Sovereign God Calls us to Keep Excelling in His Truth!
Why I am Writing This?
Lately, I have been struggling with this thought: God, are you losing here on Earth because of the evil that is boldly prospering? This may also mean that those who want to live for God across the nation will automatically be defeated in their spiritual gospel mission. Sounds sad and disappointing, right? It may also trigger thoughts of backing down from our righteous calling, mission, and purpose of exalting Christ and His truth in our lives and in the communities we participate in. Now, abruptly, you may have a nest of thoughts, opinions, confusion, and some theology on the table to deal with the idea I just mentioned. Surely, these could be wrestling thoughts amid the global darkness that is spreading like wildfire—darkness in the cities & nations we live in. Which may also make us feel disappointed, sad, and spiritually weak & defeated. So, now in this context, I had been struggling with these thoughts and I had been asking God: What should be done as we face darkness everywhere on the earth? How should the Universal Church respond? Should the universal people of God hide? Go away to the mountains forever? Go silent and not say anything about the issues we note in our surroundings. Should we mind our work because life is all about today, we eat, drink, and celebrate because tomorrow we die. You can pause here and think for some time about your response when you had to deal with darkness and its outcomes. What was your stand? Did you feel afraid? Did you feel alone?
Understanding God’s Sovereignty in the Face of Evil
We need to begin by comprehending that God is not just eyeing the good things of world events. He is also fully aware and sovereign over the darkness that tries to prosper over the face of the earth. In Job 42:2 ESV, we read, “I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” This verse points out loudly that God cannot be stopped. He can do anything, anytime, anywhere. John Piper rightly expounds on the Sovereignty of God. He says, “God is powerful and authoritative to the extent of being able to override all other powers and authorities.”
Unhindered Sovereignty: We may also quickly respond that if God is sovereign in the face of evil, then why does evil still exist? Why would people prosper with evil agendas? Why would an all-wise, powerful, authoritative, loving, merciful, and sovereign God permit evil episodes here on Earth?
Here’s my Response: We should try to comprehend that we can’t find an answer for the origin of evil. Most theologians would agree with this position. In my early years of seminary education, I frequently asked some qualified seminary professors about the origin of evil. Most of them didn’t answer. Now this doesn’t mean that they were not equipped with the right answer. Instead, we need to cling to this position that the origin of evil is the Mystery of Iniquity.
Biblically, one thing is surely evident: God has used evil to fulfil His purposes. In Isaiah 45:7 ESV, we read, “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” Biblical evidence of God’s sovereignty over catastrophe. Yes, God certainly allows evil episodes to occur because of free human will. But this doesn’t mean that God can’t stop anyone from spreading evil. Again, we need to grasp the bigger picture that the unhindered sovereignty of God rules over every human's free will.
God Intervenes to Stop Evil: Let’s quickly look into the episode of Abraham, Sarah, and King Abimelech. A scene where we note the unhindered, powerful, undefeated hands of God intervening to stop King Abimelech from sinning against Sarah: “I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her” (Gen 20:6). This is an incredible truth! We can bind it on the tablets of our hearts: no power of evil can prosper against the people of God unless the Lord permits it. We should also note that free human will exists and prospers because God has given us this wonderful gift of making choices. Most of us would also agree that every living being here on this earth has been given General Revelation. So, it’s not God’s responsibility for the choices we make with the given revelation. If someone commits evil, then that person is fully responsible for making that choice.
On the other hand, when we have the Special Revelation (Christ's truth), we are even more liable to the judgment of God. We are more accountable because we have been taught the decrees of our God. Now it’s briefly clear that our God can’t be stopped from stopping evil. God is in complete sovereign control over every governmental rule, influential people, rich or poor, and in every nation. Nothing can prosper until the Lord permits it. The big concern is: how do I, as a follower of Christ, stay faithful and excel in the truth of God amid darkness?
Our Action Plan
Just a moment ago, I was chatting with a friend who is a campus minister and has a divine habit of dropping a text in the middle of an ongoing conversation. So, he gave me a verse for the day, Acts 18:9: “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” We know that Paul, in the Corinthian atmosphere, would have been challenged to excel in the truth. Being human, it is also easy to be trapped in fear of the people who love darkness. It could have kept Paul from excelling in the truth, as Paul may have thought he could be persecuted, attacked, or even put into prison.
However, God, being Sovereign and loving, spoke to Paul supernaturally (Acts 18:9-10) encouraging him not to be silent but to excel in his mission. Not forgetting that there are also caring, spiritually gospel-oriented people around him with the same mission in mind. When I read this verse and some details on it, I was encouraged. It was timely. It fuels me to keep going and accelerate even more in the truth amid the darkness. I also feel encouraged by the faithful gospel network God has given me.
Now, let’s end by responding to the questions asked above:
1. Gospel Ninjas should keep excelling in the biblical position with boldness, love, grace, and firmness, exalting His truth without regrets.
2. Ministers of the Gospel need to keep preaching, talking, and sharing the truth of God amid the darkness. Even when the faith hero fails, when a dear brother or sister drifts into evil, or the most successful person chooses to live in darkness, we should stay committed to the mission of preaching, talking, and sharing the truth of God faithfully in the church, our homes, small groups, or over a coffee table.
3. Believers of Christ should not hide in the face of an evil era and be sympathetic to it. Instead, we can be strategic by being laser-focused on the people God would bring to us who genuinely want to repent and transform into the image of God with the evidence of spiritual fruits. Jesus knew His targeted audience and he focused and excelled with them. We can do the same and not lock horns with a stubborn, unchanging bull who loves darkness.
So, as the faithful servants of Christ, let’s keep exalting the truth of God in our deeds and actions. We can do this with the power of His Spirit in us! We all are brave spiritual ninjas of God. Let’s keep exalting the truth without any regrets, shame or fear. Sovereign God is with us!
