Some issues are like cut gems: there are lots of facets to look through and no single viewpoint will tell the whole story.
The other day I was minding everyone’s business (aka looking at my Twitter news stream) and up pops a tweet from @Dawn_Morris1:
“@garynealhansen how do you explain God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility/accountability?”
I told her that this one would take more than 140 characters. She suggested a blog post. This post makes no claim to being the whole story. I’ll look through one facet today, and through some others in coming weeks.
(I have to say it is fun to get a suggestion for a blog post from an interested reader — so thanks Dawn!)
Dawn’s question comes up a lot: If God is “sovereign” as the Reformed tradition understands the term — the great King of the universe who actively governs and guides everything that ever happens — then are we really free? Are we really responsible for our actions?
When I think about theological questions I like to include some friends in the conversation — long-dead friends who wrote influential theological texts. This year is the 450th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism, so I’m frequently including it in the conversation. Heidelberg does not have the final answer on theological questions, but it has carried a lot of weight for Reformed Christians for a very long time. It is always worth listening to, even if I don’t always agree.
When you ask today’s questions of yesterday’s Christians you often find they approached the issues very differently. Turns out our questions are not the only questions. Sometimes older questions can seem more important than the ones vexing us today.
The sovereignty of God is not such a clear focus in Heidelberg as in other Reformed theological texts. You first encounter the concept in Question 11: Heidelberg’s discussion of God’s mercy and justice, both of which are true of God’s character and of God’s response to us. The reference to God’s sovereignty comes in passing. It is easy to miss it entirely:
“God’s justice demands that sin, committed against his supreme majesty, be punished…”
It is that reference to God’s “supreme majesty” we need to notice. Heidelberg thinks of God the King of kings, the holy and majestic ruler of all, and says this is exactly why we are accountable. God the king is the rightful lawgiver, and we are responsible to live as God instructs.
You occasionally hear people from England contrast their own legal status with that of Americans: “We are not ‘citizens’. We are ‘subjects.’” Even in modern days when the Queen of England leaves most of the governing to the Parliament, the people in her realm are there under her authority. Those of us who have never lived in a monarchy are not so used to such personal government — but the Kingdom of God is that like that. God is our King and we are God’s subjects.
That is my first observation on Dawn’s question via Heidelberg: God’s Sovereignty does not take away our responsibility; God’s Sovereignty is precisely the thing that makes us accountable.
- What questions, puzzles, and problems does the idea of “God’s sovereignty” bring to mind for you?
- What gifts and blessings come from the idea of “God’s sovereignty”?
Gary, what an awesome post! I got chills!
I guess, simply speaking, I’ve always understood it this way: God is completely sovereign, yes, but He also gives us free will. And when we make poor (sinful) choices, indeed, He can’t let them go unpunished. Our Heavenly Father still loves, corrects, and holds us accountable for our deeds. In other words, we are “free in Christ,” but that doesn’t give license to do whatever we want. Folks take that out of context a lot.
I adore that God is my King! When things don’t go my way or life seems unfair, I know that, ultimately, His plan is perfect and He’s working everything together for my good. Now, lest I sound like Polly Perfect, I may wonder (in my human flesh) if that’s always so. Kind of hard to live in and out of hosptials for five years with one of your children and think, “I know God is sovereign, and something wonderful is going to come of this.” But it did. I developed my spiritual sea legs.
A bit of a bunny trail..sorry..but I’m wondering–are any of your sermons or class sessions on podcasts or recorded anywhere?
Thanks so much Cynthia! Someday I’d love to hear more about your journey with your child’s health. Sounds like a real learning time of how God brings redemption even in the darkest events.
Thanks for the question about podcasts etc. Guest sermons occasionally make it onto church websites. My only podcasts are “in house” for students in online classes I teach at my seminary. If you are interested in any of our online offerings, M.Div./M.A.M.C courses can be taken as an “unclassified student” if not in a degree program; we also have a non-degree program focusing on preparation for lay ministry. As of this year we also do online continuing education classes…. I can send links if you want.
Some then question if God is sovereign & His word says He is not willing that any should perish – will not all of humankind ultimately be in heaven? (personally I think we are responsible as well regarding our decisions regarding the person-God Jesus Christ. But not all agree so I find it challenging to explain my viewpoint. I can give scripture that says no-one comes to the Father except the me (Jesus) and they come back with: was not HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS once-for-all. Thus intimating that the whole world was reconciled to God when Jesus rose from the grave proving successful propitiation for the sins of the world. To me this is also an aspect of sovereignty.
Thanks smhoney. An excellent tension to point out. I hear this frequently too.
I think this is going to be the trigger for my next blog post, so I’d like to ask:
“If God is “sovereign” as the Reformed tradition understands the term — the great King of the universe who actively governs and guides everything that ever happens…”
Would that be an accurate and fair assessment of what the majority of Reformed folk believe? I’m not Reformed, and that lines up with my understanding of the Reformed view of God’s sovereignty, and is inherently why I’m unable to embrace that worldview.
Warwick, I thought I’d posted as a reply to you, but seem to have missed. See below…
Hey that’s great Warwick. What’s your blog address? And how did you run across mine?
No, I definitely would not say most Reformed people believe this. Not today at least.
Truer to say that 16th and 17th century Reformed theologians put similar views in catechisms, confessions, and theological treatises. You would find few in my own denomination articulating this view–but I’m glad it got your attention!
On the other hand, i suspect many, especially those whose faith is engaged with Scripture in a serious way, would say that God is active in the world, both in their own lives and in the larger world. And many happily affirm that God is King of kings and Lord of lords–which is what “sovereignty” basically means.
Great to have you in the conversation!
Hi Gary.
Joel Watts linked to the post on Twitter.
My blog is at http://www.wazzapedia.com/ (or http://www.warwickrendell.com). People find wazzapedia easier to spell 😉
I replied during a break at work, and so the “trigger” for the blog post was actually that statement. I’ve observed some of the YRR’s espouse an almost mechanistic view of the universe, essentially that *everything* that happens is because God willed it to happen.
When you follow that out to its logical conclusion…
Ah, another kindness from Joel bearing good fruit. That’s great.
I’ve not been connected at all with the YRR people, but can imagine how people well-steeped in Reformed orthodoxy might sound much like the bit of my post you quoted. I teach at a Presbyterian Church (USA) seminary, and most of my students are either PC(USA) or United Methodist. My comments relate mostly to my own Presbyterian circles where people’s knowledge of their own confessional heritage is neither rich nor zealously held. I think the views you quoted are probably a minority view in North American Christianity taken broadly.
I’ll try posting again. My last one disappeared…Thank you so much for writing this, Gary! The subject came up in a Facebook discussion a few weeks ago about “Open Theism.” This comment was made by one of the members and our discussion shifted to free will versus God’s sovereignty:
//And in my opinion then, we can not be held responsible for the choices God made for us to make. Doing so would be the ultimate in cruelty by a supposedly perfectly just God.//
I appreciate your writing on this subject. I knew you couldn’t do it on Twitter-but you surely can give great insight on your blog. I can’t wait to read the future posts 🙂 I love the focus on God as King. Perhaps the fact that many Americans relish our ability to “choose” our leadership, laws, etc, makes this concept more difficult.
In my studying of the Bible over many years, I see it not as an “either/or” question, but a “both/and.” We only see from man’s perspective, and what the Lord has chosen to reveal to us in His word. There are some things, like this and the Trinity, that just have to be accepted by faith. We can try to figure them out, but ultimately all our reasoning falls short.
Now I’m not a Calvinist, or an Arminian. If I would be called anything, it would be an aspiring “Berean.” It seems to me that anytime folks try to explain the unexplainable, they go off into supposition. It’s an attempt for finite man to understand an infinite God from his own reference point rather than from what God has given as His own testimony in Scripture. And Scripture says a lot about the topic.
I like Calvin. I think he had a lot of great insights. But I want to follow Jesus Christ and the Word of God. I think the Word clearly says God chooses and man is unable to choose apart from God’s intervention and yet man is still accountable for his choices. From my limited thinking that “seems” mutually exclusive. It doesn’t seem ‘fair.’ That’s where I have to run to Romans and sit down in front of Paul and the Holy Spirit and see “who are you, oh man???” section and just say like Job, “I put my hand over my mouth…”
Scripture says much about man’s accountability and God’s choice. I like this one in John because both are there…”All that the Father give me, will come to me; and he that comes to me I will not cast out…” (John 6:37)
The fact that God did make man, knowing man would sin, yet from the foundation of the world planned to send His own, holy and sinless Son to die for the penalty of sin demonstrates the goodness and kindness of God. The fact is that He did create those who He knew would not love Him. He forces no one to do so. Yet, apart from His working, Scripture is clear, we would not choose Him (“For by grace you are saved through faith, yet this is not of yourself, but the gift of God so that no man may boast” Ephesians 2:8-9)
Thanks again for writing! Blessings!
Dawn
” If God took away freedom from man, and then saved him, it would be but a small miracle. For God to leave man free to come to Jesus, and yet to so move him as to make him come, is a divinely-wrought miracle indeed.” (Spurgeon)
Hey, Dawn, thanks for joining in here. (And sorry WordPress “ate your homework.” I ended up with two versions in the comment queue, and it looked like they were the same.)
Your post makes your interests much clearer to me, so thanks.
I think Calvin would like your comment that you are not a Calvinist but want to follow Jesus and the Word. That was his goal too: He dealt with this kind of issue because Scripture dealt with it. The wonder of his theological work, in my view, is his ability to present a richly integrated understanding of what Scripture teaches on any given topic.
I was asked essentially this same question last time I taught a church membership class. When I teach it again in a few weeks I’ll know I can refer them to your blog. 🙂
The free will aspect to me comes from the fact that God did not make us to be robot’s. He made us to have a relationship with us. Think about it this way, when he created us, he didnt have to give us a brain, he could have left it out. God gave us the abiilty to make decisions, If I choose to jump off a high building fully aware of the word gravity, this isnt”t God’s fault nor his intent. I’m saved by the grace of Jesus, and loved the same. I think it’s important to keep in mind that God doesnt promise us a smooth walk in ourr world today, but does promise us a smooth walk in heaven.