Christian Religious Studies · Lesson 1

Sovereignty of God, creation, the Fall and the covenants

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: 1 The Sovereignty of God (Gen 1–2; cf. Amos 9:5-6; Isa 45:5-12; Ps 19:1-6; Jer 18:1-16; Rom 8:28); 2 The Covenant (Noah, Abraham, Israel, the New Covenant); 6(ii)(a) Disobedience of Adam (Gen 2:15-25; 3)

WAEC: 1 The Sovereignty of God (God the Creator; God the Controller of the universe)

NECO: 1 The Sovereignty of God (God the Creator; God the Controller of the universe)

What you will learn

Define sovereignty and show from the prescribed passages that God is Creator and Controller of the universe.
Narrate the two creation accounts and compare them.
Explain the place and role of human beings in creation.
Narrate the Fall and state its consequences.
Explain the concept of covenant and its features.
Describe the covenants with Noah, Abraham and Israel, and the New Covenant, and distinguish between them.
Apply these themes to life in Nigeria today.

Key points

Sovereignty: God’s supreme authority as Creator and Controller of all things.
Genesis 1: creation by word in six days; light (1), firmament (2), land, seas, plants (3), sun, moon, stars (4), sea creatures and birds (5), animals and humans (6); rest (7).
Supporting passages: Amos 9:5-6 (nature), Isa 45:5-12 (only God, Cyrus, potter), Ps 19:1-6 (heavens declare), Jer 18:1-16 (potter’s house), Rom 8:28 (all things for good).
Humans: image of God, dominion, stewardship (dress and keep), procreation, obedience.
The Fall: serpent’s deception, eating, shame, hiding, blame, curses, death, expulsion; mercy in 3:15 and 3:21.
Covenant: parties, promises, obligations, sign, ratification.
Flood: wickedness; Noah found grace; ark 300 × 50 × 30 cubits; rain 40 days and nights; waters prevailed 150 days.
Noah covenant: universal, unconditional, everlasting; sign rainbow; sanctity of life (9:6).
Abraham: called from Haran at 75; promises of nation, name, land, blessing; at 99 renamed, circumcision as sign; Sarai became Sarah.
Esau and Jacob: “the elder shall serve the younger”; Isaac 60 at their birth.
Sinai: peculiar treasure, kingdom of priests, holy nation; Ten Commandments; sealed with blood of the covenant.
New covenant: law on hearts, all shall know God, sins forgiven; new heart and spirit (Ezek 36).

Start here: The meaning of the sovereignty of God

Sovereignty is supreme power and authority that is not controlled by anyone else. To say God is sovereign means he is the Creator and owner of everything, the one who sustains and controls nature, nations and history, and the one whose purpose cannot be defeated.

When a Nigerian state governor signs a law, it applies only within that state, and even then the courts and the Constitution can check him. Human authority is always limited. The Bible presents God’s authority as different in kind: he answers to no one, because everything owes its existence to him. JAMB’s first objective in this topic is simply to “define the term sovereignty”, so learn a clear, two-part definition: God is Creator and God is Controller.

Aspects of God’s sovereignty taught in the syllabus

Creator: he made heaven and earth out of nothing by his word (Gen 1).
Owner: “all the earth is mine” (Ex 19:5); the heavens declare his glory (Ps 19:1).
Controller of nature: he touches the land and it melts, and calls for the waters of the sea (Amos 9:5-6).
Controller of nations and history: he raises up Cyrus, a foreign king, for his purpose (Isa 45:1-13), and treats nations as a potter treats clay (Jer 18:1-10).
Only God: “I am the LORD, and there is none else” (Isa 45:5).
Purposeful: he works all things together for good to those who love him (Rom 8:28).

Worked example 1.1 (WAEC-style, 3 marks)

What is meant by the sovereignty of God?

Model answer. The sovereignty of God is his supreme and absolute authority over all things. He is the Creator of the universe (Gen 1:1) and he controls nature, human beings and the affairs of nations, so that nothing happens outside his power and purpose (Isa 45:5-7; Jer 18:6).

Continue this lesson in the free app →

Practice questions

1. On which day of creation were the sun, moon and stars made?

The fourth day
The first day
The second day
The sixth day

Show answer

A: The fourth day
Genesis 1:14-19: the two great lights and the stars were made on the fourth day.

2. Man was created, according to Genesis 1:27, in the

likeness of the angels
form of the beasts
pattern of the stars
image of God

Show answer

D: image of God
“So God created man in his own image.”

3. What did God do on the seventh day?

He planted the garden
He made the firmament
He rested and blessed and sanctified it
He created man

Show answer

C: He rested and blessed and sanctified it
Genesis 2:2-3.

4. From what did God form man in Genesis 2:7?

The breath of animals
The dust of the ground
A rib
Water and clay from the river

Show answer

B: The dust of the ground
He formed man of the dust and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

5. The woman was made from

one of Adam’s ribs
the dust of the ground
the tree of life
the waters of the deep

Show answer

A: one of Adam’s ribs
Genesis 2:21-22.

Key words

Sovereignty: Supreme and independent authority. In CRS, God’s absolute rule as Creator and Controller of all things.
Creation: God’s act of bringing the universe into being; in Genesis by his word and in six days, followed by rest.
Image of God: The dignity God gave humans (Gen 1:26-27): capacity to relate to God, reason, choose and rule creation responsibly.
Dominion: Rule over creation given to humans (Gen 1:26, 28); exercised as caring stewardship, not destruction.
Stewardship: Responsible care of what belongs to another; humans keep the earth for God (Gen 2:15).
Sabbath: The seventh day that God blessed and sanctified after finishing creation (Gen 2:2-3).
The Fall: The first human disobedience (Gen 3) and its result: separation from God and the entry of suffering and death.
Covenant: A binding agreement; between God and people it carries God’s promises, human obligations and a sign.
Ark: The vessel of gopher wood Noah built, 300 by 50 by 30 cubits (Gen 6:14-15).
Rainbow (bow): The sign of God’s covenant with Noah that he would never again destroy the earth by flood (Gen 9:13-15).
Circumcision: Removal of the foreskin; the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham, done on the eighth day (Gen 17:10-12).
Sinai covenant: The covenant made with Israel at Mount Sinai, with the Ten Commandments, sealed by “the blood of the covenant” (Ex 24:8).

Learn Sovereignty of God, creation, the Fall and the covenants step by step, free.
The Cara's Tips app teaches every topic from the very basics, with quick checks, worked examples and exam practice. It works offline.
Open this lesson in the free app Download for Android