Quotes from Jerry Bridges

it is the ability of God to so arrange diverse human actions to fulfill His purpose that makes His sovereignty marvelous and yet mysterious.

God is perfectly holy, then we can be confident that His actions toward us are always perfect and just.

Are we justified in concluding that God always orchestrates the events of our lives to fulfill His purpose? According to Romans 8:28, the answer is a solid yes.

The third truth to keep before us is that the Bible consistently portrays people as making real choices of their own will.

First, we should never use the doctrine as an excuse for our own shortcomings.

No plan of God's can be thwarted. God does as He pleases, and only as He pleases, and no one can frustrate His plans or hinder His purposes.

The choices people make are moral choices; that is, people are held accountable by God for the choices they make. The actions of Judas, Herod, and Pilate were wicked acts even though done under the sovereign appointment of God.

Perhaps we have become self-righteous about our Christian lives because we look at society around us and see flagrant immorality, pervasive dishonesty, wholesale greed, and increasing violence. We see growing acceptance of abortion as a "right" and homosexuality as an acceptable alternate lifestyle. Because we are not guilty of these more gross forms of sin, we can begin to feel rather good about our Christian lives.

Second, we should not allow the doctrine of God's sovereignty to cause us to respond passively to the actions of other people that affect us. We should take all reasonable steps within the will of God to protect and advance our situation.

God is not only sovereign, He is perfect in love and infinite in wisdom.

The Bible teaches both the sovereignty of God and the free moral choices of men with equal emphasis.

But in the light of Scripture, it is decisive that this creaturely freedom poses no threat or limitation to the sovereign and almighty Divine enterprise….