But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 (NLT)
Over the past 2000 years, several unbiblical doctrines have crept into Christianity. Perhaps one of the most commonly misinterpreted doctrines relates to God’s sovereignty. Sovereignty refers to supreme power and authority over a kingdom. Kings and queens are sovereign and may dictate the laws in their kingdom, but they don’t control everything. For example, they don’t create hurricanes or tornadoes, and they don’t orchestrate plagues.
As believers, we often hear that God’s sovereignty means He controls everything that happens on the planet. However, it’s not Biblical to believe that every earthly event is God’s will—good and bad, victory and tragedy.
We may have heard Old Testament verses used to explain why God might orchestrate tragedy: God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8–9), but these are taken out of context. Not only that, but these teachings don’t take into consideration the New Testament covenant we now live under, which teaches we have the mind of Christ and can understand His ways!
If things go wrong, we might assume it’s because God does whatever He wants, regardless of how much we pray. But this doctrine is not Biblical! In fact, this kind of thinking originated from Greek mythology because Greek gods were believed to be fickle and moody. You never knew who they would decide to favour.
Our God is not fickle-minded and doesn’t play favourites! He is a faithful, trustworthy God! Understanding sovereignty accurately frees you from accepting accidents, failures or setbacks as God’s will. Instead, you can build faith, knowing that He is dependable and on your side.