Sovereign Lord

“Sovereign Lord” in the NIV is a title of two words in Hebrew and one word in Greek that describes God’s absolute lordship, the one under whom we live, and the one who is free to do as he pleases.  We acknowledge these attributes of God and praise him for who he is.

God’s sovereignty though does not become the focal point of our theology as it does with Presbyterian churches (and there are numerous Presbyterian church bodies in the United States).  In most Presbyterian churches God’s sovereignty leads to the horrible doctrine of double predestination, whereby God predestined some people to heaven and others to hell.  The Bible, of course, does not teach anything like that.  The Bible teaches that God does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

So while we recognize the sovereignty of God, the grace of God in Christ becomes the focal point of our theology.  “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).