The Comfort Of God's Providence預覽

One of God’s chief theological attributes is His sovereignty. Sovereignty simply refers to His rulership over all of His creation. According to Ephesians 1:11, He does all things after the counsel of His own will. In Romans 11:36 we read, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things…”

Absolutely nothing escapes His rule and influence. God is in charge of all things because He has created and sustains all things.

Understanding His kingdom gives us the markers which guide our travel through God’s providential terrain. But to understand God’s rule, we must first understand what He rules: His kingdom. 

Now, if you are an American, you are most likely an American because you were born here. If you are a part of the kingdom of God, it is because you have been born again into His kingdom. The reason why you do not want to miss a full comprehension of the kingdom as you seek to understand providence and sovereignty is not only because it affects your understanding of these two things, but it also is the key to understanding the entire Bible. The unifying central theme throughout the Bible is the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom. The conjoining thread from Genesis to Revelation—from beginning to end—is focused on one thing: God’s glory through advancing God’s kingdom.

When you do not understand that theme, then the Bible becomes disconnected stories that are great for inspiration but seem to be unrelated in purpose and direction. The Bible exists to share God’s movement in history toward the establishment and expansion of His kingdom. Understanding that increases the relevancy of this several-thousand-year-old manuscript to your day-to-day living, because the kingdom is not only then; it is now.

Throughout the Bible, the kingdom of God is His rule, His plan, His program. God’s kingdom is all-embracing. It covers everything in the universe. In fact, we can define the kingdom as God’s comprehensive rule over all creation. It is the rule of God and not the rule of man that is paramount.