But God is almighty. He is called King of kings:
“which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,” (1Ti 6:15 NKJV)
He does everything that He wishes:
“9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 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,’ 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.” (Isa 46:9-11 NKJV)
So in what way is He not absolutely sovereign?
If I were to learn that the vast majority of Christians understand a biblical text differently than I do, I would know that the likelihood of my being mistaken was very great. Therefore, I would ask myself, what am I missing that is so very clear to almost everyone else?
1 Timothy 6:15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. (NRSV)
What are Reformed theologians missing in this verse? They are missing the fact that this verse neither says nor implies that God is absolutely sovereign. Indeed, what we have here is a contrast between human Kings and “our Lord Jesus Christ,” the only true “Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Isaiah 46:9. remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like me,
10. declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, "My purpose shall stand,
and I will fulfill my intention,"
11. calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man for my purpose from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have planned, and I will do it. (NRSV)
What are Reformed theologians missing in this passage? They are missing the fact that this passage is written in ancient, inspired Hebrew poetry—a genre of literature that expresses feeling and emotions rather than objective facts. As is the case with Isaiah, the book of Jonah includes both poetry and prose. Chapter 2:2-9 is written in poetry being a psalm of thanksgiving, the rest of the book is written in prose. Of critical importance to this discussion is Jonah 3:1-10:
1. The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying,
2. "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you."
3. So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across.
4. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"
5. And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
6. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water.
8. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands.
9. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish."
10. When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. (NRSV)
Compare v. 4 with vv. 9 & 10,
9. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish."
10. When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
The people of Nineveh believed God, God was surprised, and
He changed his mind upon seeing that the people of Nineveh believed. Compare the following passages in Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 18:7. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it,
8. but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it.
9. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it,
10. but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it.
Jeremiah 26:3. It may be that they will listen, all of them, and will turn from their evil way, that I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend to bring on them because of their evil doings.
13. Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will change his mind about the disaster that he has pronounced against you.
19. Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all Judah actually put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the favor of the Lord, and did not the Lord change his mind about the disaster that he had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great disaster on ourselves!”
God has many attributes and they interact with each other and thus affect each other making it impossible for God to be absolutely sovereign.
