Sovereign Grace

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,"...Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass." Isaiah 46:9-11

I think most Christians would say they believe in the sovereignty of God. We freely acknowledge that God is the supreme, almighty One, and that His sovereign eternal purpose lies behind all His acts. But many Christians denounce the sovereignty of God as it applies to saving grace and believe that man is partially responsible to save himself from the penalty of sin. Two analogies are often used, the first one being that of a drowning man. God throws out the life preserver, but the man must grab hold of the preserver to save himself. The other is of a man who has a fatal disease. God comes to offer the medicine, but the man must be willing to take it to be healed. Both analogies reflect a faulty view of the fall of man in Genesis 3.

To what degree did the fall of man affect our souls? Were we made just "spiritually sick" or "spiritually drowning" as in the analogies? The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 2 that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, already drowned. A dead person has no ability to do anything to save himself. Likewise, a spiritually dead person has no ability, inclination or desire to save himself from his sins. Ephesians 2:9 tells us that our faith is a gift of God, not of our works, so no one can boast. If we believe that we had even a small part in our salvation, we would have reason to boast in that work, therefore denying God all the glory He deserves. In John 6:44, Jesus tell us that "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him." The word can means ability. Unless the Father does a work of regeneration in the heart of a person, that person has no ability to come to Jesus. And all who the Father regenerates through the power of the Holy Spirit are made alive in Christ and are adopted into the family of God. That's grace...wonderful sovereign grace!