Quite frankly, it's probably impossible to completely understand it. But if we hold true to the boundaries of Scripture, I believe we can have a Biblical understanding of God's sovereignty that, while it does not answer every question, it does lay boundaries to our understanding of it. I believe that this is how most of the great theologians of the past had also seen it. They may have mixed up the terminology, but their teaching suggest that most understood God's sovereignty this way also. This is how I see it. A couple of thing to consider.
The term 'ordain' is what I would call an umbrella word which encompasses God's complete sovereignty over all that He providentially governs. Under the term "ordained", we have both 'predestine', and 'positively allowed' (not predestined). He ordains everything, He positively causes all that is predestined, and He positively allows (doesn't cause) all the rest. What is called 'predestined' and what is 'positively allowed' (not predestined) are both together ordained and decreed from the foundations of the world and are governed by the council of God's will. The point being, that God doesn't need to positively cause something to be sovereign over it. God ordained the day that we were born, and the day we will die. Think about that. The "Positively allowing" part, think of it like a domino effect. Knowing the effect of every cause, He doesn't need to actively cause everything. He can set boundaries, He can remove boundaries, He can be an initial cause and let the rest take it's natural course of action knowing the end result. Please don't read humanism into what I'm saying.
God is bound, or constrained by His attributes. This is why everything that He created was called good, and innocent. Adam and Eve were created good, yet God knew that they would inevitably sin. The only way they would avoid eventually sinning is if God made them like Him, as God. Made in His image, yes, but God cannot deny Himself. That's why they were kept in a state of ignorance, to keep them innocent. Even children born today are created innocent due to their ignorance, paralleling Adam and Eve. The only difference is that children grow out of that state of ignorance. Lucifer, likewise, created good but also created knowing that he would fall.
His justice must be considered. Sometimes God will harden a mans heart, though it is not Him doing it, it is Him allowing evil to do it for Him, by removing the restraints put on that evil. Or simply allowing sin to take it's course, or simply removing any light. If you have sinned once, you are considered guilty without Jesus, and it would fall under His justice for God to do what He wills with you at this point. thankfully, He is merciful.
If you have any discussion about God's sovereignty, especially the typical "free will" discussions, these things should be considered. If you have anything to add, or questions, have at it.
The term 'ordain' is what I would call an umbrella word which encompasses God's complete sovereignty over all that He providentially governs. Under the term "ordained", we have both 'predestine', and 'positively allowed' (not predestined). He ordains everything, He positively causes all that is predestined, and He positively allows (doesn't cause) all the rest. What is called 'predestined' and what is 'positively allowed' (not predestined) are both together ordained and decreed from the foundations of the world and are governed by the council of God's will. The point being, that God doesn't need to positively cause something to be sovereign over it. God ordained the day that we were born, and the day we will die. Think about that. The "Positively allowing" part, think of it like a domino effect. Knowing the effect of every cause, He doesn't need to actively cause everything. He can set boundaries, He can remove boundaries, He can be an initial cause and let the rest take it's natural course of action knowing the end result. Please don't read humanism into what I'm saying.
God is bound, or constrained by His attributes. This is why everything that He created was called good, and innocent. Adam and Eve were created good, yet God knew that they would inevitably sin. The only way they would avoid eventually sinning is if God made them like Him, as God. Made in His image, yes, but God cannot deny Himself. That's why they were kept in a state of ignorance, to keep them innocent. Even children born today are created innocent due to their ignorance, paralleling Adam and Eve. The only difference is that children grow out of that state of ignorance. Lucifer, likewise, created good but also created knowing that he would fall.
His justice must be considered. Sometimes God will harden a mans heart, though it is not Him doing it, it is Him allowing evil to do it for Him, by removing the restraints put on that evil. Or simply allowing sin to take it's course, or simply removing any light. If you have sinned once, you are considered guilty without Jesus, and it would fall under His justice for God to do what He wills with you at this point. thankfully, He is merciful.
If you have any discussion about God's sovereignty, especially the typical "free will" discussions, these things should be considered. If you have anything to add, or questions, have at it.
