Rest in the Sovereign Purposes of God

KEY SECTIONS FROM OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH

During Sunday's sermon, we encountered "the most comforting doctrine" of God's providence. The truth that God uses everything to bring about his good will.

Check out these excerpts from our Statement of Faith & the Scripture references below to anchor your heart in the reality that God is always working for the good of his people and the glory of his name.

• SoF 3.1 - God's Sovereign Purposes - God Ordains All Things for His Glory

  • From all eternity, God sovereignly ordained all that exists and all that occurs in his creation,[1] in order to display the fullness of his glory.[2] God’s plans are efficacious, always coming to pass,[3] and they are universal, encompassing all the affairs of nature,[4] history,[5] and individual lives.[6] These decrees are an exercise of his free,[7] unchangeable,[8] wise,[9] and holy will.[10] Yet God, in his foreordination, is not the author of sin,[11] nor do his decrees negate the will of his creatures, who act with the power of willing choice in accord with their nature.[12] His ordaining and governing all things is compatible with his creatures’ moral accountability[13] such that God never condemns a person unjustly.[14] Therefore, all persons are responsible for their actions, which have real and eternal consequences.[15]

  • Scripture References: [1] Ps 33:11; Isa 37:26; Eph 1:11.

    [2] Rom 11:36; Exod 14:17-18; Ps 19:1.

    [3] Ps 33:11; Isa 46:9-10; 55:11.

    [4] Job 37:6-13; Col 1:16-17.

    [5] Ps 33:10-11; Prov 21:1.

    [6] Prov 16:9; 20:24; Ps 139:6.

    [7] Rom 9:15.

    [8] Num 23:19; Heb 6:17.

    [9] Rom 11:33.

    [10] Eph 1:11.

    [11] James 1:13; 1 John 1:5.

    [12] Acts 2:23; Rom 9:14-24; Phil 2:12-13.

    [13] Rom 3:19.

    [14] Dan 4:37; Rom 1:20.

    [15] Luke 10:28; John 3:16.

• SoF 4.1 - Creation, Providence, and Man - God Creates and Rules All Things

  • In the beginning, the triune God freely created out of nothing the universe and everything in it by the word of his power, all for his own pleasure and the display of his glory.[1] God declared the entirety of his creation to be very good,[2] and even in its fallen state it tells of his greatness[3] and is to be delighted in[4] and stewarded for his glory.[5] As supreme Creator, God is separate from and transcendent over all he has made.[6] As sovereign Lord, he is present with his creation to sustain all things,[7] govern all creatures, and direct all circumstances in accord with his holy and loving will.[8] In everything God supremely acts for his glory[9] and for the good of his people in Christ,[10] granting us great comfort and unshakable hope in God’s love, wisdom, and faithfulness to us in this life and in eternity.[11]

  • Scripture References: [1] Gen 1; Ps 19:1; 33:6; John 1:3; Col 1:15-17; Heb 11:3; Rev 4:11.

    [2] Gen 1:31.

    [3] Ps 19:1-6; Rom 1:20.

    [4] Ps 111:2; 1 Tim 4:4.

    [5] Gen 1:26, 28; Ps 8.

    [6] 1 Kings 8:27; Isa 6:1; 66:1.

    [7] Ps 145:15; 147:8-9; Luke 12:24; Heb 1:3.

    [8] Eph 1:11; Rom 8:28-29.

    [9] Isa 43:7; Eph 1:6, 12.

    [10] Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28; Eph 1:22.

    [11] Rom 5:3-5; 8:31; Phil 1:6; 1 Pet 4:19; Jude 24.

  “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:36)