same-Sex Attraction and the Sinfulness of Human Desire from Voice of Reason Radio

Same-Sex Attraction, Biblical Christianity, and the Fractures in Our Evangelical Mist by Tom Ascol

8 Questions You Must Face as You Fight Pornography by Deepak Reju

Ask Pastor John: What Is the Sovereignty of God?

The Global Face of Christianity is Shifting by Sam Storms

Human Responsibility in Light of God's Sovereignty

As Christians, we believe in the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God means that He has all authority over the whole earth. God is sovereign ever since the beginning of time. The Bible even says that God is sovereign over our salvation, which can be hard for some Christians to grasp. Some Christians think that human free will trumps God sovereignty. Not sure where they get this idea, but it is out there.

The Bible does tell us God is sovereign, but humans still have a responsibility. What is our human responsibility in light of the sovereignty of God? Derek Thomas wrote:

The assertion of divine sovereignty is not without further questions that should be addressed.

First, there is the question of evangelism. If God is sovereign in all matters of providence, what is the point of exerting human effort in evangelism and missions? God’s will is sure to be fulfilled whether we evangelize or not. But we dare not reason this way. Apart from the fact that God commands us to evange-lize—“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19)—such reasoning ignores the fact that God fulfills His sovereign plan through human means and instrumentality. Nowhere in the Bible are we encouraged to be passive and inert. Paul commands his Philippian readers to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12–13).

Second, there is the question of ethics. We are held responsible for our actions and behavior. We are culpable in transgression and praiseworthy in obedience.

Third, in relation to civic power and authority, there is the question of God’s sovereignty in the determination of rulers and government. God has raised up civil governments to be systems of equity and good and peace, for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them who do well (Rom. 13:3; 1 Peter 2:14). But this is also true of evil powers and corrupt regimes that violate the very principles of government itself; these are also under the sovereign government of Almighty God.

Fourth, in the question of both the origin and continued existence of evil, the sovereignty of God meets its most acute problem. That God does not prevent evil from existing seems to call into question His omnipotence or His benevolence. Some non-Christian religions try to solve this problem by positing that evil is imaginary (Christian Science) or an illusion (Hinduism). Augustine and many medieval thinkers believed part of the mystery could be solved by identifying evil as a privation of the good, suggesting that evil is something without existence in and of itself. Evil is a matter of ontology (being). Reformed thought on this issue is summarized by the Westminster Confession of Faith:


God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain what-soever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the crea-tures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. (3:1)

God is the “first cause” of all things, but evil is a product of “second causes.” In the words of John Calvin, “First, it must be observed that the will of God is the cause of all things that happen in the world: and yet God is not the author of evil,” adding, “for the proximate cause is one thing, and the remote cause another.” In other words, God Himself cannot do evil and cannot be blamed for evil even though it is part of His sovereign decree.

God is sovereign, and in His sovereignty He displays His majestic glory. With out it, we would have no being, no salvation, and no hope. Soli Deo gloria.

Around The Web-August 9, 2017

The Back to School sale at WTS Books ends tomorrow

From Where Does Bad Theology Come? by Casey Lewis

In God We Trust by Stephen Miller

Does My Friend’s Heresy Change Our Friendship? by Josh Buice

My Best Life Now? from Ask John Piper

Elder Rule, Leadership and the Church of Christ from Theocast

Ligon Duncan, Scott Swain, and Gavin Ortlund talk about how central the Trinity is to the gospel

Quotes from Chapter 2 of None Other

The following is from the second chapter of John MacArthur's book, None Other: Discovering the God of the Bible, which is titled, "The God of the Bible is Sovereign."

We're never forced by our sovereign God to make the wrong choices that we make. God's sovereignty does not nullify our own personal responsibility for the sinful things we do (pg.29).

Evildoers do evil not because they are forced to, but by their own evil intent. So God will judge them for both the act and the motive, as well as, for their failure to give Him glory and worship Him (pg.33).

Christ died under God's authority, in His timing, and according to His plan (pg.34).

The new birth depends on a spiritual work of God. You cannot enter the kingdom unless you are born again, and people can't summon their own spiritual birth (pg.37).

God could have chosen any means to communicate His gospel to the world, but for reasons we can't fully comprehend, He chose us (pg.46).

God's sovereignty is one of several truths Scripture teaches about God are that inconceivable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, and unsearchable (pg.47).

Around The Web-April 28, 2017

What Can Church History Teach Us About Wolves? by Kevin DeYoung

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God Plans for the Unexpected and Inconvenient by Jon Bloom

(Andy Davis)Memorized 42 Books of the Bible and You Can, Too by Donald Whitney

Your Child Should Learn about Human Sexuality before That Special Science Class by Josh Buice

The Worst Consequence of Skipping Church by Tim Challies

The Lord Is Never Late by Jared C Wilson

The 2018 Bethlehem Conference Giveaway continues until May 4th

One Thing Will Remain After The Election

As America casts it vote for its next president, Christians can rest in one thing that God is still on the throne. This election, like others before it, have never caught God by surprise. The Bible says, "For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God" (Romans 13:1). That is a difficult truth for a lot of believers to comprehend especially in the United States.

God puts those in authority based on His sovereign will. We have seen that in Scripture. Jesus told Pilate before He was crucified, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above" (John 19:11). God sovereignly put Pilate in power at the right time as well as kings in the Old Testament especially ones that attacked Israel.

Tonight, we do see a people voting for a new leader, but in the end, it was God's choice. We are not aware of the winner until all the votes are counted, but God is the one who instituted the one who will be the President of the United States.

After tonight, all the elections after this one, the one thing that will remain is God is still on His throne no matter what.

God's Timing Is Not Our Timing

Have you ever prayed for something and it does not happen until later on? I know for many of us that has happened and other times it happened immediately. We expect God to do great things, but we want it on our time.

We live in a fast food mentality world where we want it now. We don't like waiting. Why do you think people at Wal-Mart are not happy when there are only three checkout lines opened when the store is full?

The same it true with God. We want Him to act now. We don't like waiting for Him yet there are several passages in the Psalms that says wait on the Lord.

Recently, Sam Storms addressed this very issue about God's timing is not our timing:

The God of the Unlikely Time

Often our schedule and God's seem out of sync. He acts earlier than we had expected, or later than we had hoped, or when it seems most awkward and inconvenient. The result is that sometimes we are impatient with God or choose to act impetuously, while on other occasions we are lazy and inactive.

I suspect that's how the Israelites must have felt as they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, prepared to enter the Promised Land of Canaan. They learned a lesson there that all of us must learn sooner or later. The lesson is simply that the God we love and serve is often the God of the unlikely time.

When the two spies returned from Jericho, Joshua received the news he had been waiting for: "And they said to Joshua, 'Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us'" (Josh. 2:24). But God then forced them to stand and watch the raging waters of the Jordan River for three days! The torrent was unabated. They could only look across the rising waters into Canaan, on the other side. The river seemed utterly impassable. Their long journey to the Promised Land appeared to have ended just short of their goal. Why did God bring them to the edge of the river and compel them to look with longing and frustration at the land he had promised to their forefathers? His reason seems clear: to drive home to their hearts the seeming impossibility of tomorrow!

God compelled them to wait three days to allow their feelings of helplessness and hopelessness and inadequacy to reach the highest level possible. He forced them to wait until the waters of that river had risen to such a height that virtually all hope had been washed away.

A Lesson in Faithfulness

We often find ourselves asking, What does God expect of me? What does he want? The answer is that he wants a people who will faithfully respond to his call to act in the pursuit of his promises, even at the most unlikely time.

Perhaps you are only moments away from seeing the fruition of a dream that you've nurtured for years. Perhaps there is some massive problem that is on the verge of being solved, or a fractured relationship that is close to being healed, or a lifelong prayer that may finally be answered. God may be speaking to you in much the same way that he was speaking to the Israelites, saying, "Stand up! Be firm in your faith! The day of inheritance is here. The moment for fulfillment has arrived. As difficult as it may be for you to understand, I've actually chosen this challenging and demanding moment precisely because it affords the greatest opportunity for my power and love to be seen when I finally step into the situation and bring it all to pass!"

This is adapted from When God's Timing Is Not Our Own which is also adapted from the ESV Men's Devotional Bible

Around The Web-August 5, 2016

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The Future is in God's Hands

As some of you movie lovers are aware, today has been designated as "Back to the Future Day," where Marty McFly and Doc Brown went to this day in "Back to the Future Part II." The movie showed flying cars, hover boards, and the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. Many of the things mentioned in the movie have not happened especially the one about flying cars.

Earlier today, there was a video with Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown saying the things in 2015 were not as they predicted which means our "future has not been written yet...so make it a good one." While Doc Brown maybe speaking on a choice level, the people of God can have confidence about the future because it has been written. Not by us or script writers, but by a infinite, sovereign God, who knows all including the future.

God, in His grace and providence, has given us a glimpse of the future in the book of Revelation where nations will be gathered around the throne declaring His praises. We also see Jesus returning to consummate the world and make all things new. Christians know the future because it is in God's hands even when we don't understand it at times.

We will never know what day Jesus will return or what will happen in the world in the next decade. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:33) which he echoes what was already said in the book of Proverbs where will never know what a day may bring forth. Yes, God knows the trials we will endure and even the bad decisions we will make. Nothing catches Him by surprise.

The future has already been written since before the foundation of the world. Even though it may not be how we want it at times, we know the future is in God's hands and He made it a good one.

Around The Web-June 12, 2015

God's Sovereignty Over Sin by Les Lanphere

Scripture is Not a Choose Your Own Adventure Book by Mike Boling

Letting the Bible Speak by Mark A Howell

Why Church Discipline Goes Awry and How To Avoid It by Jonathan Leeman

Albert Mohler talks on How to Survive a Moral Revolution.

Book Review: hand in HAND by Randy Alcorn

God's sovereignty and human choice are two truths taught in the Bible yet can be complicated. We have two groups of Christians who have debated about this for years. You have the Calvinists who believe that God is sovereign especially in the choicing of those who are saved. We have the Arminians who believe God is sovereign but man has the choice to accept God or not based on their free will.

Most books on this issue is usually written by one side or the other giving a defense for their beliefs. Usually the author is highly respected theologian on one side of the fense. I am happy to review this book by Randy Alcorn because he is an apologist who is respected by both Calvinists and Arminians. hand in HAND is a book that addresses the issue of God's sovereignty and the man's free will to choose in a way that those who are not familiar with the struggle this doctrine has brought to many Christians for years.

Alcorn does what he does best and that is giving the introductions to Calvinism and Arminism in a user-friendly style. He talks about the difference both sides have on doctrines of the Christian faith such as Predestination, Grace, and for whom Christ died for. Alcorn also gives different views besides Calvinists and Arminians on the sovereignty of God such as Libertarianism and Hyper-Calvinism.

The rest of the book deals with how God's sovereignty and human choice play hand in hand, hence the title of the book. Alcorn also addresses Open Theism and how it is contrary to God's sovereignty which is something Christians need to know. He also addresses God's sovereignty in working all things together for good.

I am really grateful that Alcorn addresses that Christians must always go to the Bible for what they believe. While it is important to study theological systems, they are not breathed out by God. The Bible is breathed out by God. We can quote our favorite theologians till we are blue in the face but if we miss out on what the Bible teaches, then we are people who no longer depend on God's word as the final authority.

This book was a breath of freah air because Alcorn presented his writings in a way that anyone can read on the issue of God's sovereignty. This is a must read for every Christian regardless if you are a Calvinist or Arminian. There is a discussion guide in the back of the book which will be great for small group or one-on-one discipleship.


Thanks Waterbrook Multnomah for letting mew review this book.

Around The Web-January 24, 2014

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7 signs you’re reading a book by a prosperity preacher by Aaron Armstrong

Those in ministry know all to well that there are times we get discouraged. How to do handle those times when it happens? Voddie Baucham, Paul Tripp, and Darrin Patrick talk about that in this video.




Harvey Turner, one of the pastors of Living Stones Church, teaches the sovereignty of God in one minute.

God's Plan Was Already In Tact

One of the great mysteries to me is that God created this world and yet He knew Adam & Eve would rebel against Him causing sin to come into the world. I wonder how many times the question has been asked, why did God allow that to happen, which can also go with the problem of evil that meaning have been struggling with over the centuries.

Yet, God, in His sovereignty knew what was going to happen and also had a rescue plan to redeem mankind. He foreknew that His only Son, Jesus, would be the one who would come to redeem us from our sin. God did not have to go through heaven with a long list of angels to see who would be the perfect sacrifice. He knew Jesus was it. The Bible says:

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:17-21)

Open Theism suggests that God is not sovereign and events that happen catch him by surprise which includes the Fall. If that was the case, then we are mistaken that our God is all powerful and we have no hope but in a god who freaks out when things go wrong. When sin came into the world, it did not catch Him by surprise. God chose Jesus before the world to redeem us. His plan was already in tact unlike a lot of our plans.