ECT The Sovereignty Of God

[Cross Reference]

The Sovereignty Of God

By Andrew Wommack

My heart was really stirred this last month. I attended a meeting where an old friend of mine was ministering. He had been through some terrible things that nearly destroyed his faith. He became bitter and angry at God for the things that had happened. When I heard him, he had humbled himself and was again loving the Lord and excited about the future. Praise the Lord! However, in the process, he had come to believe that it was the Lord that caused all his problems. He had resigned himself to the "sovereignty of God."

I believe this is the worst doctrine in the church today. I know that this is a shocking statement and is near blasphemy to some people, but the way sovereignty" is taught today is a real faith killer. The belief that God controls everything that happens to us is one of the devil's biggest inroads into our lives. If this belief is true, then our actions are irrelevant, and our efforts are meaningless. What will be will be.

If we believe that God wills everything, good or bad, to happen to us, it gives us some temporary relief from confusion and condemnation, but in the long-term, it slanders God, hinders our trust in God, and leads to passiveness.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

The word "sovereign" is not used in the King James Version of the Bible. It is used 303 times in the Old Testament of the New International Version, but it is always used in association with the word "LORD" and is the equivalent of the King James Version's "LORD God." Not a single one of those times is the word "sovereign" used in the manner that it has come to be used in religion in our day and time.

Religion has resulted in the invention of a new meaning for the word "sovereign," which basically means God controls everything. Nothing can happen but what He wills or allows. However, there is nothing in the actual definition that states that. The dictionary defines "sovereign" as, "1. Paramount; supreme. 2. Having supreme rank or power. 3. Independent: a sovereign state. 4. Excellent." None of these definitions means that God controls everything.

It is assumed that since God is paramount or supreme that nothing can happen without His approval. That is not what the Scriptures teach. In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter said, "The Lord is...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This clearly states that it is not the Lord's will for anyone to perish, but people are perishing. Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matt. 7:13). Relatively few people are saved compared to the number that are lost. God's will for people concerning salvation is not being accomplished.


Continued

 

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This is because the Lord gave us the freedom to choose. He doesn't will anyone into hell. He paid for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2; 1 Tim. 4:10), but we must choose to put our faith in Christ and receive His salvation. People are the ones choosing hell by not choosing Jesus as their Savior. It is the free will of man that damns them, not God.

People virtually have to climb over the roadblocks that God puts in their way to continue on their course to hell. The cross of Christ and the drawing power of the Holy Spirit are obstacles that every sinner encounters. No one will ever stand before God and be able to fault Him for withholding the opportunity to be saved. The Lord woos every person to Him, but we have to cooperate. Ultimately, the Lord simply enforces the consequences of people's own choices.

God has a perfect plan for every person's life (Jer. 29:11), but He doesn't make us walk that path. We are free moral agents with the ability to choose. He has told us what the right choices are (Deut. 30:19), but He doesn't make those choices for us. God gave us the power to control our destinies.

Typical teaching on the sovereignty of God puts Jesus in the driver's seat with us as passengers. On the surface that looks good. All of us have encountered the disastrous results of doing our own thing. We desire to be led of the Lord, and teaching that nothing happens but what God wills fits that nicely. However, the Scriptures paint a picture of each of us being behind the wheel of our own lives. We are the one doing the driving. We are supposed to take directions from the Lord, but He doesn't do the driving for us.

Man has been given the authority over his own life, but he must have the Lord's direction to succeed. Jeremiah 10:23 says, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." God created us to be dependent upon Him and our independence is at the root of all our problems. As if it wasn't bad enough for man to try to run his affairs independently of God and His standards, it has been made even worse by religion teaching us that all our problems are actually blessings from God. That is a faith killer. It makes people totally passive.

James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." This verse makes it clear that some things are from God, and some from the devil. We must submit to the things that are of God and resist the things that are from the devil. The word "resist" means, "Actively fight against." Saying "Whatever will be will be" is not actively fighting against the devil.

If a person really believed that God is the one who put sickness on them because He is trying to work something for good in their life, then they should not go to the doctor or take any medicine. That would be resisting God's plans. They should let the sickness run its course and thereby get the full benefit of God's correction. Of course, no one advocates that. That is absurd. It is even more absurd to believe that God is the one behind the tragedy.

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Acts 10:38 says that Jesus healed all those who were oppressed OF THE DEVIL. It was not God who oppressed them with sickness. It was the devil. It's the same today. Sickness is from the devil, not from God. We need to resist sickness and, by faith, submit ourselves to healing, which is from God through the atonement of Christ.

I know someone is thinking, What about the Old Testament instances where God smote people with sickness and plagues? There is a lot I could say about that if I had the space, but a simplified answer to that question is that none of those instances were blessings. They were curses. God did use sickness in the Old Testament as punishment, but in the New Testament, Jesus bore our curse for us (Gal. 3:13). The Lord would no more put sickness on a New Testament believer than He would make us commit a sin. Both forgiveness of sin and healing are a part of the atonement Jesus provided for us. Deuteronomy, chapter 28, should forever settle this question for all who believe the Word of God. The first 14 verses of Deuteronomy 28 list the blessings of God and the last 53 verses list the curses of God. Healing is listed as a blessing (Deut. 28:4). Sickness is listed as a curse (Deut. 28:22, 27-28, 35, 59-61). God called sickness a curse. We should not call it a blessing.

Knowing that God is not the author of my problems is one of the most important revelations the Lord has ever given me. If I thought it was God who killed my father when I was twelve, and some of my best friends before I was 20, if it was God who had people kidnap me, slander me, threaten to kill me, and turn loved ones against me, then I would have a hard time trusting God, if He was like that.

On the contrary, it is very comforting to know that God only has good things in store for me. Any problems in my life are from the devil, of my own making, or just the results of life on a fallen planet. My heavenly Father has never done me any harm and never will. I KNOW that.

I am not saying that there is nothing to learn from hardships. Most of you reading this article have come to the Lord because of something in your life that overwhelmed you and caused you to turn to the Lord for help. That situation was not from God regardless of the results. It was you turning to the Lord and the faith you placed in Him that turned your life around, not the hardship.

If hardships and problems made us better, then everyone who has had problems would be better for them. Those who have the most trouble would be the best. That simply is not so.

Let me illustrate this with a story about my son, Joshua. When he was only a year old, I was loading lumber on a large truck in the heat of a Texas summer. I had Joshua with me, and he was having a big time playing in the lumber yard. By mid-afternoon, he was tired and sleepy and started to lie down in the dirt for a nap. I knew his mother wouldn't like that, so I put him in the cab of the truck to lie down and take his nap.

He had been wanting to get into that truck all day, and when I put him in there, he revived. I had to roll the windows down because it was hot, and Joshua was leaning out the windows and waving at me in the side view mirrors. I told him to lie down and even gave him a spanking, but he didn't take heed. He leaned out the window too far, fell out of the cab, hit his eye on the running board and landed on his head.

I ran up to him, prayed over him, and held him until he quit crying. Then I told him that was why I told him to lie down and go to sleep and not lean out the window. I used that situation which caused him pain, to teach him, but if Joshua would have been like the sovereignty teachers of today, he would have gone out and told all his friends that his father made him fall out of that truck to teach him to obey. That's not so. I did what I could to restrain him. I would be very hurt if that's the way Joshua thought I was.

Likewise, I don't believe it blesses our heavenly Father for us to blame Him for all the problems that come into our lives. Sure, He will comfort us when we turn to Him in the midst of our problems, but He doesn't create the negative circumstances that hurt our lives.

Continued

 

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God is sovereign in the sense that He is paramount and supreme. There is no one higher in authority or power, but that does not mean He exercises His power by controlling everything in our lives. God has given us the freedom to choose. He has a plan for us. He seeks to reveal that plan to us and urge us in that direction, but we choose. He doesn't make our choices for us.

In many instances, it is our wrong choices that bring disaster upon us. In other cases, our problems are nothing but an attack from the devil. In some cases, natural forces of an imperfect world cause us pain. Our tragedies are never the judgment or correction of God. Jesus came to give us abundant life. The devil came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Don't ever get that confused. If it's good, it's God. If it's bad, it's the devil.

This is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity that must be understood properly if you want victory in your life. Believing that God controls everything renders a person passive. Why pray and believe for something better? Whatever God wants will come to pass. That simply is not true.

The Lord is the answer to all our problems. He is not the problem.

Andrew Wommack

 

[DAN P]

The Sovereignty Of God

By Andrew Wommack

My heart was really stirred this last month. I attended a meeting where an old friend of mine was ministering. He had been through some terrible things that nearly destroyed his faith. He became bitter and angry at God for the things that had happened. When I heard him, he had humbled himself and was again loving the Lord and excited about the future. Praise the Lord! However, in the process, he had come to believe that it was the Lord that caused all his problems. He had resigned himself to the "sovereignty of God."

I believe this is the worst doctrine in the church today. I know that this is a shocking statement and is near blasphemy to some people, but the way sovereignty" is taught today is a real faith killer. The belief that God controls everything that happens to us is one of the devil's biggest inroads into our lives. If this belief is true, then our actions are irrelevant, and our efforts are meaningless. What will be will be.

If we believe that God wills everything, good or bad, to happen to us, it gives us some temporary relief from confusion and condemnation, but in the long-term, it slanders God, hinders our trust in God, and leads to passiveness.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

The word "sovereign" is not used in the King James Version of the Bible. It is used 303 times in the Old Testament of the New International Version, but it is always used in association with the word "LORD" and is the equivalent of the King James Version's "LORD God." Not a single one of those times is the word "sovereign" used in the manner that it has come to be used in religion in our day and time.

Religion has resulted in the invention of a new meaning for the word "sovereign," which basically means God controls everything. Nothing can happen but what He wills or allows. However, there is nothing in the actual definition that states that. The dictionary defines "sovereign" as, "1. Paramount; supreme. 2. Having supreme rank or power. 3. Independent: a sovereign state. 4. Excellent." None of these definitions means that God controls everything.

It is assumed that since God is paramount or supreme that nothing can happen without His approval. That is not what the Scriptures teach. In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter said, "The Lord is...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This clearly states that it is not the Lord's will for anyone to perish, but people are perishing. Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matt. 7:13). Relatively few people are saved compared to the number that are lost. God's will for people concerning salvation is not being accomplished.


Continued

Hi and why not review 1 Tim 6:15 and 16 !!

Which in His times the blessed and only POTENTATE will show , the King of the ones being kings and Lord of the ones being lords !!

Your meaning of what FREE WILL is spurious as there NEVER has been free will since Adam in Rom 5:14 , explains it to all !!

And Psa 103:19 is a good verse !!

dan p

 

[nikolai_42]

Just as a passing observation, the multi-post message talks about the Sovereignty of God without once alluding to Job - or (specifically) Job 1:21. Isaiah 45:7 is another scripture that should probably have been addressed. There are important words that can change intonation (like "approval" or "control") and thus change the whole view of God's Sovereignty. Lamentations 3:37-38 reveals another troubling aspect of God's decrees (coming, as it did, in the midst of captivity).

If not all things happen with God's permission, then we cannot - for example - be assured that He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. So terms need to be more clearly defined from a biblical perspective.

This is admittedly a scatter-gun response. But the OP (all portions) seem to be more of an emotional response to suffering than a scriptural treatment of the Sovereignty of God. His story in post #3 is interesting, but fails to distinguish between God as Father over Creation and mortal man as father over his immediate children. One is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. The other is clearly not.

 

[DAN P]

Just as a passing observation, the multi-post message talks about the Sovereignty of God without once alluding to Job - or (specifically) Job 1:21. Isaiah 45:7 is another scripture that should probably have been addressed. There are important words that can change intonation (like "approval" or "control") and thus change the whole view of God's Sovereignty. Lamentations 3:37-38 reveals another troubling aspect of God's decrees (coming, as it did, in the midst of captivity).

If not all things happen with God's permission, then we cannot - for example - be assured that He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. So terms need to be more clearly defined from a biblical perspective.

This is admittedly a scatter-gun response. But the OP (all portions) seem to be more of an emotional response to suffering than a scriptural treatment of the Sovereignty of God. His story in post #3 is interesting, but fails to distinguish between God as Father over Creation and mortal man as father over his immediate children. One is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. The other is clearly not.

Hi and in Job 1 we see God PERMISSIVE WILL as Satan had to get God's approval to attack Job as God was protecting him !!

dan p

 

[Truster]

Just as a passing observation, the multi-post message talks about the Sovereignty of God without once alluding to Job - or (specifically) Job 1:21. Isaiah 45:7 is another scripture that should probably have been addressed. There are important words that can change intonation (like "approval" or "control") and thus change the whole view of God's Sovereignty. Lamentations 3:37-38 reveals another troubling aspect of God's decrees (coming, as it did, in the midst of captivity).

If not all things happen with God's permission, then we cannot - for example - be assured that He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. So terms need to be more clearly defined from a biblical perspective.

This is admittedly a scatter-gun response. But the OP (all portions) seem to be more of an emotional response to suffering than a scriptural treatment of the Sovereignty of God. His story in post #3 is interesting, but fails to distinguish between God as Father over Creation and mortal man as father over his immediate children. One is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. The other is clearly not.

The Eternal Almighty did not form "decrees". He formed a single decree in which all that comes to pass was predetermined. His decree is fixed because His will is fixed, "I change not".

He doesn't allow anything to happen. He works all things according to His good pleasure. He does not react to circumstances. Circumstances are the manifestation of His decree.

 

[nikolai_42]

The Eternal Almighty did not form "decrees". He formed a single decree in which all that comes to pass was predetermined. His decree is fixed because His will is fixed, "I change not".

He doesn't allow anything to happen. He works all things according to His good pleasure. He does not react to circumstances. Circumstances are the manifestation of His decree.

I am not trying to say I understand it all (nor even a good portion of it) but while it is true that nothing is done unless the Almighty has (at the least) allowed it, there is a realm of (to some degree) independence that He has established. The devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. He is a liar and the father of lies. His independence doesn't mean he is outside of God's decree, but it does mean that there is that which is "not of God". The Savior declared that those who did not hear Him were "not of God" (John 8:47). John said that there are spirits that are "not of God" (I John 4:3) and even echoes John 8:47 a few verses later (I John 4:6). We cannot say that that which is "not of God" is also "of God" in the same sense.

But even though there are "things" (in the most general sense) that are not of Him, it is also said that all things ARE of Him -- for those who are in Christ (2 Cor 5:18). He has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak things of the world to confound the mighty. What I am saying is that I see identity that can be expressed independently of Him - only in a limited sense. While He decreed (with that I agree) it is also true that He works all things according to His good pleasure. His working is present tense. So in the sense that there is (present tense) working going on, He has to interact with something or someone even though His decree has already been issued. Thus, I can't see how one can read Job and not see God allowing Satan to do what he wills -- knowing full well His own decree and that Satan is fulfilling His will. In that sense (the Almighty not doing as the active agent) God allows and so He still bears the ownership of the calamity that befalls His servant.

But to return to His pleasure - does He only have one pleasure? Is the good pleasure of His will all there is? For if that is so, nothing can happen outside of that pleasure. And if that in turn is so, how can it be that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11)?

 

[Truster]

I am not trying to say I understand it all (nor even a good portion of it) but while it is true that nothing is done unless the Almighty has (at the least) allowed it, there is a realm of (to some degree) independence that He has established. The devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. He is a liar and the father of lies. His independence doesn't mean he is outside of God's decree, but it does mean that there is that which is "not of God". The Savior declared that those who did not hear Him were "not of God" (John 8:47). John said that there are spirits that are "not of God" (I John 4:3) and even echoes John 8:47 a few verses later (I John 4:6). We cannot say that that which is "not of God" is also "of God" in the same sense.

But even though there are "things" (in the most general sense) that are not of Him, it is also said that all things ARE of Him -- for those who are in Christ (2 Cor 5:18). He has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak things of the world to confound the mighty. What I am saying is that I see identity that can be expressed independently of Him - only in a limited sense. While He decreed (with that I agree) it is also true that He works all things according to His good pleasure. His working is present tense. So in the sense that there is (present tense) working going on, He has to interact with something or someone even though His decree has already been issued. Thus, I can't see how one can read Job and not see God allowing Satan to do what he wills -- knowing full well His own decree and that Satan is fulfilling His will. In that sense (the Almighty not doing as the active agent) God allows and so He still bears the ownership of the calamity that befalls His servant.

But to return to His pleasure - does He only have one pleasure? Is the good pleasure of His will all there is? For if that is so, nothing can happen outside of that pleasure. And if that in turn is so, how can it be that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11)?

Satan fell because he, along with the other angels that would become demons, was created mutable. Satan was created so beautiful that he would eventually see the difference between himself and the rest of the host and pride would be his downfall.

There is nothing that has happened, nothing that is happening and nothing that will happen that is outside the will and control of the Eternal Almighty. If a man cannot see His hand in all then he is blind and cannot be grateful in all circumstances.

An error in this usually has people blaming and therefore giving glory to Satan for most of what goes on in the world. A study in Revelation informs us otherwise.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father". Better conveyed and understood as: "to the ground apart from the will of your Father".

"not of Elohim" does not mean what you are twisting it to mean.

 

[nikolai_42]

Satan fell because he, along with the other angels that would become demons, was created mutable. Satan was created so beautiful that he would eventually see the difference between himself and the rest of the host and pride would be his downfall.

There is nothing that has happened, nothing that is happening and nothing that will happen that is outside the will and control of the Eternal Almighty. If a man cannot see His hand in all then he is blind and cannot be grateful in all circumstances.

An error in this usually has people blaming and therefore giving glory to Satan for most of what goes on in the world. A study in Revelation informs us otherwise.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father". Better conveyed and understood as: "to the ground apart from the will of your Father".

I agree fully with all that you have written here. My response, however, was a look at the degree of God's control. Or maybe not the degree so much as the agency. We are told that the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God (James 1:20) - but that even man's wrath will praise Him...while the remainder of wrath HE will restrain (76:10). All things do and will redound to His glory because in one sense or another they are all of Him (Romans 11:36 and Hebrews 2:10). Yet in all that, He is not the author of sin - nor does He tempt men to sin. Were He Himself - by His own hand - to have done to Job what was done, He would be no less holy, righteous and just. But He didn't. He allowed Satan to do what he did - for His own purposes. But allow it He certainly did - Satan even asked permission, so the definition of "allow" seems to me to fit here. My issue is not with the degree of Divine Sovereignty, but that it becomes a monolithic thing - that God simply does everything (or it comes across that way) when there are problems with that definition of His sovereignty.

"not of Elohim" does not mean what you are twisting it to mean.

I was using that phrase to show that "of God" and "not of God" are distinctions that must be made even in the context of God's superintendence of all things. The Almighty is not juggling anything, but we see things as playing out in time what has been declared from eternity past. Since we have to contend with temporality, we have to understand things in that way and deal with things in that way - even if it means we see through a glass darkly until all things are made utterly plain in the light of eternity.

 

[Truster]

I agree fully with all that you have written here. My response, however, was a look at the degree of God's control. Or maybe not the degree so much as the agency. We are told that the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God (James 1:20) - but that even man's wrath will praise Him...while the remainder of wrath HE will restrain (76:10). All things do and will redound to His glory because in one sense or another they are all of Him (Romans 11:36 and Hebrews 2:10). Yet in all that, He is not the author of sin - nor does He tempt men to sin. Were He Himself - by His own hand - to have done to Job what was done, He would be no less holy, righteous and just. But He didn't. He allowed Satan to do what he did - for His own purposes. But allow it He certainly did - Satan even asked permission, so the definition of "allow" seems to me to fit here. My issue is not with the degree of Divine Sovereignty, but that it becomes a monolithic thing - that God simply does everything (or it comes across that way) when there are problems with that definition of His sovereignty.



I was using that phrase to show that "of God" and "not of God" are distinctions that must be made even in the context of God's superintendence of all things. The Almighty is not juggling anything, but we see things as playing out in time what has been declared from eternity past. Since we have to contend with temporality, we have to understand things in that way and deal with things in that way - even if it means we see through a glass darkly until all things are made utterly plain in the light of eternity.

There is no eternity past. Eternity is. Attempting to quantify eternal principles with a mind that is fixated on time is a losing battle. My meditations on eternity began with this sentence. "In eternity there are no broken pencils".

 

[nikolai_42]

There is no eternity past. Eternity is. Attempting to quantify eternal principles with a mind that is fixated on time is a losing battle. My meditations on eternity began with this sentence. "In eternity there are no broken pencils".

No argument there either. But again, in bringing time and timelessness into proximity, there has to be some sort of way to relate. The Savior said "...before Abraham, I AM". Timelessness related to eternity. While I am not making the same type of statement, to speak of eternity past is like the "before" of John 8:58. From our standpoint, God's decree is "from eternity past" though its ramifications fill both time and space.

 

[Truster]

No argument there either. But again, in bringing time and timelessness into proximity, there has to be some sort of way to relate. The Savior said "...before Abraham, I AM". Timelessness related to eternity. While I am not making the same type of statement, to speak of eternity past is like the "before" of John 8:58. From our standpoint, God's decree is "from eternity past" though its ramifications fill both time and space.

There is no eternity past.

It's on this point that beloved 57 falls into error and all the other filth he spouts is found in his ignorance of eternity. He says that we are born justified because we were justified in eternity past. This carries him through to the conclusion that a sinner needs no forgiveness, regeneration or conversion because it was all done in eternity "past".

As well as time and space the ramifications stir all matter.

In the beginning (time) Elohim created the heavens (space) and the earth (matter).

 

[oatmeal]

The Sovereignty Of God

By Andrew Wommack

My heart was really stirred this last month. I attended a meeting where an old friend of mine was ministering. He had been through some terrible things that nearly destroyed his faith. He became bitter and angry at God for the things that had happened. When I heard him, he had humbled himself and was again loving the Lord and excited about the future. Praise the Lord! However, in the process, he had come to believe that it was the Lord that caused all his problems. He had resigned himself to the "sovereignty of God."

I believe this is the worst doctrine in the church today. I know that this is a shocking statement and is near blasphemy to some people, but the way sovereignty" is taught today is a real faith killer. The belief that God controls everything that happens to us is one of the devil's biggest inroads into our lives. If this belief is true, then our actions are irrelevant, and our efforts are meaningless. What will be will be.

If we believe that God wills everything, good or bad, to happen to us, it gives us some temporary relief from confusion and condemnation, but in the long-term, it slanders God, hinders our trust in God, and leads to passiveness.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

The word "sovereign" is not used in the King James Version of the Bible. It is used 303 times in the Old Testament of the New International Version, but it is always used in association with the word "LORD" and is the equivalent of the King James Version's "LORD God." Not a single one of those times is the word "sovereign" used in the manner that it has come to be used in religion in our day and time.

Religion has resulted in the invention of a new meaning for the word "sovereign," which basically means God controls everything. Nothing can happen but what He wills or allows. However, there is nothing in the actual definition that states that. The dictionary defines "sovereign" as, "1. Paramount; supreme. 2. Having supreme rank or power. 3. Independent: a sovereign state. 4. Excellent." None of these definitions means that God controls everything.

It is assumed that since God is paramount or supreme that nothing can happen without His approval. That is not what the Scriptures teach. In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter said, "The Lord is...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This clearly states that it is not the Lord's will for anyone to perish, but people are perishing. Jesus said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat" (Matt. 7:13). Relatively few people are saved compared to the number that are lost. God's will for people concerning salvation is not being accomplished.


Continued

Awesome post!

Your post reflects things that have been brewing in my heart and mind for a time.

Your post says what I could not say well, and
it does so very eloquently!

Thank you

 

[oatmeal]

God permits things to happen.

What does "you reap what you sow" mean?

You sow evil, you reap evil,

Reaping what you sow, that is God's law and God's laws are real and produce the results God promises

You sow good, you reap good.

You sow love, you reap love

If you sow mercy, you reap mercy

If you sow destruction, you get destruction

If you sow corn, you get corn

Job 4:8

Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

Proverbs 22:8

He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

Matthew 13:39

The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

2 Corinthians 9:6

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Galatians 6:7

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:8

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

 

[Cross Reference]

Awesome post!

Your post reflects things that have been brewing in my heart and mind for a time.

Your post says what I could not say well, and
it does so very eloquently!

Thank you

Thank you, oatmeal, for your kind reply.

I pray that by such posts we might find yet more common ground in Christ.

 

[Pierac]

Awesome post!

Your post reflects things that have been brewing in my heart and mind for a time.

Your post says what I could not say well, and
it does so very eloquently!

Thank you

Indeed... You are asking and feeling the same human questions as many through the centuries... Questions that need to be asked with all our traditions of men drowning us with false beliefs of how God works!

YET

GOD is Love!

Trust in God's love for his creation... God knows what's best for us.

I have a feeling God is going to love you and all humanity ... much more than you could even love your own child!
Paul

 

[Cross Reference]

Indeed... You are asking and feeling the same human questions as many through the centuries... Questions that need to be asked with all our traditions of men drowning us with false beliefs of how God works!

YET

GOD is Love!

Trust in God's love for his creation... God knows what's best for us.

I have a feeling God is going to love you and all humanity ... much more than you could even love your own child!
Paul

I have an opposite feeling, i.e, most all humanity has no fear of God to obey Him. It will soon be they will soon know His wrath.