God's Sovereignty and Our Responsibility
There is no doubt that God is sovereign. He can and will do whatever He chooses. He can lead people in whatever way He desires. However, in all of His sovereignty God has ordained that people have a choice of whether to trust Him and follow Him or not.(Jeremiah 13:11) God showed Jeremiah, Israel, and Judah this truth by using the object lesson of a sash or belt worn by the people then. Let's think about it for a minute.
God drew the Hebrews close to Himself. He caused them to cling to Him like a sash by delivering them from Egypt and guiding them through the wilderness to the Promised Land of Canaan. He gave them a land of abundance and cities they did not build. He taught them His laws. He explained His covenant with them over and over. They had to trust Him and obey His commands for Him to be their God. He did all He could do without forcing them to trust Him, but they decided to reject the Lord and His instructions.
I believe the same thing happens in one form or another all of the time. God reveals Himself to people in His sovereign ways, but He does not force them to accept. They get to choose, and most people choose not to listen, because of their human pride and sinfulness. However, some believe and continue to cling to the Lord by living by faith. That is what He wants for everyone, but our Sovereign God puts a premium on free will and human responsibility.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 16-18.
God drew the Hebrews close to Himself. He caused them to cling to Him like a sash by delivering them from Egypt and guiding them through the wilderness to the Promised Land of Canaan. He gave them a land of abundance and cities they did not build. He taught them His laws. He explained His covenant with them over and over. They had to trust Him and obey His commands for Him to be their God. He did all He could do without forcing them to trust Him, but they decided to reject the Lord and His instructions.
I believe the same thing happens in one form or another all of the time. God reveals Himself to people in His sovereign ways, but He does not force them to accept. They get to choose, and most people choose not to listen, because of their human pride and sinfulness. However, some believe and continue to cling to the Lord by living by faith. That is what He wants for everyone, but our Sovereign God puts a premium on free will and human responsibility.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 16-18.