by R.C. Sproul
1986 / 187 pages
While most Christians joyfully acknowledge God’s sovereignty in His providence – his protective care – many are less eager to embrace His sovereignty in salvation. With some this is because they fear losing man’s free will; others fear losing our sense of responsibility for our response to God’s grace; and others want God to woo us rather than compel us.
R.C. Sproul’s book deals with all these concerns. Each of the first eight chapters explores aspects of God’s sovereignty, and ends with a summary of the ideas argued and a list of at least four supporting Biblical passages.
Several of those chapters deal with significant connections within the doctrine of predestination – like between Adam’s Fall and Mine, between Rebirth and Faith, and between God’s Foreknowledge and Predestination.
The eighth chapter deals with possibly the most personal of the five points of Calvinism, the perseverance of the saints, whether you can really know that you are saved – renaming it the preservation of the saints to highlight both God’s sovereignty and His steadfast mercy.
The final chapter, dealing with questions and objections, ends with Sproul’s invitation to open “our eyes to see God’s beauty” in His sovereign love for His people. May our eyes be so opened!
