However this aspect is subject to divergences notably related to the concept of God's self-imposed limitations.
Theological dictionaries give fairly uniform definitions of the notion of God's sovereignty.
"[2] More precisely, it can be defined as a twofold concept: "First, it may be seen as the divine right to rule totally; second, it may be extended to include God's exercise of this right.
[15] Theologians have subsequently articulated various perspectives on how God's exercise of sovereignty corresponds to distinct self-imposed limitations.
[16][17] The Greek church fathers believed in classical free will theism and opposed theological determinism as a means of exercising God's sovereignty.
[20] However, Augustine expressed God's sovereignty as his continuous control and unifying governance over the universe.
[21] Christian teaching on providence in the High Middle Ages was most fully developed by Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica (1274).
[23] Orthodox Reformed (both historical and Edwardsian Calvinism) view God's sovereignty as expressed through theological determinism.
[28] As the Westminster Confession of Faith put it: "God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatever comes to pass.
[33] Concerning salvation, Calvin expressly taught that it is God's sovereign decision to determine whether an individual is saved or damned.
[34][35] He writes "By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man.
[26] More generally, from the majority Calvinist view, prayer can't change by itself what is predetermined by God.
[43] In that view, God's power, knowledge, and presence have no external limitations, that is, outside of his divine nature and character.