This summer I am returning to my Foundational Studies. One area is in 7 Biblical Principles of Liberty. This post is about what I see as the first principle, God’s Sovereignty. I may post on each of the 7.
Also I have added several pages to my website this summer. Look under Bits and Pieces for Freedom & Simplicity. The page on 7 Biblical Principles of Liberty will show you what the other 6 principles are and my comparison chart will show you what others call these principles. Also several of our L.E.D. Resources & Recommendations pages have been updated. Here’s the page that will link you to those pages.
Here’s my understanding of the principle of God’s Sovereignty.
God’s Sovereignty – the Lordship of Christ:
The principle of God’s Sovereignty is that of God’s rule over us, as Lawgiver, Judge and King. God Providentially rules all things whether man acknowledges it or not, just as God is Creator whether man acknowledges it or not. When man acknowledges and submits to God’s rule he is able to live in both liberty and order.
When man rejects God’s Sovereignty, he sets up for himself a false sovereign, either the individual (resulting in chaotic anarchy, a false “freedom” with no order, that nurtures selfishness, pride, and perversion) or the state (resulting in stifling tyranny, a false “order” with no liberty, that nurtures passivity and dependence).
God’s Sovereignty, operates in both power and form, displaying His balance of freedom and order. It is God’s power that causes change and growth and His form that channels it aright. Order (through God’s law) protects man’s freedom from the sinful nature of others (this is the form), while freedom (through His grace) enables man to be creative and productive (this is the power).
We see in HisStory God’s Sovereign Providence directing man’s course, whether man acknowledges it or not. We determine who those involved “think” is sovereign. Although man (individually or corporately) can choose to walk after his own ways, disregarding the Sovereignty of the Lord, it is still the Lord “who directs his path”.
In man submitted to God’s Sovereignty, we see his internal and external governments patterned after God’s form to allow God’s power to flow through them. Therefore, this principle could also be called Faith in God and His Word, or Power and Form. Even in man choosing to look to a false sovereign we see power and form – but unbalanced. Rosalie Slater termed this principle the Christian Form of our Government.
