"The greatest deception is believing that everything happening in the world is God's will." —Unknown

Last month, I had an insightful conversation with a Muslim migrant that shocked me and made me realise...

Many Christians unknowingly align more with Allah, the God of Islam, than Abba, the God revealed in Jesus—especially when it comes to how they understand God's nature.

Islam’s concept of Qadar (divine decree) teaches that everything happens because it is God's will—good and evil alike. The common phrase "In shaa Allah" ("if God wills") reflects this belief that everything ultimately happens according to God's will.

The Christian version of this is, "God is sovereign, everything happens—good and evil—by His divine will and purpose."

But Jesus directly opposed this way of thinking.

This is a hard pill to swallow—but much of Christianity has unknowingly adopted a version of God that Jesus never taught.

In this blog, we’ll unpack:

1. How different religions view God’s nature

2. How Christianity absorbed this belief

3. Why it’s a dangerous misunderstanding

4. Clarifying "Sovereignty"

5. Why Jesus stands in His own league

The road to more of God's goodness is often blocked by religious beliefs we don't even know we have—many that are cleverly hidden in Christian language, making them harder to recognize.

Humility is what clears the way.

Many religions teach that everything—good or bad—happens because of God’s will.

• Islam – The concept of Qadar (divine decree) teaches that everything happens according to Allah’s will. Muslims believe in tawhid (the absolute oneness of God), which includes the idea that suffering and tragedy occur because Allah has willed it for a higher purpose. The common phrase "In shaa Allah" ("if God wills") reflects this belief that everything ultimately happens according to God's will.

• Hinduism – Life events are often seen as a result of karma (cause and effect), but some Hindu traditions also believe everything is part of Brahman’s divine plan.

• Buddhism – There is no personal God, but suffering is explained through karma and dependent origination (a chain of causes).

• Judaism – Views on divine control vary, but Orthodox Judaism often emphasizes God’s sovereignty over all things.

• Greek Stoicism – Fate and divine determinism were core beliefs, influencing later Christian thought.

How Does Christianity Compare?

Many Christians have unknowingly absorbed the same deterministic beliefs as Islam, Hinduism, and Stoicism, believing:

• Everything happens because God wills it

• Suffering and evil are part of His divine plan

• God is orchestrating everything by His sovereignty

That’s not Jesus—that’s Islamic determinism and theology wrapped in Christian language.

Jesus never created, partnered with, or caused evil. He confronted it, destroyed it, and overcame it.

Jesus never once said, “God is doing this to you.” Instead, He healed, restored, and rebuked evil at every turn.

"God is light and in Him there is no darkness" (1 John 1:5)

"God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He tempt anybody with evil" (James 1:13)

God is only good and never needs evil. Instead of causing darkness, He redeems it because He is fully light and fully good.

The moment we say God is causing death, sickness or evil—something Jesus never did—we are putting darkness into His nature, calling evil good, and good evil.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness." (Isaiah 5:20)

Further reading: Is God’s Nature a Mystery? Or Are We Just Avoiding the Truth?

If Jesus didn’t teach that God controls everything, why do so many Christians believe it?

The answer lies in history, philosophy, and church tradition—not in Jesus Himself.

1) Greek Philosophy Shaped Early Christian Thought

When Christianity spread into the Greek world, it encountered Platonism and Stoicism, which emphasized:

• Fate and divine control – Everything happens according to a cosmic order.

• God as impassible – A distant, unemotional force, rather than the loving Father Jesus revealed.

2) Augustine’s Theology Cemented It

Augustine (354–430 AD) played a huge role in shaping Christian beliefs. Before converting, he followed Manichaeism, which taught a struggle between good and evil forces. After becoming a Christian, he overcorrected—teaching that:

• Everything that happens is God’s will, even suffering.

• Humans have no real free will in salvation (which later influenced Calvinism).

This wasn’t Jesus’ teaching—it was Augustine reacting to his past.

3) The Medieval Church Used It for Control

By the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church had become political and powerful. Teaching that “God controls everything” served a purpose:

• It kept people passive—if suffering was God’s will, why resist?

• It strengthened church authority—only the clergy could interpret “God’s plan.”

Instead of the dynamic, relational God Jesus revealed, the church taught a God of fate, similar to Islam.

4) The Reformation & Calvinism Took It Further

John Calvin taught:

• God predestines everything, including who is saved or damned.

• Humans have no true free will—everything is decreed by God.

This further entrenched the idea that God is the cause of all things.

If we believe God controls everything, it creates serious problems:

1) It Misrepresents God’s Character

• If everything is God's will, including evil and affliction, then Jesus worked against God His entire ministry.

• Jesus revealed a God who heals, not harms.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

2) It Leads to Passivity

• Instead of praying boldly for change, people resign themselves to “God’s mysterious plan.”

• Instead of taking responsibility, people blame God for things He never did.

3) It Makes God an Accomplice to Evil

• If everything is God’s will, then genocide, abuse, and suffering must somehow be “part of His plan.”

• This turns God into a moral monster, contradicting the pure goodness of Jesus.

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

If everything that happens was already God's will, why would Jesus tell us to pray for His will to be done?

Because God’s will isn’t always happening.

Jesus came to restore what was being destroyed by evil, not to affirm evil as part of God’s will or mysterious plan.

James 4:7 says, "Sumbit to God, resist the devil, and He will flee from you."

This makes it clear that some things are of the devil and must be resisted by you, and he will flee from you—he won't flee from God but from you.

But if you give into the idea that everything is from God, you won't resist the devil and he won't flee from you. Instead, he'll have a field day with you and even get away with it, because you falsely and foolishly see it as God's doing when it was actually the devil.

What a tragic deception.

"My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6)

Further reading: Does God Create Evil? Answering Isaiah 45:7

The definition of sovereignty means: supreme power and authority.

Not once does it mean: to control or micromanage.

God does not micromanage every aspect of existence, nor is He the direct cause of all events. Does He control you and me? No.

Analogy: Sovereignty vs Control

Think about a king. A sovereign ruler has ultimate authority, but does that mean he directly causes every event in his kingdom? No.

Sovereignty doesn't mean micromanagement.

Dallas Willard put it this way:

"God's sovereignty is not about control, but about consent."

What does this mean? It means God has chosen to allow free will to exist. He has given us the freedom to make choices, and that freedom comes with real consequences. But that doesn't mean God is orchestrating or causing every event.

In fact, free will is essential for love to be real. Without choice, love isn't love at all—it becomes forced or mechanical.

That’s why Jesus invites us to pray for God's will to be done on earth—because our own will often opposes His.

God's will isn’t something that is simply imposed or controlled, but something that we are invited to align with.

Further reading: Why "God is Sovereign" is Pushing People Away from Faith

Jesus completely overturns the idea that God is the cause of all things, including evil.

1) Jesus Shows That God Is Good, Only Good

• “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

• If Jesus healed, forgave, and restored—never harming or destroying—then that’s what God is like.

2) Jesus Shows That Not Everything Is God’s Will

• Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they rejected God’s ways (Luke 19:41-44).

• This proves that God’s will doesn’t always happen.

3) Jesus Shows That Free Will Matters

• He constantly invited people to choose:
  “Come to me, all who are weary.” (Matthew 11:28)
  “Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

• He treated people as partners, not puppets.

4) Jesus Doesn’t “Allow” Evil—He Conquers It

• Instead of telling people, “This suffering is God’s plan,” Jesus healed, delivered, and restored (1 John 3:8).

• He didn’t explain evil—He destroyed it.

Further reading: God Doesn't Use Evil: The Lie in Eden That Still Deceives Us Today

Christianity has absorbed deterministic beliefs from other religions, Greek philosophy, and church tradition—but they don’t reflect the God Jesus revealed.

Jesus stands alone. He reveals a God who is:

• Always good
• Not the author of evil
• Partnering with humanity, not controlling everything
• Actively redeeming, not passively allowing

It’s time for believers to let go of fatalism and return to the radical, beautiful truth of Jesus.

God is preparing and purifying a Bride for a great wedding. Holy, perfect and spotless.

It's time for Christians to return to the God revealed in Jesus, and to see Him as He truly is—Holy, perfect and entirely good.

Further reading: Why Jesus Must Be the Foundation of Our Theology

Related reading:

• Does God Create Evil? Answering Isaiah 45:7

• The Bible Contradicts Itself—And You Better Not Fall For It

• The Suffering Syndrome: Blaming God for the Devil’s Work

• Is God Actually Like Jesus? The OT and God's Nature

• "God Allowed It" – The Phrase That's Twisting God's Goodness

1. Does my view of God align more with Jesus or with religious traditions that emphasize control?

2. How does believing that God controls everything affect my trust, prayers, and personal responsibility?

3. If Jesus healed, restored, and rebuked evil, what does that say about how God interacts with the world today?

Bless you,

Lee