Is God Really Sovereign?

Church Questions

by Conrad Mbewe

A Short Introduction to the Sovereignty of God for the Christian Life God’s sovereignty is difficult for most people to wrap their minds around even when they’re not going through difficult times; the topic raises many questions about salvation, evangelism, sin, and suffering. But when difficult circumstances arise, many believers ask, “Is God really in control?”  In this addition to the Church Questions series, pastor Conrad Mbewe explains the Bible’s teaching on God’s sovereignty and addresses the common questions that it raises. He shows how it affects one’s outlook on salvation, suffering, prayer, and worship in the Christian life. This short and accessible work is ideal for anyone currently struggling with the sovereignty of God or for new Christians wanting to learn more about God’s sovereignty. 

Genres: Theology

64 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2023

About the author

Since 1987 Conrad Mbewe (pronounced em-bay'-way) has been pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia. He is widely known as the Spurgeon of Africa for both his preaching and devotion to the ministry. His church is presently overseeing the start of more than twenty Baptist churches in Africa, often reaching out in communities where there is little or no evangelical witness. In recent years he has been in high demand as a conference speaker and missions adviser. He writes two articles every week for national Zambian newspapers, edits the Reformation Zambia magazine, is President of a small Reformed Baptist seminary, and recently spoke at the national conference for The Gospel Coalition in Chicago, IL, USA. As a churchman, he has been interviewed by Tim Challies of challies.com, by Mark Dever of 9Marks ministries, and D.A. Carson of The Gospel Coalition. To this day the influence of his ministry continues to deepen and expand. Conrad Mbewe has a unique ability to convey the truth of God's Word through clear, fresh, and powerful exposition. His pastoral and administrative experience in church matters situates him uniquely among evangelical leaders in the world. You can learn much more about Conrad and his ministry at this website: resources.grantedministries.org/found...

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

“God has a hand in the action of the sin but not in the sin of the action.”

Divine sovereignty does not override human responsibility—or vice versa.

[Cole Shiflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an encouragement to be reminded of God’s sovereignty as a motivation for Christian living & mission

[Amber Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why? Why? Why? The question every human has asked since the beginning of time. This book is clear and concise on who we can trust with every second of every day, God. Conrad does a thorough job of 6 different ways we see God’s sovereignty on display in the Bible. “God is sovereign. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He always does according to his will. No one can stay his hand or thwart his actions. His sovereignty extends to every corner of the created order. Nothing is beyond his sovereign rule.” (pp 17-18) He then speaks to God’s sovereignty over evil and how God is not the author of evil - two big questions people have about God’s sovereignty. And he ends by pointing to 5 ways we can apply God’s sovereignty to our lives which was so encouraging and practical.

Every person should read this book and be reminded of the amazing God of all creation and how we should worship him with our whole lives!

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!…For for him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever, amen!” (Romans 11:33, 36)

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Now I give it five stars because the series is clear and concise. I understand the limits of a booklet like this so it should come as no surprise that I was disappointed to not go deeper into this, but as an introduction that I can place on our book table this is a great resource.

[Nicholas Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, straightforward handling of a rich subject! Highly recommended! “God’s sovereignty isn’t an abstract idea to fight about but a truth to rejoice in, a hope-filled ballast that keeps us steady in the uncertainties of life,” (40).

[Troy Solava · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 for a few reasons. Firstly, this booklet explains maybe the biggest objection to Christianity (God’s allowance of evil) in a very biblical and clear way (without getting lost in philosophical jargon). Secondly, it is applicable. It shows us how the sovereignty of God affects us. Thirdly, it can be read in less than a half hour!

It obviously doesn’t cover everything…but it’s a booklet. Buy a bunch of these and pass them out at church.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good primer that looks at a few passages to confirm that the Bible does indeed declare God’s total control of situations, circumstances, and events but will leave the reader wanting more information. The section on God’s sovereignty over evil strongly affirms its truth and God’s goodness but loosely describes how this can be so.


“The Bible never presents God as powerlessly subject to the decisions of his human creatures—simply responding to them as best he can.”

“His sovereignty doesn’t compromise his holiness and his holiness doesn’t compromise his sovereignty…. the Bible authors never even acknowledge any supposed tension between these two ideas.”

“God has a hand in the action of sin but not the sin of the action. In other words, God’s control of history ensures that everything happens by his design, but he does not plant evil thoughts and motives in human beings to carry such actions out.”

“We can pray with confidence knowing that god can accomplish anything precisely because he is sovereign over all.”

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only real issue with this book is that it’s too short. Mbewe gives an excellent brief primer on the sovereignty of God, encouraging the reader to understand God’s sovereign character and respond in light of it.

[Anete Ābola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the second time someone suggests reading AW Pink's "The sovereignity of God" this week.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised at how much he was able to pack into such a small booklet.

[Judit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buen libro, corto y directo al grano.

[Jay Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It serves its purpose well as an introduction.

[Micah Dorsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carefully thought and concise, made me wanna read more from Mbewe.