The Sovereignty of God & Providence¶
We've crafted an unofficial, source-cited, non-commercial index of Dr. R.C. Sproul's publicly available teachings, weighted by how many independent sources corroborate each point. The content is authored by Dr. R.C. Sproul and published by Ligonier Ministries (a few items are third-party YouTube re-uploads); see the Methodology & Rights page for more info. Quotations are brief, linked to their source, and reproduced for study under Ligonier's Copyright Policy (ligonier.org/copyright-policy). This site is humbly offered for personal use only, out of love and respect, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ligonier Ministries or St. Andrew's Chapel.
310 positions — 29 corroborated across multiple sources.
Well-attested positions¶
Independently stated in two or more of his messages.
Human free will is limited by the sovereign authority and power of Almighty God, meaning man can be free but never autonomous.
We have free will in the sense that we have the power to do what we want. We don't have free will in the sense that we have the power to do what we want with impunity, because over and above my free will always stands the sovereign authority and the power of Almighty God. And if your anthropology makes man sovereign, your anthropology is not Christian.
Corroborated across 6 sources: Does Prayer Change God’s Mind? (Ligonier article) · The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article) · What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:36 · R.C. Sproul @ 27:27 · From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God's freedom is unlimited and ultimately limits human freedom, meaning human freedom cannot overrule God's sovereign decisions.
What ultimately limits our freedom is God’s freedom. This is where we run into the conflict between divine sovereignty and human freedom. Some say that God’s sovereignty is limited by human freedom. If that is the case, then man is sovereign, not God. The Reformed faith teaches that human freedom is real but limited by God’s sovereignty.
Corroborated across 5 sources: Since God Is Sovereign, How Are Humans Free? (Ligonier article) · The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 2:20 · R.C. Sproul @ 7:05 · From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Christ is the supreme ruler over all earthly and heavenly authorities.
God has enthroned Christ as the King of kings. So if Christ is the prime minister of the universe, it means that all the kings of this world have a King who reigns over them and that all the earthly lords have a superior Lord to whom they are accountable.
Corroborated across 5 sources: If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? (Ligonier article) · The Origin and Function of Government Under God (Ligonier article) · The God Who Sees (Ligonier article) · The Importance of Cultural Awareness (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 4:15
Jesus ascended to heaven and was appointed by the Father to rule over all the earth, holding supreme titles like Adonai.
In His exaltation, Jesus ascends to heaven and sits at the right hand of God, where He is appointed by the Father to rule over all the earth, to be the King of kings and Lord of lords, to be Adonai, David’s Lord, Caesar’s Lord, your Lord, my Lord.
Corroborated across 5 sources: Jesus Appears (Ligonier) · Jesus’ Authority & the Parable of the Tenants (Ligonier) · Christ Coming in Glory (Ligonier) · Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier) · The Resurrection & David's Son (Ligonier)
God has the divine right to show mercy and compassion to whomever He desires, rather than only to those who meet certain conditions.
He says from the beginning, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.” It is not on those who meet some conditions, but on those whom He is pleased to bestow the benefit.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 47:06 · TULIP and Reformed Theology: Unconditional Election (Ligonier article) · The Return of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
The name given to Jesus, which rises above all other titles, is God's title Adonai, signifying absolute sovereignty.
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, in chapter 2, in the so-called kenotic hymn, it is said that Jesus is given the name that is above all names. The name that He is given that rises above all other titles that anyone can receive, is a name that is reserved for God. It is God’s title Adonai , which means the “One who is absolutely sovereign.”
Corroborated across 3 sources: Bearing Witness to an Invisible Kingdom (Ligonier article) · The King of Kings (Ligonier article) · The Widow's Son (Ligonier)
God is sovereign over evil and pain, meaning Satan cannot act without God's authority.
It is for this reason that foundational to the Christian faith is the affirmation that God is sovereign over evil and over all pain. It will not do to dismiss the problem of pain to the realm of Satan. Satan can do nothing except under the sovereign authority of God.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Mystery of Iniquity (Ligonier article) · The Problem of Pain (Ligonier article) · Why Does God Allow Evil? (Ligonier article)
All authority, whether held by an institution or a person, is derived and delegated by God, meaning it is not intrinsic.
All authority rests ultimately in God, and there is no authority invested in any institution or in any person except through the delegation of that authority from God. Any authority that I have in any area of my life is a derived, appointed, and delegated authority. It is not intrinsic but extrinsic.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Origin and Function of Government Under God (Ligonier article) · The Divine Foundation of Authority (Ligonier article) · Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The idea that God's sovereignty is constrained by human freedom is blasphemous because it reduces God to the status of a secondary, impotent creature.
The thought verges on, if not trespasses, the border of blasphemy because it contains the idea that God’s sovereignty is constrained by human freedom. If that were true, then man, not God, would be sovereign, and God would be restrained and constrained by the power of human freedom.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 28:54 · From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God is sovereign over nature, history and human affairs, and He has the inherent right to impose obligations on His creatures.
I generally say that there are four ways that God is sovereign. He is sovereign over nature. He is sovereign over history and human affairs. And He is sovereign in His inherent right to impose obligations on His creatures, to say to them, “Thou shalt not do this” and “Thou shalt do that.”
Corroborated across 3 sources: What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign? (Ligonier article) · Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier) · Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God exercises sovereignty over all things, meaning all events ultimately occur through His sovereign agency.
All things that come to pass ultimately come to pass through the sovereign agency of God Himself. We need to understand that. We need to embrace it, and we need to love it.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 2:06 · R.C. Sproul @ 11:34 · Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
God's grace is so powerful that it extends back into time, allowing Him to determine to shed it on individuals in His sovereign plan.
I would think would be the cause of great rejoicing among Christians who understand that God's grace is so powerful that God's grace extends back so far into time that in the sovereign Creator's plan for the ages, He determined to shed His grace on you, to prepare a place for you in heaven.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 15:09 · R.C. Sproul @ 15:08
God created the world by the power and authority of His command, which is called the divine imperative.
Scripture gives us only the briefest description of how He did it. We find therein the “divine imperative” or the “divine fiat,” whereby God created by the power and authority of His command. God said, “Let there be…,” and there was. That is the divine imperative.
Corroborated across 2 sources: In the Beginning... (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 18:24
All authority, whether held by an institution or a person, ultimately originates from and is delegated by God.
All authority rests ultimately in God, and there is no authority invested in any institution or in any person except through the delegation of that authority from God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Living under Authority (Ligonier article) · The Origin and Function of Government Under God (Ligonier article)
Christians have a fundamental obligation to model civil obedience and submit to governing authorities.
Paul is simply reiterating here what he teaches elsewhere, what is also taught by Peter in his epistles—and by our Lord Himself—that there is a fundamental obligation of the Christian to be a model of civil obedience. We as the people of God are called upon to be as obedient as we possibly can in good conscience to the powers that be.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Origin and Function of Government Under God (Ligonier article) · Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God's mercy is voluntary and not obligated; He is not bound to grant it to anyone.
And God reminds us, again and again, that it is His right to grant His mercy upon whom He will grant His mercy. And if He grants mercy to one, He is not obligated to give it to the other.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Reformed View of Predestination (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 17:26
God is the ultimate owner of all things, and humans are merely stewards who manage resources He has loaned to them.
God is the author of all things, the Creator of all things, and the owner of all things. Whatever God makes, He owns. What we own, we own as stewards who have been given gifts from God Himself.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Does the Bible Say About Christian Tithing? (Ligonier article) · Sacrifice and Stewardship (Ligonier article)
The state is not autonomous or a law unto itself, but rather is under God and accountable to His authority.
the state recognized that the state was not autonomous, that the state was not a law unto itself but that the state itself is under God. And to be under God means to be accountable to His authority.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Divine Foundation of Authority (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 13:23
A republic is fundamentally different from a democracy because it places constitutional restraints on the majority to prevent the tyranny of the majority.
A democracy is ruled by shear majority vote. A republic takes very seriously the process of democratic elections and majority selections of candidates and so on for high office, but a republic always puts certain restraints upon a democracy -- the restraints of foundational constitutional law. And the reason for that, ladies and gentlemen, is to restrain and, if possible, prevent the tyranny of a majority over a minority.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Politization of Truth: The New Sophism (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 11:41
God's sovereignty includes all things, including human wickedness, which He uses for His righteous purposes.
But it is good that there is evil, or evil could not be, because all things are under the scope of God’s sovereignty, including our wickedness, which He uses for His righteous purposes.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign? (Ligonier article) · Peter's Sermon - Part 2 (Ligonier)
God's sovereignty means that He is responsible for all aspects of life, including both good and bad outcomes.
I form the light, I create the darkness, I make peace, and I create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 4:13 · The Magnificat (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Everything that happens in this world ultimately occurs because of divine sovereignty.
Anything that happens in this world cannot happen apart from divine sovereignty.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 3:02 · R.C. Sproul @ 3:58
God's sovereignty allows Him to operate actively (by shaping history or commanding existence) or passively (by restraining limits and presenting opportunities).
He can operate His sovereign power actively or passively. He can determine by shaping the events of history to bring to pass what He will bring to pass. He can command unilaterally worlds to come into existence. He can bring back the dead to life by the power of His command. That’s how much power He has. And we speak of it in terms of omnipotence—absolute power over the created order. But God also exercises that power of sovereignty by means of a passive operation through what we would call the “restraining power” of providence.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
Sovereignty is an essential attribute of God's deity, and if God were not sovereign, He would not be God.
If there were one maverick molecule in the universe running loose outside the scope of God’s sovereign control, God would not be sovereign. If He were not sovereign, He would not be God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 2:06 · Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
God is absolutely sovereign over everything that happens, meaning He ordains all things.
All it says is that from all eternity God ordains whatsoever comes to pass. I said, "What that statement affirms is that God is sovereign over everything that happens."
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · R.C. Sproul @ 17:10
The concept of separation of church and state was developed to guarantee free exercise of religion while restraining one religion from usurping authority over others.
At the same time, in order to secure both things namely the guarantee of the free exercise of religion on the one hand and the restraint against attempts of one religion to usurp authority over all others, we had the laws established to prohibit one church from becoming the state church.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 4:50 · Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The Westminster Confession affirms that God is sovereign even while allowing for the freedom of creatures.
But we are affirming a sovereign God, who is sovereign even over free creatures. That is the point that the Confession is making.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 1:58 · R.C. Sproul @ 9:48
God possesses both the power and the authority to prevent any event from occurring, and He can choose whether or not to exercise that authority.
God certainly has the power. Here is the more difficult question: Does He have the authority to stop me if He desires? We would say that God has the authority and the power to prevent anything from happening that does in fact happen. God can exercise His authority, power, and sovereignty by stopping it from happening, or He can choose not to stop it.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 5:12 · Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Believing in God's sovereignty means trusting in a holy, righteous, good, and compassionate God who controls all things.
To believe in the sovereignty of God, however, is to believe in the sovereignty of a holy God, a righteous God, a good God who does all things well, and a God who is filled with mercy and compassion.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 2:51 · Healing of the Leper (Ligonier)
Further positions¶
Drawn from a single high-trust (official transcript) source.
God sometimes wills suffering and says no to human requests, and His plan is sovereign.
But God said no. The way of suffering was the Father’s plan. It was the Father’s will. The cross was not Satan’s idea. The passion of Christ was not the result of human contingency.
Source: Accepting “No” as God’s Will (Ligonier article)
Ultimate coherency cannot come from the contingency of this world; it requires a transcendent order.
This ultimate coherency cannot be provided by the contingency of this world. It requires a transcendent order.
Source: All Truth Is God’s Truth (Ligonier article)
Western scientific discoveries were led by Christians who viewed their pursuit of knowledge and beauty as a responsibility to God.
It was not by accident that the great discoveries of Western science were spearheaded by Christians who took seriously their responsibilities to exercise dominion over the earth in service to God.
Source: God Is the Source (Ligonier article)
When inexplicable disasters occur, one must acknowledge God's sovereignty and refrain from making facile connections between guilt and disaster.
Texts including the book of Job and John 9 keep us from universally declaring that pain is a specific punishment for specific sin. That means that when inexplicable disasters occur, we must say with Martin Luther, “Let God be God.”
Source: Answering Evil (Ligonier article)
Humans are responsible for their own sin and cannot pass the blame or responsibility for sin to a controlling demon.
Satan may be our accomplice in our ongoing sin, but we cannot pass the blame and responsibility for our sin to a controlling demon.
Source: Are We Too Concerned with Demons? (Ligonier article)
Cassian maintained that man retains moral responsibility and the power to cooperate with or reject God's grace.
Context: Attributed to Cassian
Man retains moral responsibility and with that responsibility the power to choose to cooperate with grace or not.
Source: The Battle for Grace Alone (Ligonier article)
The title 'Lord' (Adonai) signifies absolute sovereignty, which is the core message of Christian confession.
The name that He is given that rises above all other titles that anyone can receive, is a name that is reserved for God. It is God’s title Adonai , which means the “One who is absolutely sovereign.”
Source: Bearing Witness to an Invisible Kingdom (Ligonier article)
The basis for the church's mission is the Word of God spoken in divine authority, which is a mandate from Christ.
Here we see the basis for the mission of the church. God sent Christ; Christ sent the church. The biblical basis for missions is the Word of God spoken in divine authority; it is the mandate of Christ.
Source: The Biblical Basis for Missions (Ligonier article)
Acknowledging God's sovereignty, justice, and omniscience is necessary, because failing to do so means one is not truly glorifying God.
If you don’t acknowledge the sovereignty of God, if you don’t acknowledge the justice of God, if you don’t acknowledge the omniscience of God, the immutability of God, then whatever god it is that you are acknowledging is not God.
Source: Calvin’s Defining Passion in the Protestant Reformation (Ligonier article)
The scientific enterprise is a part of the original mandate given by God to man to conquer the universe.
The scientific enterprise is a part of that task.
Source: The Christian and Science (Ligonier article)
Sproul personally believes in a separation of authority between the church and state, viewing it as a marvelous structure that keeps both answerable to God.
I personally believe in a separation of spheres of authority between the church and state. I think it is a marvelous structure in the United States of America that does not allow for the state to rule the church or the church to rule the state.
Source: What Is a Christian’s Responsibility to Government? (Ligonier article)
All human governments are accountable to God and must maintain their affairs with justice and righteousness.
Every human government is accountable to God and is accountable to maintain its affairs with justice and with righteousness.
Source: What Is a Christian’s Responsibility to Government? (Ligonier article)
The principle of sola Scriptura asserts that the Bible is the sole written source of divine revelation, giving it the authority to bind the conscience.
The idea of sola Scriptura is that there is only one written source of divine revelation, which can never be placed on a parallel status with confessional statements, creeds, or the traditions of the church. Scripture alone has the authority to bind the conscience precisely because only Scripture is the written revelation of almighty God.
Source: The Christian’s Duty to Hold Firm (Ligonier article)
God is the omnipotent Lord who actively governs everything He creates moment by moment.
Instead, He was affirming that God is the omnipotent Lord who governs everything that He makes from moment to moment.
Source: Did God Create the Universe and Then Step out of the Picture? (Ligonier article)
The primary reason for praying is because of God's sovereignty, which is defined as ordering things according to God's purpose.
The very reason we pray is because of God’s sovereignty, because we believe that God has it within His power to order things according to His purpose. That is what sovereignty is all about—ordering things according to God’s purpose.
Source: Does Prayer Change God’s Mind? (Ligonier article)
Scripture refutes the idea that God's sovereignty negates the need for prayer, affirming that prayer does indeed effect change.
Given these scriptural passages, and the many, many more that clearly show that prayer does achieve things, we are not free to say: "Well, God is in control. He's sovereign, immutable, and omniscient, so whatever will be will be. There's no point in praying." Scripture universally and absolutely denies that conclusion. Instead, it affirms that prayer does effect change.
Source: The Efficacy of Prayer (Ligonier article)
God, despite His sovereignty, responds to human prayers.
God, in His sovereignty, responds to our prayers.
Source: The Efficacy of Prayer (Ligonier article)
God reserves the absolute right to exercise His mercy and grace according to His own good pleasure.
Paul made it unambiguously clear that God always reserves the right to exercise His mercy and grace according to His own good pleasure. This is the supreme right of executive clemency.
Source: Is Election Unfair? (Ligonier article)
Believers are responsible for sharing what they have learned about God’s sovereign grace with others.
So yes, we are to share what we have learned about God’s sovereign grace with those around us.
Source: Escaping the “Cage Stage” (Ligonier article)
Reformed theology is theocentric, meaning its central focus is God, and the doctrine of God permeates all its thought.
The next point we make by way of negation is that Reformed theology is not anthropocentric. That is to say, Reformed theology is not centered on human beings. The central focal point of Reformed theology is God, and it’s the doctrine of God that permeates the whole of the substance of Reformed thought. Thus Reformed theology, by way of affirmation, can be called theocentric.
Source: The Fine Points of Calvinism (Ligonier article)
Work was an inherent and glorious privilege granted to humanity before the Fall, not a punishment.
We must remember that work was given before the Fall. To be sure, our labor has added burdens attached to it. A mixture of thorns and thistles is found among the good plants we seek to cultivate. Our labor is accomplished by the sweat of our brow. These were the penalties of sinfulness, but work itself was part of the glorious privilege granted to men and women in creation.
Source: God’s Will and Your Job (Ligonier article)
The Stoics believed that the only thing an individual can control is their internal reaction to circumstances.
They said, “The only thing that I have control over in my life is how I inwardly react to circumstance. If I’m going to get hit by a car this afternoon, I can’t help that because I have no control over it.”
Source: What Is Hedonism? (Ligonier article)
While secondary causes (like gravity or human actions) are real, their power ultimately rests on the primary power of God.
Gravity exists, but its power is not inherent. Even the power of gravity rests on the primary power of God. Gravity is not an independent primary cause. The only primary cause is the one by whom all things are made and in whom all things hold together.
Source: How Can God Bring Good Out of Evil? (Ligonier article)
God achieves His purposes through the concurrence (flowing together) of human and divine wills, using even wicked actions for redemptive purposes.
In this drama, there is a concurrence between God’s intention and men’s intention. One intention is motivated by pure holiness, the other by sheer wickedness. Joseph’s brothers meant his suffering for evil, and insofar as this was their motivation, they were culpable before God. But God had ordained that through the brothers’ choices, He would bring Joseph to Egypt.
Source: How Can God Bring Good Out of Evil? (Ligonier article)
Understanding God's sovereignty should motivate believers toward an intense life of thanksgiving.
If anything, our understanding of God’s sovereignty should provoke us to an intense prayer life of thanksgiving. Because of such knowledge, we should see that every benefit, every good and perfect gift, is an expression of the abundance of His grace.
Source: If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? (Ligonier article)
While the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is complex, individuals must still pray for pardon because their own sin stems from their heart.
I may not understand the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, but I do realize that what stems from the wickedness of my own heart may not be assigned to the will of God. So we must pray because we are guilty, pleading the pardon of the Holy One whom we have offended.
Source: If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? (Ligonier article)
God has established law and order in the universe, and believers are called to bear witness to this order, even when submitting to human authorities.
There is such a thing as law and order that God Himself has ordained in the universe. And we’re called to bear witness to that, even by suffering through uncomfortable, inconvenient, and sometimes painful submission to the lawful rules of even those authorities who do not recognize God, for even the godless authorities have been established by God.
Source: Living under Authority (Ligonier article)
It is easier to submit to human authorities when the focus is shifted to Christ, who is recognized as the ultimate cosmic authority.
But if somehow we can look through them, look past them, look over them, and see the One whom the Father has invested with ultimate cosmic authority, namely, Christ Himself, we’ll have an easier time submitting.
Source: Living under Authority (Ligonier article)
The biblical concept of the will of God is a highly complex matter that cannot be approached simplistically.
I emphasize the point of data, complexity, and simplicity because the biblical meaning of the will of God is a very complicated matter. To approach it simplistically is to invite disaster.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
When God sovereignly decrees something, nothing can prevent it from happening, and its effects are efficacious.
Theologians describe that will by which God decrees things to come to pass according to His supreme sovereignty as the “decretive will of God.” This is also sometimes called “God’s sovereign efficacious will”; by it God brings to pass whatsoever He wills.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
The decretive will of God is absolute and cannot be thwarted, meaning that when God decrees something, it will inevitably come to pass.
When God sovereignly decrees something in this sense, nothing can thwart its coming to pass.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
Humans are passive regarding God's sovereign will, but active and responsible regarding His preceptive will.
With respect to God’s sovereign will, we assume we are passive. With respect to His preceptive will, we know that we are active and therefore responsible and accountable.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
The supreme authority defining the belief system of the Roman Catholic Church belongs to the bishop of Rome, along with church councils.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
He is the one who, along with church councils, defines the belief system of the Roman Catholic Church.
Source: Misunderstanding Vatican II (Ligonier article)
Christ's authority is superior to all earthly rulers, and Christians must prioritize loyalty to Christ over earthly authorities.
We are called to respect, honor, pray for, and be in subjection to our earthly authorities, but the minute we exalt the earthly authority over the authority of Christ, we have betrayed Him, and we have committed treason against the King of kings. His authority is higher than the authority of the president of the United States or Congress or the king of Spain or any ruler anywhere else.
Source: The Origin and Function of Government Under God (Ligonier article)
Prayer does not change God's mind because God is omniscient and sovereign.
What kind of God could be influenced by my prayers? What could my prayers do to induce Him to change His plans? Could I possibly give God any information about anything that He doesn’t already have? Or could I persuade Him toward a more excellent way by my superior wisdom? Of course not. I am completely unqualified to be God’s mentor or His guidance counselor. So the simple answer is that prayer does not change God’s mind.
Source: God-Ordained Means (Ligonier article)
Existentialism emphasizes absolute freedom, requiring the individual to autonomously create their own destiny and act without submitting to established norms.
As Nietzsche's Superman creates a master morality so the existential person must carve out his own destiny by being morally autonomous. He must learn to be a law unto himself. He need not submit to norms because there are no norms.
Source: Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
The church's responsibility to tithe to God is independent of any financial benefit received from the secular government.
But on one condition: that we not speak out on the political issues in our day. Ladies and Gentlemen that's a compromise that the church can never afford to make. I'm not allowed by law at this point to tell you who to vote for, to recommend or endorse a particular candidate, and I'm going to obey that law because I'm called to obey the civil magistrates even when I disagree with those civil magistrates. But at the same time I'm going to protest against that condition and say to the church if it means that we have to give up our tax deductions so be it. Because we shouldn't be giving our donations and charitable gifts to the church just so we can get a tax write-off.
Source: Principles for Voting (Ligonier article)
The state has a divine mandate to protect, maintain, and preserve the sanctity of life, and citizens must hold it accountable through their votes.
We are not asking the state to be the church but we must say to the state, "Please be the state. God ordained you to protect, maintain, and preserve the sanctity of life, and you are not doing it."
Source: Principles for Voting (Ligonier article)
Satan cannot act or inflict pain without the sovereign authority of God.
Satan can do nothing except under the sovereign authority of God. He cannot throw a single fiery dart our way without the sovereign will of our heavenly Father.
Source: The Problem of Pain (Ligonier article)
True Christian faith teaches that one's future belongs to God's sovereignty, not to stars or soothsayers.
My tomorrow and your tomorrows are in the hands of God. We make our requests before Him and we trust our tomorrows to His sovereignty. I’m delighted that my future is not in the hands of the stars or the soothsayers. Rather, my future is in the hands of the will of the sovereign God.
Source: R.C. Sproul's Warning Concerning Prayer (Ligonier article)
Reformed theology rejects hyper-supralapsarianism because it suggests a divine tyranny.
Only in a positive-positive schema of predestination does double-predestination leave us with a capricious deity whose sovereign decrees manifest a divine tyranny. Reformed theology has consistently eschewed such a hyper-supralapsarianism.
Source: The Reformed View of Predestination (Ligonier article)
The most important matter is not who holds political power in the White House, but rather the King who sits over it.
But ultimately, the most important matter is not who sits in the White House but who sits over the White House. The one who sits over the White House is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and our Savior.
Source: Remember Who Sits Over the White House (Ligonier article)
Covetousness arises when we believe we have an inalienable right to pursue pleasure as the ultimate source of happiness.
This turns into covetousness when we believe that we have an inalienable right to pursue pleasure as the source of happiness.
Source: The Secret to a Happy Life (Ligonier article)
Statism occurs when the government is perceived or claims to be the ultimate reality, replacing God as the supreme entity.
A decline from statehood to statism happens when the government is perceived as or claims to be the ultimate reality. This reality then replaces God as the supreme entity upon which human existence depends.
Source: Statism (Ligonier article)
God maintains an ultimate standard of righteousness and truth that the world cannot compromise.
I am comforted by the fact that an ultimate standard of righteousness and truth exists. The whole world can compromise it, but God won’t.
Source: Striking a Chord in the Heart of the Believer: An Interview with R.C. Sproul (Ligonier article)
The text indicates that suffering according to God's will is a matter of divine sovereignty.
Here, Peter erases all doubt about the question of whether it is ever the will of God that we should suffer. He speaks of those who suffer “according to the will of God.” This text means that suffering itself is part of the sovereign will of God.
Source: Surprised by Suffering (Ligonier article)
The Bible alone is the only authority that can absolutely bind a person's conscience because it carries the intrinsic authority of God.
Context: Summarizing Luther's stated position, not Sproul's own.
In that statement, Luther was affirming publicly his commitment to the principle of sola Scriptura , that the Bible alone is the only authority that can bind the conscience of a person absolutely because it is the only authority that carries with it the intrinsic authority of God Himself.
Source: The Divine Foundation of Authority (Ligonier article)
The sin of Adam and Eve was grasping for autonomy, which is defined as attempting to take authority that belongs only to God.
The primal sin of Adam and Eve could be described as the grasping for autonomy. They sought to take for themselves the authority that belonged only to God.
Source: The Divine Foundation of Authority (Ligonier article)
Any authority that rules without a divine foundation is considered tyranny.
Any authority that rules without divine foundation is tyranny.
Source: The Divine Foundation of Authority (Ligonier article)
God governs the universe in total awareness, meaning He does not overlook even the slightest detail.
God does not overlook even the slightest detail in the universe. Rather, He governs the universe in total awareness of everything that is happening within it.
Source: The God Who Sees (Ligonier article)
Calvin's theological focus emphasized God's sovereignty in all aspects of life, particularly reforming worship to prevent idolatry.
Calvin’s theology stressed the sovereignty of God in all of life. His chief passion was the reform of worship to a level of purity that would give no hint to or support of the human penchant for idolatry.
Source: The History of the Reformation (Ligonier article)
Understanding an event, such as a church building acquisition, depends entirely on whether one views God as sovereign or believes nobody is in heaven.
If there is no God then the answer is easy--it was a sheer human deal and any appeal to Providence is a delusion. If there is a God who answers prayers then the pastor was correct in calling his congregation to a spirit of gratitude before God. How we understand the incident depends on how we view the world we live in.
Source: The Importance of Cultural Awareness (Ligonier article)
In any authority relationship, the person with greater authority and power has a wider expanse of freedom than the subordinate.
Within the authority structure of my own family, for example, I and my son are free moral agents; he has a will and I have a will. His will, however, is more often constrained by my will than is my will constrained by his. I carry more authority and more power in the relationship and hence have a wider expanse of freedom than he has.
Source: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article)
The primary protection of a republic is a constitution that guarantees individual rights against the tyranny of the majority.
The chief safeguard of a republic is embodied in a constitution that guarantees certain rights to every person in the society, individual rights that may not be usurped via a tyranny of the majority.
Source: The Politization of Truth: The New Sophism (Ligonier article)
Calvin's system of doctrine was derived from the coherent substance of the Bible itself, not from an external philosophical system.
For him, a system was not a preconceived Procrustean bed to which the Bible was forced to conform. On the contrary, Calvin’s system of doctrine was the result of his attempt to find the coherent substance of the Bible itself.
Source: The Theologian (Ligonier article)
The speaker asserts that his life and death are ultimately under the control and care of God's providence, not human forces.
I know that my life was in the hands of God.” “But weren’t the other people’s lives in the hands of God?” I was asked. “Absolutely, they were.”
Source: Never Safe, Always Safe: The Paradox of God’s Providence (Ligonier article)
The speaker believes that God's providence was sovereignly involved in the tragic train wreck, extending into all aspects of human life and experience.
But if we believe in God, then we have to believe that the invisible hand ofGod was sovereignly involved in the Alabama train wreck because God’s providence extends where human roads don’t. It extends into the night. It extends into the bayou. It extends into the darkness. It extends into the flame. It extends into the wreck.
Source: Never Safe, Always Safe: The Paradox of God’s Providence (Ligonier article)
God's providence is sovereignly involved in all aspects of life, including accidents and difficult experiences, because God is a God of providence.
But if we believe in God, then we have to believe that the invisible hand ofGod was sovereignly involved in the Alabama train wreck because God’s providence extends where human roads don’t. It extends into the night. It extends into the bayou. It extends into the darkness.
Source: Never Safe, Always Safe: The Paradox of God’s Providence (Ligonier article)
The peace established by God is eternal, unblemished, and cannot be destroyed.
This peace is a holy peace, a peace unblemished and transcendent. It is a peace that cannot be destroyed. When God signs a peace treaty, it is signed for perpetuity. The war is over, forever and ever.
Source: War and Peace with a Holy God (Ligonier article)
Christ is the mediator who maintains peace and rules over it because He is both the Prince of Peace and our peace.
We have an advocate with the Father. We have a mediator who keeps the peace. He rules over the peace because He is both the Prince of Peace and He is our peace.
Source: War and Peace with a Holy God (Ligonier article)
God installed humanity as vice-regents to exercise authority over creation, but this authority is a responsibility, not a right to exploit.
God installed Adam and Eve as His vice-regents, those who were to rule in His stead over all of creation. It’s not that God granted independent ownership of the planet to humankind. It remains His possession.
Source: What Is Biblical Stewardship? (Ligonier article)
The mandate for dominion requires humans to exercise care and responsibility in all aspects of life, including science, business, and treatment of animals and the environment.
At creation, the mandate that God gave to humanity was for people to reflect and mirror God’s stewardship over this sphere of creation. This involves far more than religious enterprises or the church. It has to do with how we engage in scientific endeavors, how we do business, how we treat each other, how we treat animals, and how we treat the environment.
Source: What Is Biblical Stewardship? (Ligonier article)
Stewardship is fundamentally about exercising God-given dominion by reflecting the image of God in the care, responsibility, maintenance, protection, and beautification of creation.
Fundamentally, stewardship is about exercising our God-given dominion over His creation, reflecting the image of our creator God in His care, responsibility, maintenance, protection, and beautification of His creation.
Source: What Is Biblical Stewardship? (Ligonier article)
For Christ to be Lord, He must exercise sovereign authority over the believer, which requires the believer to submit to His mandates.
Well, a lord is someone who exercises authority over you, who gives you marching orders, who has the ability to compel you to obey, and who requires you to submit to obligation and duty. If Christ is your Lord, aren’t you saying He has sovereign authority over you?
Source: What Difference Does an Inerrant Bible Make? (Ligonier article)
All actions performed by humans are ultimately dependent on and occur under the transcendent sovereign power of God.
all the things that I do in this world are done under and because of the transcendent sovereign power of God.
Source: What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign? (Ligonier article)
God's sovereignty is absolute and extends to governing all things, including the natural laws of the world.
God is sovereign, not we ourselves, and His sovereignty extends to all things, not only the creation of the world but the sustaining and governing of the world, and what we describe as the laws of nature only describe the ordinary ways that God in His sovereignty governs nature.
Source: What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign? (Ligonier article)
If God is not sovereign over all events, then He cannot be considered God.
But if God doesn’t ordain everything that comes to pass, then God isn’t sovereign. And if God isn’t sovereign, then God is not God.
Source: What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign? (Ligonier article)
David acknowledges that God has the absolute right to judge him, recognizing that he deserves nothing but God's judgment and wrath.
David is essentially saying, “O God, You have every right to judge me, and it is clear that I deserve nothing more than Your judgment and Your wrath.”
Source: What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article)
Christ acts as a guarantor, meaning he takes upon himself the obligation to pay our debt.
That Christ is our guarantor means that He is the One who cosigns our note. He backs up our indebtedness by taking upon Himself the obligation to pay what must be paid.
Source: What Is Sin? (Ligonier article)
The doctrine of providence asserts that God is actively working for the benefit of His people.
It means “God for us.” That is what the doctrine of providence is all about. It is God’s being for His people.
Source: What Is Providence? (Ligonier article)
The concept of divine providence is broader than mere foreknowledge, covering significantly more ground.
Even though the word providence means the same thing etymologically as the word foreknowledge, the concept covers significantly more ground than the idea of foreknowledge.
Source: What Is Providence? (Ligonier article)
The ultimate provision made by God is linked to His divine sovereignty, exemplified by the sacrifice of the Lamb.
And of course, this passage looks forward to the ultimate provision He has made by virtue of His divine sovereignty, the supreme Lamb who was sacrificed on our behalf.
Source: What Is Providence? (Ligonier article)
Salvation ultimately rests on God's sovereign decree and grace, not on human merit.
Thus, your salvation, from start to finish, rests on the sovereign decree of God, who decided, in His grace, to have mercy on you, not because of anything He saw in you that demanded it, but for the love of the Son.
Source: What Is Limited Atonement? (Ligonier article)
Salvation is entirely dependent on the sovereign decree of God, who chooses to show mercy for His own love.
Thus, your salvation, from start to finish, rests on the sovereign decree of God, who decided, in His grace, to have mercy on you, not because of anything He saw in you that demanded it, but for the love of the Son.
Source: What Is Limited Atonement? (Ligonier article)
God governs all aspects of existence, including the natural, the supernatural, the ordinary, and the extraordinary.
God is the God of both realms, and they are irrevocably intertwined. Further, we must distinguish between the ordinary and the extraordinary. The ordinary natural laws of the universe are nothing less than the ordinary ways in which God in His providence governs the universe. In the end, God governs all things—the natural, the supernatural, the ordinary, and the extraordinary—and He works through these things in a variety of ways.
Source: What Was the Star of Bethlehem? (Ligonier article)
As long as a chosen marriage partner meets the requirements of the preceptive will of God, the individual has complete freedom to act according to their desires.
As long as the one you choose falls within the parameters of the preceptive will of God, you have complete liberty to act according to whatever pleases you, and you do not need to lose any sleep wondering whether you are outside the hidden or decretive will of God.
Source: What Is the Will of God for My Life? (Ligonier article)
God's revealed will is given through His preceptive will, which is intended to guide humanity toward obedience.
God’s revealed will is given in and through His preceptive will, and this revelation is given that we might be obedient.
Source: What Is the Will of God for My Life? (Ligonier article)
Christians cannot consider themselves autonomous because they have been bought with a price.
Paul’s point is that Christians can never consider themselves autonomous. He goes on to explain that we are not our own because we’ve been bought with a price (v. 20).
Source: Will He Find You Faithful? (Ligonier article)
Early Christian documents, such as the Didache, confirm that the principle of giving the first fruits or the tithe was considered a basic responsibility for every Christian.
In the Didache , the principle of the giving of the first fruits or the tithe is mentioned as a basic responsibility for every Christian.
Source: Will Man Rob God? (Ligonier article)
Sproul questions how Christianity can teach that God is absolutely sovereign while simultaneously asserting that humans are free moral agents.
You Christians tell me that the Bible teaches both that God is absolutely sovereign and yet that we as human beings are free moral agents.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:36
The concept of freedom must account for both the ability to act according to desires and the limitations imposed by divine will.
But you Christians talk about another limit on freedom. For example, Luther, didn’t he write a book on the “Bondage of the Will”? Doesn’t the Bible talk about we’re slaves? So how can you be free and a slave at the same time?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:28
God's sovereignty involves exercising moral authority over a person's life, which can conflict with the person's desires.
He tries to exercise moral authority over my life and tells me I must do this and I can’t do that, and thou shalt this and thou shalt not that. Which doesn’t agree with my desires.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:24
God's hand is sovereignly at work in both the 'yes' (affirmation) and the 'no' (denial) responses in our lives, displaying providence in both tragedy and prosperity.
God's hand is as sovereignly in the no as it is in the yes, and God is displaying His providence as much in tragedy as He is in prosperity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:08
God is the ultimate restrainer of sin, and when God removes His restraints, sin increases.
I mean, the only thing that's keeping Pharaoh from being utterly wicked is the restraining power of God. It certainly wasn't the government of Egypt that was keeping him in check. Only God's restraints were keeping Pharaoh from being more wicked than he actually was.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 29:19
God is actively involved in the details of history, guiding events through providence.
No, no, no, no, no. It’s God who is in the details.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
God is sovereign and works through every detail to accomplish His divine plan.
It’s God who is in the details. Sovereign over every one of them, working to bring His work to pass.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:02
God's gaze is so comprehensive that nothing, not even a sparrow landing, escapes His notice.
The point is that anytime that bird lands, God knows it. He sees it. The point that Jesus was making is that there is not the slightest detail that is overlooked by the gaze of God, that what God governs, He manages in total awareness of what is going on.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:17
The great commandment requires treating every person in the world with dignity, justice, righteousness, and charity, establishing a universal obligation.
And the great commandment, to love God with all of my mind and soul and heart and strength and everything, and my neighbor as myself, means that I am to treat everybody in this world with dignity, with justice, with righteousness, with charity. And, in that sense, there is a universal obligation toward everybody in the world, but it's neighborhood, not brotherhood.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:18
God's divine sovereign providence governs all human events and natural occurrences.
It is My divine sovereign providence that stands over all human events. I bring the abundant harvest; I also will bring the famine. I bring the sunny day; I also bring the storm. I bring the arid desert; I also bring the flood.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:03
The passage teaches that all of life and nature operate under the authority and government of Almighty God.
Because the idea here, that the Hebrew is saying, is that all of life, all of nature is under the authority and the government of almighty God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:00
The concept of God's sovereignty is difficult to communicate to a culture that is educated to despise it.
Context: Quoting the minister John Guest's observation.
And he said, “He has found it difficult to communicate the whole concept of the lordship of Christ and the sovereignty of God to a nation of people who from the time they are children are educated to despise sovereignty.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:25
God, as the supreme governor, rules and reigns by benevolence and good will, even having higher authority than any earthly dictator.
And we find that ultimately God, who is the supreme governor of heaven and earth is one who has even higher authority than any earthly dictator, nevertheless he rules and reigns by benevolence, by a good will.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:54
God's decree is so powerful that no earthly power or choice can successfully resist it.
And no power on heaven and earth could have resisted that decree of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:55
God would intervene to prevent any human choice from successfully contradicting His divine decree.
God would’ve moved heaven and earth to restrain that man’s choice from bringing actual results.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:27
While respecting great teachers, no single theologian, individually or collectively, should be regarded as an infallible teaching authority.
I think we would all recognize that none of them individually, and all of them collectively are to be regarded as infallible teaching authorities.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:39
The reliability of God's promises depends entirely on His absolute sovereignty over every molecule in the universe.
If there is one maverick molecule in the universe—one molecule running loose outside the scope of God's sovereign ordination—then ladies and gentlemen, there is not the slightest confidence that you can have that any promise that God has ever made about the future will come to pass.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:02
Evangelizing is both a divine command and the highest privilege God can grant to humanity.
Why evangelize? Because it's a command and it's the highest privilege that God can give to us.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:51
Many Christians superficially acknowledge God's sovereignty but actually believe that human will, rather than God's will, determines what happens.
Most Christians salute the sovereignty of God but believe in the sovereignty of man. They don’t believe that God ordains whatsoever comes to pass.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:42
The statement 'Every woman has a right to her own body' serves as the premise that no other person, state, or husband has the right to tell her what to do with the developing baby.
And, it's one with which we're very familiar and that is the statement that "Every woman has a right to her own body." Let me state it again. "Every woman has a right to her own body." That's the premise then, of course, therefore no other person, the state, or the husband, or anyone else has the right to tell her what to do with this baby that is developing within her.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:05
The husband is responsible for the final authority and leadership within the home.
the responsibility for final authority and for leadership in the home is vested in the husband
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:23
The Bible establishes that God vests the final authority and leadership in the man, preventing perpetual power struggles in marriage.
I can’t think of anything worse because in the 50/50 situation where there is no final authority, what fallen human beings tend to do in that situation is to be locked into a perpetual power struggle where everybody is agitating to get fifty-one percent of the stock to get control. God settles that. God says the final say, authority, and leadership is vested in the man.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:17
The most rigorous test ever produced was one administered by God Himself, not by human theologians or professors.
I think the most rigorous test that was ever produced and ever endured in all of human history was a test where it wasn't some European theologian, a professor who was administering the test or some American college professor, or some grade school teacher, but the person who put the test was God Himself
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:06
Marriage is divinely ordained, instituted, sanctified by Christ, and regulated by God's commandments.
In the marriage ceremonies, we say that marriage was ordained of God, instituted of God, sanctified by Christ, regulated by the commandments of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:55
The Bible is considered to be of divine origin because God preserved it from human corruption through divine superintendence and the Holy Spirit.
God so assisted the weaknesses of our fallen humanity as to preserve the Bible from the corruption that one would normally expect to find from the writings of human beings by His divine superintendence and by the special ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:18
The injunction to 'love mercy' requires manifesting lovingkindness or steadfast love, which is the idea of loyal love.
Well the second part of that injunction, to love mercy, is the word hesed. Here is what God requires of you, Micah is saying. That you not only do what is right, but that you manifest lovingkindness, steadfast love, or what I’m calling here the idea of loyal love.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:08
The core distinction is between theism and atheism, and a key aspect of theism is the absolute sovereignty of God.
It's a distinction between theism and atheism. It's a statement, simply a declaration of the absolute sovereignty of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:38
If there are elements in the universe outside of God's sovereign control, then God's promises about the future cannot be trusted.
If there is one maverick molecule in the universe, one molecule running loose outside the scope of God's sovereign ordination, then ladies and gentlemen, there is not the slightest confidence that you can have that any promise that God has ever made about the future will come to pass.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:00
God had given the creatures an enormous amount of freedom and free use of the garden.
God had given an enormous amount of freedom and free use of the garden to His creatures.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:08
True freedom requires autonomy, which means being accountable only to oneself.
To be autonomous means to be a law unto oneself, to be answerable or accountable or responsible to no one but to yourself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:18
The Bible is the ultimate authority that governs one's actions, even when faced with temptation.
Well, the Bible says that I'll have to serve God only, and I'm not allowed to serve anybody else, that I have to serve the Lord my God and Him only. I'm not allowed to have any other gods before Him. It's a great deal that you're offering me, but in order for me to keep that or to do what you ask me to do, I have to violate what the words of Scripture say.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:04
Submitting to the lordship of Christ grants the believer all of Christ's work, silencing divine wrath and declaring peace.
It is the righteousness of Christ that is freely offered to you if you will submit to the lordship of Christ. All that He has, and all that He has done becomes yours, and the worst storms of divine wrath that you could imagine are silenced forever, and God declares peace.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 31:22
While God's sovereign will is ultimate, Christians should not be paralyzed by worrying about it, but rather focus on applying biblical principles to their choices.
Now, if it’s God’s sovereign will and eternal decretive will—that sovereign will by which He brings to pass through His insurmountable providence that which He will bring to pass—that I marry Vesta Sproul, the only way I’m going to know that for sure is after the fact. And I’m not going to be paralyzed in my life, worrying about it now. That’s God’s business, not mine.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:55
Dismissing a divine principle as a local custom is a serious offense against God's authority.
It would be a very serious offense against God to take a principle that He has set down that He intends to be normative for Christians of all ages and all places and simply dismiss it as a local custom, have no bearing upon us today.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:04
Even minor sins are acts of defiance against God's authority, which the speaker calls cosmic treason.
But even the slightest sin never mind a heinous sin like abortion in the slightest sin (what we could call a peccadillo), in that sin I defied the authority of God. I insult the majesty of God. I challenge the justice of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:09
A holy God possesses both justice and mercy, but never acts unjustly.
A holy God is both just and merciful, never unjust. There is never an occasion in any page of sacred Scripture where ever, ever punishes an innocent person. God simply doesn't know how to be unjust.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:23
Kant argued that the necessity of justice for ethics to be meaningful requires the existence of a just, omnipotent judge who can hold all people accountable.
He went on to argue that we can look around the world and we can see manifest injustice. We can see people who are rewarded who don't deserve to be rewarded and people who are punished and afflicted though they are innocent. Some even cry out in despair, "There is no justice in this world."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:13
When Adam and Eve sinned, they did not act as private individuals, but rather as supreme representatives before God.
When Adam and Eve acted against God, they didn’t act as private individuals. Adam’s very name, Adam, means what? Man. Eve, woman, the mother of the living. These two stood as our supreme representatives before almighty God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:05
The Apostle Paul's rationale for women covering their heads is based on authority and subordination established in creation, not on local cultural practices like appearing to look like prostitutes.
He doesn't offer that reason, but instead he offers a different reason, and the reason he gives has to do with authority and subordination and super-ordination that was built into creation, and Paul establishes his rationale by an appeal to the creation teachings of man and women.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:22
God is the sole creator and ruler of all things, and He has determined the boundaries and times of all nations.
God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He worshiped by men's hands, as if He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men that dwells on the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times, and the boundaries of their dwellings
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:20
When Jesus uses the title 'Son of Man,' he is referencing a divine prerogative, particularly concerning authority over sins.
When He says, “That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He’s associating with that title a divine prerogative (Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10).
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
A person's sin of arrogance is revealed when they allow their feelings to have final authority over God's promises and declarations.
Do you allow your feelings to have the final authority over what God Himself has promised and declared? I said, “That’s arrogance, that’s the sin I want you to confess, the sin of arrogance. Get back on your knees and ask God to forgive you for your unspeakable arrogance, of assigning to God the same kind of inconsistency and lack of truthfulness that characterizes our own lives.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:52
God's omnipotence does not mean He can do absolutely anything, as He is bound by His nature.
And to be omnipotent does not mean that God can do anything. God can’t die, God can’t lie, God can’t be God and not be God at the same time and in the same relationship.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:22
As long as God remains God, He maintains control over everything He creates.
And as long as He’s God, whatever He makes, whatever He creates, He controls.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:36
The First Amendment guarantees both the free exercise of religion and prohibits the establishment of religion.
The First Amendment in the Constitution also explicitly prohibit the establishment of religion. That is, of granting special ecclesiastical privilege to Presbyterians instead of Roman Catholics, to Roman Catholics instead of Jews, to Jews instead of Muslims.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:05
The current issue is not the separation of church and state, but rather the separation of the state from God, which implies the state could be autonomous.
And the issue today has become not so much the separation of church and state but rather the separation of state and God. That's a big difference, isn't it? Between saying the church and the state are separate, but both under God to moving to the idea that we are separating the state from God as if the state could be a rival to God or could be autonomous.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:35
The Apostle Paul taught that all governing powers are ultimately ordained by God.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordained of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:10
He argues that claiming a right to an action can imply a divine endorsement for that activity.
Because what terrifies me about that is that somebody is now, by saying, “I have the right to do this,” is actually claiming a divine endorsement for their activity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:32
If God is not sovereign, then He is not truly God, and believing in a non-sovereign deity is practically equivalent to atheism.
If God is not sovereign, then God is not what? God. It's that simple. If God is not sovereign, God is not God, and if the god you believe in is not a sovereign god, than you really don't believe in God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:34
A universe where God is sovereign cannot contain any uncontrolled elements, or 'maverick molecules.'
There are no maverick molecules in a universe where God is sovereign!
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:58
God exercises a divine prerogative, exemplified by the principle that He gives mercy when He chooses to.
God never owes mercy. Real quickly, if God only saves some people, we have to understand that we have two groups of people in the world - the saved and the unsaved.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:04
The God introduced in the creation narrative is sovereign over the entire creation, not just a limited geographical area.
And so in the creation narrative we see the affirmation that the God who is introduced in the first page of the Pentateuch is the God whose domain is the entire creation, not just the limited geographical boundaries of Old Testament Israel, but that He is the God over heaven and earth.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:16
A Christian who ignores or violates God's regulations for marriage is acting in defiance against divine authority.
That God’s authority is over that marriage, and a Christian who ignores or violates the regulations that God sets down for marriage is a Christian who is acting in defiance against divine authority.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:31
God's sovereign, electing love always relates to Christ, who is the supreme and elect person.
At the heart of Paul's understanding of the sovereign, electing, love of God is that it must always be understood in terms of its relationship to Christ himself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:19
The pursuit of the Kingdom of God is difficult because modern culture resists the idea of absolute sovereignty and divine rule.
We shrink in horror at the idea of somebody ruling by absolute sovereignty, where a king can simply say, "So let it be said, so let it be done." We want to debate the issue. We want to seek the politics of compromise.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 31:28
The fact that the universe had a beginning means that the law of inertia suggests an outside force must have acted upon it.
Stop me if I'm lying, but doesn't the law of inertia say that anything that is at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:40
The term Almighty signifies that God is sovereign over the entire world, not just a specific geographical region.
Now, so that the term Almighty is rooted and grounded in the concept of God as being sovereign over all the world.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:03
The Bible teaches that God's attributes, including love, justice, holiness, and sovereignty, are all equally important and cannot be subordinated to one another.
The Bible, the same source that teaches us that God is love, that same source tells us that God is just and holy and sovereign and all the rest. So, we cannot allow God’s sovereignty to be swallowed up by His love, or His righteousness to be swallowed up by His love.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The biblical account of the Philistines and the Ark serves as a historical example illustrating the power and sovereignty of Yahweh over other gods.
And when they took the ark of the covenant into the temple of Dagon, they set the throne of God, of Yahweh, at the feet of the statue of Dagon, symbolizing what? The preeminence of the Philistine god who now lords it over the God of the Israelites.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:37
The speaker argues that historical events are not merely due to chance, but are subject to a greater, sovereign control.
One maverick molecule outside the authority of God's sovereign control could thwart His plans and prevent the return of Christ, could prevent the vindication of faith that you hold dear. Beloved, there is no such thing as chance.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 30:25
The cows' straight movement and obedience, despite their natural impulse to their calves, demonstrated their submission to God's sovereign providence.
But no matter how sad and torn they are, they are obedient to the sovereignty of God's providential rule.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 39:42
Nothing that happens is by chance because God is sovereign, meaning all events are divinely ordained.
Nothing that ever happens to you happens by chance. If God is God, then He is sovereign. And if He is sovereign, there are no maverick molecules, and no maverick molecules, no accidents, no accidents, nothing happens by chance.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 45:21
Sproul teaches that everything that happens in the world must originate from divine sovereignty, arguing that without it, God is not truly God.
Anything that happens in this world cannot happen apart from divine sovereignty. If God is not sovereign, God is not God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:49
The life of Joseph serves as the clearest biblical example of God's providence, demonstrating the sovereignty of God in human history.
What we have in this life of Joseph is the clearest example I can think of in all of Scripture of the doctrine of the providence of God that reveals to us in flesh and blood, not in abstract theory, what the sovereignty of God means in human history.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:29
The issue of abortion is closely tied to women's rights, particularly because women are uniquely responsible for carrying and caring for the developing child.
It is the woman who must carry in her own body the developing embryo that if it is carried to term is born and then she is responsible in a unique way for the care and the development of that child. And so there is a lot of passion about the issue of abortion as it relates to Women's Rights that we cannot ignore or in any way oversimplify.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:32
The speaker has not encountered anyone who believes that a woman's right over her own body includes the right to destroy another living human person.
I've yet to hear a woman say that the woman's right over her own body includes the right to destroy another living human person.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:26
God's power is necessary for both biological existence and spiritual life, making salvation entirely His sovereign work.
When God creates you in the first place He brought you into existence. You didn't help Him. It was His sovereign work that brought you to life biologically. When He brings you to spiritual life salvifically it is His work, and His alone, that brings you into that state of rebirth and of renewed creation.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:40
God has the divine right to grant mercy and compassion to whomever he desires.
For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.'
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:03
A deity that lacks sovereignty or holiness cannot be considered God.
If your God is not sovereign, your God isn’t God. If your God isn’t holy, your God isn’t God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The right hand of God is identified as the seat of judgment.
What’s going on at the right hand? That’s the seat of judgment.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
He asserts that most Christians merely acknowledge God's sovereignty but actually believe in the sovereignty of man, failing to grasp that God ordains all things.
Most Christians salute the sovereignty of God but believe in the sovereignty of man. They don't believe that God ordains whatsoever comes to pass.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:35
The doctrines of grace are developed by contemplating the holiness and sovereignty of God.
And finally, by contemplating the holiness of God and the sovereignty of God, they were driven to develop their doctrines of the grace of God, because until you face a God who is holy and who is altogether sovereign, you don't know what grace means.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:58
The sovereign will of God is the power by which He brings to pass whatsoever He chooses to do, and this decree cannot be frustrated.
And what we mean by this meaning for will or willingness has to do with that will of God by which God brings to pass sovereignly whatsoever He chooses to do. When God wills the world to come into existence, His willing of it makes it so. It is a sovereign decree that must needs come to pass. It can't not come to pass, and it cannot be frustrated by any outside force.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:29
The speaker states that two fundamental ontological laws are that nothing comes from nothing, and anything that exists must have an inherent power of being.
One of the first laws in anybody's worldview should be ex nihilo nihil fit, "out of nothing, nothing comes." It's an ontological law. The second law you should have is that if something exists, if anything participates at all in being, then somewhere, somehow, something, or someone must have the power of being within itself, or nothing could possibly be.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:42
Historically, the ability to name a child was a sign of the parents' authority over that child.
In biblical terms, it was always the privilege of the parents, particularly the father, to name their children. All the way back to the time of creation, the giving of the name indicated an expression of authority.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Gabriel asserted his divine authority by stating that he was sent by the Lord God with the full power and might of His truth.
I’m Gabriel. I’m an archangel. My normal habitation is in the immediate presence of God, and it’s the Lord God Himself who sent me here with all of the power of His might and all of the might of His truth.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God administers justice when He chooses, but He also shows mercy, and He will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy.
Very simple. Abraham got mercy. Zacharias got justice. Once again, we see that God will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy and be gracious to whom He will be gracious.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Even natural laws, such as gravity, derive their power entirely from the sustaining power and providence of God.
But even gravity has no power whatsoever apart from the sustaining power of God Himself.
Source: The Annunciation (Ligonier)
The primary oppressors of the poor in the Old Testament were governmental powers, not merely the merchant class.
The principal oppressors in view were governments. They were kings like Ahab, who confiscated Naboth’s vineyard, or other kings who enslaved their people, like Pharaoh.
Source: The Beatitudes (Ligonier)
Vengeance belongs exclusively to God, who owns it and has the sole prerogative to dispense it.
Revenge belongs to God. God says we ought not to avenge ourselves because He says clearly, “Vengeance is mine.” God owns it. It is His property and His prerogative alone to dispense it—although, as we will see in chapter 13, He delegates the responsibility of vengeance to human offices in giving power to the civil magistrate. But in the final analysis, vengeance belongs to God.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Divine providence involves not only God's foreknowledge but also His sovereign plan and provision for His people.
Pro-videre is God’s seeing things beforehand, but it’s more than that. It’s not just that the providence of God refers to His knowledge of things before they happen, but more importantly, it has to do with His sovereign plan of what will come to pass.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God ordains everything that happens, but this divine plan does not violate the will of the creature or bypass secondary causes.
It was planned from eternity. It was planned from the beginning. It was decreed by almighty God, and whatsoever God ordains must necessarily come to pass. As the Westminster Confession rightly teaches in chapter 3, God ordains everything that comes to pass, but not in such a way as to do violence to the will of the creature or to bypass secondary causes.
Source: Betrayed (Ligonier)
God's sovereignty and divinity extend over all people and nations, not just a specific group like the church or Israel.
If God is God, He is sovereign over everyone and everything. If you conceive of a god whose domain is simply the church and not the pagan world, then you are not thinking of the God of Christianity. You are not thinking of the God who is, the God who made heaven and earth and everything in it.
Source: Boasting Excluded (Ligonier)
God holds governments responsible to only raise taxes that are legitimate in God’s sight, and government is responsible to God to seek the welfare of the people.
God holds governments responsible to only raise taxes that are legitimate in God’s sight, chiefly through the imposition of a head tax where everybody pays the same. There is no progressive tax. There is no class warfare. There is no politicization of the economy in God’s order of things. Government is established by God and is responsible to God to seek the welfare of the people and do its diligence concerning righteousness, safety, peace, and justice.
Source: The Call of Levi (Ligonier)
Christ's lordship is not something that believers grant permission to; rather, He is the one who possesses authority and gives permission.
Beloved, you do not give Jesus permission to be the Lord of your life. He is the Lord of your life. He is the One who gives permission, not you.
Source: Cornelius' Household (Ligonier)
Although Jesus' human nature was temporarily powerless, His divine nature remained absolutely omnipotent.
Though in His human nature, He was utterly impotent to save Himself, He had no strength left to do it, He was still perfectly united to His divine nature. That divine nature in His deity was absolutely omnipotent.
Source: The Crucifixion (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Death could not maintain dominion over Christ because He was sinless and paid the price for sin.
Death crushes Him on the cross, and He is only vulnerable to that death because of the imputation of sin, but after He pays the price for our sin, death is now powerless.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The doctrine of God's sovereignty is clear and pervasive throughout the entire Bible.
It’s everywhere, pervasive throughout the Bible. It is so clear. I really do not understand how any Christian can fail to be overwhelmed by the biblical evidence of the sovereignty of God in the distribution of His mercy.
Source: Eternal Appointment (Ligonier)
God established boundaries and limitations on human access to His presence, even in times of grace.
But even in that grace, there was a limit. In the center of the camp was the tabernacle. In the center core of the tabernacle was the santus sanctorum , the Holy of Holies.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Naturalism reduces all concepts of right and wrong to mere personal preference, leading to the strong imposing their will on the weak.
If you are a naturalist, there is no such thing as “right” and no such thing as “wrong.” All you have is personal preference. If the stronger person has his personal preference over the weaker man’s, then he will use his club on the weaker person’s preferences.
Source: The Feeding of the Five Thousand (Ligonier)
God has the ultimate right to govern human life and body.
No, you do not; the God who made your body rules your body, and He tells you what you may and may not do with your body.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
God's mercy and grace are not infinite, but have clear limits and are withheld from impenitent people.
The Bible makes it very clear that there is a limit to God’s mercy. There is a limit to His grace, and He is determined not to pour out His mercy on impenitent people forever.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
Sin is fundamentally an act of challenging God's authority and right to govern humanity.
Every time I sin, I challenge and defy God’s right to reign over His creation, God’s right to impose obligations to me as a creature made in His image.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
God's eternal decree is based on His sovereign good pleasure, not on any foreseen conditional response by human beings.
Nowhere in Scripture is a foreseen conditional response by human beings ever given as the reason or the rationale for this eternal decree by which God fixes for all eternity those whom He ordains, chooses, and determines to be redeemed.
Source: The Golden Chain (Ligonier)
Ultimately, the most important factor is who rules over the government, not who occupies the office.
But, dear friends, ultimately it is not who sits in the White House that matters; it’s who sits over the White House.
Source: The Gospel of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The most important aspect of Jesus is not his earthly actions, but his ultimate rule from the right hand of God.
But, dear friends, ultimately it is not who sits in the White House that matters; it’s who sits over the White House.
Source: The Gospel of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Jesus demonstrated His divine authority by rebuking an unclean spirit and healing a child.
Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.
Source: The Greatest (Ligonier)
All afflictions we experience in this world are ultimately according to the sovereign will of God.
In the meantime, we may experience great pain, great suffering, and great affliction, and it is according to the sovereign will of God.
Source: Healing of the Leper (Ligonier)
The power to rebuke illness, whether bacterial or otherwise, belongs to the Creator of Life, who is sovereign over all life.
This was likely a bacterial infection because bacteria are living organisms subject to the Creator of Life, who is sovereign over all life.
Source: Healing & Preaching (Ligonier)
Jesus possesses the authority to command natural elements, such as rocks or bacteria, to act or leave a human body.
The same One who can calm the sea and still the storm by the word of rebuke has the power and the authority to command rocks to speak or bacteria to leave a human body.
Source: Healing & Preaching (Ligonier)
The early church confessed that God is the ultimate authority to whom they bow in adoration and to whose authority they submit.
The people were saying, in effect, “We’ve just been before the highest court, the highest authority of the land, but we are acknowledging You, O God, as the Lord, and it’s to You that we bow in adoration and to whose authority we submit.”
Source: Holy Boldness (Ligonier)
The early church held an absolute belief in God's sovereignty, never debating or negotiating it.
The early church had no debates about Calvinism and Arminianism. There was no Arminian to be found in the early church. Every Christian believed in the sovereignty of God, and they believed in it absolutely.
Source: Holy Boldness (Ligonier)
God was sovereign in the redemption drama, controlling events despite human opposition.
Our Lord Jesus would not have suffered even a scratch simply by the conspiracy of human enemies against Him were it not for the determinant counsel of the Father, who ordained from all eternity that the Son should suffer at the hands of wicked men for your sake and for my sake.
Source: Holy Boldness (Ligonier)
While Satan's power can be acknowledged, humanity must not grant him authority that belongs exclusively to God.
We can respect the power of Satan, but let us not give him the power and authority that only God possesses.
Source: A House Divided (Ligonier)
The peace Christians possess is a gift from God's grace, not something they can earn or deserve.
The peace of God is not something we could ever earn, merit, or deserve, but rather the peace that comes from God is by His grace.
Source: Introduction (Ligonier)
The descent of the Messiah to earth is only possible through the action of the omnipotent Lord God the Father.
The only way the Messiah can descend from heaven is if the Lord God omnipotent sends Him.
Source: Israel Needs the Gospel (Ligonier)
To be God is inherently to be sovereign.
Any time I ask a professing Christian, “Do you believe in the sovereignty of God,” invariably they reply without hesitation, “Yes, of course,” because if God is not sovereign, then He is not God. To be God is to be sovereign.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God retains the absolute right to grant grace to some people and withhold it from others.
God reserves to Himself the sovereign absolute right to give grace to some and withhold that grace from others.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
While humans possess true free will, it is always limited by and subject to God's ultimate sovereignty.
We do have free will. We do have the ability to choose what we want. That freedom is true freedom. But my free will is always and everywhere limited by God’s sovereignty.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
When questioning God's integrity, the objection is often a transgression against God's sovereignty.
The very question transgresses the border of blasphemy. You’re raising questions about My integrity.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When confronting God's sovereignty, the proper response is to remember who God is and who the objector is.
Before Paul even begins to give an answer to the question, he first calls his reader or the objector to remember who he is and to remember who God is.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Attempting to interpret the final clause of the verse to mean that Christ's lordship is a gift or blessing from God does not require Him to be divine Himself.
They attempt to interpret or translate the text in terms referring to Christ who is over all, Christ who is blessed eternally by God—that is, they would have this referring to Jesus’ lordship over the earth that is given to Him by God, and this lordship is a gift and a manifestation of divine blessing upon Jesus.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier)
The reason for God's decree, which precedes human actions, is to ensure that His purpose stands independently of human works.
The reason for the decree, the reason that it came before these boys were born, before they had done any good or evil, was to make certain that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not on the basis of anything these human beings did or would do, but that we may understand that it is based not on what we do, but on what God does.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier)
God is the ultimate cause of everything that happens through the exercise of His sovereign will.
Second, He is the ultimate cause of everything that comes to pass by means of the exercise of His sovereign will.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
God owns everything, not just the gospel or the world, but all things in it.
God is not simply the owner of the gospel. He is not simply the owner of this world, but He owns everything in it. The cattle on a thousand hills are His, and the rest of the cattle as well.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
God's external righteousness, which relates to His management of the universe, is derived from His internal, altogether righteous being.
The external righteousness of God refers to what God does in His management of the universe. It refers to God’s behavior. There is no shadow of turning in Him—His acts and His works are altogether righteous. The reason for the external righteousness of God is that it flows out of the internal being of God.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
Luke's gospel demonstrates Jesus' comprehensive authority and power over the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Luke continues his narrative by showing us Jesus’ power over disease and death so that we find the comprehensive authority and power of our Lord over the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
The woman reasoned that she could touch Jesus' garment without needing an audience or direct touch, due to her unclean status.
But if I can just get close enough to touch one of the tassels on the edge of His garment, I’m sure that’s all it will take.
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
Jesus was questioned by the religious leaders regarding the authority by which he performed his actions.
One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”
Source: Jesus’ Authority & the Parable of the Tenants (Ligonier)
The text suggests that the specific situation in Gethsemane presented a genuine tension or conflict between Jesus' desire and the Father's mandate.
Touching His human nature, there is something that Jesus did not want to do. There was a conflict between His desire and the mandate of His Father.
Source: Jesus at Gethsemane (Ligonier)
Jesus asserted that he has the authority to determine what is lawful and what is not lawful on the Sabbath day.
Jesus was saying, “I decide what is lawful and what is not lawful on the Sabbath day.”
Source: Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Jesus' power over the demonic world was a sign of His supernatural origin and supreme authority.
The New Testament writers were keen to let us know that Jesus’ power over the demonic world was significant. It was a sign of His supernatural origin and His supreme authority that even the devils of this world trembled at His presence.
Source: Jesus Meets a Demon (Ligonier)
Jesus' mission was not limited to proclaiming liberty to those in chains, but also included setting free those enslaved by sin and giving sight to the blind.
He came not only to proclaim liberty to those enslaved and in chains, but those who were held captive by Satan himself, those who were in bondage to sin, slaves to the power of evil. Jesus came to set them free.
Source: Jesus in the Synagogue (Ligonier)
Jesus possessed a divine authority that was evident in his teachings and actions, even to his own family.
Didn’t you understand it, mother, that I wasn’t here trying to be defiant to your authority? I was here because I’m compelled to be in my Father’s house. I’m not talking about Joseph’s house; I’m talking about God’s house. Mother, I had to be here because this is where my Heavenly Father wanted me to be.
Source: Jesus in the Temple (Ligonier)
The term episkopos relates to supervision, meaning 'super looking' or 'supervisor,' and was used in the ancient military context for a commanding general inspecting troops.
When you take the prefix epi , all that does is intensify the root. It means, “super scope,” “super looking,” or from the Latin, a “supervisor.” In the ancient world, the episkopos in the military was the commanding general who, often unannounced and unexpected, would come to inspect the troops to see if they were prepared and ready militarily.
Source: Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem (Ligonier)
The mechanistic view teaches that the universe operates like a machine governed by fixed, inherent laws that are autonomous and accountable to nothing outside of nature.
This view teaches that the universe works something like a machine, and that machine functions according to fixed, inherent laws within nature.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The nature of God dictates that He rules over the world not as an absentee landlord, but through His providence, governing every aspect of creation.
The nature of God tells us that this world is His creation and that He rules over this world not as an absentee landlord or as a cosmic spectator but through His providence.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 2) (Ligonier)
From a biblical perspective, the laws of nature are merely descriptive terms for how God usually governs His creation through His providence.
From a biblical perspective, what we call the laws of nature are merely descriptive terms for how God usually, normally, and ordinarily governs His creation by His providence.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Freedom is defined as the ability to determine one's own choices, and this self-determination is the essence of human freedom.
They are determined by me, by myself, by what this self is inclined to do, what I desire. That kind of determination is what we call self-determination , which is just another word for freedom. The essence of freedom is to be able to determine your own choices.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 2) (Ligonier)
All aspects of Christian doctrine, including justification, sanctification, and God's providence, ultimately point back to God's mercy.
Everything that Paul has expounded throughout the doctrinal section of this epistle points back to God’s mercy. From the beginning up to this point, it has all been about grace. It has all been about the tender mercies of God, and that is what drives the Apostle to this necessary conclusion.
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
Believers should be submissive to civil magistrates out of conscience, even when those magistrates are oppressive or when the believer disagrees with them.
Paul is saying that it is our responsibility to bend over backwards to be submissive to the civil magistrates, even when those magistrates are oppressive, even if we disagree radically with them.
Source: Love Your Neighbor (Ligonier)
Obedience to civil authorities is a matter of conscience because God has authorized these rulers, and we should obey unless they require us to violate God's commands.
If God Himself has authorized these rulers and placed them over us, then unless they require us to do something God forbids or forbid us from doing something God commands, we are to render obedience.
Source: Love Your Neighbor (Ligonier)
Any government given the right to tax also receives the responsibility to ensure that the taxes are just and righteous.
Let me add something here: Any government to whom God gives the right to levy taxes also receives the responsibility to levy taxes that are just and righteous.
Source: Love Your Neighbor (Ligonier)
God actively and moment-by-moment sustains and governs all of creation, rather than merely creating it and allowing it to run on its own.
No—what God creates, He sustains. Not just over the long haul, but moment by moment, second by second, every moment of history unfolds under His omnipotent, divine government.
Source: The Magnificat (Part 2) (Ligonier)
All power exercised in the world ultimately originates from the sovereign government of God.
There is no one who exercises power in this world apart from the sovereign government of God.
Source: The Magnificat (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Science assumes that the world it studies is inherently knowable and intelligible, meaning it must ultimately be ordered (cosmos) rather than chaotic.
He said the assumption of scientia, science, is that the world we are trying to know is cosmos, not chaos. Sagan was getting at this: if the external universe were ultimately chaos, it would be impossible to know anything about it because ultimate chaos is irrational and, therefore, unintelligible.
Source: A Fearful Deliverance (Ligonier)
Jesus, in both His divine and human natures, possesses dominion over the earth and its creatures.
As the Lord God omnipotent, He can do with the swine, the acts of His creation, whatever He pleases according to His own sovereignty. But there is another element in this text that we often overlook, particularly in this day and age. Even in His human nature, Jesus as the second Adam has dominion over the earth.
Source: A Fearful Deliverance (Ligonier)
It is a common human tendency for those in authority to prioritize political appeasement over the pursuit of truth and justice.
it is human nature not to seek justice but to seek the appeasement of people in political solutions.
Source: The Beheading of John the Baptist (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus demonstrated divine authority by rebuking the wind and sea, causing them to cease and become calm.
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Source: Calming the Sea (Ligonier)
Jesus not only won debates but also seized control of the discussion, turning the tables on his opponents.
Not only did He win the debate, but He seized the arena of the debate, turned the tables on His adversaries, and became the interrogator.
Source: David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
While he lacks the authority to bind conscience, God possesses the ultimate power and authority to do so.
Beloved, I have no right or authority to bind your conscience—or anybody’s conscience in this room—absolutely. But God has the power and the authority to bind your conscience absolutely.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The Word of God must be the final authority in all theological and moral debates, and traditions cannot supersede Scripture.
Ultimately though, we believe that the final arbiter of all theological and moral debate must be the Word of God.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Jesus possesses unique power and authority, demonstrated by his ability to control both natural forces and demonic spirits.
Only the Son of the Most High God has that kind of power, that kind of authority.
Source: The Gadarene Demoniac (Ligonier)
The Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews, delegated the authority to the group that came to Jesus to interrogate him.
In this case, the Sanhedrin delegated the group that came to Jesus to interrogate Him with their own authority.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
The Roman emperor was not only the supreme political ruler but also the supreme religious leader, often being considered a deity.
The emperor, the Caesar, was not only the supreme political ruler of the empire, but he was also the supreme religious leader of the empire, himself being considered as deity.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
Statism is a worldview where the state becomes supreme, owning and ruling everything, and is not answerable to the church.
That “–ism” on the end of the word is a suffix that indicates a worldview where the state becomes supreme. It owns everything. It rules everything and is never answerable in any way to the church. That is statism.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
Jesus Christ holds supreme authority over all things, governing every event and person's life right now.
The Father has delegated to Christ all authority in heaven and on earth. That is why we say He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. His authority governs every event, every molecule, and every person’s life in the world today.
Source: The Great Commission (Ligonier)
Jesus knew that power had gone out of him because he felt it, but he did not know who touched him.
And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched My clothes?’
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
Jesus demonstrated divine authority by speaking a command that instantly restored life to the girl.
Just like Christ gives His power by the sound of His voice, just as God brought the whole world into creation by the sound of His voice, by fiat, by imperative, just as He brought Lazarus out of the tomb by command, He spoke to the little girl in her state of death, held her hand, and said to her, “Little girl, arise.”
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
Jesus' teaching was recognized for its wisdom and profundity, demonstrating that divine authority does not require formal academic credentials.
But then they listened, and they were astonished again because they couldn’t get over His wisdom and profundity in what He was teaching. They didn’t understand that this was the Word of God incarnate Himself who was teaching. He didn’t need a degree from Gamaliel to be an expert in theology.
Source: Jesus at Nazareth (Ligonier)
God's providence involves a mystery of concurrence where the sovereign will of God and the earthly will of human flesh meet.
Is it not incredible that in the mystery of God’s providence, we see what we call the mystery of concurrence , wherein the two streams of the sovereign will of God and the earthly will of human flesh come together and meet?
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
Jesus claimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath, asserting that His authority over the day was tied to His divine status as Creator.
In effect, He was saying: “I made the Sabbath. It’s My gift. I am sovereign over the Sabbath. Because I am the Lord of the Sabbath, I am the Creator Himself.”
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Jesus' actions on the Sabbath demonstrated His authority, which superseded human traditions and rabbinic laws.
What I say you can do on the Sabbath day settles what you can do on the Sabbath day. Forget about your traditions. Forget about your rabbis. The rabbis don’t have the authority to legislate Sabbath behavior. The rabbis are not lords of the Sabbath.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
The son's authority is absolute, requiring the hired hands to submit to him because he is the owner's son.
When the son comes, the hired hands must submit to his authority because he is the son of the owner.
Source: The Parable of the Vinedressers (Ligonier)
The removal of the stone from the tomb was accomplished by divine power, not by human effort.
The stone was rolled away not by human device but by divine power. That is important for us to remember because every detail of the resurrection of Christ in the New Testament points to the reality that it was accomplished by God and God alone.
Source: The Resurrection (Ligonier)
The Sadducees held the belief that human history was determined solely by the unfettered free will of human creatures, rather than by a sovereign God.
The Sadducees were the Pelagians before Pelagius, who believed that the affairs of men and of history were determined not by a sovereign God but solely and exclusively by the unfettered free will of human creatures.
Source: The Resurrection (Ligonier)
Anyone in a position of biblical or theological leadership has the power to mislead and destroy the flock of God.
Anyone who is put in a position of biblical, theological, or ecclesiastical leadership, who has been given the responsibility to feed the sheep of Christ, has an enormous power to mislead and misfeed the sheep to the destruction of the flock of God.
Source: The Scribes and the Widow (Ligonier)
True theological authority is derived from being known by one's name, not by academic titles or professorships.
But you have not really made it in the theological world until you are known simply by your last name. We do not talk about Professor Calvin or Professor Luther or Professor Augustine . We just speak of them by their names.
Source: The Scribes and the Widow (Ligonier)
Apostles possess authority over the church of all ages because that authority is granted by the One who sent them.
The Apostles have Apostolic authority over the church of all ages because they are given that authority by the One who sent them.
Source: The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
True miracles are restricted in the Bible to those upon whom God places His seal of approval.
true bona fide miracles are restricted in the Bible to those upon whom God places His seal of approval.
Source: The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
The maximalist view interprets Mary's 'let it be' as an exercise of authority that was necessary for the virgin birth and salvation.
The maximalists jump on this text and say: “The incarnation took place because of the will of God, but also because of the imperative of Mary. Mary exercised her authority, without which there would be no virgin birth, no redeeming Jesus, and no salvation.”
Source: Mary's Fiat (Ligonier)
Old Testament Israel was a theocracy, meaning there was no separation between church and state.
Old Testament Israel was a theocracy, meaning there was no distinction or division between church and state.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
The Bible is the pure and unvarnished truth, delivered through the supervision and superintendence of the divine Holy Spirit.
We have had the unspeakable privilege of hearing the very Word of almighty God, which carries the pure and unvarnished truth in every word as it comes to us from the supervision and superintendence of His divine Holy Spirit.
Source: The Parable of the Minas (Ligonier)
Jesus asserted that no one had given him the authority to act as a judge or arbitrator over people.
Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?
Source: The Parable of the Rich Fool (Ligonier)
A steward is responsible and has the authority to make decisions in the master's name that are legally binding.
Nevertheless, he was responsible and had the authority to make decisions in the name of the master that were essentially legally binding.
Source: The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Ligonier)
Resisting Christ's lordship is not merely sinful, but fundamentally nonsensical.
It is not just sinful to resist the lordship of Christ; it is nonsensical. God has raised Him from the grave and placed Him at His right hand, given Him all authority on heaven and earth, and has called every person to bow their knee before Him. To resist Him is foolish.
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
God sovereignly intervenes in human lives, transforming those who were previously opposed to Him.
Thank you for this act of sovereign election by which You took a man who had no desire to be with You or for You, changed him, and made him Your child.
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
The narrative of the Bible is preserved through the singular care of God's providence and was originally given under the supervision of the Holy Ghost.
O Lord, as we attend to this narrative that has been preserved for us by the singular care of Your providence and given originally under the supervision of the Holy Ghost, we pray that its meaning and significance may be impressed not only in our minds but also upon our souls.
Source: Peter in Prison (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that earthly rulers claim authority for the good of the people, but this is not necessarily true.
The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors.
Source: Peter's Denial (Ligonier)
God's lordship over Christ is decreed and established, making human attempts to challenge it futile.
What is impotent are our attempts to supplant Him as Lord, because God has decreed His lordship.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
It is foolish to acknowledge God's lordship and sovereignty and then refuse to obey Him when He gives a command.
What could be more foolish than to acknowledge God Almighty’s lordship and sovereignty over your life, and then when He tells you to do something, you say, “No, I’m not going to do that”? This is part of the reason that Peter has a reputation for impetuosity from time to time.
Source: Peter's Vision (Ligonier)
Jesus' statements about His authority, such as forgiving sins or being Lord of the Sabbath, are declarations of His divine status.
These are not statements of humility. These are statements by which Christ openly declares His authority as the One who has come down from heaven.
Source: The Prologue of John's Gospel (Ligonier)
God grants government the authority and right to levy taxes when establishing government and holding governors responsible for administering justice.
When God established government and held governors responsible for how they administer justice, He gave government the authority and right to levy taxes.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
Jesus acknowledged the absolute sovereignty of the Father over all things when making His prayer of praise or thanksgiving.
As Jesus made His prayer of praise or thanksgiving, He acknowledged the absolute sovereignty of His Father over all things.
Source: The Return of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
Humans do not possess absolute control over their future or guarantee of lasting security.
The young ruler at least had this going for him: he knew that he did not control his future absolutely. He knew he did not have security that would last forever.
Source: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
Jesus repeatedly claimed a special intimacy with the Father, stating that his actions were always done only by the Father's authority.
One of the most radical things we find in Jesus is the claim He made repeatedly during His earthly ministry of the special intimacy He had with the Father: “I do nothing on My own authority, but only what the Father tells Me to do. All that the Father has given Me to do, that is what I do. All of those whom the Father has given to Me come to Me.”
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
He notes that modern culture is characterized by a lack of reverence for God's sovereignty, preferring democracy and self-rule.
Context: Quoting a prayer, but reflecting his observation about cultural deficiency.
Oh God, we live in a democracy. Kingdoms are a thing of the past. We elect our leaders. Sovereignty is foreign to us, and we are altogether allergic to it.
Source: A Simple Way to Pray (Ligonier)
Christians must actively prevent sin from having dominion over their lives, as they are responsible for allowing it to reign.
If sin is reigning in your mortal body and you are a Christian, it is because you let it reign. But you do not have to let it reign. You cannot use the excuse, “The devil made me do it,” unless, indeed, you are unregenerate.
Source: From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
Christ is enthroned and given all authority in heaven and earth, serving as the heavenly judge.
The great honor that the Father bestows upon Christ is that He goes to His coronation. He is enthroned and given all authority in heaven and earth. He goes and sits in the position of rule, and the Son of Man is the heavenly judge.
Source: Stephen on Trial (Ligonier)
Paul's letter to the Romans sets forth the biblical understanding of the role of government, the civil magistrate, and our responsibilities as Christians to those earthly authorities.
Chapter 13 is important in the letter to the Romans because Paul sets forth the biblical understanding of the role of government, the civil magistrate, and our responsibilities as Christians to those earthly authorities whom God has put over us.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Believers must submit to governing authorities because all authority originates from God.
For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Paul's command to be subject to governing authorities applies to every person, not just a spiritual submission from within the heart.
When Paul says, “Let every soul,” he does not mean that we can divorce our souls from our bodies and that the only kind of submission we owe to the state is one that comes from within our hearts. No, when Paul says, “Let every soul,” the right translation would be, “Let every person.”
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God's providence was actively at work in redemptive history to ensure that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem to fulfill the Scriptures.
So, in the providence of God, God moved things in redemptive history to work out that Jesus would arrive in Bethlehem prior to His birth, making sure that would be the place of His birth to fulfill the Scriptures. Certainly, God’s providence was at work in that regard.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus Christ is the supreme political authority, and all earthly governments are accountable to Him.
The king of England, the chairman of China, and every earthly government will be held accountable to the King of kings, because all authority on heaven and earth has been given to Jesus.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
All worldly authority is established by the appointment of God, not by democratic means.
Every authority in the world is established not by referendum or democratic vote but by the appointment of the supreme ruler of heaven and earth. Every authority is appointed by God.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The primary function of civil government is to use force to restrain evil.
The whole point of civil government is to use force to restrain evil.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God has ordained civil government to be ministers of His sovereign rule over all the world.
we learned how God has ordained civil government to be ministers of His sovereign rule over all the world.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The primary responsibility of any civil government is to protect, defend, and maintain human life.
We need to understand, in light of the biblical emphasis on the sanctity of human life, that the primary responsibility God gives any civil government—whether it is in China, Russia, the United States, or Iran—is to protect, defend, and maintain human life.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The Council of Trent established a dual standard of divine revelation, giving both the Bible and church tradition equal authority.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
Rome defined a dual standard or source of divine revelation, the Bible and church traditions, so the Council of Trent itself would have as much authority as the Bible.
Source: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me (Ligonier)
The world belongs to God, who has the authority to dispose of it as He sees fit.
This is our Father’s world. It is His property. It is He who has made it, not we ourselves. He may dispose of this world however He sees fit.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The concept that all things work together for good is a profound element of the doctrine of providence found in Scripture.
This is one of the most profound elements of the doctrine of providence that we encounter anywhere in Scripture, and for the third time I will say, I am not going to expound it any further now.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The doctrine of concurrence teaches that even when human choices are wicked and destructive, God's providence is at work to bring good despite our sin.
This doctrine teaches that certain actions take place where human beings exercise our wills, doing what we want to do, and in many cases, the choices we make are diabolical, harmful, wicked, and bring destruction upon ourselves and upon others; nevertheless, even in our sin the providence of God is at work, and He has the power to trump our evil inclinations and desires such that He brings good to pass despite us.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God's sovereign providence ensures that even human actions, though sinful, are ultimately used for a good and righteous purpose.
God so orders His providences in such a way that He does not cancel out secondary causes or annihilate the actions of the human will, which are undertaken freely.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God's plans are infallible and superior to human planning, and He maintains absolute sovereignty over all events.
But fortunately the poet, in talking about the best laid plans of mice and men, did not include God in that category, because the best laid plans of God never come to naught.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Jesus' authority extended beyond merely being the King of the Jews; he was the cosmic King over all creation.
Jesus was not just the King of the Jews or the Savior of the Jews, He was the King of the cosmos, the cosmic King that the unintelligent animals recognized but the very people did not want.
Source: The Triumphal Entry (Ligonier)
God exercises judgment by removing restraints and allowing people to live out their own wicked desires.
He will give people over to their own wicked desires. One of the ways God exercises mercy and ministry to us is by restraint. He keeps us from living out the fullness of our sinful inclinations.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God works in and through human wickedness and sin to achieve His sovereign plan for good.
You meant it for evil. What you did, you did out of your own wicked hearts, your own evil inclinations, your own wicked intentions, but above and beyond your own mortal choices and inclinations stood the sovereign plan of Almighty God, who was also acting with intentionality. You meant it for evil, but God was involved in this, and He meant it for good, because through your evil many people will find redemption.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God's actions, even when allowing evil to occur, are ultimately sovereign and purposeful.
All God had to do to have Hitler become even more a Hitler was to remove His restraints and let Hitler do what Hitler wanted to do, to remove His hands from Stalin and to let Stalin in his wickedness do what Stalin wanted to do, to take away the restraint from Nero so Nero would live out the kind of life he was inclined to live.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The divine visitation, exemplified by the incarnation, is understood through the Greek term episkopos, meaning a supervisor or 'super looker.'
In that sermon, I mentioned that the idea behind the divine visitation is wrapped up in the Greek verb and consequent noun episkopos because the visitor is the Bishop of our souls.
Source: The Widow's Son (Ligonier)
The speaker finds peace and comfort by recognizing God's sovereignty and knowing who God is.
But, there is unbelievable peace and comfort in the Word of God, predominantly knowing who He is and believing in His sovereignty.
Civil magistrates are under the sovereignty of God and function as ministers of God.
The civil magistrate is under the sovereignty of God and is a minister of God.
Source: What is the role of civil authorities in the Christian life? (Ligonier Q&A)
Submitting to civil magistrates is done to honor Christ, who is the supreme authority over them.
We are to submit to the civil magistrates for the sake of honoring Christ, who is the supreme authority over all of them.
Source: What is the role of civil authorities in the Christian life? (Ligonier Q&A)