God’s Power is Absolute
The Omnipotent God carries out His plan in absolute sovereign power. We have become unaccustomed to the term “absolute” since “relativism” is the philosophy of our age. But Isaiah says, “The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand: This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Is. 14:24, 26, 27)
Again Isaiah says, “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.” (Is. 46:9-11)
Our Lord God is in absolute control of all things in order that His entire creation, which was created purely for His own glory, may fulfill this purpose. I Timothy 6:15, 16 describes God as “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”
God’s Reign is Glorious
It is evident from Psalm 104 that the whole creation not only exists by God’s gracious provisions, but it exists for His purposes and glory. “May the glory of the LORD endure forever; May the LORD rejoice in His works.” (Ps. 104:31)
Romans 11:36 says, “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” See also Ps. 119:89-91.
If God is the sovereign, eternal Creator who is able to perfectly perform all His holy will, then it follows that all things bring glory to God. Romans 9:22 and 23 speak of the “vessels of his wrath prepared for destruction” (cf. Rev. 15:1,7; 16:1) as well as “the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory.”
It must also follow that everything that man does–every facet of his existence–is likewise under the sovereign Lordship of God and must be performed for His glory. There are no neutral areas–no grey areas–which are sometimes referred to as “secular” or “natural.”
All existence is by the supernatural power of God and conformable to His eternal decrees. So in man’s existence, nothing comes about by chance. No part of the creation is “out of control” or left to the mercy of natural laws or to the whims of man or the Devil.
Blog post content is taken from Rev. Paul Treick’s book, Faith of Our Fathers, Living Still: A Study of the Five Points of Calvinism. It is posted with the gracious permission of the author. If you’ve enjoyed reading it, you can purchase a copy for yourself. If you want to read other blog posts in this series, start here.