A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (March 2, 2017)
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. (Deuteronomy 30:14-16)
The word “sovereign” is used a lot in the Christian evangelical world to describe God. It is so engrained in the “Bible Belt” belief system that to even question the sovereignty of God would be considered heresy in most Christian circles. With that in mind, let’s take a close look at this long held belief.
The definition of sovereignty contained in Webster’s New World Dictionary is; supreme in power and rank; independent of all others; a ruler; reigning. There is no question that our God (Jehovah God) is all those things. He is the only true God! Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! God is the creator and ruler of this Universe! Anything else that we say or believe is never going to change that truth. However, did you know that the words “sovereign” and “sovereignty” never (not once) appear in the King James Version of the Bible? In the NIV (New International Version) Bible, which is used extensively in evangelical circles today, the word “sovereign” or “sovereignty” is used 299 times which replaces the terms “Lord God”, “God the Lord”, and “Lord” which is used in the King James Bible.
The problem that I have personally with the present evangelical concept of sovereignty is when we extend the definition to include control over every aspect of our lives and thus begins to eliminate our free will and ultimately waters down our personal responsibility for our actions. As an example, this definition has expanded to the belief that God controls everything that happens in our lives, including all the bad things, even to the point of giving Satan permission to attack us with sickness, disease, and tragedy. This belief and doctrine is rooted-in and backed-up theologically by the Book of Job.
I am a firm believer in the Bible and that every word in it is true. But, I also believe that without the Spirit of God enlightening you the Bible can easily become the “Letter of the Law” all over again, which brings death and bondage, versus the Spirit that brings life and freedom. The Book of Job is a great example of this. You can read the first thirty-seven chapters of Job and listen to all the arguments put forth by Job and his friends and miss the whole truth. In Chapters 38-41 you see God’s response and in Chapter 42 you see Job and his friends having to repent for what they thought and said. They were sincere in what they believed, but they were wrong. God himself said the three friends had spoken things about Him that were not right (Job 42:7).
Here is my point. Job and his friends did not understand spiritual warfare like we do today. They did not have the New Testament. Their limited understanding is very evident in Job’s own statement when he said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). Job was God’s man and he was speaking out of his heart but there is one very important thing he did not understand. Satan was the one doing all the damage, not God. Job finally realized this and repented in Chapter 42 after hearing God’s commentary. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:5-6)
It gets back to this simple truth. Jesus said, “It is finished”. He has made a way for us and supplied all our needs, but we are responsible for our own actions. God is not going to drag us screaming and hollering into Heaven. We have to believe in our heart and confess with our mouth. We have to realize we are in a spiritual battle and we have to put on the whole armor of God and fight. We have an enemy, but he is not more powerful than our God and the Jesus that lives in us. God’s will is for none to perish but some will, which is their own choice. God has laid before all of us life and death and we must choose every day which road to travel. Jesus has given His disciples (that includes you and me) the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy but you and I are the ones that have to exercise that authority. God is not responsible for everything that happens. There are other actors in this play, and the main actor is you!
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