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The idea of this is to create an artificial distinction between God's direct action (primary cause) and His working through circumstance (secondary causes). Both concepts combine into the idea that God controls everything, either primarily or secondarily.
But this inference is not supported by the general idea of providence. God "provides" the mechanisms of nature (Is. 40:26), sustains them by His powerful word (He. 1:3) and intervenes in those mechanisms (Mt. 8:26, Mt. 12:15, Ac. 5:16, Ac. 16:26, etc.). He even ordains certain things (2Kg. 19:25, Is. 45:13, Is. 58:12, Ac. 20:22, Ro. 9:21, etc.). But there is no verse in the Bible that tells us God dictates everything.
In fact, those who believe in providence as the manifestation of God's sovereignty do not assent to the idea that God created evil. They never supply biblical documentation of this, but rather will assert that God allowed evil because in order for his creation to have free will, it must have a choice to do evil.
But free will is a matter that needs to be ascertained, for those who believe in providence also tend to believe there is no free will when it comes to salvation. Calvinists call this irresistible grace.
So, this idea that Godd did not create evil because of free will is simply a dodge and does not explain anything in the context of providence. This is what happens when theologians and Bible teachers attempt to systematize God. They create doctrines, sub-doctrines, and endless parsings of Bible verses in an effort to explain things that God did not reveal.
In fact, we believe that such pursuits are fruitless. Providence does not come to bear on God's purpose for us to worship, serve, bear fruit, evangelize, or live holy lives. Knowing about providence is irrelevant.
Our position is that God is completely sovereign, and knows every detail of everything that has happened and will happen, everywhere. But sovereignty is not control. He is God, therefore He decides His sovereignty on His terms. Sovereignty does not come to bear on free choice, simply because it is God who decides what His sovereignty is and how it operates.
God certainly can know everything and there still be free choice in man. He has this ability. These are not the binary equations Calvinists suppose they are.
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A Christian doctrine of creation establishes a Christian doctrine of providence. As God created all things out of nothing, so too, he upholds and sustains those things which he has created. (Upholding creation is not the same thing as providence.)
Just as in the doctrine of creation, here too we encounter the triune God working in and through all that he has made. (Working in and through is not the same thing as providence.)
Paul lays out this connection between creation and providence in his letter to the Colossians, “for by him [the Son] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). We read elsewhere that the Holy Spirit too was hovering over the face of the deep at creation (Genesis 1:2, Psalm 33:6). Thus we affirm that God the Father works all things in and through the Son, (This is not what the quoted verses tell us. The author changed the words from
There is a substantial difference between "all things" being created by Jesus, and "all things" being worked through Jesus.)
in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, nothing can happen that is outside the will, purpose, and superintendence of God. (Because the author substituted concepts, he obtained a faulty derivation. It does not follow that the idea of creating everything has anything to do with his subsequent will or purpose.)
This is the foundation of a Christian doctrine of providence. The Creator maintains and directs his creation. ("Maintains" is not the same as "directs." The quoted verse asserts the former but not the latter.)
He does not sleep nor slumber, nor is he ever caught off-guard or unaware.
There are several ways in which we ought think about God’s providence. The first is that God controls, sustains, and directs all things so that they fulfill the purpose for which they have been created. This is often spoken of as “preservation.”(We have never heard or read of this. And unfortunately, the author will not explain it.)
As the Bible reveals that God created all things by his all-powerful word, so too, his same word governs the creatures he has made. God commands ("Governs" is not synonymous with "commands.")
the creatures he has made to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). He commands the same of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28). God does not merely act upon creation as an all-powerful external force, he acts within his creation, sustaining, and directing every portion of it as the all-powerful creator and sustainer. (The author persists in conflating creation with subsequent action. He has not documented this Scripturally.)
The doctrine of preservation (Still undefined.)
should also be understood in close relation to “common grace,” in which we see God’s fatherly provision for all his creatures (cf. Matthew 6:25-35), (This passage is more about not worrying that it is about "common grace.")
and his divine image-bearers (Matthew 5:45). Let's quote the verse:
Where is the idea of "image bearers" here?)
The importance of common grace is evident in Acts 14:17, when we read, “yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” God cares for and sustains all that he has made. His common grace bears witness to all his creatures of his goodness. (Finally the author lands on a statement that accurately describes the Scripture he quoted.)
In fact, a brief summary of biblical passages demonstrates that God’s providence is said to extend over the entire universe. “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). (Sigh. This says nothing about providence. A King certainly rules over his subjects, and God is King, but nowhere implied in the concept of kingship is controlling the outcome of everything in the kingdom. Kings simply don't do this.)
His providence extends to all nations and peoples, “he makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away” (Job 12:23). In Acts 17:26, we read, “and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” (Hmm. The author stopped his quote when he should have quoted one more verse:
Why would God want us to seek Him and "perhaps" find him if God has already determined every part of our lives?)
His providence even extends to seemingly insignificant things, as in Proverbs 16:33, where we are told, “the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Every good thing comes from his fatherly hand. (So we should flip a coin and expect that every choice from doing so is the will of God?)
A proper conception of providence also includes divine “concurrence” (“going together”). God acts with and upon his creatures in order to cause them to act as they do. Yet, at the same time, Scripture attributes the same event to an action of God and of his creature. This can be seen in the Joseph story when Joseph tell his brothers, “as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20). This is also the case with our Lord’s crucifixion, (Acts 2:23). Those who committed these acts (Joseph’s brothers, and those who crucified Jesus) are said to be guilty for their actions, yet it is their acts which brought to pass that which God has ordained. (No one would disagree that there are many things God has purposed in individuals that were designed by Him. We cannot, and should not, extend that to a universal principle.)
Concurrence also means that there are real causes in the world, but they are always ("Always?")
directed by God toward the ends to which he has decreed. There are no “loose” molecules running around in the universe. God is therefore the primary cause of all things (Agreed. Creation.)
by acting within history (Agreed. Intervention.)
through his Spirit, not merely upon his creation as a demonstration of raw power. Concurrence holds that the actions of God’s creatures are real secondary causes, and human action brings to pass what God has ordained. (Again the author makes the very same logical jump. But he has yet to demonstrate that God's creative acts are connected to the subsequent playing out of history.)
At the same time, we must be clear that God did not in any sense cause or create evil, (Ah, finally. The crucial assertion every determinist must make, that God has created and controls everything except evil. This flat denial is never demonstrated from Scripture, and the author doesn't do it either.)
but he decreed that evil and sinful human actions serve to fulfill his will (as in the case of Joseph and our Lord’s crucifixion). (Would the author please point us to this supposed decree?)
A Christian doctrine of providence steers us away from a deistic conception of God’s relation to the created order, in which God created all things and established the fixed laws of the universe. (The author provides a false choice, either providence or deism. There are other choices.)
Viewed in a mechanistic sense, the universe operates apart from God’s direct control. According to deism, God may act upon creation (in the sense of responding to the actions of men and women, or in the case of disruptions within the natural order), but God does not act within creation as the doctrine of concurrence indicates. (Concurrence is a doctrine? We've never heard of it in our 40+ years of being a Christian. Usually doctrines are derived from Bible verses, and this doctrine has no Bible verses connected to it.)
The more common error is pantheism, (Oh, so there's a third alternative to providence and deism? We wonder if there might be even more.)
in which God is so identified with the created order that there are no secondary causes or any independent action of God’s creature—a sort of hyper-spirituality. The created order is thought to be divine in some sense (often as an extension of God’s being) so that everything which happens is seen to be miraculous and that natural causes or explanations do not suffice. The fundamental distinction between the Creator and the creature is denied.
But when we see such things through the lens of divine concurrence, we need not embrace deism or pantheism. Birds fly because God made them to fly according to their natural abilities. Yet, when a sparrow falls to the ground, it is said to be the Father’s will (Matthew 10:29). (Hoo-boy. Let's quote the verse:
Or, the sensible word choice:
But thankfully, the truth is still available to us.)
We can be thankful that doctors and medical researchers discover a cure for some terrible disease and the same time we affirm that God heals when that cure is actually realized in someone’s life. God often works through discernible means and secondary causes. Yet, our doctrine of providence also tell us that the secret things belong to the Lord (Deuteronomy 29:29) until they are revealed to us in time. (Sigh. This is a verse about Israel, and the things revealed are the words of His law. there is nothing here about God revealing secrets to us. And it has absolutely nothing to do with providence.
The author deceives us.)
We may never understand why certain things (good or evil) come to pass, but our doctrine of providence directs us to affirm, “and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). (What about those who don't love Him? Doesn't this verse leave out the idea of providence for the lost?)
A Christian doctrine of creation establishes a Christian doctrine of providence. As God created all things out of nothing, so too, he upholds and sustains those things which he has created. (Upholding creation is not the same thing as providence.)
Just as in the doctrine of creation, here too we encounter the triune God working in and through all that he has made. (Working in and through is not the same thing as providence.)
Paul lays out this connection between creation and providence in his letter to the Colossians, “for by him [the Son] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). We read elsewhere that the Holy Spirit too was hovering over the face of the deep at creation (Genesis 1:2, Psalm 33:6). Thus we affirm that God the Father works all things in and through the Son, (This is not what the quoted verses tell us. The author changed the words from
...all things were created through...
to
...works all things in and through...
There is a substantial difference between "all things" being created by Jesus, and "all things" being worked through Jesus.)
in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, nothing can happen that is outside the will, purpose, and superintendence of God. (Because the author substituted concepts, he obtained a faulty derivation. It does not follow that the idea of creating everything has anything to do with his subsequent will or purpose.)
This is the foundation of a Christian doctrine of providence. The Creator maintains and directs his creation. ("Maintains" is not the same as "directs." The quoted verse asserts the former but not the latter.)
He does not sleep nor slumber, nor is he ever caught off-guard or unaware.
There are several ways in which we ought think about God’s providence. The first is that God controls, sustains, and directs all things so that they fulfill the purpose for which they have been created. This is often spoken of as “preservation.”(We have never heard or read of this. And unfortunately, the author will not explain it.)
As the Bible reveals that God created all things by his all-powerful word, so too, his same word governs the creatures he has made. God commands ("Governs" is not synonymous with "commands.")
the creatures he has made to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). He commands the same of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28). God does not merely act upon creation as an all-powerful external force, he acts within his creation, sustaining, and directing every portion of it as the all-powerful creator and sustainer. (The author persists in conflating creation with subsequent action. He has not documented this Scripturally.)
The doctrine of preservation (Still undefined.)
should also be understood in close relation to “common grace,” in which we see God’s fatherly provision for all his creatures (cf. Matthew 6:25-35), (This passage is more about not worrying that it is about "common grace.")
and his divine image-bearers (Matthew 5:45). Let's quote the verse:
Mt. 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Where is the idea of "image bearers" here?)
The importance of common grace is evident in Acts 14:17, when we read, “yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” God cares for and sustains all that he has made. His common grace bears witness to all his creatures of his goodness. (Finally the author lands on a statement that accurately describes the Scripture he quoted.)
In fact, a brief summary of biblical passages demonstrates that God’s providence is said to extend over the entire universe. “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). (Sigh. This says nothing about providence. A King certainly rules over his subjects, and God is King, but nowhere implied in the concept of kingship is controlling the outcome of everything in the kingdom. Kings simply don't do this.)
His providence extends to all nations and peoples, “he makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away” (Job 12:23). In Acts 17:26, we read, “and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” (Hmm. The author stopped his quote when he should have quoted one more verse:
Ac. 17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Why would God want us to seek Him and "perhaps" find him if God has already determined every part of our lives?)
His providence even extends to seemingly insignificant things, as in Proverbs 16:33, where we are told, “the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Every good thing comes from his fatherly hand. (So we should flip a coin and expect that every choice from doing so is the will of God?)
A proper conception of providence also includes divine “concurrence” (“going together”). God acts with and upon his creatures in order to cause them to act as they do. Yet, at the same time, Scripture attributes the same event to an action of God and of his creature. This can be seen in the Joseph story when Joseph tell his brothers, “as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20). This is also the case with our Lord’s crucifixion, (Acts 2:23). Those who committed these acts (Joseph’s brothers, and those who crucified Jesus) are said to be guilty for their actions, yet it is their acts which brought to pass that which God has ordained. (No one would disagree that there are many things God has purposed in individuals that were designed by Him. We cannot, and should not, extend that to a universal principle.)
Concurrence also means that there are real causes in the world, but they are always ("Always?")
directed by God toward the ends to which he has decreed. There are no “loose” molecules running around in the universe. God is therefore the primary cause of all things (Agreed. Creation.)
by acting within history (Agreed. Intervention.)
through his Spirit, not merely upon his creation as a demonstration of raw power. Concurrence holds that the actions of God’s creatures are real secondary causes, and human action brings to pass what God has ordained. (Again the author makes the very same logical jump. But he has yet to demonstrate that God's creative acts are connected to the subsequent playing out of history.)
At the same time, we must be clear that God did not in any sense cause or create evil, (Ah, finally. The crucial assertion every determinist must make, that God has created and controls everything except evil. This flat denial is never demonstrated from Scripture, and the author doesn't do it either.)
but he decreed that evil and sinful human actions serve to fulfill his will (as in the case of Joseph and our Lord’s crucifixion). (Would the author please point us to this supposed decree?)
A Christian doctrine of providence steers us away from a deistic conception of God’s relation to the created order, in which God created all things and established the fixed laws of the universe. (The author provides a false choice, either providence or deism. There are other choices.)
Viewed in a mechanistic sense, the universe operates apart from God’s direct control. According to deism, God may act upon creation (in the sense of responding to the actions of men and women, or in the case of disruptions within the natural order), but God does not act within creation as the doctrine of concurrence indicates. (Concurrence is a doctrine? We've never heard of it in our 40+ years of being a Christian. Usually doctrines are derived from Bible verses, and this doctrine has no Bible verses connected to it.)
The more common error is pantheism, (Oh, so there's a third alternative to providence and deism? We wonder if there might be even more.)
in which God is so identified with the created order that there are no secondary causes or any independent action of God’s creature—a sort of hyper-spirituality. The created order is thought to be divine in some sense (often as an extension of God’s being) so that everything which happens is seen to be miraculous and that natural causes or explanations do not suffice. The fundamental distinction between the Creator and the creature is denied.
But when we see such things through the lens of divine concurrence, we need not embrace deism or pantheism. Birds fly because God made them to fly according to their natural abilities. Yet, when a sparrow falls to the ground, it is said to be the Father’s will (Matthew 10:29). (Hoo-boy. Let's quote the verse:
Mt. 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.This is a classic case of letting one's casual assumptions determine one's beliefs. The author wants to find verses that bolster his doctrine [this of course is backwards]. And he finds one, but the verse is translated poorly. The phrase "the will of " does not appear in the Greek. The word aneu is without, without the cooperation (or knowledge) of... Literally,
and one of the will not fall to the ground apart [aneu] the father of you.
Or, the sensible word choice:
without the knowledge of your father.Calvinism, which teachers predestination and the related concept, providence, infects our very translations.
But thankfully, the truth is still available to us.)
We can be thankful that doctors and medical researchers discover a cure for some terrible disease and the same time we affirm that God heals when that cure is actually realized in someone’s life. God often works through discernible means and secondary causes. Yet, our doctrine of providence also tell us that the secret things belong to the Lord (Deuteronomy 29:29) until they are revealed to us in time. (Sigh. This is a verse about Israel, and the things revealed are the words of His law. there is nothing here about God revealing secrets to us. And it has absolutely nothing to do with providence.
The author deceives us.)
We may never understand why certain things (good or evil) come to pass, but our doctrine of providence directs us to affirm, “and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). (What about those who don't love Him? Doesn't this verse leave out the idea of providence for the lost?)
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