Sovereignty: I’ve never preached a sermon on sovereignty, nor have I heard one. Yet in many religious circles, the sovereignty of God is a major and foundational truth. God is sovereign! “Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases”, Ps 115:3. The question was raised: Is something good and right because God says it is or does God say it because it is good and right? After a little thought, I realized it is a chicken/egg question! “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all”, 1 Jn 1:5. God is light, good, truth, righteous, just; and there is nothing to diminish these. If God speaks, it is in harmony with these, because He is these in person. Likewise, these qualities exist because God exists, reveals and defines them. So God “does whatever He pleases”! A man may voluntarily do something, yet still be under the constraint of fear. He willingly keeps laws, even some that are onerous, because he chooses to avoid the consequences of breaking them. Also a man may choose what is good and right, because he has been taught. His choice is willing but still influenced. But God has no teacher, is under no constraint or influence. He acts entirely and absolutely according to His own pleasure. Thus, since God “does whatever He pleases”, He can forgive whoever He pleases. It has pleased God to declare the bounds and limits of forgiveness: “in Christ”. He has bound Himself by His own declaration and promise. He has bound Himself according to His self-imposed law. Therefore, we may be assured, that what God has said, is said according to His own pleasure and will remain so and unchanged, unaltered and unrevised forever.

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