At various times throughout our life here on earth, we will come to a crossroads where a choice must be made, and there is always a moment of internal struggle between flesh and spirit as we decide which path to follow. While each situation may be different, for the believer the underlying question is really always the same- either you believe God is sovereign, or you don’t. Either His Word is the ultimate standard by which you measure all of your thoughts, decisions and actions, or it’s not. Either you are subject to His will, or you are not.
Consider just a few of the claims the Bible makes about God:
- God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him (Revelation 21:6).
- God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).
- God knows all things past, present, and future. There is no limit to His knowledge, for God knows everything completely before it even happens (Romans 11:33).
- God can do all things and accomplish all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Whatever He wants to do in the universe, He does, for nothing is impossible with Him (Jeremiah 32:17).
- God is in control of all things and rules over all things. He has power and authority over nature, earthly kings, history, angels, and demons. Even Satan himself has to ask God’s permission before he can act (Psalm 103:19).
That’s what being sovereign means. It means being the ultimate source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. However, too many Christians submit to the sovereignty of God only when the governing authority given to us in the Bible agrees with their already held sentiments or what works best for them. Bring them to a crossroads where following God’s Word causes them pain or difficulty, or requires that they give something up which they hold dear, and suddenly they discover a gray area within Christianity. We see this, “it’s not that black and white” argument come up when a believer is experiencing an internal struggle because what they want or believe is challenged by the clear and perfect will of God.
But it is a false argument because God IS black and white when it comes to his desire for how we should live our lives and it could not be made any clearer than when he said, “BE holy, for I am holy.” Then, to make sure there was no uncertainty He left us a guidebook called the Bible detailing exactly what that looks like. Finally, to hammer it home, He sent His Son down to walk out this life and show us how it is done in complete obedience to The Father. God does not relax His standards simply because obeying Him will be difficult for our flesh. To do so would be to rationalize sin (living outside of His will) and He will not do it because a holy God cannot abide sin. His demands are the same for everyone at all times, no matter what.
Before entering the Promised Land, Joshua addressed the people and put them at a crossroads saying, “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…”. This same decision is put before every person on earth, but if you call yourself a Christian, you are proclaiming that you have decided to serve the Lord God and THAT decision should determine the answer to every question you are ever faced with in life.
