Why, God? Grappling with the mystery of God’s sovereignty
How would you answer if someone asks why God allows suffering? How do you explain why one public figure is miraculously saved from an assassin's bullet, while another falls?
A. W. Pink begins his book The Sovereignty of God (1928) exploring the difficult question of why God does what he does and allows what he allows.
Pink says many rationalize that God "is a far-distant Spectator, taking no immediate hand in the affairs of earth" (p. 16). But this leads to the conundrum that "If Satan is defeating the purpose of God, then Satan is Almighty and God is no longer the Supreme Being" (20).
The author goes on to ask why God rescues some and not others. "Why did He allow Stephen to be stoned to death, and then deliver Peter from prison?" (23)
The truth is we don't know. We may never be satisfied with any theologian's attempt at answering questions like these. Here at the beginning of his book, Pink seems to echo our own doubts about God's omnipotence, especially in the face of suffering and death.
As we go through Pink's work, we're going to explore and learn, rather than answer all the whys. We're going to enhance our understanding of one of the most difficult doctrines I know of.
I've read his whole book. I had many "aha" moments that have helped me develop a healthier perspective on living and leading in this chaotic world.
My goal is to share what I've learned and been reminded of. You may disagree with some points as we go—which is fine.
Let's start with a definition, and in the coming weeks, we'll keep diving deeper. Here are two passages from his book to get us started:
"Being Sovereign, He does as He pleases." (23)
"He is sovereign in the exercise of His power. His power is exercised as He wills, when He wills, where He wills…. For a long season that power appears to be dormant, and then it goes forth with irresistible might." (22)
Exploring,
Tom Harper
Founder, BiblicalLeadership.com
LinkedIn profile | My books
 | Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More » |
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