Sometimes you will hear the claim that WoF people don’t believe in the sovereignty of God. While it may be true that WoF theology doesn’t define sovereignty the same, it is NOT true that WoF people reject the view that God is sovereign.
The dictionary defines “sovereign” as “the ultimate authority”. I think we can all agree that God is the ultimate authority, but what are the implications of that fact? In the view of most Christians, sovereignty seems to mean that God chooses who to bless and who not to bless, who to heal and who not to heal, and with some it even means who to save and who not to save. It’s as if He has no consistency and is making these decisions according to what mood He’s in.
The Bible says “whosoever”, which indicates that man has something to say about these things.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“… And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17)
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Mat. 16:25)
Okay, so most of us agree that salvation isn’t simply a matter of God’s sovereignty but also depends on the will and the faith of the individual, or “whosoever”. But what about healing?
“And He said unto her, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (Mark 5:34)
“Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. (Mat. 9:27-30)
“Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” (Mat. 15:28)
What about the receiving anything else?
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” (Jas. 1:6,7)
So receiving salvation, healing, or any thing else from God is not just a matter of His sovereignty but also depends on our faith. Does that mean that everybody who fails to receive just didn’t have enough faith? No. There are a number or reasons that people fail to receive answers to prayer.
- Sin/Disobedience (Ps. 66:18)
- Asking with wrong motives (Jas. 4:3)
- Pride (Jas. 4:6)
- Unforgiveness (Mark 11:25)
- Strife (I Peter 3:7)
- Ignorance (Hosea 4:6)
- Not asking (Phil. 4:6; James 4:2)
- Not Rightly Discerning the Lord’s Body (I Cor. 11:29,30)
- Unbelief (Jas. 1:6,7)
John 1:1,14 tells us that God and His Word are one, so if God is sovereign His Word is sovereign. That means that His Word is the ultimate authority, and He has provided His Word to us so that we can know His will concerning the things that we might want. Some people seem to think that since God can do whatever He wants, He can lie and default on His promises if He sees fit to. But the Bible clearly tells us that He cannot lie (Heb. 6:18) He is faithful. (II Tim. 2:13)
It seems that the issue here is not so much whether God is sovereign, but how to interpret the implications of His sovereignty. Consider this statement from one of the critics.
“Man’s confession of the Word has power if and only if the sovereign God wills to empower it. The Word of God is subject to the will of God.”
The Word of God is subject to the will of God?!!? I don’t think so. The Word of God IS the will of God! God doesn’t change, and the immutability of God is what gives believers assurance in their salvation. That’s basic theology right there.
In summary, WoF people don’t view God apart from His Word, and therefore ascribe the attribute of sovereignty to it in exercising faith. WoF opponents tend to ascribe sovereignty to the person of God apart from the Word.