The Sovereignty Of God

Book: 
The Sovereignty Of God
Reviewer: 
Joseph J. Adrian

The Sovereignty of God was first published in 1918. The printing run was 500 copies. The 2nd printing was in 1929, another 500 copies. From this humble beginning the impact of Pink's most influential book has been huge.

Many classic secular books have memorable opening lines, I've long thought SOG's opening sentence was unforgettable——"Who is regulating the affairs on the earth today——God or the devil?" Some might pose the question, with evil so prevalent in the world today and throughout man's history, in the light of this——How can God be Sovereign over all the world's history? First I would submit that the Scriptures are crystal clear on the fact of God's Sovereign Rule over all creation. - "The King;s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turns it whithersoever he will" (Proverbs 21:1). - "If then the heart is in the hand of the Lord, and if he turns it whithersoever he will, then is it not clear that men, are completely beneath the Governmental control of the Almighty." To understand history aright it must be viewed from a Biblical lens. To what great end did God create the world? The short reply would be "For His Own Glory." Pink expands on God's purpose - "From all eternity God designed that our world should be the stage on which He would display His manifold grace and wisdom in the redemption of lost sinners" (this is based on Ephesians 3:10-11), "for the accomplishment of this glorious design God has governed the world from the beginning,and will continue it to the end." The better one understands God's purposes, the more history will be understood if viewed from God's light. "Thou has created all things,and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11.

The man of faith is better equipped to understand both history and providence. Why is that? Pink sheds much light on this in his contrasting——the believer and the unbeliever. The unbeliever——"...judges everything by worldly standards, views life from the standpoint of time and sense, and weighs everything in the balances of his own carnal making." God's word states that——"The just shall live by faith." The believer, the man of faith——"...brings in God, looks at everything from His standpoint, estimates values by spiritual standards, and views life in the light of eternity."

How can the believer be secure in the midst of life's storms? The most comforting doctrine for believers, in trying times, is "The Doctrine Of God's Sovereignty." In the last couple of months,the world has been brought to its knees with the rampant spread of covid-19 (the corona virus). This much I know for a certainty, that——"...all things work together for good to them that love God,to them who are the called according to His purpose." The Puritan's believed that if a trial drew you closer to the Lord, that trial, no matter how deep, was a great blessing.

A.W. Pink's "The Sovereignty Of God" is a brief systematic, theological treatment of one of the most important doctrines in "The Book of God." I am convinced that any believer would greatly benefit from a careful, prayerful study of this book.