Is God Sovereign Over Governments?

Episode 612 Show Notes

From the Show

It’s important for us to distinguish between the order of salvation and the history of salvation. The order of salvation is those distinct acts of God throughout the Christian life whereby he communicates to us the gifts of Jesus Christ by faith. God calls us, he regenerates us, he justifies us, he adopts us, he sanctifies us, he causes us to persevere in the faith, he glorifies us. The New Testament uses this type of language in Romans 8:30 or John 3. It’s something we all experience as believers. Now, that’s to be distinguished from the history of salvation, which is redemptive history. Think of the Incarnation, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, his death on the cross for our sins, his resurrection from the dead.

The order of salvation applies to us what Jesus accomplished in the history of salvation. And I make that distinction to make the point that we don’t relive the history of salvation. That was once and for all…Pentecost is part of the history of salvation. But we experience, as believers today, the benefits and the blessing of what Jesus accomplished on Pentecost, pouring out the Holy Spirit on the Church.

–Adriel Sanchez

Questions in this Episode

1. Are God’s promises conditional on our actions? If we don’t forgive others, will he not forgive us? Do I fall out of God’s favor every time I sin?

2. Does God control governments, history, and policies in order to fulfill all that he promises to do?

3. Can Christians have the Holy Spirit in the same way the early disciples did at Pentecost?

4. What is the difference between the soul, the spirit, and the flesh? Which is like our body? What is the difference between those three, and are the soul and the spirit the same thing?

5. A pastor recently said that there is a difference between knowing that you are a sinner and actually mourning over your sin. God has shown me that I am a sinner, that I cannot make myself good enough for him, and that I need Jesus. But I don’t remember mourning my sin, and I feel like I’m mentally torturing myself to see if I am truly saved. What does it mean to mourn your sin? What makes it true mourning?