If God Still Has Work for Me Here, I Cannot Die

Our death is just as meticulously planned as the death of Christ. There is no combination of evil men, disease, or accident that can kill us as long as God still has work for us to do.

--Erwin W. Lutzer, One Minute After You Die (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1997), 168.

"Accident" is Not in God's Vocabulary

The Christian believes that God is greater than our "if onlys." His providential hand encompasses the whole of our lives, not just the good days but the "bad" days too. We have the word accident in our vocabulary; He does not.

--Erwin W. Lutzer, One Minute After You Die (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1997), 159.

Applying Romans 8:28-30

If you are a believer, you are in the process of being remade to reflect the character of Jesus himself. And your Lord is employing every circumstance and relationship in your life to accomplish that goal.

--Timothy S. Lane & Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2006), 93.

Making Sense of Your Life

[O]nly when you have an overall sense of what God is doing can you make sense of the details of your life.

--Timothy S. Lane & Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2006), 81.

Adopted Orphans

The identity we have in Christ is a work done exclusively by God on our behalf. Just as an orphan child does not go out into the suburbs to seek a new family, we do not seek our way into God's kingdom. Rather, the Spirit seeks us out and then transforms our lives by the power of the gospel.

--Eric Geiger, Michael Kelley, and Philip Nation, Transformational Discipleship: How People Really Grow (Nashville: B&H, 2012), 102.

Believing in God's Total Sovereignty Fuels Evangelism

Thus, the sovereign monergistic work of the Spirit in regeneration does not hinder evangelism but rather promotes its necessity, urgency, authenticity, and expectant dependency in God's Spirit for its success.

--Brian A. DeVries, "The Evangelistic Trialogue: Gospel Communication with the Holy Spirit," Calvin Theological Journal 44, pg. 61.

The Sovereignty of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit always effectually accomplishes what he has intended to do, whether his purpose is only to vindicate God's righteousness or whether it is also to renew spiritual life (cf. 2 Cor. 2:12-17).

--Brian A. DeVries, "The Evangelistic Trialogue: Gospel Communication with the Holy Spirit," Calvin Theological Journal 44, pg. 61.

God's Sovereignty Over the Nations

God has been involved in the migration of peoples from the beginning. Even though they made no claim of allegiance to the God of Israel, behind the displacement of the Horites by the descendants of Esau, the Emites by the Moabites, the Zamzummites by the Bene Ammon, and the Avvites by the Philistines, Moses recognizes the hidden hand of God. Yahweh, the God of Israel, exercises sovereignty over all nations in all times. Like pieces on a chessboard, he moves them around; he removes some and replaces them with others, and he determines their places.

--Daniel I. Block, Deuteronomy (NIV Application Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 86.