The Eternal Sovereignty of God (Final Part Three)

The Eternal Sovereignty of God (Final Part Three)

Khen Lim

Is God in control or is this just coincidental natural beauty? (Image source: sunlakesaeroclub.org)

Our freedom or His control?

Scripture is very clear on the fact that God knows as much what happens today as He does at any time in the future all the way to the End of Time (Mt 6:8, Ps 139:1-4). He has, after all, complete sovereignty over everything in life (Col 1:16-17, Dan 4:35). 

Yet none of us can ever imagine how such a holy God moulds and shapes the will of man. It doesn’t even sound logical and all of this is reconcilable but in God’s power and authority, nothing has to sound logical because in the end, He, not anyone of us, is God.        

The Bible also tells us without any shadow of doubt that we have choices to make in our lives of which the most fundamental – and important – is to choose Him or be forever estranged from Him:

“And I saw a great white throne and the One sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from His presence but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:11-15, NLT)

In other words despite the free will that God has given us, we are all still accountable for our actions in the end (Rom 3:19, 6:23, 9:19-21). How all of these facts come together coherently might be a little too much for us to grasp (Rom 11:33-36). After all, God has His sovereign will and we have our free will, given to us so we can make our own informed choices. Still, how do they work together?

Apparently, there are two diametric views concerning this. On one end, people believe that God’s sovereign dictates that man is nothing more than programmed robots hardwired to His bidding and tuned to do whatever He wishes. On the other end, people use free will to suggest that God, after all, does not have full control over all of life and indeed, He also doesn’t have the fullest of knowledge as a result.

We know both to be not just wrong but unbiblical. Instead, the real truth lies in God honouring our free will. After giving us our freedom to choose, He does not violate it but rather, God elects to redeem us by changing our hearts so that it becomes our will to choose Him. He does this out of the love He has for us right from the beginning:

“We love each other because He loved us first.” (1 Jn 4:19, NLT)

Furthermore, God was not coerced in choosing us. It’s not as if He didn’t have a choice for He could have easily done something else. Since He is God, nothing is beyond Him. Yet God chose us despite our debauched nature:

“You didn’t choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using My Name.” (Jn 15:16, NLT)

As we are ultimately still under the auspice of His sovereignty, we should learn to trust Him with everything we have instead of leaning on our own knowledge and understanding. Despite our freedom to make our own choices, seek His will in everything we endeavour. Ask Him to shine and lead the way so that a path out of trouble’s way can be seen (ibid). 

In His sovereignty, God is always in control. No matter the circumstances and no matter how insurmountable the challenges may be, we can all seek His comfort and not make any of this an issue to debate senselessly about:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” (Prov 3:5-6, NLT)

Yet with the freedom God give us, we should seek His wisdom to make wise choices. Knowing the limits of our knowledge and realising the Lord’s omniscience, making wise decisions based on His Word would make a whole lot better sense than be short-changed by our own flawed thinking:

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (Jm 1:5, NLT)

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17, NLT)

When we choose to be led by Him, we also choose to cast out a life of disobedience at the same time. The decision we make to live our lives in accordance to His Word will ensure that we are part of His will to be. This way, we don’t have to entertain any excuses for choosing disobedience and therefore, have no further need to blame ourselves or anyone for our sin. 

Instead we can now free ourselves to focus on worshipping and praising Him and to extol His grace and mercy and to celebrate His wonderful, infinite sovereignty.

Ultimately, the idea of our free will is to surrender it to God, to offer our lives so that He may use them to and for His glory. Paul in his letter to the Romans says:

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom 12:1-2, NLT)

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In a world creaking under the burden of sin, man’s free will was always going to be undermined by the weakness of the flesh. And so, more often than not, we end up disappointed with ourselves because our words and actions betray us time and again. Romans 7 has as good a message as any in the Bible about our sinfulness and this passage sums this up very well:

“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right but I can’t. I want to do what is good but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

“I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law but because of my sinful nature, I am a slave to sin.” (Rom 7: 18-25, NLT)

Paul talks about the wretchedness in our nature that makes a mockery of the free will that God gives us. If only we have the strength to overcome sin and use our free will to the glory of God but in reality, this is not likely to happen. Even if it did, our complete lack of consistency would simply end up in humiliation. 

At the same time, God’s sovereignty doesn’t mean we are ultimately denied of our free will. To be sure we understand this clearly, His Kingship is not quite what fatalism is.

Fatalism determines that ‘what will be, will be.’ In other words, God has already predetermined how things will turn out. He has a plan and He has put it into motion that ultimately defines ‘fate.’ Yet for what it is, it should also not be confused with ‘predestination,’ which is God’s foreordaining of all that will take place in salvation terms where some will and won’t receive even before birth. 

This is more in line with Calvinism. Fatalism suggests that events are inevitable. It is an unbiblical view tainted by a submissive outlook where one is forced to accept the inevitable. In contrast, predestination is biblical although not to the exclusion of free will.

Free will, on the other hand, offers freedom of choice. It is self-determination and God wills it upon us to possess. Free will is the power to act free of constraint of necessity or fate. It is the ability to act at one’s own discretion. We can choose to do God’s will or not because ultimately, it is our choice. Given such a definition, free will cannot be compatible with fatalism or determinism.

Fatalism, therefore, denies human free will. With free will, we make real choices that come with real consequences. With free will in place, it means God does not directly intervene and He sticks to His word. Being all-knowing and all-powerful, He is certainly aware of the decisions we all make and whether or not He agrees with them, He still allow all that happens to happen. 

Even so, His will is unstoppable. He has set it in motion and He will see it through and that all that must be accomplished will be accomplished in the end.

All of these might sound all dry and theological – and impractical – but it isn’t. Many modern Christians don’t think much of all this, believing that they have no real application but the sovereignty of God has serious significance and its impact on our daily lives continues to be telling in every way.

Witnessing sovereignty at work

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In fact, for those who understands its deeper meaning will know how much God’s Kingship and control helps remove all cause for worry. And judging from what Scripture says of the Lord’s flawless character, we can be comforted that He has the ability to carry out what He has promised to and that is, to truly love and care for us:

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them. He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.” (Rom 8:26-30, NLT)

This and many similar passages throughout Scripture gives us the reassurance that God our true King not only is able to but has consistently proven over the ages to work all things for our good even though in many cases, we fail to see how that may actually happen. God’s unpredictability in how He does things does not prepare us for when His hand is at work but that’s the beauty of who the Lord is. He acts when we least expect Him to. He lifts us up when we thought we’re left for dead. He answers when we are resigned to be alone with our problems. He never ceases to amaze and He never gives up on us even when we might have surrendered all hope. 

In short, that’s God’s sovereignty at work.

God’s sovereignty takes effect in our everyday life as He seeks to sanctify us in our walk. Too often Christians wrongly assume that the responsibility to mature our faith is solely ours. Somehow we believe that once we accept Christ’s offer of Salvation, we are to do the rest on our own (Gal 3:3). 

While we do contribute to our own spiritual maturity, we can and must look to God’s sovereignty and place our trust in His Kingship to bring us to fuller maturity:

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Php 1:6, NLT)

For this purpose, let’s again review Romans 8 through this passage:

“For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one – for God Himself has given us right standing with Himself. Who then will condemn us? No one – for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us and He is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us.” (Rom 8:29-34, NLT)

All of that simply reaffirms that our salvation has been an integral part of the big picture that defines God’s sovereignty from eternity past. So instead of concentrating on how well we can do on our own, we can lean on His indisputable sovereignty, knowing that in Him, all things are indeed possible. He is a God well worth knowing, worshipping and praising.

God’s sovereignty also makes it easier for us to stand by the decisions we make. By acknowledging God’s control in all things, we are no longer held ransom by our very own decision-making processes. Whether we make the right or wrong decision, we are safe in His hands. If our decision is not the right one, we are safe in the knowledge that all is not lost. We trust that He is faithful to us and that His ability will put us back on course.

That doesn’t mean that we can become lazy and err on God to take the helm while we reap the benefits of our relationship with Him. It doesn’t quite work that way. What it actually means is that we are to work on our own decisions. 

We cannot sit idly by and let life run its course without any effort of our own. God’s sovereignty simply assures us that we can be bold, knowing that we are secure within His big picture. Hence we can trust with all our heart that He is faithfully working behind the scene for our benefit and ultimately for His glory.


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Lastly, God’s sovereignty helps to establish our very own identity. In our relationship with Him, a few things are certain. We know He is powerful beyond human imagination. We also know that His love for us is unfathomable. We certain know that in Him, we are completely safe. 

And as the object of His sovereign love, we can allow Him to mould us according to His standards instead of banking on what the world expects of us to do and to be. While we’re at it, we can bask in the joy of God’s control, knowing that we’re finally freed of sin’s stranglehold so we can really begin to live to fulfil our lives.

This also means failure has no more grip on our lives anymore and neither has final destruction (Rom 8:1). We don’t fear worldly persecution. We are not afraid of anyone saying we’re worthless. We can, instead, invest our whole being in the confidence of God’s sovereignty, knowing that He will have His way and that the outcome would simply be glorious. We have full faith in the One who not only says He loves us but will act to show us how. We can be comforted in the assurance that even as the world chooses to spiral out of control, God is always in control.

The ultimate sovereignty

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Right across all the continents of the world today, there are some 154 Presidents, 146 Prime Ministers (and equivalents), 22 Kings (or Princes, Grand Dukes etc), 2 Queens (covering 17 countries and territories), 2 Chancellors, 4 Sultans and Emirs, 1 Emperor, 1 Chairman and a few others of various different honorific titles. 

In total, that’s roughly 332 leaders and that’s not counting the number of politicians manning the various ministries, and departments that form all the leadership cabinets throughout the world.

But there is only one King with a very towering capital K who rules the entire world. So what does it mean when our God is sovereign? How is His sovereignty different to those Kings and Queens as well as the Presidents and Prime Ministers et al of the whole world? How does He stack up in power and authority over all of these regal and republican rulers? Can they match God in the quality and power of their sovereignties? 

Let’s have a quick last look:

Successions to the throne. Every country in history has seen successions of different monarchies. Some have gotten rid of royalty and replaced them with republicanism. In other cases, royal families have been routed – many slaughtered – and rival monarchies had taken over. 

There are a few exceptions of royal successions that have continued uninterruptedly – such as Thailand’s royal family – but most have had gone through upheavals.

Wars have been fought because of royalty throughout the ages and as they progress over time, they have become increasingly deadly. These wars have shaped how the countries are ruled and who ruled them. Monarchic absolutism by divine right soon gave way to parliamentarianism and democracy and later, a whole litany of different political systems emerged that challenged the legitimacy of royal rule. 

Whatever the order of the day, no one is indispensable and kings and queens as well as presidents and whomsoever will perish and be replaced through old age or murder, assassination, coup and whatnot.

In God, there is only One. In God’s Triune Kingship, there’s only been Him – meaning the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – since the beginning of time and it will still be Him when the world ends. 

God was there when time began, when the world began to take shape and when He filled it to readiness. It was His mastery that gave us the natural beauty of the world filled with all the flora and fauna.

It was He who ultimately created Man to populate the earth and have dominion over the animal kingdom. Even though Man brought sin to the world, He remains in sole control and will see to the End of Days. There has never been anyone else like Him and there never will be.

“He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other.” (Dt 4:35, NLT)

“For You, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.” (Ps 97:9, NLT)

“O Lord, our Lord, Your majestic Name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.” (Ps 8:1, NLT)

Sovereign boundaries. The different worldly monarchies and political leaderships control their own sovereignties within the artificial borders of their demarcated lands. The borders have proven as dynamic as they are porous over the many centuries. 

Till today, claims and counterclaims are still made over certain territories such as the Spratly Islands. Late last century, the United Kingdom sent their armed, air and naval forces to successfully fight off Argentinian claims on the Falkland Islands and before that, there were also notable wars in Vietnam and Korea.

When all is said and done about all these territorial ambitions and how land can change hands multiple times, every square inch of land and sea remain the ownership of God. People fight over land that not only doesn’t belong to them but they were never theirs in the first place. 

Whatever boundaries that sovereignties argue over, at the end of the day, these (boundaries) mean nothing to the One who has ultimate control over them.

God’s rule. In God’s sovereignty, He rules not just the kingdom of heaven but also on earth, throughout the world. His dominion is complete, fully vast and endless. He has control over every land and sea and it is in His will as to what He does or does not do and whether His actions are direct or indirect.

His authority determines what happens to the land since the beginning of time before nations even existed. God’s rulership of the kingdom of heaven is completely under His authority. He has no challengers and whoever disagrees with Him – Lucifer comes to mind – He has evicted and cast out together with his followers.

“So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and earth, and there is no other.” (Dt 4:39, NLT)

“He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.” (Col 1:17, NLT)

“The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.” (Heb 1:3, NLT)

“How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension.” (Ps 147:5, NLT)

An ever changing world. Societal upheavals over the many centuries have forced changes to how Man lives. From basic survival to technology-laden, Man has come very far but the changes have not always been for the better. While science has improved the standard of living and offered cures for many diseases, more decadent lifestyles have generally brought more strife.

The standards of yesteryears no longer apply. In their place, the changed man has embraced homosexuality, same-sex marriages and gender neutrality. Man has also become intolerant, bigoted and hateful of those who do not agree with them. 

In an ever changing world, the only thing that doesn’t change is change itself. And so long as sin is given every opportunity to spread, more serious changes are forthcoming that will threaten many national sovereignties.

God’s unchanging expectations. Under God’s authority, His commandments remain the one and the same. They have not changed over time. His promises also remain the same and as we head towards the End of Time, He is on course to deliver all the remaining ones mentioned in the Bible.

As it is written in the Old Testament, He still requires His people to be obedient to Him and He has set and maintained the same standards upon which all will be judged. These standards were established since the day of Moses and they are still relevant today.

“God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised ad not carried it through?” (Num 23:19, NLT)

“I am the Lord and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.” (Mal 3:6, NLT)

To be part of any sovereignty. To be able to live anywhere other than where we are natively born is complex, time-consuming and demands enormous effort – and money – and still, one may not qualify. There are screening tests, exhaustive interviews, disclosure and verification of accounts, professional skills, job experience and talents and personal information, various other declarations and so on. 

Different sovereignties demand more or less the same thing but in some cases, it is just about impossible to migrate. Cases in point include Japan who deem their cultural uniqueness something to jealously safeguard.

While a crime-free track record helps to advance migration possibilities, often the more important criterion is one’s financial clout. In other words, the wealthier you are, the more eligible you become. Yet none of these might even matter in the end if the recent illegal immigrant crisis is anything to go by. 

Abetted by overenthusiastic liberal-leaning governments, crimes and terrorism have become more worrying issues as a result. At the end of the day, those looking to migrate to somewhere ‘better’ to live might find there are actually lesser choices these days.

To be part of God’s sovereignty. To qualify for God’s kingdom, we need only to believe in Jesus Christ, His Son who gave His life on the cross so that we may all be saved by His blood. Through the Salvation He offers, we can be redeemed to God the Father and claim our seat in Heaven in the day to come. We qualify only by God’s grace because in gist, we do not deserve anything for our sin has long separated us from Him.

None of our work is exemplary enough. And we do not have the wherewithal to comply with all of God’s laws. It is because of this that we can only qualify through His grace and by grace through Christ alone, we can return to His love. God’s kingdom is crime-free. Everyone is joyous and happy. No one is in need of anything that they don’t have. Every day is just an endless source of happiness.

“But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favour on me – and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace.” (1 Cor 15:10, NLT)

“It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.” (1 Cor 3:5, NLT)

“God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Eph 2:8-9, NLT)

Protection not always guaranteed. As citizen of any sovereign country, your embassy supposedly has you covered. That is where you go should you require any form of assistance including safety and protection. All countries have enemies that can harm their citizens and in a foreign country, such protection cannot be taken for granted. 

We only have to look at Otto Warmbier who died shortly after he was released from prison in North Korea (read here) to realise that there are times when countries cannot always offer protection for their people.

In countries where there are no diplomatic relations, foreign nationals are vulnerable and have to be responsible for their own safety. Worldly sovereignty can only do so much and even in cases where people have been finally saved from whatever precarious encounters, it may take a lot longer to work things out. By then, much suffering might have to be endured.

At home, sovereignties protect their land, resources and people with military power wherever and however they can. Many are pouring tens to hundreds of billions of dollars into arming their military forces, fearing regional instability especially where there are rogue nations coming into possession of worrisome nuclear arms. 

At the end of the day, with deadly missiles pointing at one another, all these protection can all go up in smoke at the push of a button.


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God’s protection. Under God’s power and authority, we are completely safe from harm. With God’s invincibility, nothing can touch us. He is like an impregnable fortress and once in His care, His protection is guaranteed. 

Because He is all-powerful, there is no weakness to His mightiness. His strength is perfect. No one can defeat Him. All are in awe of Him. Those who have felt His crushing power on them are fearful of Him. And those whom God has covered with His protection know how indispensable He is in their lives.

“This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God and I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you from deadly disease. He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrows that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.” (Ps 91: 2-8, NLT)

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No sovereign guarantee to life. Monarchies are humans and while some of us might think the blood in their veins is blue, they are just as susceptible to the same life-threatening diseases and old age as everyone else. 

One day, they will die. It’s only a matter of how they die that remains uncertain. No royalty can bestow upon his subjects the guarantee of living forever. If he could, he himself would have lived forever and there would have been no question of succession in place.

Without question, the most serious limitation factor to any sovereignty is life itself. Because no sovereignty lives forever, the point of concern comes when successors must be identified and assured. The line of ascension assures continuity to the royal house. 

Otherwise, it all will end very abruptly when the time comes. This is especially the case with Japan where the current Emperor is looking to abdicate because of his age. The problem is he has a daughter but no sons to take over and Japanese law requires a male heir. In short, there is no guarantee to life that any sovereignty can offer.

God offers eternal life. Only in God’s sovereignty can we be guaranteed eternal life. What man ultimately cannot attain on his own and cannot offer anyone, God can and He freely will. While no worldly monarch will ever give up his son to die so others may live, God the Father, out of unconditional love, did the ultimate sacrifice and led His Son to die on the cross, so that He may take on the sins of all men in forgiveness, that they may receive salvation from death.

Eternal life cannot be had in any other way but through Christ Jesus, the Son of God. Through Him, we all get to live in an eternal sovereignty that reigns from heaven above. No matter how powerful any king may appear in the world we live, none can match what God ultimately offers us. Not today. Not ever.

“For God so love the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16, NIV)

“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that He hears us wherever we ask for anything that pleases Him.” (1 Jn 5:11-14, NLT)

“My sheep, listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from Me, for My Father has given them to Me and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are One.” (Jn 10:27-30, NLT)

“‘Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Rom 10:13, NLT)

References for further reading:

-     Easton, Matthew George (Apr 2005) Entry for Gibeah in Easton, M.G. (1897) Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Cosimo Classics). Available at https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Bible-Dictionary-M-Easton/dp/1596050535

-     Geisler, Norman L. (Aug 2010) Chosen But Free: A Balanced View of God’s Sovereignty and Free Will (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, Revised Edition). Available at https://www.amazon.com/Chosen-But-Free-Sovereignty-1-Aug-2010/dp/B012HUJ3U8

-     Hallo, William Wolfgang and Simpson, William Kelly (Aug 1997) The Ancient Near East: A History (Cengage Learning, Second Edition). Available at https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Near-East-History/dp/0155038192

-     Isaacs, Jacob () Saul, First King of Israel in Chabad.org. Accessible online at http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/463971/jewish/Saul-First-King-of-Israel.htm 

-     Packer, J.I. (Jul 1993) Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 20th Anniversary Edition). Available at https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-God-J-I-Packer/dp/083081650X

-     Packer, J.I. (Feb 2012) Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, Americanised Edition). Available at https://www.amazon.com/Evangelism-Sovereignty-God-J-Packer/dp/083083799X

-     Shea, Prof. William H (1977) Adam in Ancient Mesopotamian Traditions. Accessible online in PDF format at http://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1367&context=auss

-     White, James R. (May 2000) The Potter’s Freedom: A Defence of the Reformation and a Rebuttal of Normal Geisler’s Chosen But Free (Greenville, SC: Calvary Press, Revised Edition). Available at https://www.amazon.com/Potters-Freedom-Reformation-Rebuttal-Geislers/dp/1879737434