His Word Today

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27 ESV)

God called me into full-time pastoral ministry approximately 45 years ago. As a young, idealistic pastor, I never imagined the cultural, social, educational and ecclesiastical changes that would occur in understanding what it means to be human. I was unprepared for the quickness of the sexual revolution and the secular culture’s relentless demand to submit to an unbiblical anthropology.

Admittedly, my essays on Gender Identity are an all too brief treatment of an increasingly controversial subject; not only in the secular culture but also within the evangelical church.

Recently, the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) at its annual meeting in June, 2023, approved by a vote of 1,089-793 an overture urging the United States Federal Government to ‘renounce the sin’ of promoting irreversible sex change procedures for children. A commission within the denomination is tasked with drafting the petition. I am curious as to why 793 pastors and voting members present at the annual meeting voted against this overture?  

The proposal cited multiple scientific studies that suggest such medical and surgical interventions are a rejection of science and that the epidemic 900% increase in gender dysphoria among girls during the past eight years is primarily driven by social contamination from contemporary social, educational, and cultural influences

Concurrently, the PCA congregations in Canada are facing an even greater crisis. In 2022, the Canadian Parliament passed Bill C-4 which makes counseling that does not affirm homosexuality or transgender identity, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

In contrast, the liberal Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) has supported transgender procedures for minors. In Kentucky, the denomination recently petitioned the governor to veto a bill banning such procedures in the state.

“We can no longer take it for granted that non-Christians around us agree on the basic definition of male and female,” writes Pastor Christopher J. Gordon, of Escondido United Reformed Church, Escondido, CA. “Our institutions have embraced concepts such as gender fluidity and call believers to declared their preferred pronouns and accept whatever view of gender is espoused by those around them.”

How is the evangelical church, and individual believers, to respond to such a sexual quagmire? Here are a few biblical suggestions.

First, we must never compromise biblical truth. We must preach and teach the Word of God, in season and out of season. We must reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching in the church (2 Tim. 4:1-2). Pastors, and church leaders, must never cater to people’s rejection of sound teaching and their desire to accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions (2 Tim. 4:3). We must never turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths (2 Tim. 4:4). We must remain sober-minded and if called upon, to endure suffering (2 Tim. 4:5).

Second, believers in Christ must demonstrate the fearlessness of Daniel and his three companions (Dan.1-6). We must continually heed God’s call to be strong and courageous like Joshua (Joshua 1:1-9). We must continue to renew our minds with the Word of God and not be conformed to the fallen world’s systematic rejection of God and His truth.

Thirdly, leaders in the church and the home must faithfully demonstrate and pursue a holy sexuality. God has not called us for impurity but to holiness (I Thess. 4:1-8). We must live out what we say we believe. Sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must never be a part of our lives as believers in Christ (Eph. 5:3).  

Fourthly, parents and grandparents must resolve to teach, and demonstrate, a pure, holy and biblical sexual ethic to our children and grandchildren. We must answer their questions with a commitment to Scripture. We must alert them that secular and social institutions will communicate a different message. We must prepare them to know biblically what to believe and why they are to biblically believe it. In other words, we must raise our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).

Jesus instructed His disciples that in this world they (we) would have tribulation (John 16:33). He also taught to take heart for He has overcome the world. Be encouraged as you live for the Lord today.

Soli deo Gloria!

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27 ESV)

How is the believing community of the evangelical church to respond to the issue of Gender Identity? It must respond with the truth of God’s Word in general and the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ in particular. Attention is given to John 1:1-14.

Gender Identity at its core is a rejection of God’s work in creating the male and female. The rejection of the binary male and female gender is a rejection not only of God’s creativity but also His sovereignty is assigning our gender even prior to our conception. God assigns the individual’s gender, and not the individual in question. God is sovereign and we are not.

The Gender Identity issue must be met head on with the initial truth that the God of the Bible exists and is sovereign over all.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1–3 (ESV)

Second, Gender Identity must be identified as sinful rebellion against God. This truth is not popular, and never has been. It confronts the dark, rebellious heart and core of the individual. Sinful mankind has always questioned the authority of God and the light of His truth (Gen. 3:1).

⁴ “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4–5 (ESV)

However, there is an answer to the issue of the individual’s sinful condition. It is the Gospel of salvation from the penalty of sin, the power of sin and eventually the presence of sin. The fallen world has always sought purpose for life; void of God. This has never been successful. It never will be. Therefore, God historically entered this fallen world to deliver it from the ultimate consequence of its sinful rebellion.   

¹⁰ He (God) was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:10–13 (ESV)

The ultimate answer to Gender Identity, as is the answer to all of man’s sinful problems, is justification, redemption and reconciliation with God through the person and work of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21-26). Gender Identity is a sexual expression of the sinful, rebellious human soul. It is a rejection of God’s authority over the individual’s sexuality. Gender Identity is no different in principle than any other letter in the LGBTQ+ acrostic.

¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:14–18 (ESV)

Currently, and within the last sixty years, the fallen world has heralded a sexual revolution. It has rebelled against God heterosexually, homosexually, and now in the subject of one’s gender identity.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ not only delivers the sinner from the penalty of sin, but also the power of sin. This includes the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (I John 2:15-17). In Jesus Christ alone, there is true liberty to live a life pleasing to God and fulfilling for the individual.

How may we practically minister to anyone caught in the trap of sexual sin: whether it be heterosexual sin, homosexual sin or gender identity sin?  We must uncompromisingly herald God’s truth to them. We must pray for them. We must love them by telling them what the need to hear when it is not what they want to hear. This is true, biblical love.

Soli deo Gloria!

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27 ESV)

How has the issue of Gender Identity impacted the culture? How is it impacting the church? While it can be argued that Gender Identity is trendy, the consequences of many current decisions and practices supporting Gender Identity have far reaching, and long lasting, implications.

A girl from the United Kingdom, who had both of her breasts removed during a medical gender transition, is calling out the gender clinic that was involved in some of her care, according to a report from The Daily Telegraph, June 20, 2023. Jasmine, a former patient at the Travistock Gender Clinic, says she regrets medical interventions to change her gender.

The girl reported that transitioning made her feel worse at every stage. “I don’t really know what it’s like to have the body of an adult,” she said. “I kind of feel a little bit mutilated and like an experiment gone wrong walking through society sometimes. I feel, like, sometimes jealous of other people, women, who are biologically female. That they still have their natural voice, their natural characteristics. And I don’t anymore,” she continued. 

In a report published by Fox News June 6, 2023, Boston Children’s Hospital said to the media and the public that it does not perform genital surgeries on minors at its gender surgery clinic. However, Children’s senior leadership revealed it had policies to allow vaginoplasties on minors in published medical literature years and months before public scrutiny. Boston Children’s Hospital originally faced a wave of backlash in August 2022 over since-deleted wording found twice on the hospital’s website which claimed teens as young as 17 can get vaginoplasties. The hospital doubled down, claiming it was “misinformation” that it would offer genital surgeries on minors, and the media uncritically parroted the narrative.

In a report dated June 1, 2023, Twenty Republican attorney generals are joining forces in an amicus brief against several LGBTQ+ groups that are pushing to allow minors to receive gender reassignment surgery and hormone altering drugs. 

A professor at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine who is involved in a LGBTQ+ “special interest group” claimed that parents must start including gender ideology in their families before a baby is born. “This is my favorite topic,” Lauren T. Roth, is a professor of pediatrics at Einstein and a physician in the division of Academic General Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, New York. Said she has specialized knowledge of transgender medical interventions on children diagnosed with dysphoria. “Like, this is a normal thing. And we have to understand that gender is on a spectrum. There’s not just men and women,” she said. “Sometimes [a child’s gender identity] matches the chromosomes or the genitals that they were born with, but sometimes it doesn’t.”

In a report published by Fox News June 20, 2023, a federal judge ruled an Arkansas law that bans hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery for transgender minors is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jay Moody said that the first-in-the-nation law violated the due process and equal protection rights of transgender youth and their families and it violated the First Amendment rights of health care providers by prohibiting them from referring patients elsewhere. 

In a news report published June 21, 2023, former college championship swimmer Riley Gaines was a witness at the United States Senate’s hearing on LGBTQ Civil Rights. She pushed back on allowing transgender students to participate in the school sport of their chosen gender. Gaines has become an activist on behalf of biological female athletes after graduating from the University of Kentucky, where she competed against trans-swimmer Lia Thomas in championship-level events.

This is but a sampling of the recent reports chronicling the ramifications Gender Identity is having psychologically, athletically, legally and politically. By the time this blog is published, there may be many more stories concerning the subject of Gender Identity.

How is the believing community of the evangelical church to respond? It must respond with the truth of God’s Word in general and the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ in particular. This is what we will consider when next we meet.

Soli deo Gloria! 

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27 ESV)

What is meant by the phrase Gender Identity? Gender Identity is an individual’s intrinsic and innate sense of their gender or sex. Gender Identity is chiefly used in contexts where it is contrasted with the sex registered for an individual at birth. It can be a denial of a person’s physiological and biological gender God assigned to them at conception. Advocates for Gender Identity argue that young children should be able to explore their gender identities; without their parent’s knowledge or consent.

Presently, the secular culture identifies four primary Gender Identities. They are Transgender, A-Gender, Gender Non-Binary or Gender Fluid and Gender Binary. Transgender means your gender identity doesn’t match up with the sex you were assigned at birth. A-Gender means you don’t identify with any gender. Gender non-conforming, non-binary, and Gender Fluid means you don’t identify fully as a man or a boy (male, masculine) or a woman or a girl (female, feminine). Gender Binary means that you identify with your birth gender. This subject results in a constant flux of ideas, definitions and categories.

Fundamentally, the issue of Gender Identity is the result of one’s worldview. A worldview is an individual’s perspective on life, living, values and ethical behavior. The two basic worldviews are Theism and Atheism.

The Theistic Worldview acknowledges God’s existence. God created males and females. Consequentially, God has establish what is right and wrong and has given mankind an ultimate purpose. That ultimate purpose is to honor and glorify the Lord. Theism coherently answers the questions of Who am I, Why am I Here, and Where am I Going?

Atheism is diametrically opposed to Theism. Atheism denies God’s existence. Therefore, God did not create human beings. They are a product of evolution and spontaneous generation. Atheism denies any absolute standard of right and wrong and any ultimate purpose to life and living. If an individual seeks purpose and meaning to life, they are to determine it for themselves. Gender Identity, along with so many other aberrant expressions of human sexuality, are attempts by people to find an ultimate purpose and meaning to life.

“When the Son of God took on a human nature, he underlined forever the dignity and value of human embodiment, because he shared it—and still does. He did not leave his human nature behind; he is still fully human and fully God, seated at the right hand of the Father. Additionally, he affirms sexed human embodiment—that is, being female or male. Jesus did not appear in his resurrection as an androgynous being but as he had been in his earthly life: as a male,” explains author Rachel Gilson.

“This helps us understand that God’s creation of us as female and male is part of his good design and meant to be a blessing. Male and female are not temporary patterns or results of humanity’s fall into sin. Jesus’s taking on a sexed body affirms that God’s creation of humanity embodied as male and female was indeed very good (Gen. 1:28, 31). But right now we live between Christ’s first and second comings. The punishment and power of sin have been defeated, but we remain in its presence—and in a broken creation, which does not function as God originally designed it. The day when God will make all things new is still in the future. This has implications for how we experience femaleness and maleness.”

“It is good and right for each of us to work to embrace the sex that God gave to us. For someone born female, discipleship includes living faithfully as a female. For someone born male, discipleship includes living faithfully as a male. For some of us this will be easier, and for others harder. Each of us needs the grace and wisdom of God to do it well,” concludes Gilson.

How has the issue of Gender Identity impacted the culture? How is it impacting the church? That is what we will address next time.

Soli deo Gloria!  

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27 ESV)

Genesis One is God’s revelation of how He created the universe. In six 24-hour days (Genesis 1:1-31), the LORD spoke everything into being in an orderly and comprehensive manner. The Bible says that not only did God create the universe, He also sustains it and upholds it by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:1-3).

⁶”By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. ⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. ⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! ⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” (Psalm 33:6–9 (ESV)

The LORD creating everything from nothing extends to the pinnacle of His creativity; the making of male and female human beings. Genesis 1:26-27 emphatically states that God created men and women in His image. Image (Heb. Salme) means to be in God’s likeness. He gave both the male and female the ability to think, feel and to make informed and rational decisions. It is God who assigned then, and now, the physiological gender males and females possess.

The psalmist David acknowledged God’s current work in creating male and females through the process of conception, gestation and birth. “¹³  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. ¹⁵  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:13–16 (ESV)

However, since the fall of mankind into sin (Genesis 3:1-7), sinful, human beings still struggle with the sovereignty of God over His creation. This is summarized by Satan’s question (Rev. 12:1-9; 20:1-2) to the woman; “Did God actually say?” (Gen. 3:1).

 “In effect Satan said, “Is it true that he (God) has restricted you from the delights of this place? This is not like one who is truly good and kind. There must be some mistake.” He insinuated doubt as to her understanding of God’s will, appearing as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) to lead her to the supposed true interpretation. She received him without fear or surprise, but as some credible messenger from heaven with the true understanding, because of his cunning,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

Did God actually say? This question cuts to the heart of mankind’s continual struggle with not only God’s existence, but also His reign and rule over the universe He created (Psalm 2).

Rebelling against God’s rightful authority in human lives continues to the present day. This rebelliousness is displayed by theft, lies, murder, and sexual immorality (Exodus 20:1-17). Mankind refuses to acknowledge God’s existence, to honor Him as Lord of heaven and earth, and to be thankful unto Him for who He is and what He does. Consequentially, man creates idols in place of God (Rom. 1:18-23).

For the next several days, we will suspend our studies from the Gospel of Matthew to biblically examine the issue of gender identity. An explanation of what gender identity is, how it is impacting the current culture, and how believers in Christ, the church, can address it will be studied. Current Christian books and resources will also be recommended for further reading and research.

It is the intent of this all too brief treatment of the subject of gender identity to do so with gentleness and respect (I Peter 3:13-15). However, it is also to be done by biblical truth, spoken and communicated in self-sacrificial obedient love for God and for those created in His mage (Eph. 4:15-16).  

Soli deo Gloria!   

²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25–30 (ESV)

Matthew 11 concludes with a prayer by Jesus. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. We now can observe how, and for what, did Jesus pray?

First, He addressed the Lord of heaven as Father. God’s transcendence and immanence are both in view. Second, Jesus acknowledged God the Father  revealed Himself to those who are His elect. Thirdly, Jesus affirmed that God the Father is sovereign overall. God’s sovereignty involves the following areas.

Fourthly, Jesus prayed for sinners to come to Him to find rest for their souls. Jesus addressed individuals who were burdened down with the reality and guilt of their sins. To achieve a self-salvation or a works based righteousness was a heavy laden labor. Jesus also turned His attention upon the religious leaders of His day condemning them for loading people with heavy burdens and then not helping them carry those burdens (Luke 11:46).

“Jesus referred to the practice of adding commandments to Scripture, making the law a burden. He likely also referred to the Pharisees’ and lawyers’ failure to show mercy to sinners. Instead of drawing near to people crushed by their sin, calling them to repentance and encouraging their obedience, they distanced themselves from those whom they considered unfit and beyond God’s grace. Jesus did the opposite, dining with notorious sinners who recognized their transgressions and sought forgiveness. Without approving of their sin, He came close to help them find release from sin (Luke 5:27–32),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

Lastly, Jesus prayed, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

“People’s weariness comes from enduring their burdens, probably the burdens of sin and its consequences. Rather, they should come and yoke themselves with Jesus. By placing themselves under His yoke and learning from Him, they may find rest for their souls from sins’ burdens. By yoking, they become true disciples of Jesus and join Him in His proclamation of divine wisdom. To learn (mathete) from Him is to be His disciple (mathētēs). People can trade their heavy, tiring burdens for His yoke and burden (phortion, “load”), which by contrast are easy and light. To serve Him is no burden, for He, in contrast with those who reject Him, is gentle (praus; cf. 5:5) and humble,” explains commentator Louis A. Barbieri.

Soli deo Gloria!

²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25–30 (ESV)

Matthew 11 concludes with a prayer by Jesus. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. We now can observe how, and for what, did Jesus pray?

First, He addressed the Lord of heaven as Father. God’s transcendence and immanence are both in view. Second, Jesus acknowledged God the Father  revealed Himself to those who are His elect. Thirdly, Jesus affirmed that God the Father is sovereign overall. God’s sovereignty involves the following areas.

Fourthly, Jesus prayed for sinners to come to Him to find rest for their souls. Jesus addressed individuals who were burdened down with the reality and guilt of their sins. To achieve a self-salvation or a works based righteousness was a heavy laden labor.

Labor (κοπιάω; kopiao) is a present active participle. It means to continually toil to the point of weariness because of a hard and difficult endeavor. To be heavy laden (φορτίζω; phortizo) is a perfect passive participle. It describes a past completed action with continuing results of carrying a heavy load with no relief. To labor in a works righteousness system of religion is a wearisome labor that offers no relief from the sinner’s guilt and no assurance of salvation. What hope does the sinner have?

Jesus said that those who labor and are burdened down with sin are the ones to come to Him for relief. Jesus taught that all God the Father gives Him will come to Him (John 6:37-39). Jesus also explained that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). For sinners to come to Jesus the Father must give them as a gift to the Son.

God the Father’s will to give sinners as a gift to the Son is solely by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. The result is rest (ἀναπαύω; anapauo). This is a future active rest. It is a relief and refreshment from the toil of working for justification. Jesus applied it to the soul who rests in the completed work by Him on the cross on their behalf. Jesus has done the work for the sinner’s salvation. The believing sinner finds rest for their soul in that work of Christ alone.

“There is an echo of the first beatitude (5:3) in this passage. Note that this is an open invitation to all who hear—but phrased in such a way that the only ones who will respond to the invitation are those who are burdened by their own spiritual bankruptcy and the weight of trying to save themselves by keeping the law,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

“The stubbornness of humanity’s sinful rebellion is such that without a sovereignly bestowed spiritual awakening, all sinners refuse to acknowledge the depth of their spiritual poverty. That is why, as Jesus says in v. 27, our salvation is the sovereign work of God. But the truth of divine election in v. 27 is not incompatible with the free offer to all in vv. 28–30.”

Soli deo Gloria!

²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25–30 (ESV)

Matthew 11 concludes with a prayer by Jesus. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. We now can observe how, and for what, did Jesus pray?

First, He addressed the Lord of heaven as Father. God’s transcendence and immanence are both in view. Second, Jesus acknowledged God the Father  revealed Himself to those who are His elect.

Thirdly, Jesus affirmed that God the Father is sovereign overall. God’s sovereignty involves the following areas.

To begin with, God the Father has handed over all things over to Jesus Christ, God the Son. God the Father has handed over (παραδίδωμι; paradidomi), imparted and entrusted all things. This entails the sovereign salvation for those who Christ will die and provide a substitutionary atonement. This includes justification, adoption, redemption and reconciliation (Rom. 3:21-26).

“This is a powerful affirmation of the sovereignty of God over all the affairs of men; and in the verse that follows, Christ claimed that the task of executing the divine will had been committed to him—a claim that would be utterly blasphemous if Jesus were anything less than sovereign God himself,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

Jesus continued this thought when He then prayed that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. This also is an affirmation of the divine sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners.

“God reveals and conceals according to His good pleasure. God is Creator and Lord of heaven and earth. We do not have the standing to criticize the almighty God,” explains commentator Daniel Doriani.

“We must not imagine that God looks at billions of innocent and hopeful humans and chooses to reveal His truth and redeem some and to conceal His truth from perfectly fine people, so that they ultimately taste His curse. God surveys a race of sinners. God relates to a world of sinners to whom He owes nothing except His judgment. It is no marvel that Jesus hides His truth from some. The marvel is that He reveals it so clearly to win so many.”

As a believer in Christ, rejoice in God’s sovereign salvation of your soul. As an unbeliever, pray that God would enable you to repent of your sins and trust Jesus Christ as the Savior and Lord of your soul. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!