If you have been a Christian for any time at all, you have probably heard that "God is sovereign and man is responsible." At first, this sounds like a strong, biblical phrase that we need to embrace and “preach” to others. But it also seems strangely absurd and contradictory. How can the two doctrines of God’s sovereignty and man's responsibility be uttered in the same sentence, let alone imagined as friends that belong together and embraced!?

To understand, we first need to address the question: What does it mean that God is sovereign?

One of the clearest pronouncements of this doctrine is found in the London Baptist Confession of 1689 (LBC), where it states, “God hath decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass” (3.1).

The confession cites many scripture passages that will affirm this teaching (Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 6:17; Romans 9:15,18). At the heart of this amazing truth is the fact that God Himself is completely free, with no obligations from anything or anybody, to determine in eternity past what would happen in history.

As humans, we can hardly wrap our minds around it; yet as confessing believers in Christ’s Church, we have understood and believed this for a long time. We affirm, believe, rest in, and have our most assured hope that the God of the universe does what He wants and He always does good (Genesis 18:25).

God decrees all things, and all things come to pass. We can rejoice in this praiseworthy doctrine and Christ’s Church has, by word, deed, and song, embraced it throughout history. It is so good that God is sovereign.

We now move to the second question: Is man really responsible even though God is sovereign?

How is it that man is truly accountable to God’s commands as His creatures, knowing God is sovereign? Can a sentence of eternal judgment be fair? Acts 17:30-31 states that God has commanded all men to repent of their sins and believe in Christ.

God does hold all men accountable. How do we understand both realities? It starts first by understanding that God has created us as moral and free creatures (James 1:14; Deuteronomy 30:19; Matthew 17:12). Man is free, just as God Himself is free.

Over and over the Bible makes this point. God planned and purposed man to be free (Adam in the garden of Eden), and so he is. Man’s freedom is secured because nothing happens apart from God’s desire and his plan and his execution (for further understanding, read chapter 9 of the LBC).

Therefore, man’s accountability to God’s commands is rightly based on man’s inherent freedom and therefore obligation. How else would a fair and good God be able to rightly judge man and do it justly apart from man's freedom of choice? In fact, the Bible calls God the righteous judge.

The LBC is helpful here as well. It states, “Yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein, nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established” (3.1).

What the confession is saying is that man, even though God is sovereign, has absolute liberty (freedom) to do and act as such. In no way are contingencies taken away, but rather they are established. God is sovereign and man is free at the same time. Simply put, He wills them both without contradiction.

So the great take away in this teaching is that both are true. God is glorified in both. God has planned all things and is carrying out all things according to his great decree in saving sinners in Christ Jesus.

He does so without erasing or violating man’s freedom but instead, establishing them at the same time with no contradictions to His supreme sovereign control.