God's Mysterious Soveriegnty

“But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:” (Ac 27:43 AV)

Another example of the mysterious sovereignty of God in balance with the free will of man.  Just a few verses earlier, Paul testifies the LORD spoke to him that he would arrive safely at Rome to appear before Caesar.  This prophecy was absolute and must come to pass.  As the ship lay broken, those tasked with keeping the prisoners knew that if any escaped, they would pay with their lives.  Their solution was to kill them by drowning.  Note here what the centurion chose to do.  He was WILLING to save Paul.  The centurion acted in his own free will have became a part of God’s unalterable sovereign plan.  Those who believe the error that God causes man’s choices, or the error that man determines God’s will, will find this verse troubling.  The fact that God knows our choices does not force those choices.  This is the wonder of God’s sovereignty.

When we surrender to the wonder of God’s sovereignty, we will surrender to a God whom we cannot understand.  God is beyond our thoughts.  Which also means that God’s methods of exercising that sovereignty is beyond our thoughts or ability to understand.   We don’t have to understand all things just to be able to enjoy them.  We don’t have to understand how an airplane stays up in the air in order to enjoy it and ride along.  We don’t have to understand the finer points of hydrodynamics to get lost in the wonder of the Niagara Falls.  Sometimes, our theologians do more harm than good.  We try to dissect and explain God beyond our ability to do so.  In doing so, we bring God down to our level, thus tarnishing the glory of who and what God is.

When we begin to think the choices of man are our master, they are not.  God already knew what all men would chose.  These are counted into God’s plan and the circumstances of those choices are determined by the sovereign will of God.  He is always in control.  He has not abdicated His throne to the free will choices of man. What HE has chosen is to use those choices for His ends and for His glory!  Praise be to God that I worship and have faith in a sovereign God who is not subject to, yet uses the free will choices of men!