The Sovereignty of God
A.W. Pink

By A.K. Pritchard

Part 2

I purchased this book with awareness of the doctrines and teachings of Arthur Walkington (A.W.) Pink—to know the enemy, so to speak. Yet, I was taken aback by the depth of heresy, the willingness to redefine biblical word meanings, and the blatant disregard for context. Passages are presented in ways that contradict their true biblical meaning, and many scriptures that oppose this belief system are either ignored or altered to fit its framework.

For example, Mr. Pink begins on solid theological ground, but soon shifts from biblical doctrine into human philosophy—man's own reasoning rather than reasoning with God.

Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: …”

Mr. Pink relies chiefly on his own understanding, contradicting scripture.

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Proverbs 16:25
“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Regarding Mr. Pink’s departure from theology into his own philosophy:

Colossians 2:8
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

A clear example of this shift is found in his book Reprobation, where he writes:

“Now all will acknowledge that from the foundation of the world God certainly foreknew and foresaw who would and who would not receive Christ as their Saviour. Therefore, in giving being and birth to those He knew would reject Christ, He necessarily created them unto damnation.”

This statement begins with a false assumption: “All will acknowledge,” which is patently untrue. Not all acknowledge this belief.

Mr. Pink correctly states that God foreknew who would accept or reject Christ—but he remains on solid biblical ground only for a fleeting moment before transitioning into flawed reasoning. His conclusion—“Therefore, in giving being and birth to those He knew would reject Christ, He necessarily created them unto damnation”—is a dangerous distortion.

The word “therefore” marks the beginning of his departure from scripture into personal philosophy, leading into a damnable heresy. Foreknowledge does NOT equal fore-will. Knowing something in advance does not mean causing it to happen.

Consider this: I went to bed last night knowing with certainty that, whether I lived or died, the sun would rise in the morning. And indeed, it did. That is foreknowledge—but I did not cause the sun to rise.

God’s foreknowledge does not eliminate human free will.

1 Timothy 2:4
“Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

This is God's will—ALL MEN—and the true teaching of scripture.

Many other heretical elements exist within this doctrine. Calvinism, in particular, stands as one of the most insidious and dangerous distortions of biblical truth.

We must seek the whole counsel of God in all things.

Acts 20:27
“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”

Yours in the truth of God's Holy Word,

Tony Pritchard