A Short Reflection: The Comfort of Having a High view of God’s Sovereignty

-

Recently I recounted a certain of my painful past, not for the first time, to a kind and young pastor (same age as me) of a local church in his home after a lovely dinner with him, his wife and four young children. Thereafter, we also had a cordial and enjoyable eschatological debate and discussion over the most bitter Mao Shan Wang Black Gold durian I have ever tried. I am glad I have grown closer to this godly family for the past year or more. This re-sharing is for the purpose of informing him for the first time of my latest view of the situation. He asked in conclusion: how do you view God in all this suffering? Below is my short reflection of that question.

God is the cause of salvation and damnation. He is the cause of righteousness and evil. He is the ultimate cause of all things without exception. Nothing exists and happens outside of Him. The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil (Proverbs 16:4). 

I dare to say that God is the one who created evil (Isaiah 45:7). He, creating evil, is not evil because whatever that He does is good by definition. God can do anything He wants, and He will always be the infinitely perfect God, no matter what the devil and men may say. He is the one who caused this suffering that I experienced. He is the one who predetermined it in my life from eternity. Does this admittance lead me to lose faith? Nay, rather it strengthens it because I know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). I know that anything that happens in my life is for my sanctification, which is the means towards that future perfect glorification which He has promised His children. If I am a free-willer, believing that my salvation, damnation and circumstances all depend on my free will, I would have lost my faith and firmly believe that man is the master of his own destiny. That Arminian view is the foundation of the doubt that many Christians would fall into: where was God in all this suffering? Why didn't He stop all this suffering?

This highly deterministic view that I hold to will lead one to live a life without worry and fear.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:28 and Its Implication on the Doctrine of God’s Eternal Reprobation

-
  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his  purpose (Romans 8:28). This verse is most quoted for the Christian’s comfort and assures us that whatever circumstances we experience in our lives, God always works all things for the elect’s good, who are called to the unmerited salvation of the soul since before the foundation of the world for the glory of His grace. The lack of understanding of this verse causes some to lose faith when they encounter trials and tribulations. Even for the elect who is not justified yet in time (i.e. currently a hater of God, but a sure lover of God in the future), the glorious promise of Romans 8:28 is upon them because the goodness of God will lead him to repentance according to His perfect timing (Romans 2:4). His goodness will never separate the elect from the love God. The universe exists for the good of God’s elect and ultimately to manifest the glory of God. " For I am p
Read more

The Origin of Moral Evil as Revealed in the Word of God

-
  This article is an expansion of my previous article “A Brief Thought on the Origin of Moral Evil”.    The origin of moral evil has baffled many Christian theologians throughout the ages. For many years, I have been thinking much about the topic of theodicy. If God is good, why is there evil? Many Christians concluded that God is the creator of everything except sin or moral evil because the infinitely good God cannot be involved with sin in any way. Satan and man are the sole causes, founders, and creators of sin. For many Christians, that’s the safety mark. However, I am not satisfied with that cowardly answer. I heartily agree with the famous Christian Counsellor, Jay Adams, who laid out the most basic theodicy question in his book “The Grand Demonstration: A Biblical Study of the So-called Problem of Evil”:   “To say that all evil is the result of the fall of Adam is perfectly true—but piteously inadequate. That response merely moves the question back a step: how could there
Read more

A Brief Thought on the Origin of Moral Evil

-
  The origin of moral evil has baffled many Christian theologians throughout the ages. For many years, I have been thinking a lot about the topic of theodicy. If God is good, why is there moral evil? Many Christians have concluded that God is the creator of everything except sin or moral evil because the infinitely good God cannot be involved with sin in any way. Satan and man are the sole causes, founders, and creators of sin. For many Christians, that’s the safety mark. This article is by no means an exhaustive treatment of the subject and it is also by no means to give anyone a license to sin. This article is nothing but a meagre attempt to explain the most controversial eternal metaphysical working of God which I believe the Bible has revealed. Many theories have been thought of in the attempt to protect the goodness of God from the stain of sin or moral evil. However, many have intentionally or inadvertently denied His omnipotence and omniscience.    Moderate or hypo- Calv
Read more