The opening verses of the book of Ephesians contains wording that has been a source of substantial theological disagreement among Christians for over 1500 years.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. 4 For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5 He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, (Eph. 1:3-5 BEREAN)1
A small but vocal group of Christians who follow John Calvin’s teachings claims that vv. 4-5 prove God personally selects each individual’s eternal destiny. This interpretation misunderstands two key points: the nature of God’s sovereignty and the idea that humans lack the ability to make their own spiritual choices. We must first work through these two ideas before attempting to understand what vv. 4-5 teach us.
God’s sovereignty and mankind’s free will are deeply interconnected theological concepts. Countless books and scholarly works have explored these ideas, and this article will not resolve the longstanding debate. Instead, I aim to offer a clear, biblical perspective on what Scripture reveals. This article will focus on God’s sovereignty, with a subsequent post examining human free will.
The nature of God’s sovereignty
Calvinism asserts that God’s sovereignty means He is the ultimate cause of all things. He actively brings about everything that happens according to His divine will. Every event in history, every human decision, and even the smallest details of life occur because He has ordained them. In this view, God causes human choices and actions and governs them through His overarching plan. This ensures that His purposes are always accomplished. This perspective emphasizes God’s absolute authority, His direct control over creation, and the belief that He actively causes all things to happen.
God’s sovereignty is the cause of all actions?
The following quotes exemplify this view:
John Calvin: “[T]he will of God is the supreme and primary cause of all things, because nothing happens without his order or permission.”2
R. C. Sproul: “If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.”3
John Piper: “In other words, it isn’t just that God manages to turn the evil aspects of our world to good for those who love him; it is rather that he himself brings about these evil aspects for his glory. … This includes as incredible and as unacceptable as it may currently seem – God’s having even brought about the Nazis’ brutality at Birkenau and Auschwitz as well as the terrible killings of Dennis Rader and even the sexual abuse of a young child.”4
God’s sovereignty the cause of all evil?
In this view, God controls absolutely everything that happens, including all evil and suffering. If anything at all existed outside God’s control, even something as tiny as a single autonomous molecule, it could mess up God’s plans and make His promises unreliable. Thus, according to this perspective God’s sovereignty means His absolute control is the ultimate cause of everything.
The implications of this view, as Piper explicitly states, are deeply troubling — it makes God responsible for every sin ever committed. To put it bluntly, this view shifts the blame for the works of the devil onto God Himself!
This article is not an attempt to engage in a point-by-point refutation of this view of sovereignty. Many books and scholarly works have explored this debate in great detail. Rather than rehashing those arguments, my aim is to focus on what Scripture does say about God’s sovereignty, rather than framing the discussion around what it does not say.
What does the Bible say?
So, what is the biblical view of God’s sovereignty? Let’s consider three passages which clearly demonstrate that while God is in control, He is not the cause of all actions.
“Nor did it even enter My mind”
They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I never commanded or mentioned, nor did it even enter My mind. (Jer. 19:5)
This passage presents a direct challenge to the Calvinist idea that God decrees all events, including evil actions. Here, God explicitly states that He did not command, nor even conceive of, the horrific practice of child sacrifice. If God were the primary cause of all things, then such atrocities would have to be part of His divine decree. Yet, this passage refutes that notion by showing that some human actions are entirely outside His will. This supports the idea that God’s sovereignty does not require Him to be the deterministic cause of all events, particularly sinful ones. See also Jeremiah 7:31.
“You were unwilling”
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! (Matt. 23:37)
In this lament, Jesus expresses His heartfelt desire to gather the people of Jerusalem to Himself, yet He acknowledges that they “were not willing.” This reveals a tension between God’s will and human response. If God were the primary cause of all actions, as some Calvinist interpretations suggest, God would also cause the unwillingness of Jerusalem’s people, making Jesus’ longing and lament inconsistent or insincere. Instead, the passage portrays a genuine divine desire thwarted by human choice, indicating that people can resist God’s will. This resistance demonstrates that humans possess free will, and their decisions—not God’s direct causation—determine their response to His invitation. Thus, while God retains ultimate authority, He does not force or predestine every action, allowing human will to play a significant role.
“Not wanting anyone to perish”
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Pet. 3:9)
This passage suggests that God desires all people to come to repentance, creating tension with the Calvinist doctrine that God predetermines who is saved. If God directly caused all events, including salvation, then this passage would indicate internal conflict within God’s will – He would be willing that none should perish while simultaneously causing some to perish. God’s patience makes sense only if people have some causal role in their own repentance.
A biblical conclusion about God’s sovereignty
God’s sovereignty does not necessitate meticulous control over every human action but allows for genuine human choice. The biblical narrative presents God as desiring certain outcomes while permitting people to resist His will, making moral responsibility meaningful. If God directly caused all things, His expressions of grief over sin and longing for repentance would be incoherent. Instead, Scripture portrays a God who governs with authority yet does not override human agency, demonstrating that sovereignty and free will are not mutually exclusive.
This understanding of sovereignty aligns with the insights of various scholars who distinguish between God’s supreme authority and the idea that He directly causes all events. Consider the following perspectives:
“The Sovereign, by definition, is one who ‘exercises supreme authority.’ God is the Sovereign of the universe because God is the ultimate authority over everything, not the ultimate cause of everything.”5
“The Biblical view is that divine sovereignty is God’s absolute LORDSHIP over all things, understood not in terms of causation but in terms of control (being in control).”6
God’s sovereignty: A biblical definition
The Bible defines God’s sovereignty as His ultimate authority over everything, not as Him controlling every detail of our choices. He is fully in charge, yet He allows people to make real decisions, which means our actions truly matter. If God caused everything directly, His sorrow over sin and desire for people to repent wouldn’t make sense. Instead, He rules with wisdom, guiding history toward His purposes while still giving us the freedom to respond to Him.
In the video below, Dr. Leighton Flowers gives a perfect analogy comparing Calvinism’s idea of sovereignty with the Bible’s:
True sovereignty is not about God micromanaging every molecule in the universe or directly causing all events, past and future. Rather, true sovereignty centers on God’s ultimate authority. While God grants both humans and spiritual beings genuine freedom to choose paths contrary to His will, He maintains supreme lordship and control. His sovereignty means that despite these freedoms, God still determines the final outcomes.
Which God is greater?
In the end, we must ask ourselves: Which God is truly greater? Is it a God who can only accomplish His purposes by meticulously controlling every molecule, thought, and action in the universe? Or is it a God so supremely sovereign that He can achieve His ultimate purposes even while granting His creatures genuine freedom—a God who can work through, around, and despite the actions of those who oppose Him?
Scripture consistently portrays the latter: a God whose sovereignty remains undiminished by allowing real human choice, but is rather magnified through His ability to bring about His perfect will without overriding our agency. This God demonstrates a sovereignty far more profound than mere deterministic control. His is a sovereignty of wisdom, relationship, and redemptive purpose that invites our participation rather than rendering it meaningless.
The problem isn’t that Calvinism goes too far with God’s sovereignty. The problem is that it doesn’t go far enough! God’s true sovereignty isn’t in causing our actions, but in fulfilling His purposes through our choices.
References
- Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the Berean Standard Bible.
- Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 16.
- Sproul, R. C. Chosen by God. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2011. 16.
- Piper, John, and Justin Taylor, eds. Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006. 42
- Morrell, Jesse. The Natural Ability of Man: A Study on Free Will & Human Nature. Chapter 1. OpenAirOutreach.com. Kindle Edition.
- Cottrell, Jack. The Bible Versus Calvinism (The Collected Writings of Jack Cottrell Book 4) (p. 27). The Christian Restoration Association. Kindle Edition.