Thursday, January 24, 2008

Short Answer: No, There Is No Such Thing as a Coincidence

1. God is the only god:

"The Lord he is God; there is none else besides him." "He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else" (Deut. 4:35, 39). "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me" (Deut. 32:39). "Thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth" (2 Kings 19:15).


2. God created all things:

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (Ps. 33:6), "For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (33:9).

3. Because God created all things out of nothing, he rules over them:

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof" (Ps. 24:1).


4. God's rule is accomplished by what's called "antecedent (or prior) decree" -- he said x would happen, and x happens:

"Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand" (Isa. 14:24) "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure" (Isa. 26:10).


5. No purpose of God's can be turned aside (this is the "negative" way to state #4):

"For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27). "He makes the devices of the people of none effect" (Ps. 33:10). "He does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Dan. 4:35).


6. God is omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time):

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me" (Ps. 139:7-10).


7. God's power extends to every aspect of earthly existence:

Natural phenomena: "He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills" (Ps. 147:8).

Governments and leaders, even evil ones: "This is what the Lord says -- the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty" (Is. 45:11-13).

Even evil falls under his control:
"What, shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10).


8. God's purposes are mysterious and often hidden from our understanding:

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Rom. 11:33)


9. God uses means (human actions, cause and effect, the laws of physics, human prayers, human emotions) to accomplish his purposes:

"For Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Rom 10:13-14) "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil 2:12-13).

2 comments:

Laura's Dad said...

And, because of numbers 1 thru 9, I can confidently trust Him, knowing that His glory and my joy intersect at the very point of my willing submission to His will in all things. I can praise Him when I do not SEE His glory, knowing that He is working all things out according to the counsel of His will, and working all things together for good for me, because I love Him and He has called me according to His purpose!

YAYAYAYAY for the sovereignty of God!

John Dekker said...

From The Horse and His Boy:

"Daughter," said the Hermit, "I have now lived a hundred and nine winters in this world and have never yet met any such thing as Luck."