What is relational sovereignty?

Christians wrestle with how to understand how God’s sovereignty works. On the one hand, the Bible clearly presents God as sovereign over all the universe. But, at the same time, it also presents God’s will and activity as being flexible and even acted upon by His creation.

We read the Bible and see that God could deliver His people from suffering, and sometimes He does, but much more often we are left to suffer in this life. How can we square that reality with the promise that God is a God of love?

Many Christians hold to a view of sovereignty commonly called “meticulous determinism,” or “meticulous providence.” But this view does not account for much of what we see in Scripture and it logically concludes with God being a monster Who makes sport of human beings.

A smaller number of Christians hold a view commonly called “open Theism,” where God is not actually sovereign.

Is there another way to understand what is revealed in Scripture but also squares with the problem of suffering?

Relational sovereignty offers the way.

Find the rest of this study in Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:1 at:

Look On The Blight Side (Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:1)

Full references can be found in the sermon notes.

References for quotes and points found in this excerpt are:

Roger Olsen – A Relational View Of God’s Sovereignty

A Relational View of God’s Sovereignty

Does the Open View Undermine God’s Sovereignty?

Does the Open View Undermine God’s Sovereignty?

Phil Noordmans – Relational Sovereignty: A View That Makes Room for Prayer

Does the Biblical illustration of the potter and the clay prove that God’s sovereignty cancels out human free will?

Does God create some humans for salvation and others for damnation?

What are we to make of this word picture when we read passages like Romans 9?

You may be surprised to learn that every instance of this illustration concerns nations, not individuals.

Pastor Gene Pensiero shares some thoughts on this issue.

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There are extra-Biblical stories about Jesus performing miracles as a young child. Are these stories true? If not, what was Jesus doing for 30 years?

Pastor Gene Pensiero shares some thoughts on this issue in a study from Isaiah 61

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Christians talk about our “calling.” What does that really mean? Is it just for professional missionaries or people who work at a church?

In Ephesians we learn that calling is for everyone and that it comes to us in three ways: General calling, categorical calling, and personal calling.

Gene Pensiero Jr shares some thoughts on this issue in a study on Ephesians 4:1.

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A famous sermon illustration says that shepherds will sometimes break the legs of a wandering sheep and carry it on his shoulders. Is this a true practice or have we misunderstood what actually happens?

Gene Pensiero Jr shares some thoughts on this issue in a study on Nahum 1:9-15.

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In Isaiah 53 we read: “By His stripes, we are healed.” Is that a promise that God will always heal His people? We see Jesus frequently healing afflictions of every kind in the Gospels. Why is it that we see so few miraculous healings in the Church age?

Pastor Gene shares some thoughts on the context of Isaiah 53, God’s future plan, and His current methods when it comes to healings, suffering, and grace.

Pastor Gene Pensiero offers some thoughts on this issue in a study of Isaiah 53.

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The question is: What is “Demand Prayer,” and is it Biblical? Should we be demanding things of God?

Pastor Gene Pensiero offers some thoughts on this issue in a study of Isaiah 52.

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The question is: Is it true that “no church fathers” taught a pre-tribulation rapture? Post-tribulation teachers can be particularly antagonistic toward the pre-trib view, but what about writings like Irenaeus’ Against Heresies?

Pastor Gene Pensiero offers some thoughts on this issue in a study of Isaiah 51.

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The question is: Is it right to use the English name ‘Jesus,’ or should we use His Hebrew name?

Pastor Jacob Kelso offers some thoughts and Scripture on this issue during a live Q&A session at Calvary Hanford.

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The question is: Did God the Father turn His back and forsake Jesus on the cross?

Pastor Gene Pensiero offers some thoughts and Scripture on this issue during a study in Isaiah 50 and Psalm 22.

Find many more Q&A’s and send in your own question at https://calvaryhanford.com/questions

Find dozens of podcasts and thousands of studies through the Bible at https://calvaryhanford.com/podcast