The Sovereignty of God’s Working
God is the Creator and we are "his workmanship, created in Christ unto good works" (Ephesians 2:10). What Godbegins He also finishes (Hebrews 12:2). He is following a blueprint and a timeschedule. He knows exactly what He is doing with every creature in Heaven andon the earth (Acts 15:18). God is God.
We recognize, certainly, that man is commanded to seek and to serve Godfaithfully. We recognize also God is God and that all people, things, andevents are in His power.
The sovereign workings and initiative of God are illustrated in themanner in which he apprehended Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Saulwas not on his way to church. He was not proceeding down an aisle in responseto an altar call. He was on his way to arrest and torment Christian believers.
In complete command of the situation, as always, Jesusordered Saul to "Arise and gointo the city." Jesus then madeknown to him that God has a purpose concerning the Gentiles as well as theJews, and that he, Saul, had animportant part to play in this purpose.
God had laid out a design for Saul’slife in which he would become the Apostle to the Gentiles. Saul was to have an understanding of the plan ofsalvation and of the way in which grace operates to redeem people. Christ gaveall this to Saul at the moment of his becoming a Christian—in fact, while Saulwas in the midst of putting Christians to death (Acts 26:11-18).
God’s purpose, which He is pursuing in line with His sovereign willaccording to His own Divine counsel and foreknowledge, with people whom He haschosen (we are not in any way minimizing the role of our will in choosing toserve Christ), is to bring to full stature the Body of Christ.
Christ is God’s anointed King and Deliverer.The Church of Christ is His Body, "the fullnessof him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:23). Christis the Lampstand of God. The Body of Christ is the second"lampstand," of Revelation 11:4. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternaldwelling place of God Almighty and the chief Cornerstone of the habitation thatGod is building for Himself. We Christians, being members of His Body, are partof the same dwelling place. We are being "builded together for anhabitation of God