God's Sovereignty in Pagan Nations and Salvation
God's sovereignty extends over all nations, including those considered pagan, and is particularly evident in the process of salvation. The Bible consistently presents God as the ultimate authority, actively involved in the affairs of both His chosen people and other nations [11]. This divine control is not limited to the physical world but encompasses the spiritual realm, especially in bringing individuals to salvation.
The concept of God's sovereignty over nations is deeply rooted in biblical texts. For instance, the prophet Micah describes God as one who "tramples the heights," indicating His supreme authority over all creation and His active involvement in historical events that affect nations [11]. This portrayal emphasizes that the Lord, not any pagan deity like Baal, is truly sovereign [11]. Flavius Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews, also recounts God's direct intervention in the affairs of nations, such as His overthrow of the Sodomites due to their sins, illustrating a historical understanding of God's judgment and control over non-Israelite peoples [1]. This demonstrates a long-standing recognition of God's dominion beyond the boundaries of a single nation or religious group.
In the New Testament, this sovereignty is further elaborated, particularly concerning salvation. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, highlights that salvation is entirely "by God’s grace" and not a result of human actions [2, 3]. This grace is a gift, not something earned through works, ensuring that no one can boast about their salvation [2]. This emphasis on grace underscores God's sovereign initiative in saving individuals. Believers are described as being "made alive together with Christ" and "united with Christ Jesus," sharing in His resurrection and glory [2, 7]. This union is a divine act, not a human achievement.
The process of salvation involves a profound transformation, which is also attributed to God's sovereign work. Titus 3:5 states that salvation is "not because" of human deeds but "because" of God's mercy, through a washing of new birth and new life given by the Holy Spirit [3]. This signifies a complete departure from a life of sin and death and a transfer into a realm of life and purity [3]. Similarly, Ephesians 2:10 explains that believers are "created anew in Christ Jesus," implying a divine act of recreation [4]. Good works are presented as the result of salvation, not its cause, flowing from a transformed heart by God's Spirit [4]. This new nature, given by God's Spirit, expresses His life within the believer and is part of the gift of salvation [8]. Believers are called to "strip off their old life and put on Christ’s new life," allowing Him to guide their way of living [6].
God's sovereignty in salvation extends to all people, including Gentiles, who were once considered "strangers and foreigners" to God's covenant people [5]. Through Christ, these Gentiles who believe are "fully accepted into God’s family," becoming "children of God, just like believing Jews" [5]. This inclusion of Gentiles demonstrates the universal scope of God's saving work, breaking down barriers that once separated people groups. John Gill, in his commentary on Psalms 146:9, notes that God "preserveth the strangers," referring to His preservation of the lives and salvation of the souls of His people among the Gentiles [13]. He further states that God sends His Gospel to them, which is "the power of God to salvation unto them" [13]. This highlights that God's plan of salvation was never exclusively for one ethnic group but was always intended to encompass all who would believe.
The praise offered to God for His sovereignty and saving acts is a recurring theme. John Gill, commenting on Revelation 12:10, interprets a "loud voice saying in heaven" as a song of praise for the victory over paganism in the Roman Empire, signifying the triumph of the Christian church state [10]. This victory is attributed to God's sovereign power. Similarly, in Psalms 145:3, the Lord is described as "great in all the perfections of his nature," including His wisdom, power, and grace, and "great in all his offices and relations he bears and stands in to his people," as well as "great in all his works of creation, providence, and redemption" [12]. These attributes make Him worthy of great praise [12]. The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown commentary on Ephesians 5:20 encourages giving thanks "for all things," including adversities and blessings, to "God and the Father" as the "Fountain of every blessing in Creation, Providence, Election, and Redemption," and to the "Lord Jesus Christ" through whom all things become beneficial to believers [9]. This comprehensive gratitude acknowledges God's overarching control and benevolent purpose in all circumstances, for all people.
Sources
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 11, section 1: . How God Overthrew The Nation Of The Sodomites, Out Of His Wrath Against Them For Their Sins.”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:5: 2:5 gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead (literally made us alive together with Christ): Joined with Christ, believers share in his resurrection, now and in the future (see 2:6; Rom 6:4-14; Col 3:1-4). • It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved: See Eph 1:2; 2:8-9.”
- Titus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Titus 3:5: 3:5 not because . . . but because: The contrast is between human actions that might be thought to merit salvation and God’s grace (see Gal 2:16). Salvation is through faith in God’s mercy alone (Eph 2:8). • He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth: See Ezek 16:9; John 3:1-15; Eph 5:26; Heb 10:22; 2 Pet 1:9. • and new life through the Holy Spirit: This signifies a complete departure from the life of sin and death and a transfer into the realm of life and purity (see also Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 5:17; Col 3:10).”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:10: 2:10 He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us: Good works are the result, not the cause, of salvation. God’s Spirit, working through a transformed heart, produces a good life (Gal 5:22-23).”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:19: 2:19 Gentiles who believe are no longer strangers and foreigners (2:11-12, 17). Through Christ, they are fully accepted into God’s family. They become children of God, just like believing Jews (see Rom 8:14-17).”
- Colossians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Colossians 3:9: 3:9-10 your old sinful nature . . . your new nature: Paul contrasts old and new identities (see also Rom 5:12-21; 6:6; Eph 4:22-24). Believers strip off their old life and put on Christ’s new life, allowing him to be Lord and to guide the way they live.”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:6: 2:6 united with Christ Jesus: Because of this union, believers share God’s glory and blessings, and experience resurrection both now and in the future (see Rom 6:4-14; Col 2:12-13; 3:1-4).”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 4:24: 4:24 A believer has a new nature: God’s Spirit expresses his life within the believer (see Col 3:10; cp. Gen 1:26; Rom 12:1-2; Gal 5:22-23). The transforming work of God’s Spirit is part of the gift of salvation (Eph 2:8-10).”
- Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 5:20: thanks . . . for all things--even for adversities; also for blessings, unknown as well as known (Col 3:17; Th1 5:18). unto God and the Father--the Fountain of every blessing in Creation, Providence, Election, and Redemption. Lord Jesus Christ--by whom all things, even distresses, become ours (Rom 8:35, Rom 8:37; Co1 3:20-23).”
- Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 12:10: And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,.... Which was a song of praise on account of the victory obtained by Michael and his angels over the dragon and his, or for the overthrow and downfall of Paganism in the Roman empire; for by "heaven" is meant the empire, now become Christian, or the Christian church state in it; and the "loud voice" heard in it by John shows that there was a great number in it, who rejoiced on this occasion, and that they were full of affection and fervency, and therefore expressed themselves in such manner, and in form following: now ”
- Micah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Micah 1:3: 1:3 Tramples the heights implies a theophany, an appearance of the God who is behind the historical convulsions about to afflict Samaria (cp. Deut 33:29; Ps 108:13; Amos 4:13). God is sovereign over nations and nature. The Canaanite god Baal was also thought to be active in this manner—descriptions of God like this one emphasize that the Lord, not Baal, is truly sovereign.”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 145:3: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,.... Christ is the great God as well as our Saviour; great in all the perfections of his nature, of great wisdom, power, faithfulness, holiness, grace, and goodness; great in his person as God-man, God manifest in the flesh; great in all his offices and relations he bears and stands in to his people; and great in all his works of creation, providence, and redemption, in which he is concerned; and upon all which accounts he is to be praised, and greatly to be praised, by his people, even to the utmost of their capacities, h”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 146:9: The Lord preserveth the strangers,.... The life of them, as he did the daughter of: the Greek, a Syrophenician woman, and a Samaritan, by healing them of their diseases, Mar 7:26; and in a spiritual sense he preserves the lives and saves the souls of his people among the Gentiles, who are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise; for these he laid down his life a ransom, and became the propitiation for their sins; to these he sends his Gospel, which is the power of God to salvation unto them; he relieveth the fatherless and w”