Good morning and welcome back to Sociology 101. We're going to continue where we left off with John

Piper going through Ephesians chapter 1, where I think we're going to see real clearly in this presentation the error that John Piper going through Ephesians chapter 1, where I think we're going to see real clearly

in this presentation the error that John Piper makes with regard to his definition and

understanding of God's divine sovereignty. We've pointed out many times before the definition

of the word sovereignty and the use of the word sovereignty in Scripture never demands

the concept of theistic determinism,

i.e. that God has unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass, as is stated by the Westminster Confession and the London Baptist Confession and other Calvinistic Confessions.

In other words, saying that someone is sovereign means that one can, sovereign can do what they want.

Okay, that's what sovereignty means. God sits in heavens and does what he pleases.

It does not mean, therefore, he is pleased to meticulously control his creation, or he is somehow sovereignly decreying the desire's thoughts and actions of his creatures.

You can't just assume that. Sovereignty means that God

can do what he wants. What does God want to do? Well, according to Psalm 115, verse 3, it says that sovereignty is,

God can do what he wants. And then verse 16 of that same chapter, it goes on to say, the heavenlies

belong to the Lord,

but the earth he has given over to man.

That means it sounds like God wants to give creatures a level of dominion or freedom or responsibility.

And I don't therefore conclude that because God is sovereign, therefore he must meticulously control everything.

And so sovereignty does

not equal determinism and anybody who keeps using that word as if it means determinism is simply

not following basic rules of basic rules of logic and understanding of what basic words mean on the

definition of the terms given. And so when a

Calvinist comes along and claims a word and redefines it and to make it fit their system,

...