God's Sovereignty

“Doctrine provides direction for what the body of Christ is to say and do in his name and for his sake. Church without doctrine to direct it is blind; yet doctrine without the church to embody it is empty. Doctrine makes explicit what we need to know to participate understandingly in what God is doing to renew all things in Christ.” Kevin J. Vanhoozer

A recap of what we’ve talked about over the last several weeks:

Week 1: Introduction of Romans

Week 2: We are saved by faith in Jesus alone

Week 3: Freedom from the law and sin

Week 4: Life in the Spirit

Today…we are talking about God’s sovereignty.

Central Idea: God sovereignly works through both our successes and failures to accomplish His redemptive purposes, transforming our mistakes into opportunities for mercy that ultimately bring glory to His name.

God's Sovereignty: Three Main Ideas

First, what is Sovereignty?

God's sovereignty means God is in complete control of everything in the universe, from the biggest events to the smallest details of our lives. At the same time, we still have real choices and responsibility—this is a mystery the Bible presents without fully explaining.

When bad things happen, knowing God is in control brings comfort. God allows things to happen (His sovereign will) that He doesn't approve of morally (His moral will). This helps us understand how God can be in control even when evil occurs without being responsible for causing that evil.

God's Sovereign Will

God's sovereign will refers to what He has decreed will certainly happen according to His divine plan and purpose. This will is always accomplished and cannot be thwarted. It encompasses everything that actually occurs in history, including events that may involve human sin and evil, which God permits but does not approve of morally (like Joseph's brothers selling him into slavery, which God sovereignly used for good).

God's Moral Will

God's moral will refers to what He has commanded and declared to be right and good according to His holy character. This will is revealed in Scripture through commands, principles, and values. Unlike His sovereign will, God's moral will can be violated by humans with free choice, as when people disobey His commands (such as "do not steal" or "love your neighbor"). God desires compliance with His moral will but has chosen to allow humans to rebel against it.

God uses His wisdom to guide all events toward good purposes, even when we can't see or understand why things happen. Understanding God's sovereignty should give us both peace (knowing God is in control) and a sense of responsibility (our choices still matter).

Most importantly, God's control isn't about harsh power but about loving relationship—shown perfectly through Jesus Christ's sacrifice. This helps us see God's sovereignty as personal care rather than cold, distant control.

1. God Redeems Our Failures for His Glory

God transforms mistakes into success.

What people intend for evil, God uses for good, as seen in how Israel's rejection of Christ led to salvation for the Gentiles.

Romans 11:11–15 NLT

Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!

Every mistake I have made has been an opportunity to trust that God wants to grow me - my leadership and character.

Don’t run from your mistakes but embrace them as opportunities to be transformed.

God always preserves a faithful remnant.

Even during times of widespread rebellion, God maintains a people chosen by grace rather than works.

Romans 11:1–5 NLT

I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!” It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.

God is so faithful throughout history. Christianity is shrinking in the West, don’t despair. God has always had a remnant that will carry out His kingdom purposes.

God's plans cannot be thwarted.

The failure of Israel in rejecting the Messiah did not signify the failure of God's promises.

Romans 9:6 NLT

Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!

Many Jews appealed to their descent from Abraham as a symbol of their ongoing special relationship with God (compare Matt 3:9; John 8:39). Paul asserts that true membership in God’s chosen people is based on faith, not physical ancestry.

Just because you’re an American - doesn’t mean that you are Christian. Unfortunately, this had become the mindset of Christendom in the West. My parents were Christian, therefore I am a Christian - doesn’t make you a born again believer. It is through faith alone…a faith confession of your own.

2. God's Sovereignty Works Alongside Human Freedom

Warnings against falling away are meaningful.

The fact that Paul warns believers about apostasy shows that our choices matter.

Romans 11:20–22 NLT

Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

God's sovereignty does not eliminate human responsibility.

People can choose to remain in God's kindness or depart from it.

Romans 11:22–24 NLT

Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

God's sovereignty allows for human participation: While God has established the major plot lines of salvation history, He grants human beings freedom to choose Him.

God’s nature is relationship - He did not create robotic and impersonal responses from His creation. Rather, God invites us into relational communion with Him.

3. God's Ultimate Purpose is Mercy for All

God consigns all to disobedience to have mercy on all.

His sovereignty has the ultimate goal of showing grace

Romans 11:32 NLT

For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

Universal human condition: The verse acknowledges that all people—both Jews and Gentiles in the original context—have fallen into disobedience and sin. No one is exempt from this condition.

God's purposeful design: The phrase suggests that God has allowed or even arranged for this universal disobedience to occur. This doesn't mean God causes sin, but rather that He has permitted humanity's fallenness to be fully revealed.

Universal scope of mercy: The ultimate purpose of this arrangement is that God might show mercy to all people. No group has special standing—all are in need of mercy, and God's mercy is available to all.

Divine paradox: There's a profound paradox here—God uses the very reality of sin and disobedience as the occasion for displaying His mercy. Our greatest problem becomes the setting for God's greatest solution.

God's sovereignty: This verse reveals God's sovereign control over human history. Even humanity's rebellion serves His ultimate purposes of redemption.

God's ways are beyond human comprehension.

His wisdom and knowledge are inscrutable, and His judgments are unsearchable.

Romans 11:33–36 NLT

Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

God's salvation is universally accessible.

The salvation of God is immediately accessible to anyone drawn by the Spirit

Romans 10:8–13 NLT

In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

God's patience demonstrates His character.

He holds out His hands to His people even when they are disobedient and contrary.

Romans 10:21 NLT

But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”

God uses hardship for redemptive purposes.

The hardening of Israel is partial and temporary, serving God's greater redemptive plan

Romans 11:25–26 NLT

I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.

Alfred Nobel Illustration

Many years ago, a man named Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. Initially, it was used for destruction, but after reading a newspaper obituary that labeled him the 'merchant of death', he decided to use his fortune to create the Nobel Prizes. This was a shift in purpose where something devastating turned into a legacy of hope and progress. Just like Nobel, God uses the seemingly destructive situations in our lives for a greater, redemptive purpose!

God's sovereignty is about His redemptive purposes, working through human freedom to bring about mercy and salvation for all who believe.

Relevance for Today

For today's readers, Romans 9-11 teaches us:

To avoid spiritual pride and exclusivism - the Gospel is for all people.

To trust God's faithfulness even when circumstances suggest otherwise.

That God can redeem even apparent failures and rejections.

To appreciate how God's plan encompasses all peoples.

To maintain hope for those who currently reject faith.

Where do we go from here? How do we apply this teaching to our everyday lives?

I want to give you four practical steps to walk out today.

Practical Application Steps

Practice trusting God with your failures.

When you make mistakes, surrender them to God instead of hiding in shame

Journal about past failures that God has already redeemed in your life

Replace negative self-talk with affirmations of God's redemptive power

Practice giving patience and grace to others.

Remember that God holds out His hands "all day long" to the disobedient (Romans 10:21)

Pray specifically for those who seem hardened to the gospel, knowing that hardening is only partial and temporary

Resist the urge to write people off as beyond redemption

Practice living with humble confidence.

Avoid the pride that comes before a fall by regularly acknowledging your dependence on God

Make decisions with confidence, knowing that God can redeem even wrong choices

Start each day with a simple prayer surrendering your plans to God's sovereign purpose

Practice sharing the accessible gospel.

Remind others that salvation is immediately available to anyone who desires it

Look for opportunities to tell your story of how God has worked through your circumstances

Invite someone this week to experience God's mercy firsthand

Paul concludes this section with a doxology of praise (Romans 11:33-36), reminding us that when wrestling with difficult theological questions, our response should ultimately be worship of God's unsearchable wisdom.

Romans 11:33–36 NIV

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.