The theme of God's sovereignty is prized highly and rejoiced in deeply by believers, especially those in the Reformed tradition. Like all doctrines, however, it can be perverted. We shall consider those areas briefly where we may be guilty of perverting this truth today.

Firstly, the perversion of sovereignty and church finances. Imagine a fairly large church composed of a few professionals and others who earn large salaries. They want to call a minister, but they cannot afford it. Nevertheless, they are people of great faith and they are willing to 'step out in faith' believing that the sovereign Lord will provide. Hidden away in such a situation can be a subtle bending of the truth of sovereignty here. A 'fairly large' church composed of 'professionals' and others with 'good salaries' and they 'cannot afford it'? Surely such a people ought not to be bringing in the truth of God's sovereignty in order to get a minister but examining themselves to see if they are giving their offerings liberally (2 Corinthians 8:2) sacrificially (2 Corinthians 8:3) with an eye to God (2 Corinthians 8:5), readily (2 Corinthians 8:12) and cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). The sovereignty of God and his ability to provide must not be invoked to make up the gap left by disobedience. Paul does not apply the truth of God's sovereignty in the context however in 2 Corinthians 9:8 Paul encourages believers by remind­ing them that despite their own lack, 'God is able'. Of course believers can look to God and rest in his sovereign power! But this is after all the Apostle's injunctions about giving have been heeded and obeyed. Then will God 'make all grace abound' and cause believers to be 'enriched in everything' (vv. 8, 11). The point is that the sovereignty of God is not an excuse for us to do nothing. It is the spur whereby we ourselves venture to do God's will, knowing that underneath and roundabout are 'the everlasting arms'.

Scripture makes a similar point in relation to a second matter, that of God's sovereignty and the church's decadence. The present weak, small, visionless nature of the church does not alarm us as it should. Perhaps again it is because we believe that God is sovereign and 'the gates of hell shall not prevail'. After all, God will 'present a glorious church to himself' (Ephesians 1:17). Are we guilty of hiding behind the sovereignty of God here and denying the reality of the threats to the church's continuity? Our lopsided view of divine sovereignty is lulling us into thinking that the dangers facing the church are hypothetical. In the Old Testament however, Moses prays for a shepherd for Israel because he is well aware of the real possibility of the flock being scattered (Numbers 27:15). The prophets ask in full earnest, 'Wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?' (Ezekiel 11:13). These warning motifs are transferred by Paul to the new covenant community too (1 Corinthians 10:1), and Hebrews has rightly been named the epistle of warning. Our Lord's own words to the Ephesians are salutary: 'repent ... or ... I will remove thy candlestick' (Revelation 2:5).

We may not be able to make logically transparent the connection between God's sovereignty and the promises which flow from it on the one hand, and the dangers which encircle the promises and render them 'fragile' on the other. Nevertheless, in the words of G. C. Berkouwer,

The promise that God does not forsake the work of his hands does not remove all tension, calling out responsibility from the Church's history.The Church, p.186

Finally, we must consider how the same point is made in relation to evangelism. Evangelism in our pagan society is a daunting task. Getting people to church and then getting them to church repeatedly is exhausting and the 'results' are often negligible. It is all too great a temptation to say, 'This is a hopeless waste of time. In the end only God can save; only God can draw people; only God can revive.' How true! But how false for us to say, to the exclusion of all else, let us pray for God to get on with it! If we do, we may be presuming at times upon God's sovereignty, as though it always and automatically would excuse us from all labour in the gospel. Especially instructive are our Lord's words in Matthew 28:19: 'All power is given unto me ... go ye therefore.' The great imperative is to disciple all nations. The fact that only God in his sovereignty can make a disciple does not neutralise the command but legitimises it and imbues the exhortation with hope and possibility.

In a word, sovereignty is not an excuse not to go and evangelise but precisely the reason given for going to evangelise. Divine sovereignty is the foundation upon which we go and do all that our Lord commands and which gives Paul the confidence to encourage believers:

Beloved ... your toil is not in vain in the Lord.1 Corinthians 15:58