| # | The Sovereignty of God | The Sovereignty (Free Will) of Man |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | God’s eternal plan determines man’s destiny. | Man plans and determines his own destiny. |
| 2. | The “fall” in the Garden: God’s divine arrangement | The “fall”: God’s plan tragically gone awry |
| 3. | Christ: already provided before the “fall”. | Christ: “Plan B” to correct the big mistake. |
| 4. | Salvation: God’s gift given through repentance. | Salvation: A gift because of (produced by) repentance. |
| 5. | Faith: the fruit or proof of salvation. | Faith: the condition or requirement for salvation. |
| 6. | Works: the evidence or results of salvation. | Works: the requirement to earn and keep salvation. |
| 7. | “Free will”: Free only if the Son sets us free. | “Free will”: Free to choose our salvation and destiny |
| 8. | The elect: God’s “first fruits” chosen by Him through grace to be His own. | The elect: Those good enough (smart enough? humble enough? lucky enough?) to choose God. |
| 9. | Born again: Christ decides to awaken (resurrect) you from the dead. Then you respond. | Born again: You decide to change and turn to God. Then God responds. |
| 10. | God initiates (chooses). Man responds. | Man initiates (chooses). God responds. |
| 11. | Prayer: communion (alignment) with God’s will. | Prayer: To initiate or even change God’s will. |
| 12. | Hell: purifying/ remedial/ age-lasting (temporal). | Hell: punitive/vindictive/eternal. |
| 13. | Death: will be destroyed (including the second death which is the lake of fire.) | Death: will reign in “hell forever.” |
| 14. | God wins: totally and victoriously — through the “reconciliation of the world.” | Satan wins: the vast majority of creation perish — only a few (the remnant) survive. |
| 15. | Mercy triumphs over judgement! (1 Chron. 16:34) | Judgement triumphs over mercy. |
| 16. | Love never fails! (1 Cor. 13:8) | Love fails miserably. |
| 17. | God will be “all in all”! (1 Cor. 15:28) | God will be all only in some. |
| 18. | Etc., Etc., | Etc., Etc., |
The Sovereignty of God, or The Sovereignty of Man?
Author: David R. Sprenger
Published: May 10, 1997
Reading Time: 2 Minutes