“Which he will display at the proper time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” 1 Timothy 6:15
November 8, 2022
Election Day is upon us. There is only one person who knows the outcome. He who has determined all things. This is because God is sovereign over the universe. As the Reformer, John Calvin, has expressed it, “there is no random power, or agency, or motion in the creatures, who are so governed by the secret counsel of God, that nothing happens but what he has knowingly and willingly decreed” (ICR, 1.16.1-9). This truth was understood by the apostle Paul as grounds for offering praise to God (a doxology). His understudy, Timothy, needed to know that the sovereignty of God stabilizes the believer in the stresses and strains of life. The house churches scattered throughout metropolitan Ephesus were surrounded by a sea of idol worshiping pagans. However, that does not negate the fact that God is in charge of even the smallest molecule. Whoever is elected to political office throughout our nation will be so because God has determined it. That doesn’t mean that they have God’s moral approval. It means that all things – disappointing outcomes, the circumstances of life, the wrong things others do to us, the mistakes we make and the failures of other people, and the tragedies and pressures of life – are all under God’s control. For Timothy and his fellow believers, Nero was the Roman Emperor. He was a corrupt politician and responsible for the deaths of many Christians. If God is sovereign, no matter what kind of governance we have, how then should we live? Know that God is “the King of those who reign as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords” (literal rendering). We are to love and trust God with all that we are and get on with the good works of being gospel people. H
“God of all sovereignty, Your greatness is unsearchable. Your wisdom is impeccable. Have mercy on us to give us elected officials who respect your moral law.”