God Does Not Need Our Help!
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. –Psalms 115:1-3
Many of us are under the mistaken notion that God needs our assistance to accomplish his will. The truth is that he is not dependent upon us for anything. Simply stated, he is God. The Psalmist understood this concept and exclaims that God does whatever he wants. In other words, he is sovereign. Why is it important? It is essential to have a proper perspective of God if we are going to give him the appropriate glory he deserves. In this article we will explore a couple of areas where God exercises supreme authority.
First, we need to recognize that God is sovereign over his creation. This has been the case since the beginning of time. Genesis 1:1 states that, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” Did God require any assistance or input from man when he flung the stars out into space? Did he solicit ideas about where to place the mountains and how much water needed to be added to the seas? No indeed! It was all done according to his will. He did what he pleased in creation. Psalms 19:1 substantiates this fact. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” This wondrous universe that we inhabit was spoken into existence by God alone.
God also created us. The Bible teaches that God created man on the sixth day (Genesis 1:26). He made male and female for his glory. Many today will claim that humans exist because of chance. Some will even say that we are no better than the animals and we are what we are because of billions of years of evolution. The Bible claims otherwise. We were created by God to glorify him and show his handiwork. In Psalms 139:14, David writes, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Dear child of God, you are no accident. God’s elect are known as his workmanship. We were created in Christ Jesus unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). The idea that we are here by mere chance leads to the ‘every man for himself’ attitude. You are here because of God almighty.
We also need to recognize that God does what he pleases in the realm of salvation. Many Christians mistakenly believe that they have some part in their eternal salvation. Some say that we must make a decision to serve God or let him into our hearts. Others say that you have to be baptized or one’s good works must outweigh their bad. Many of God’s children dedicate their lives to saving souls from eternal damnation. While these ideas may be backed with the greatest of intentions, they do not harmonize with scripture. We must first understand that we are spiritually dead because of our sins. We are not merely sick and in need of some medicine we are dead. Romans 3:9-12 records this truth. “There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Who is the Apostle Paul writing about? All of mankind throughout history. We are all spiritually dead because of sin. What can a dead person accomplish? Nothing! Therefore, we are wholly dependent upon God for our eternal salvation. In Ephesians 2:3-5 Paul later writes of how we are made alive by the mercy of God. “But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace are ye saved;)”
God does not need our help with saving his children. Heaven is home for his elect because of his power. You are not saved because of a decision you made to serve the Lord. You are not going to enjoy eternal glory because of your works. Heaven is the blessed home of the child of God because of his sovereign love. For more insight into the power of God in salvation, read Ephesians chapters 1-2 and Romans 8-9. God did not need our help in creation and he certainly does not need our assistance in determining the eternal salvation of his people. He has commanded us to obey biblical teaching and glorify his name in all that we do while we are in this world. May God bless us to honor him in all things.
Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL. Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at (850) 689-3383 or by email at pastormichael@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church.
1 comment:
Great work.
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