God's Sovereignty

Since God is uncaused, He depends on nothing else for His existence (aseity). (4) He is self-existent, self-sufficient, and independent of anything else. (5) He has existed for all eternity.

• “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself” (John 5:26).
• “And He is before all things . . .” (Col 1:17).

As the Uncaused Cause, God caused things to be. The universe and all of creation above and below exist because He created it to exist. 

• “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).
• “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).
• “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needs anything since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25).
• “For from Him and through him and to him are all things” (Rom. 11:36).
• “For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:16).
• “. . . He, for whom and by whom all things exist” (Heb. 2:10).

Because God created all things, and because He is above all things, He is the rightful owner and ruler of all things. (6) Thus, He is sovereign over all things.

• “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein . . .” (Ps. 24:1).
• “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all” (Ps. 103:19).
• “. . . for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all” (1 Chron. 29:11).

Not only is God sovereign over all things, He also has supreme control over all things.

• “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all” (1 Chron. 29:11-12).
• “I know you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:4).
• “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases” (Ps. 115:3).
• “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the deeps . . .” (Ps. 135:6)
• “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Is. 55:11).
• “For in Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36).
• “There is . . . one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:6).

What Does God’s Sovereignty Mean for His Creation?

As Sovereign Ruler, God established laws for governing the universe (natural law) and mankind (moral and divine laws). 

God’s Natural Law.

God makes Himself known at all times to all people everywhere through general revelation; that is, through His creation. Everything in the universe is subject to laws which are observable, orderly, and logical. These laws reflect God’s nature and are unchangeable (immutable). 

The notion that the universe is governed by the natural law of a divine being originated with early philosophers and authors including Aristotle, Cicero, and Augustine. Building upon his predecessors’ ideas, Aquinas later wrote, “Law is nothing but a dictate of practical reason issued by a sovereign who governs a complete community . . . it is evident that the whole community of the universe is governed by God’s mind. Therefore the ruling idea of things which exists in God as the effective sovereign of them all has the nature of law.” (7)

Scripture confirms God’s natural law:

• “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?” (Job 38:33).
• “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Ps. 19:1-2).
• “He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved” (Ps. 104:5).
• “He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting” (Ps. 104:20).
• “. . . I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it” (Jer. 5:22).
• “Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then . . .” (Jer. 33:25).
• “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made” (Rom. 1:19-20).

God’s Moral Law.

If the universe is subject to God’s natural law, then what is lawful and unlawful among His creation is revealed as true. This is the moral law; it is both revealed in His creation and written on the hearts of men as His image bearers.

The Apostle Paul referred to the moral law in his letter to the Romans:

• “Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done” (Rom. 1:24-28).
• “For when Gentiles, who do not have the [written] law, by nature do what the [moral] law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the [written] law.  They show that the work of the [moral] law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness . . .” (Rom. 2:14-15).

God’s Written Law.

In addition to general revelation, God makes Himself known to humanity through special revelation; that is, through supernatural means to specific people at specific times and places.   Written over a period of 1500 years by nearly 40 different authors, the Bible is an example of special revelation. It is God’s written Word containing instructions for righteous living. Jesus Christ is the ultimate special revelation, for He is the Word incarnate–the Living Word. 

• “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).
• “. . . no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’ s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
• “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
• “. . . no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-20).

The One who established the laws also governs, sustains, and enforces the laws.

God governs:

• “For kingship belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations” (Ps. 22:28).
• “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne” (Ps. 47:8).
• “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder . . .” (Is. 9:6).
• “He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings” (Dan. 2:21).
• “Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above . . .’” (John 19:11).
• “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom. 13:1).

God sustains:

• “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17).
• “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3).

God enforces:

• He is the Lord our God; His judgements are in all the earth” (1 Chron. 16:14).
• “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed . . . ” (Acts 7:30-31).
• “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Rom. 13:2).
• “. . . in righteousness, He judges and makes war” (Rev. 19:16).

How Does God Sovereignly Work Things Out?

As Divine Being, God is without human limitations. He is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), all-wise (omnisapient), and exists eternally (omnipresent). Through His omni attributes, He is able to work things out according to His plan, or providential will (providence), and for the good of His creation because He is all-loving (omnibenevolent). 

• “. . . for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Dan. 4:35).
• “In Him, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will . . . “ (Eph. 1:11).

See our resources titled, “The Omnis of God” and “God’s Goodness & Love,” for more information.

If God is Sovereign, Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Critics of God’s sovereignty over creation often point to the problem of evil (POE). Addressing this argument requires a resource of its own and can be found under the title, “The Problem of Evil” on our Apologetics Resources page.

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Footnotes:

(1) Aquinas noted that the Five Ways is not an exhaustive argument for the existence of God.

(2) Davies, Brian. The Thought of Thomas Aquinas. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992), 29. 

(3) Davies, The Thought of Thomas Aquinas, 29.

(4) Morgan, Chistopher W., and Robert A. Peterson. A Concise Dictionary of Theological Terms. Brentwood, B&H Academic, 2020.

(5) Norman L. Geisler, “God’s Omniscience,” in Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003), 58.

(6) Norman L. Geisler, “God’s Omniscience,” in Systematic Theology, Volume 2 (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003), 537.

(7) Davies, Brian. The Thought of Thomas Aquinas. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992), 247.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.