NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by brothers Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truths that are designed to challenge, encourage and, most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus. The Bible studies you find on this site contain the written version of the lesson. However, these lessons also include a video and an audio file of the study, a PDF version of the lesson and a sheet for note taking. If you would like any of the additional resources for these studies, please email us at newlightfaithministries@gmail.com or bjteachingltr@gmail.com for more information or contact us at the email provided on both of our Sermon Central pages. Be blessed.
Is God in Control Part 2
(Rev. Barry Johnson and Rev. Rodney Johnson)
Introduction
Hello everyone, it’s good to be back with you. We must apologize for the delay in getting part 2 of this lesson to you, but I have had to be in Tennessee on family business for several weeks and our return home was delayed by the death of our uncle, my father’s youngest and last living sibling. For those of you who knew this and have been praying for us we want to thank you for standing in the gap for us. Before we get into the lesson, let’s pause for a word of prayer.
Thank you, brother! If you recall from part one, we asked the question “Is God in control?” This is a question that many people assume to be true – that God truly controls everything that is happening in the world. People who hold this belief accept that God allows murders, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and all the other bad things that happen to Christians and non-Christians alike. After all, it rains on the just and unjust, right? They believe if someone is murdered that God was simply calling them home. One example that we talked about in part one was how some Christian leaders in 2005 said that hurricane Katrina, a category 5 hurricane that destroyed parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, was God punishing New Orleans for its sin.
We have no Scriptural proof that God does these things today, but many choose to believe that He does based on events that happened in the Old Testament. For some people it can seem comforting to think that God is controlling events when things happen that are completely out of their control. We hear these statements often at funerals when the minister says something like, “God’s ways are not our ways…” when explaining why a young person died. Others find comfort in the idea that God meant for them to suffer in order to teach them a lesson or to serve a higher purpose of His.
For these two reasons alone, many accept without question that God is in control of everything that happens. Jesus said something that I think appropriately describes how people can come to this belief. When Jesus was asked about marriage in heaven He replied, “…. You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29) This can be said for why many believe that God is in control of everything – they do not understand Scripture or the power of God.
The last thing we want to refresh your memory about from part one is the difference between sovereignty and control. As you recall from part one, there is a difference between God being sovereign and Him being in control. Webster’s dictionary defines sovereignty as, “Supreme power, especially over a body politic. It also defines ‘supreme’ as the highest rank of authority; ultimate, final, as in ‘the supreme sacrifice.” Webster further defines sovereignty as “freedom from external control (autonomy) and controlling influence.” Sovereignty is enjoyed by the one who is “sovereign.” And there is only One who is truly sovereign – God!
Now when you look at the definition of control, Webster defines it as “to exercise restraining or directing influence over; to have power over; to reduce the incidence or severity of, as in ‘control an insect population or a disease.’” Based on this definition, the person who is in control has the ability and freedom to choose to act or the freedom to choose not to act and this is where we see the divergence between God’s sovereignty and His control over mankind. When God sovereignly gave man dominion over His creation, He sovereignly relinquished His ability to control what man does with His creation and in His creation. So, to recap, God is sovereign but the question that must be answered is this: “In His sovereignty does that mean God is, in fact, in control of everything?
In this lesson, we are going to look at some of the Scriptures people quote as proof that God is in control of everything. We will examine key Scripture references that seem to prove that God is controlling all events, and then we will take a step backwards and see if there is another explanation (interpretation) for how these Scriptures could/should be viewed. In other words, we will be asking you to be open-minded about how you have traditionally thought about these verses of Scripture. Now, if your belief that God is in control of everything is based on “word of mouth” then we hope that you too are open to verifying whether or not what you have heard and believed thus far has a Scriptural foundation. We will not cover every Scripture pertaining to God not being in control, but we want to give you enough to get you started on your own personal study.
Authority Transferred at Creation
Our first Scripture is found in Genesis chapter one. We discussed some of these verses in part one when we talked about the sovereignty of God. But in this lesson, we want you to see the transference of power when God created man. Genesis 1:26-28 says,
(26) Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’
(27) God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (28) God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
We see in verse 26 that God said, “let them rule….” Even though God is sovereign and has all power, in other words, He’s omnipotent, when He created the man and the woman – the husband and his wife – He sovereignly chose to self-limit His power by delegating His authority to them in the Garden of Eden. He said they were to subdue and rule over the earth. God made man responsible for what happens here on earth.
When I think about the conversation God had with Adam, this is what I hear – “Adam, I am making you the manager of My creation. Whatever needs to be done to take care of it, you have the authority and freedom do it. My creation is now in your hands.” Now here is what we need to remember, when God delegated His authority to man to rule the earth, it meant that God made the decision to only intervene when we invited Him into the situation. What God essentially did with Adam was make him “god” over His creation – the “god of this world”.
Impact of the Fall of Man
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, they traded the sinless life of light that God had given to them for a life of sin and darkness that Satan deceived them into accepting. And when this happened, because their spiritual life, their spiritual nature, now contained sin, which was the opposite of God’s life, they opened the door for Satan to have complete access to the authority that God had given to them. Because of Adam and Eve’s deliberate rebellion against God, Satan replaced Adam as the “god of this world” – as ruler over creation. Remember when Satan offered Jesus all of the kingdoms of this world in Luke 4:6? This is what is recorded, “And the devil said to Him, ‘I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.’” What did the devil offer Jesus? He offered Him the authority and dominion he has over the world’s systems – how it operates – which he influences and manipulates through man’s sinful nature.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he plainly says Satan is the god of this world. In Second Corinthians chapter four, verse 3 says, (3) And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, (4) in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (Second Corinthians 4:3-4) Finally, when Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray, He told them to pray “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
So, what are we saying with these verses? God originally gave man authority over His creation, and He never took it back. Man abdicated his position of power and authority to Satan through the sin nature when he rebelled against God in the garden. When man fell, Satan gained the legal right to wreak havoc in the world, especially where people’s lives are concerned. And get this: he does it by blinding them to the truth and keeping the unbelieving in darkness. This is why Jesus directed His disciples to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. If God was in control of everything on earth, then His will would be done. Think about it. Who could stop Him?
Barry, if a person believes that murders, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. are His will, then they probably believe that God’s will is being done. But Romans 8:20-21 says, (20) For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” All of the weather patterns causing death and destruction that we see is because our world is corrupt, and it has been corrupt since Genesis chapter three.
Who subjected the creation to futility? Adam. Since Adam is responsible for the present state of creation, which is a slave to corruption, who is truly responsible for the terrible things that we are witnessing today? Adam. He is the one who unleashed sin and death into God’s creation, and we see this in Romans 5:12. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” The things that happen on our planet – floods, hurricanes, droughts, etc. – are the results of the sin Adam released on it in Genesis 3 and Satan is gleefully using it to deceive people, including Christians, about the goodness of God.
We know that God is not controlling these things because His word says the following in Malachi 2:5: “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My Name.” Also, James 1:16-17 says, (16) Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. (17) Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James tells us that everything God does is good and that there is absolutely no variation and shifting in how He operates. God cannot be a God of light and also be behind all of the corruption that exists in the world today. If that were true, then what we just read in James would be a lie.
Authority Returned to the Believers
Rodney, we know that there is only one spirit whose character is defined by lies and deceit – and that spirit is Satan. But again, when man fell, he abdicated his authority to Satan, who became the god of this world – this world order. Then Jesus comes, lives a truly righteous life, fulfills all of the requirements of the Law and is crucified on the cross. When He rose on the third day, guess what He did? Matthew 28:18 says, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” Although Satan remains the god of this world for unbelievers, we have authority over him just like Jesus because, like Jesus, we are also God’s sons and daughters!
Remember when Jesus sent His disciples out into the world? Luke 10:19 says, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” That same authority resides with believers today. This is why we pray. This is why we read the Word and place it in our hearts. This is why we go to Church and worship with others. All of these things we do to remind us of who we are in Christ and the authority/power that has been given to us. Once we understand who we are, we pray for the sick believing they will be healed because we are operating in the authority that we have been given as children of God.
Now here is something for you to think about, James 5:14-15 says,
(14) Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
(15) and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”
If God was in control of everything and nothing happened without His approval, then if He wants someone to be sick, would we not be going against His will if we pray for them? Isn’t their sickness part of God’s will? What we are trying to do in this lesson is help you understand how believing that God is control of everything does not make sense when you balance it with other Scriptures that remind us that in this world, as Christians, we have the same power and authority that Jesus had.
God is Not Approving Everything!
So, of course you must be thinking that if Satan is the god of this world and he is doing whatever pleases him, then if God is still controlling everything, He must be approving of the things that Satan is doing. Some believe that while God might not be doing everything Himself, He is giving Satan permission to do all of the things he does. This belief primarily comes from the story of Job. Remember what was recorded in Job 1:9-12? It says,
(9) Then Satan answered the LORD, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?
(10) Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
(11) But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.
(12) Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.’ So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”
Many read this interaction and the rest of the book of Job and believe that God gave Satan permission to do what he did to Job. Job’s friends believed that everything that was happening to him was because God was punishing him for something. Job even said, “…. Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)
We know that God was not the author of what happened to Job. But still many believe that God permitted it. When we read the verses from Job chapter one, Satan wasn’t getting approval from God to mess with Job. No, Satan was pointing out to God that God was protecting Job “illegally” because he didn’t have the authority to do so. Satan was the god of this world because of Adam’s sin so therefore, by protecting Job, God was encroaching on Satan’s authority on earth. Since God was able to protect Job from Satan’s authority, there is a question – a critical one – that needs to be answered: “Why was God able to do it?”
The answer to this question is also the answer for us today and it’s found in Job 1:1. “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” When the Lord talks to Satan about Job in verse 8, He says “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Of all the people on planet earth, there was no one like Job! He was as holy and devout as a person with a sin nature could be. Where the last part of the verse says, “and turning away from evil,” the Amplified Bible renders it this way – “and abstains from and shuns evil [because it is wrong].”
Job lived a lifestyle that enabled God to do everything He could to protect him. The lifestyle that Job lived is the lifestyle that God tells us to live in First Peter chapter one and is recorded in verses 14, 15 and 16. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Do you believe that when it comes to His sons and daughters who are living the way He desires them to live that He would not do the same for them?
Now we know that Job said in verse 21, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away…”, but is that really what happened? We know that even though some of the conversations were recorded in the Bible, it does not mean that the people were speaking truth. They were speaking what they believed. And what Job said is an example of this. When we read Job, we get a glimpse of what was happening in the realm of the spirit. Job didn’t have this advantage. He didn’t know he had an enemy who wanted to destroy him. Because of the book of Job, we know how Satan operates in the unseen realm – in the realm so many Christians today know very little about.
There are thirty-six chapters in the book of Job dedicated to the conversations between Job and his friends. Finally in chapter thirty-eight, God joins the conversation and speaks for four chapters and basically rebukes everyone. After challenging Job with all of the what I call the “Were you there” questions, listen to what the Lord said to Job’s friends in Job 42:7, “It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has.’”
God said that the things that Job’s friends had said about Him (God) were not true and this angered God. This is why we need to be extremely careful about the blame we place on God for the things happening in this world. If God got angry in the Old Testament when He was blamed for something He did not do, why do we think He would not be angry today? Before we move on, we need to see Job’s response as a result of the Lord’s rebuke in Job 42.
(1) Then Job answered the Lord and said,
(2) ‘I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
(3) Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
(4) Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.
(5) I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eyes sees You;
(6) therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.”
Job admitted that he had said things about God out of ignorance. He had repeated things about the Lord that he had heard from other people but now knew that what he had heard was not true. We believe this is applicable to many in the Church today. But Job was humble. He was teachable. He wanted God to tell him Himself who He was. And ladies and gentlemen, that should be our approach to God and His Word.
Man’s Freewill & God’s Covenants
We have talked about Satan’s impact on things happening in the world and how the earth itself was corrupted when Adam sinned. Now we need to look at us – our freewill, which allows us to act independently of what God would have us to do. Because man has freewill and can do as he pleases, God cannot and will not make us do anything. However, what He can do is make covenants with us that are binding. These covenants give us the ability to yield our freewill to Him and, in doing so, free Him to act on our behalf. This is part of what prayer is all about – partnering with God to see His will done on earth. When we pray, we are yielding to God and asking for His help in our situation. This is what allows Him the freedom to do just that – help us.
The primary covenant that Christians operate under today is the New Covenant with Jesus. In this covenant are the mechanisms through which God’s authority and power flow as we bring the Kingdom of God to the world around us. Psalm 8:4-6 records the original order of things that God put in place. It says,
(4) What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?
(5) Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty!
(6) You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.”
I want to make sure you really see verse 6. It says God made us to rule over the works of His hands – to rule over creation. Satan is not supposed to be in charge. In the beginning when God created man and gave him dominion, God made him “a little lower” than Himself. We were made a little lower than God because we were not deity. But even in this “lower state”, which defines each Christian today, we have more authority in this world than Satan. Think about that! Many Christians, unfortunately, are not walking in their authority because they are waiting for God to do things that He has already authorized them to do themselves. God has empowered us as His children!
There are over seven billion people on the earth, and each has freewill to make decisions that line up with the Word of God or not. Each decision that is made is made under the control of the person making the decision. In a perfect world/situation that person would be yielding to the Spirit of God and making decisions pleasing to God, but we know that we do not live in a perfect world. So, if God is in control of everything that means the decisions that I make that go against His word are being made with His ultimate approval because it will work out for my good. In fact, if God is controlling everything, I am unable to make a decision that is outside of His will! That means I am a puppet in His overall plan, and I don’t even know it.
We like to quote Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” When we make bad decisions with our “freewill”, sure God can bring some good out of them because we love Him and are called according to His purpose. But we must understand there is a difference between “good” coming out of a situation and God “blessing” a situation. We read this verse and think that every situation, good or bad, we experience based on our decisions can be blessed by God. This verse simply says that God can work it to the good for those that love Him. Maybe that good is that you go to prison for drunk driving versus dying in a car crash. That is an extreme example because Christians should never be in that position to begin with. However, many Christians do put themselves in that very position.
Rodney let’s turn to Deuteronomy 30:19. This is towards the end of Moses farewell address to the children Israel and for me, it’s prophetic for the Church today. Verse 19 says, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.”
It’s important that we see what this verse is saying. There are only two paths available to us – the path that leads to blessings or the path that leads to being cursed. When we choose to live a life that is against the will of God, we are automatically choosing a life where curses are waiting for us. God is not cursing us. We are cursing ourselves. Every day decisions are made that either adds life to a situation or death. These decisions are made by individuals that have the freewill to make them and once they make their choices – now listen to how I say this – God has sovereignly rendered Himself powerless to override them. Are you starting to see the picture? God cannot be in control of everything if man truly has freewill. Man has the ability to choose – right or wrong – the decision is ours. We are free agents to make decisions to live however we choose and live with the consequences of those decisions.
Choice of Heaven or Hell
To close out this lesson, we want to make sure you understand the ultimate choice as it relates to control. We know that heaven and hell exist. Heaven is God’s home and where we will be until the new earth is created. Hell was created for Satan and his demons. God’s creation – the human race – was never supposed to go there. It was created to house Satan and his demonic hoard until the end of time. If God was in control not one single person would go to hell. The Bible says, “As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live….” (Ezekiel 33:11a) Also, Second Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” Based on these two Scriptures, we know that God does not want anyone to die and spend an eternity in hell. That is not His desire. That is not His will. So the fact that there will be many who will spend an eternity in hell tells us that God was not in control of the path they had chosen. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, “(13) Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. (14) For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” If God was truly in control, He would not have permitted anyone to choose a life of sin. The Bible makes it clear through many Scriptures who will spend an eternity in the presence of Christ and who will not.
Conclusion
We hope you see from these two lessons that the Bible makes it clear that God is not in absolute control of the things happening on the earth. While God is absolutely sovereign, His sovereignty does not mean that He is absolutely controlling and/or absolutely approving of everything that is happening. When we acknowledge that there are other spiritual forces operating in the world that disagree with God’s plans for man, it does not take away from God’s sovereignty. It adds even more credibility to our understanding of God’s true nature and ensures that we do not lay at His doorstep blame that does not belong to Him. When we blame God for deaths, sickness, weather events and the like, it causes us to question our relationship with Him. Does He love me or is He waiting to crush me because He can? Does He have my best interest at heart or is He sitting in heaven planning my next trial and tribulation to see if I fail or pass?
The God we serve is not a God that is seeking to cause our destruction. We leave you with what is recorded in the books of Jeremiah and Matthew. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” And Matthew 7:9-11 says,
(9) Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
(10) Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
(11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
This is Who God is!
