It's a simple concept really. God's sovereignty is magnified through obedience.
The apostle Peter gives a tangible example of the magnification the sovereignty of God through obedience.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
The command here is straightforward: "humble yourselves... casting all your anxieties on him."
The obedience to the aforementioned command is invoked by the promises: "because he cares for you," and "so that at the proper time he may exalt you."
An understanding that God cares for us and will exalt us means little without knowing that God is sovereign. If his capability to honor his promises is limited, we have no real reason to obey.
But we know that God "who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24). We know that we can cast "all our anxieties on him" because "he cares" for us. And when we humble ourselves we know that God is faithful to exalt us at the proper time.
It is important to note that it is a dangerous thing to think that God exalts us based upon our level of humility. We will not be exalted because we are humble; rather we are humble because we will be exalted.
It may sound like semantics, but the latter magnifies God's sovereignty while the former minimizes it. Obedience with the thought that God will act based upon our action is minimizing to his sovereignty. Obedience with the thought that God has done all that he pleases and will do all that he pleases regardless of our obedience is magnifying.
Why do we obey then?
"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."
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