“Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15

Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent—three powerful descriptors of an Almighty God. Over and over again as we read through the Bible, we see the God of the Universe, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, characterized as the epitome of these three, both overtly and in more subtle ways. It is undeniable, from a Scriptural perspective, that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere present. But does that mean that on this Earth, and in the hearts, minds and actions of humans, He is all-controlling?

That is a question that desperately needs a Biblical answer in our day and a question whose honest answer would answer a thousand other questions of “why” concerning the goings on in this world.

 Last week we dared to dip into questions concerning the sovereignty and goodness of God. Two concepts that seem at opposition when you look at this world and the things that are happening today, but two truths about our Father that are as sure as the foundation of Heaven itself. We stated that many of us have grown up hearing that God is good and that God is in control, but all around we see the seemingly opposite unfold.

So, what is it then? What about this sovereignty of God? What about His proclaimed goodness? Who is in control of this world? What is man’s role, if any, in what happens on this planet? Is all this just an outcome of Divine predestination?

If God is good and in control, then why all the bad? If He’s in absolute control of all that happens in the Earth and in your life, why have bad things happened to you? Is it because He is not good?

Some are adamant that God is both in control of all and He’s good, but this can’t be the truth. So, what is the reality of the matter? What does the Bible actually teach regarding these very important ideas?

Heavy thoughts I know, so heavy in fact that most preachers have steered clear of addressing these questions. Unfortunately, that has done more harm than good and given the world reason to rightly scoff at our logic. You do realize that what most people believe about God is what we have enabled them to believe through our lived “faith,” right? Anyway, can you see how badly we need an accurate explanation, if only for our own selves, of how God is both sovereign and good? Thankfully, we do have such an answer; it has been right there in the Word of God all along, and just as if God knew it would be of utmost importance for us to know this truth, it is right there in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible!

That’s actually where we left off last week, in Genesis 1:26-28. There it states man’s original (and continuing) purpose on this planet, and the responsibilities and authority God gave us at Creation. I encourage you to read it again and really think about the ramifications of what God did in the Garden that day. We see God use words like “dominion” and “subdue” and that should be more than a clue for us to understand the awesome power and responsibility that God delegated to us when He placed us here.

And that’s a very important point there—this idea of delegation. You see, God was in exclusive control over everything concerning everything (and, theoretically, still could be at a moment’s notice if He so chose), but according to the Bible, when he created man, He gave him the ability and responsibility to manage Earth. In an incredible display of love and trust, God delegated some of His control, the ability to “dominate” and “subdue” this world, over to mankind. Now that’s something to think about until next week!

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.