God is (NOT) in Control!

This is a phrase that I hear used often, mostly when something goes wrong. “God is in control,” it is said when someone dies; when a devastating storm hits; when our health fails.

One of the biggest areas of confusion in the church is in the sovereignty of God.  We know that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, therefore we assume He is in control of everything that happens here on earth.  I don’t know of any teaching that has done more to impugn the name of God than the teaching that God is in control of everything that happens on earth.  I’ve heard things like this all my life:

     “I got cancer, but God allowed this to happen, He’s trying to teach me something.”

      “God took my child.  I guess He needed another angel in heaven.”

      “God allowed this evil in my life, He has a purpose for it somehow.”

Statements like this are not only ignorant, but blasphemous.  How many people did Jesus give a disease to when He walked the earth?  How many storms did He send or bless?  Show me one person that came to Jesus for healing that He sent away still sick.  Jesus did none of these things yet some Christians believe that His Father does them or “allows” them on a regular basis.

In fact, the Bible never says God is in control, but it does say that the devil has control:

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 Jn 5:19) NIV.

The NKJV says, “under the sway of the wicked one.  Much of the world is under the influence of evil.  Satan was defeated at the cross, but he still has sway or control wherever the gospel is not believed and people yield to him.   God does not control us. He does not give us a free will and then take it away.  Not everything that happens is God’s will.  Why?  Because:

The Heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S;    

     But the earth He has given to the children of men.   Psalm 115:16

God’s will is that not any should perish, yet people perish every day.  God’s will is for all men to repent, yet most don’t. Why did Jesus ever raise anyone from the dead when He walked the earth?  Some believe that when people die (regardless of their age or cause) it was just their “time to go”.  They say things like: “God never makes a mistake”, so you’re not to question their death, this is what you hear in church at funerals.  Jesus went about healing the sick and even raising the dead.  If their death was “God’s will”, then Jesus was working against the will of His Father by raising them from the dead.  If God were making people sick, or “allowing them to be sick”, then Jesus was working against the will of His Father by healing them and the Father and Son are a house divided.

God is in charge, but He is not in control.  Think about it like this: the police department is in charge of your city to prevent crimes and protect citizens, but they are not in control.  If the police were truly in control of the city, there would be no rapes or murders in that city.  If God was in control of everything, then He would be responsible for all the evil in our world – all the wars, killings, disease and destruction. But God is not the author of evil. In him there is no shadow at all.

Pastor Bill Johnson says, “Any definition of God’s sovereignty that allows evil to exist as a part of His will and purpose is an IMMORAL definition of sovereignty”.   The problem with thinking “God is in control” is it makes us passive spectators in life. We’ll just sit there and take whatever life hands us saying, “whatever will be will be”.

The way sovereignty” is taught today is one of the devil’s biggest inroads into our lives. If this belief is true, then our actions are irrelevant, our efforts are meaningless and our prayers are useless. Typical teaching on the sovereignty of God puts Jesus in the driver’s seat with us as passengers.  The truth is we are the ones steering the car of our own lives. We are the one doing the driving.  If Jesus was driving, then our lives would never be wrecked.  We are supposed to take directions from the Lord, but He doesn’t do the driving for us.  Any problems, pains or sicknesses in my life are not from God, but from the devil.  They are a result of my own decisions or just the results of life on a fallen planet.

My theology has become rather simple: God good, devil bad.  If it is good, it is from God, if it’s bad, it’s not from my Father.  Maybe you came to God because of something bad or painful in your life that overwhelmed you and caused you to turn to Him for help. That pain or circumstance, even though because of it you came to the Lord was not from Him, regardless of the outcome.  It was your faith that you placed in His grace that turned your life around, not the problem.

I pray that we stop saying, “God is in control” and start saying “God is always good. My life is filled with choices and my choices have consequences.  If pain occurs, it is not my Father’s will.  A life consecrated to God means that no matter what happens to me that is outside God’s will for my life, He can make all things work together for good to those who love him.