Does "Sovereignty" equal Meticulous Deterministic Control of Everything?
Soteriology 101 w/ Dr. Leighton Flowers
Release Date: 08/25/2015
Soteriology 101 w/ Dr. Leighton Flowers
Dr. Leighton Flowers responds to Ferris, from @howtobeChristian, on his understanding of John 6 as articulated in this video: To get your copy of Dr. Flowers new book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: To SUPPORT this broadcast, please click here: Subscribe to the Soteriology 101 Newsletter here: www.soteriology101.com/newsletter Is Calvinism all Leighton talks about? https://soteriology101.com/2017/09/22/is-calvinism-all-you-talk-about/ DOWNLOAD OUR APP: LINK FOR ANDROIDS: ... LINK FOR APPLE: ... Go to www.ridgemax.co for all you software development needs!...
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Dr. Jonathan Williams is back on to discuss his new book titled, "The Edomite Enigma: Esau, His Children, and Romans 9:10-13," which can be found here: To learn more about Dr. Williams, check out his website at: To get your copy of Dr. Flowers new book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: To SUPPORT this broadcast, please click here: Subscribe to the Soteriology 101 Newsletter here: www.soteriology101.com/newsletter Is Calvinism all Leighton talks about? https://soteriology101.com/2017/09/22/is-calvinism-all-you-talk-about/ DOWNLOAD OUR APP: LINK FOR...
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info_outline John 6 in Context: Reply to C. JaySoteriology 101 w/ Dr. Leighton Flowers
Dr. Leighton Flowers responds to C. Jay (@TheCynicogue) and his recent attempt to confront a Provisionist reading of John 6:44. Seen here: As we will see, C. Jay has yet to understand the Provisionist's perspective well enough to actually confront it and thus created a rebuttal which is mostly "much todo about nothing." He makes many semantical nitpicks which can easily be granted by inserting his preferred word instead of mine (ie use "dragged" instead of "compelled" or "permitted/granted" instead of "enabled) and the arguments I made remain unanswered. To get your copy of Dr....
info_outline Why Calvinism FailsSoteriology 101 w/ Dr. Leighton Flowers
Dr. Leighton Flowers plays a clip from a pastor’s Q&A broadcast which demonstrates why Calvinism is impractical, untenable and most importantly unbiblical. To watch the video we will be addressing, go to 2:05.00 on this link: https://www.youtube.com/live/jNKwUpACp-A?si=q5sysCO9bjnfOszk To get your copy of Dr. Flowers new book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: https://a.co/d/6s767Ey To SUPPORT this broadcast please click here: https://soteriology101.com/support/ Is Calvinism all Leighton talks about?...
info_outline Romans 9: Who are you to Question God?Soteriology 101 w/ Dr. Leighton Flowers
To get your copy of Dr. Flowers new book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: To SUPPORT this broadcast, please click here: Subscribe to the Soteriology 101 Newsletter here: www.soteriology101.com/newsletter Is Calvinism all Leighton talks about? https://soteriology101.com/2017/09/22/is-calvinism-all-you-talk-about/ DOWNLOAD OUR APP: LINK FOR ANDROIDS: ... LINK FOR APPLE: ... Go to www.ridgemax.co for all you software development needs! Show them some love for their support of Soteriology101!!! To ORDER Dr. Flowers Curriculum “Tiptoeing Through Tulip,”...
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The Biblical Rogues Gallery, hosted by TRINITY RADIO, is walking through Romans and in this episode Dr. Leighton Flowers joins the discussion to tackle Romans 9, specifically the section that seems to suggest God may HATE the unborn baby named Esau. Does He really?!? Join us as we discuss, debate and deliberate the meaning of this controversial text. To subscribe to TRINITY RADIO, click here: To watch the last episode over Romans 9:1-5, click here: To get your copy of Dr. Flowers new book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: To SUPPORT this broadcast, please click here: ...
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Dr. John Piper recently was asked the question, "Is it foolish to ride a motorcycle?" And then he proceeded to ask for clarification on whether it is right to take risks given the belief that God micromanages everything anyway. Dr. Leighton Flowers confronts some of the unbiblical assumptions of Calvinism baked into Piper's answers. To hear the original Ask Pastor John broadcast, click here: To get your copy of Dr. Flowers new book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: To SUPPORT this broadcast, please click here: Subscribe to the Soteriology 101 Newsletter here:...
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Dr. Flowers is back on Phil Bair's broadcast, The Cross To Bair, talking about Divine Decrees and Determinism. To get your copy of Dr. Flowers new book, Drawn By Jesus, go here: To SUPPORT this broadcast, please click here: Subscribe to the Soteriology 101 Newsletter here: www.soteriology101.com/newsletter Is Calvinism all Leighton talks about? https://soteriology101.com/2017/09/22/is-calvinism-all-you-talk-about/ DOWNLOAD OUR APP: LINK FOR ANDROIDS: ... LINK FOR APPLE: ... Go to www.ridgemax.co for all you software development needs! Show them some...
info_outlineProfessor Flowers was addressed on the "downgrade" segment of the Pulpit and Pen Podcast hosted by JD Hall. Hall took issue with Flowers' definition of "Divine Sovereignty," in a recent article ran by SBC Today, yet Hall never really engaged Professor Flowers on their point of contention. Here is a copy of the article from www.soteriology101.com
The attribute of God’s Sovereignty is not an eternal attribute. Sovereignty means complete rule or dominion over others. For him to be in control over others there has to be others in which to control. He can’t display His power over creatures unless the creatures exist. Therefore, before creation the concept of sovereignty was not an attribute that could be used to describe God. An eternal attribute is something God possesses that is not contingent upon something else.
The eternal attribute of God is His omnipotence, which refers to His eternally limitless power. Sovereignty is a temporal characteristic, not an eternal one, thus we can say God is all powerful, not because He is sovereign, but He is sovereign because He is all powerful, or at least He is as sovereign as He so chooses to be in relation to this temporal world. As Dr. Ach put it, “Sovereignty is the expression of God’s power, not the source of it.”
If the all powerful One chooses to refrain from meticulously ruling over every aspect of that which He creates, that in no way denies His eternal attribute of omnipotence, but indeed affirms it. It is the Calvinist who denies the eternal attribute of omnipotence, by presuming the all powerful One cannot refrain from meticulous deterministic rule over His creation. In short, the Calvinist denies God’s eternal attribute in his effort to protect the temporal one. Additionally, an argument could be made that the eternal attributes of God’s love and His holiness are likewise compromised by the well meaning efforts of our Calvinistic brethren to protect their concept of deterministic sovereignty over the temporal world.
No one is denying that sovereignty is a current attribute of God, but only in part given that He has not yet taken full sovereign control over everything on earth as it is in heaven. Passages throughout the Bible teach that there are “authorities” and “powers” which are yet to be destroyed, and that have been given dominion over God’s creation.
Isaiah 24:21
A time is coming when the Lord will punish the powers above and the rulers of the earth.
Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Colossians 2:20
You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world.
1 Corinthians 15:24
Then the end will come; Christ will overcome all spiritual rulers, authorities, and powers, and will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father.
Don’t misunderstand my point. I affirm that God is greater than these powers and authorities. He created them after all.
Colossians 1:16
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
And one day God will strip them of that authority:
Colossians 2:15
God stripped the spiritual rulers and powers of their authority. With the cross, he won the victory and showed the world that they were powerless.
But, if God has chosen to allow created beings to have dominion and power over something, even for a time, how is His “sovereignty” (as defined by some being “complete and total control/determination over every single thing” eternally) not compromised?
God is certainly more powerful than any evil. He could stifle it at any moment with a word. I don’t think anyone is denying that. And I think we all agree that there’s a sense in which it is proper even to say that “evil is part of His eternal decree.” (Permissively)
He planned for it, obviously. It did not take Him by surprise. He declared the end from the beginning, and He is still working all things for His good pleasure (Isaiah 46:9-10), but isn’t there a difference in working evil out for good and unchangeably determining evil yourself? It’s one thing to help my child grow from being bullied, its another for me to hire the bully so as to make my child grow.
Most say that God’s role with regard to evil is never as its “author,” but few define the distinction between “predetermining,” “ordaining,” “decreeing,” as contrasted with the concept of “authoring.” Ask the next Calvinist you speak with to give example of God authoring evil and then an example of God decreeing evil and see if you can find a distinction with an actual difference. Only if he affirms the concept of bare permission (God allowing men to be free and make their own choices) can any real distinction be drawn between those terms.
1 Tim 6:15, Isa 48:11, Isa 42:8. Isa 44:24, Heb 1:3, Rev 19:6, 1 Cor 8:5