God Is Sovereign--We Have No Excuse To Deny God

For since the creation

of the world

His invisible atrributes

are clearly seen,

being understood by

the things that are made,

even His eternal power and 

Godhead,

So that they are

without excuse.

Romans 1:20

     To begin let us derive an understanding of the word "sovereign" or "sovereignty" for without a clear understanding of this word then our understanding as good or bad as it might be will undermine our thinking on this matter. Most people would understand that a monarch, king or other supreme ruler is determined to be sovereign. We even call certain gold coins or money as sovereigns. To be sovereign would mean that the there would be of necessity power, or authority and having supreme importance, excellence. Sovereignty to be held is to be supreme and independent in power or authority, to have rightful status, independence, and sole prerogative. For God to be God He must be sovereign, have sovereignty, the right to rule with His prerogative wisdom and desire. To be less would make Him a lesser 'god' not a God upon whom could demand total loyalty. We would have no ground for our faith, our hope, everlasting life promised by a God who is not sovereign would not secure eternal life or any goodness as may have been promised. Being sovereign does not relegate that He be either good or bad, only that He is sovereign. If being a bad God, then, we should not expect anything good except that which would fit His desires eliminating our faith in having a life so designed that God had chose to give to His creation anything good. But, if a good God, then we can expect good things, that a good God would reveal Himself to His creation, and that our faith in His promises are certain to be fulfilled for our best. We have no right to tell God what we want or how we want Him to be. Idol worshipers attempt to make their god to be what they thing god should be and do. The problem with the Church is that far too often we try and do the same thing with God. We want Him to be as we would like Him to be and when anything is said in opposition to the God we have designed Him to be we often get angry. We say that God is this or that, will do this thing or that thing.  All of this without any reference to what the Bible actually says about Him, what He desires, what He demands. We say that God has revealed Himself in the Bible and then go off and ignore what it says and live the way we want to live. We worship the way we want to have worship done, we develop Doctrines outside of the revelation of God in the Bible, while still claiming that the Bible has authority over our life. Authority because God is sovereign, but, is He really sovereign in your life? Do we really know what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible? Or, do we go the way that seems right, good, and best? In other words, are we living according to the Bible or have we done nothing more than isogesis, that read into the Bible what we want it to say rather than exogesis, that is to allow the Bible to tell us what it is actually saying? 

      It is nice to speak of the sovereignty of God but, does God actually exist? How do we know? How can we know? Where do we go to find the source of such knowledge? Is God a good God, or a bad God? There are many questions about that, such as, "Why does God allow death, sickness, bad things to happen?" If God is sovereign why doesn't He do something about such trials, and tribulations that plague man and this earth? Has God revealed Himself and can I put faith in that revelation that tells me who God is and what God desires of me? Can we have faith in God who has promised everlasting life and has promised everlasting punishment. Life to some and death to others? Important is can I put my faith in God. Here is an important question: "what is the origin of the idea of God?" 

     This study will examine this idea of God, who He is, what He desires, and from were did this idea or origination of God come, further can I put my faith, trust, belief, and hope in Him? 

For I am not ashamed

     of the gospel of Christ,

for it is the power of God

     to salvation for everyone

who believes, for the Jew first

    and also for the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God

    is revealed from faith to faith; 

as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

                                       Romans 1:16-17

Blessed are all those who put

    their trust in Him.  

              

Richard L. Crumb