On Sunday, we celebrated the majesty and supremacy of God in salvation. As I mentioned, from the prophets, to the Psalmists, to Paul, the Scriptures have a unified voice: salvation belongs to the Lord (Ps. 3:8; Jonah 2:9; Isa. 43:11; Eph. 2:8-9). One of the most common reactions to this doctrine among soteriologically reformed Christians is to accept this doctrine, but not rejoice in it. In whatever the Scriptures teaches, we should find our joy and delight (Ps. 19:10-11; 119:113-120). One of the most beautiful expressions of delight in the sovereignty of God that I have encountered is from Jonathan Edwards. He writes:

“From childhood up, my mind had been full of objections against the doctrine of God’s sovereignty, in choosing whom he would to eternal life, and rejecting whom he pleased; leaving them eternally to perish, and be everlastingly tormented in hell. It used to appear like a horrible doctrine to me. But I remember the time very well, when I seemed to be convinced, and fully satisfied, as to this sovereignty of God, and his justice in thus eternally disposing of [dealing with] men, according to his sovereign pleasure. But never could give an account, how, or by what means, I was, thus convinced, not in the least imagining at the time, nor a long time after, that there was any extraordinary influence of God’s Spirit in it but only that now I saw further, and my reason apprehended the justice and reasonableness of it.However, my mind rested in it; and it put an end to all those cavils and objections. And there has been a wonderful alteration in my mind, in respect to the doctrine of God’s sovereignty, from that day to this; so that I scarce ever have found so much as the rising of an objection against it, in the most absolute sense, in God’s shewing mercy to whom he will show mercy, and hardening whom he will. God’s absolute sovereignty and justice, with respect to salvation and damnation, is what my mind seems to rest assured of, as much as of anything that I see with my eyes, at least it is so at times. The doctrine has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God” (Jonathan Edwards, Selections, 58–59).

Brothers and sisters, when we see this kind of God, we are humbled to the ground. Andrew Murray rightly associates humility not with sin, but with God. It is not when we see ourselves in relation to sin that we are truly humble (otherwise humility would not exist in the garden nor in the new creation); no, it is when we see ourselves as nothing before God, and we see God as everything that we are truly humble. Humility springs from a high and correct view of an all-sovereign and omnipotent God. Only then do we find rest in God and peace in our hearts.