The Sovereignty of Almighty God
All Things Consist and are Worked by the Lord
One of the larger false doctrines keeping the world in darkness, all by the Lord’s design, is the belief that man has free will, independent of God. There is no truth in this doctrine. The false belief in the free will of man diminishes God and exalts man contrary to the truth and what is written in the Scriptures. We often cite this verse from Ephesians, which states the truth backed up by the entire weight of Scripture for those given the faith to believe and the spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear the truth.
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
God, meaning the Father through Christ, created us for His glory and purposes and works all things according to His will and timeline. There is not a spirit, a thought, a deed, a spoken word, a bird falling, or anything else that happens that is not the Lord’s causation.
1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
The creator and maker of all things did not just create and leave us to our own devices. It is by the Lord that all things were created and in whom all things consist, with no exceptions. All things is everything.
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
All is done in Christ; He is far greater and more powerful than carnal minds can comprehend. The Lord does His will and what pleases Him, and He is not dependent on His creation, the clay in His hands, for anything. The Lord has declared everything from the beginning; we are just living it out.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Every day in our life [our book of life] was already written in God’s book before there were even any days.
Psa 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
Nothing happens in our heaven [mind] or on our earth [our walk, our actions] that was not ordained of the Lord. We serve a mighty, powerful God who is much greater in power and might than we can believe. The Lord has to open the eyes of our understanding even to begin to grasp His majesty and power. He knows and sees all things because He purposefully causes and works everything that occurs.
Pro 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
Psa 33:14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
1Jn 3:20 …. God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
Psa 147:4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
Psa 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
The further we walk with Him, the more we understand His power and might. No man can stop His work or ask what He is doing.
Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the earth’s inhabitants: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
In the Lord’s timing, we are blessed when He shows us what being a supreme ruler entails and that He is far above any imagined lord or king.
1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Clay in His Hands
The Scriptures liken our Lord and Maker to a Potter. A potter in the outward world is in complete control of the clay and what is formed by the hands of the potter working the earth and the water. The clay has absolutely no part or role in determining the outcome. As in the natural world, so it is in the spiritual.
Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
The Potter’s house is the house of God, where the Israel of God gathers. When we are drawn to the Lord’s house, which house we are, those drawn are caused to hear His Words, meaning the Gospel of the Living Commandments. It is hearing these Words that begin the process of remaking us from a marred vessel of clay, full of sins and abiding in spiritual darkness, to a new vessel remade into the image of God.
Jer 18:2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Jer 18:3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Jer 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
The Living Word, the Commandments, causes the remaking as the commandments begin to judge our works when they appear to us. Those so blessed to hear the words of the Lord, to have their eyes opened to the Gospel of the Living Commandments, have received the mercy of the Lord. By His mercy and the resulting grace, every man shall be saved in their appointed time. There is no resisting the will of God; He is the Potter and we are the clay, and the Lord’s will is getting accomplished exactly on schedule.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
The destruction of our old man, the man of sin, and the old way of life is necessary for salvation. When the Lord has mercy on us, His clay vessels, the destruction and remaking of us into a new vessel has begun. We endure His righteous judgments through much long suffering; this is how the Lord makes known His power to us.
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
The power of God is the Gospel, the Living Commandments, the indwelling grace that comes and dwells within us. It is through the Spirit of God, known by many names including the Gospel, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of Grace, that salvation is accomplished in the Father’s timing.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
All Things The Lord is Working has No Exceptions
The Lord is the alpha and the omega and everything in between. Jesus Christ, our Lord, works and accomplishes everything in existence.
Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Our very being and our existence are all in the Living God. The Lord of the Universe has already determined the bounds of our habitation, every minute detail, the length of life, where we go, when we go, everything.
Act 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Act 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Act 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Apart from the Lord, we can do nothing as we exist in Him, and He directs all things, both good and evil.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
The Scriptures contain witnesses and proofs everywhere if one is given the spiritual eyes to see them. The Lord is doing what He wants.
Job 23:13 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
Psa 135:6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
If the Lord has mercy and opens one’s eyes to His absolute sovereignty, and the blinding plank of mankind having a free will is dissolved, many other false doctrines, such as eternal torment, are also quickly dissolved by seeing the truth of who the Lord is throughout the Scriptures.
Every Step and action we take is the Lord’s Work
Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Pro 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Psa 37:23 The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
Prov 20:24 A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?
Prov 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
The Lord is Responsible for all, the good and the evil.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Isa 63:17 O LORD, why have You made us stray from Your ways [Sin], And hardened our heart from Your fear?
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Pro 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Ezek 38:10 Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan:
Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?
Lam 3:38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Eze 6:10 And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.
Everything we do is in Christ. He uses it all for good, nothing is wasted as mankind needs to learn good and evil to become like Him. Our mistakes and sins are used to bring correction in the day of our judgment, when the light of Christ, the Holy Commandments, comes to us. It is how we are corrected in due time. Being pruned and reshapened is similar to the clay being remade into a new vessel that brings glory to our Creator.
Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Dan 9:14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
Jer 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee:
Specific Examples of Evil Working Good
Here are some specific examples of God working evil; in the end, it all works for good. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, and in the end, they feared their brother, who became the ruler of Egypt. Joseph told them to fear not, and that the Lord caused the evil they did, to save many people in the end. If Joseph had not been sold into slavery in Egypt, he would not have become ruler of Egypt and would not have had grain stored up for the famine that came upon the world.
Gen 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
King David was to rule Israel per the Lord’s counsel, so King Saul’s downfall was orchestrated. The Lord sent an evil Spirit to bring about the end and promote David to be King.
1Sa 19:9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
1Sa 19:10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
There are many more examples in the Scriptures. Lastly, let us consider that the death and crucifixion of our Lord Himself were evil acts caused by the Father to bring salvation to all mankind. All things the Lord works, even the evil, work for good and His purposes in the end. The Lord’s death was not a surprise; it was God’s plan and purpose beforehand, declared from the beginning of days.
Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
Act 4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
The Lord’s sovereignty over all aspects of every creature’s life is unlimited. Even birds do not fall from the sky outside God’s will. All things being worked for His counsel means precisely that, yet very few are given to believe what the Scriptures teach.
Our every thought and speech is the work of the Lord.
Amo 4:13 For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth—The LORD God of hosts is His name.
Psa 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Pro 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
David understood God’s sovereignty in all things and prayed that the Lord would keep Israel thinking about the Lord and keep their hearts turned to obedience.
1Ch 29:18 O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
Men do not choose to repent of their own free will. Repentance, the turning of our hearts to the Lord, is granted to us; it is not something we choose on our own initiative.
Act 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
The Lord Opens and Shuts Spiritual Eyes and Ears and puts His Words in the mouths of those He sends to preach.
Men do not choose to make themselves wise and understand the Scriptures and the deep things of God. It is all given as gift to those the Lord chooses.
Pro 20:12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.
Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
Job 33:16 Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
Psa 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
Rom 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
The Lord commissions and sends out His prophets and preachers of the Gospel. No one chooses to do this of their own, all is the work of the Lord.
Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Those who do not see or hear in Spirit cannot believe because the Lord has blinded them. It is not their choice or fault, it is the work of the Lord.
Joh 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
Joh 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
The Gospel, the true things of God, are hidden from men by the Lord’s design, and only those chosen for salvation in this age are given the gift.
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
It takes the Spirit of God, Christ, the living Word, the Gospel to come into us to reveal the true and deep things of God.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but [by] the Spirit of God.
The Lord is in complete control and has determined to whom He is revealed and when. Those given mercy see and hear His Words and have been blessed. Those to whom the Lord has hardened remain blind and deaf to the Words of the Living Christ.
Mat 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
The Father of All Spirits is the Lord
All things the Lord created include spirits, the visible, and the invisible.
Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
The Lord sends forth spirits and angels, good or evil, to men as He has determined.
Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Act 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
By sending us thoughts and making us believe correctly or incorrectly the Lord orchestrates His will. The Lord deceives and sends delusion to those He is blinding at the moment.
Job 12:16 With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
2 Thess 2:11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie
1Ki 22:21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
1Ki 22:22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
The Creator of all things even made the crooked serpent and all satan’s messengers [evil spirits] and sends them to accomplish His will on the earth and in the lives of every man.
Job 26:13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
Job 2:6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
The Promise of Salvation is ALL the Lord’s will
Salvation from sin is 100% the Lord’s work. He chooses those for salvation in this age, and it is accomplished not by the will of man but by the Lord’s will.
Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Nobody seeks after the Living Christ, the Commandments on their own initiative. The Father who sent Christ must drag them to Christ. Christ comes to those who sought Him not.
John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me drags (draws) him
Isa 65:1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
The Promise of the New Covenant is the Lord’s Doing
Man has no role and does nothing to work their own salvation. It is all the Lord and is accomplished by His Living Word, the Gospel and Commandments of the Father. Here in Ezekiel, the promise of God and His work is specified and it is all “I Will” says the Lord. There is no man doing any of it.
Eze 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
Eze 36:23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
Eze 36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Eze 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Eze 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Eze 36:29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
Eze 36:30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
Eze 36:32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.
Eze 36:33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.
Man’s Will is Not Free; it is in subjection to the Lord
Man has a will but is subject to the Lord’s will in all things. As shown in the above Scriptures, every step, every thought, our very existence, even our sins, is all the work of the Lord. The Lord stirs up the hearts and gives man the will to do or not do things. Man has a will, but it is not free of God.
Freewill Offerings in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, the term “freewill offerings” is often used to describe the acts of the Israelites, such as making sacrifices or choosing to leave Babylon. Here are a few examples.
Ezr 7:13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. [Leaving Babylon]
Deu 23:23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
Scores of witnesses have already established that the Lord directs all our steps and gives us every thought and word we speak. The sum of the word that is the truth makes clear that this will of man is not free of the Lord’s will. Man has a will and does choose to do things, but the counsel of the Lord always stands and gets done.
Pro 19:21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
The Lord is behind every action or inaction. If someone of their own will does something, we can be sure it was the Lord who stirred up their hearts and had His hands on them to steer them where the Lord wanted them to go. It is by His Spirit and Power that all things are getting done. No free will is involved. If one digs a little deeper in the Scriptures, this is also evident. The Lord makes one willing or not willing.
Exo 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
The Lord stirs up the hearts of those He works to do whatever He desires. It is not a big deal for the Master Potter to turn the hearts of any man, even kings. The king of Persia was stirred up to let Israel go as the Lord wanted His house to be built in Jerusalem.
Ezr 1:1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Ezr 1:2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Ezra led the journey to reconstruct the Temple of God in the Holy City, and it was not Ezra or his supposed free will that caused it and made it happen; it was the hand of the Lord upon him. The Lord’s will was done.
Ezra 7:6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him
The sum of all Scripture makes clear that the Lord is working all things for the counsel of His will. The Lord causes both the scattering and the regathering of His people from Babylon and many other spiritual nations. Everything is in the hand of the Lord upon us, His subjects, who are mere clay in His hands. Ancient Israel had no choice in the matter of going into Babylon or coming out of Babylon, and neither do we.
Jeremiah 29:4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
Jer 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
Enough Scripture has been given, and much more could be given to prove the Lord’s sovereignty in all things and destroy the false doctrine of man having a will free and independent of the Lord. If the Lord has mercy upon us, the plank of man having a free will is pulled from our spiritual eyes, and we can begin drawing near to the true God and the Gospel that saves us.
Blessed are your eyes and ears if you can see and hear the true doctrines of Jesus Christ.
Some related Recommended Reading:
The Lie of Eternal Hell or Everlasting Punishment