2 Peter 3:9 reads “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent”.
God’s will is for all to be saved. Are they? Of course not. Why not if God controls everything? You see, He’s in charge of providing salvation for all. He did something 2000 years ago that works for everyone, but He doesn’t force you to receive it. If He was in control of everything, then you would not have to make the choice to be saved. That would be up to God and Romans 10:9,10 would not be necessary. God was certainly in charge of providing the option for you, but it is you who believes and declares unto salvation.
If you believe God is a good God, then why would he give you cancer or cause your house to burn down, or have a still born baby, or a deformed baby, or fall asleep at the wheel, or lose your job, or crash into a tree, or……..fill in the blank.
You see, if it was true that God is in control, then all these things had to happen by His authorization, or they couldn’t happen. Using the example of illness. If God gave you any type of illness, then there would be division in heaven, because Jesus came with healing in His wings and healed all that were were sick and afflicted. Why would God send Jesus to seek and to save those who were lost and to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons and then put all these ailments upon you?
Is God in charge? Yes He is, but He does not control our every move. He gave us freedom and His marvelous grace so we could choose correctly. That is the one thing God does allow, our freedom to choose even when He knows we may choose incorrectly. Grace cannot be grace if it doesn't include the freedom to choose. God’s word and His name are above all things. That means He will not violate His word. His promises are yeah and amen. All His promises are backed up by the honor of His name.
Ya but, what about Romans 8:28. What about it? The problem is you’re reading the verse and not studying it. You’re listening to false teachings about what is truly being said. You think it says “God puts us or allows us to be in situations to teach us and have something good come of them”.
That’s not what that verse is saying. Verse 28 says “all things work together for good”, it doesn’t say God causes all things and then uses those things for good. So we don’t say God, I don’t know why you’re causing or allowing this to happen, but I know something good will come from it. So I guess you have your reasons for it and I’ll just have to accept it. Instead we simply realize that this is a fallen world we’re in, and in that vain we say “God stuff is happening” and I can’t wait to see the resulting blessing that will bring glory to you.
God will take and use any situation and cause good to come from it, but God does not cause situations in order to bring good from it. God can win with any hand. Besides, you can’t just read verse 28. It starts with the word “and”. That means the things before it apply. So it’s linked to verse 27, which is linked to verse 26.
Oh but he’s a sovereign God. Yes He is, but that doesn’t mean He controls everything. The definition of sovereign is as follows:
-–noun
1. a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.
2. a person who has sovereign power or authority.
3. a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.
4. a gold coin of the united kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.
–adjective
5. belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereignty; royal.
6. having supreme rank, power, or authority.
7. supreme; preeminent; indisputable: a sovereign right.
8. greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.
9. being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.
Where in that definition does it say controls everything. Even where it says a person who has sovereign power or authority, it doesn’t say to control people or things or cause them to happen.
You see, the church has wrongly defined and wrongly believed this thing called sovereignty because it sounds so spiritual. God is in charge of providing for your salvation and healing and He did so at the cross. It is already finished. He does not control whether you will decide to receive these gifts. That’s your choice. You are in control of your choices. Grace and Peace.
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