What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign?

by R.C. Sproul

I ask my Arminian friends: “Why do you believe in Christ but your friends at home don’t? Are you a believer because you’re more righteous intrinsically than somebody who doesn’t believe? Why do you have faith? Where does your faith come from? Does it come from your flesh? If it comes from the flesh, you can boast. You can stand before the judgment seat of God and say, ‘The reason I’m standing before You is because of a decision I made.’” Or we can say, “When I heard the gospel, I didn’t even know that the secret, transcendent, sovereign, efficacious, supernatural, immediate power of Your Holy Spirit had invaded my soul and awakened me and made me alive to Jesus Christ. When the gospel was preached, I heard it through ears that were regenerate, I saw it through regenerate eyes, and I embraced it with a regenerate heart. I fairly ran to that altar to embrace my Savior. Yes, I chose Him, and I chose Him freely, but not until I had been resurrected from spiritual death by the sovereign supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.”