God's Sovereign Authority VS God's Sovereign Mercy

 

God's Sovereign Authority VS God's Sovereign Mercy

Rev 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord...to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created."

Isa 64:8 "But now, O Jehovah, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our Potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand."

Heb 4:16 "Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help." 

Comparison Items	God's Sovereign Authority	God's Sovereign Mercy
Meaning	- Refers to God's infinite authority, power, and position - God is sovereign over all, above all, behind all, and in all - God has complete power to fulfill His will and eternal economy	- The furthest-reaching attribute of God - Reaches further than His grace and love - Entirely dependent on God's sovereign decision
Distinctions	- Emphasizes God's sovereignty and power - Focuses on God's rule and control - Demonstrates God's position and actions	- Emphasizes God's compassion and love - Focuses on God's redemption of man - Demonstrates God's grace to the unworthy
Explanation	- Like a potter has complete authority over clay - Can determine whether vessels are honorable or dishonorable - Man cannot talk back to the Creator	- Not dependent on man's will or running - Entirely based on God's initiative - The only hope for man's salvation
Examples	- God creates and controls all things - Predestines and chooses His vessels - Determines man's destiny and purpose	- Israel's election by God - Sinners receiving redemption - Believers walking in the way of recovery
Application	- Submit to God's arrangement - Accept God's leading - Recognize one's identity and position	- Not rely on one's own efforts - Thank God for His mercy - Seek the Lord daily
Relationship Between the Two	1. Mutual Foundation: God's authority is the basis for executing mercy; mercy manifests the goodness of God's authority 2. Complementary: Authority gives mercy power; mercy gives authority warmth 3. Working Together: Executing mercy through authority; manifesting authority through mercy
Related Scripture	1. God's Absolute Sovereignty: - Dan 4:34-35 "His dominion is an eternal dominion...He does as He pleases...No one can hold back His hand..." 2. God's Authority as Potter: - Rom 9:20-21 "Who are you, O man, who answers back to God? Shall the thing molded say to him who molded it, Why did you make me thus? Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?" - Jer 18:6 "Can I not deal with you as this potter does?...As the clay is in the potter's hand, so you are in My hand." 3. God's Creative Authority: - Isa 42:5 "Thus says God...who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and what springs from it, who gives breath to the people upon it..." 4. God's Electing Authority: - Eph 1:4-5,11 "Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world...predestinating us...according to the good pleasure of His will..."	1. God's Sovereign Mercy: - Rom 9:15-16 "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy." 2. God's Rich Mercy: - Eph 2:4 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us..." - Matt 9:13 "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." 3. The Effect of God's Mercy: - Heb 4:16 "Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help." - Rom 11:32 "For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all." 4. Seeking God's Mercy: - Jer 29:13 "And you will seek Me and find Me if you search for Me with all your heart." - Deut 4:29 "And you will seek Jehovah your God from there and find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

 

This table comprehensively analyzes the relationship between God's sovereign authority and mercy. Special attention should be paid to:

 

l   These two aspects are not opposing concepts, but rather complementary to each other

l   God's authority is the foundation for His execution of mercy

l   We need to both know God's authority and experience His mercy

 

*Please refer to: International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones, October 2024

General Subject: Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God

Week 5: Living Under God's Sovereign Authority and Living According to God's Mercy