Providence
end of creation? In what sense is the glory of God the final end?
What substitutes have been suggested for the doctrine of creation?
What is the nature of the angels? What orders of angels are indicated in Scripture? What is the function of Gabriel and Michael? What is the work of the angels? What proof have we for the existence of evil angels? How should Gen. 1:1 be interpreted? Were the days mentioned in Gen. 1 ordinary days or long periods? Why? What did
God create on each of the six days? Why is the doctrine of evolution inconsistent with the Biblical narrative of creation? Does the theory of creative evolution agree with Scripture?
References for Further Study:
Berkhof, Reformed Dogmatics, I, pp. 113–151; Hodge, Outlines of Theology, pp. 237–257; McPherson, Christian Dogmatics, pp. 163–
174; Orr, Side-Lights on Christian Doctrine, pp. 55–66; Clarke, The Christian Doctrine of God, pp. 135–153; Price, The Phantom of Organic Evolution; Fairhurst, Theistic Evolution.
PROVIDENCE
Christian faith is equally opposed to a pantheistic confusion of God and the world, and to a deistic separation of God from the world.
This becomes evident in the doctrine of divine providence. The name "providence" is not found in Scripture, but the doctrine of providence is nevertheless eminently Scriptural. It concerns the provision which God makes for attaining the ends of His government, and the care which He manifests for all creatures.
A. Providence in General. Divine providence is that work of God by which He preserves all His creatures, is active in all that transpires in the world, and directs all things to their appointed end. This
definition indicates that there are three elements in divine providence, namely, preservation, concurrence or cooperation, and government. The first has reference primarily to the being, the second to the activity, and the third to the guidance of all things.
1. MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE NATURE OF PROVIDENCE. In
dealing with God's relation to the world we should be on our guard against two misconceptions: a. The Deistic Conception. According to Deism God's concern with the world is of a very general nature. He created the world, established its law, set it in motion, and then withdrew from it. He looks on from a distance as the world runs its course according to the invariable laws of nature, and interferes with its regular operation at most only when something goes wrong. Thus the world is like a machine which He has put into operation, and not at all like a vessel which He pilots from day to day. b. The Pantheistic Conception. Pantheism does not recognize the distinction between God and the world. It identifies the two, and therefore really leaves no room for providence in the proper sense of the word. The whole course of nature is simply the self-revelation of God, a self-revelation that leaves no room for the independent operation of secondary causes. The so-called laws of nature are simply modes of the direct activity of God. He is in a very direct sense the author of all that transpires in the world. Even the acts which we ascribe to man are really acts of God. According to this system man is not a free moral being, and is not responsible for his acts.
2. THE OBJECTS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. It is customary to distinguish between general and special providence, the former denoting God's control of the universe as a whole, and the latter His
care for each part of it. Some even speak of a very special providence respecting the children of God. Scripture clearly teaches God's providential government and control (a) over the universe at large,
Ps. 103:19; Eph. 1:11; (b) over the physical world, Ps. 104:14; Matt.
5:45; (c) over the brute creation, Ps. 104:21, 28; Matt. 6:26; (d) over the affairs of nations, Job 12:23; Acts 17:6; (e) over man's birth and lot in life, Ps. 139:16; Gal. 1:15, 16; (f) over things seemingly accidental or insignificant, Prov. 16:33; Matt. 10:30; (g) in the protection of the righteous, Ps. 4:8; 121:3; Rom. 8:28; (h) in supplying the wants of God's people, Deut. 8:3; Phil. 4:19; (i) in giving answers to prayer, Ps. 65:2; Matt. 7:7; and (j) in the exposure and punishment of the wicked, Ps. 7:12, 13; 11:6. They who believe that nature is controlled entirely by an iron-clad system of laws, which ties even the hands of God, usually deny all special providences. They do not believe that God can perform miracles, nor that He can answer prayer. Others are of the opinion that, while He controls the big things of life, He pays no attention to the smaller ones. But if He does not heed the smaller things of life, He can never control the larger ones.
B. The Elements of Providence in Particular. The definition given of providence in the preceding clearly indicates that there are three elements in providence; and these deserve special consideration.
1. DIVINE PRESERVATION. Preservation is that continuous work of God by which He upholds all things. This does not mean, as some pantheists assume, that God continues to create the world from moment to moment, nor simply, as the deists think, that He withdraws His hand from the world and does not destroy it. It proceeds on the assumption that the world has a distinct existence apart from God, but that it nevertheless has the ground of its continued existence in God and not in itself. It continues to exist in
virtue of a continued exercise of divine power by which all things are maintained in being and action. God alone is sovereign and absolutely independent, and the creature is and always remains dependent on Him. This doctrine is clearly taught in the following passages, Ps. 63:8; Neh. 9:6; Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3.
2. DIVINE CONCURRENCE. Concurrence may be defined as that work of God by which He co-operates with all His creatures and causes them to act precisely as they do. This means that there are real causes in the world, such as the forces of nature and the will of man, but that these causes do not work independently of God. God is operative in every act of His creature, not only in their good but also in their evil acts. He stimulates them to action, accompanies their action at every moment, and makes this action effective. We should guard against the idea that God and man have an equal part in the work, for God ever remains the primary cause, without which man can do nothing; and against the notion that the two divide the work,
God doing a part and man a part. The same deed is in its entirety both a deed of God and a deed of the creature. This should be so conceived, however, that where God co-operates with man the responsibility for the deed remains that of the moral creature. God cannot be held responsible for the sins of His creatures. This must be maintained in spite of the fact that we cannot fully explain what is certainly true, namely, that God's concurrent action involves no responsibility on His part for the evil of man. Scripture plainly teaches that God works in the entire creation and in all His creatures,
Ps. 104:20, 21, 30; Amos 3:6; Deut. 8:18, Matt. 5:45; 10:29; Acts 14:17. It is also clear that sinful acts are under divine control, Gen.
45:5; 50:20; Ex. 14:17; Isa. 66:4; Rom. 2:4; 9:22; 2 Thess. 2:11 that God restrains the sinful works of the sinner, Gen. 6:3; Job 1:12; 2:6;
Ps. 76:10; Isa. 10:15; Acts 7:51; and that He overrules evil for good, Gen. 50:20; Ps. 76:10; Acts 3:13.
3. DIVINE GOVERNMENT. The divine government is the continued activity of God whereby He rules all things, so that they answer to the purpose of their existence. Both the Old and the New Testament teach us that God is King of the universe and rules all things according to His divine good pleasure. The notion that in the new dispensation the idea of God's sovereignty is supplanted by that of His Fatherhood, is not in agreement with such passages as Matt.
6:33; 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:15; Rev. 19:6; God adapts His rule to the nature of the creatures which He governs; His government of the physical world differs from that of the spiritual world. This government is universal, Ps. 103:19; Dan. 4:34, 35; Ps. 22:28, 29, but also relates to particulars. The most significant things, Matt. 10:29–31, that which is seemingly accidental, Prov. 16:33, the good deeds of man, Phil.
2:13, as well as their evil deeds, Acts 14:16—they are all under divine control. God is King of Israel, Isa. 33:22, but He also rules among the nations, Ps. 47:9. Nothing can ever be withdrawn from His government.
C. Extraordinary Providences or Miracles. Among the special providences of God we may also reckon the miracles, in which God does not work through secondary causes or employs them in an unusual way. McPherson gives the following definition of a miracle:
"A miracle is something done without recourse to the ordinary means of production, a result called forth directly by the first cause
(God) without the mediation, at least in the usual way, of second causes." The distinctive thing in the miracle is that it results from the exercise of the supernatural power of God. And this means, of course, that it is not brought about in the usual way by means of secondary causes that operate according to the laws of nature. Some maintain that miracles are impossible on the ground that they imply a violation of the laws of nature. But this is not the case. The socalled laws of nature merely represent God's usual method of
working in nature. It is His good pleasure to work ordinarily in an orderly way through secondary causes, that is, through the powers of nature or through the activity of man. But this does not mean that He cannot depart from the established order and produce extraordinary effects by a single act of His will, and that without violating the order of nature. Even man can counteract the laws of nature without disturbing them in any way. He can lift up his hand and throw a ball into the air in spite of the law of gravitation. And if this is possible for man, it is all the more possible for the omnipotent
God.
Questions for Review:
How is the doctrine of providence related to that of creation? What is divine providence? What is the deistic view of God's relation to the world? How does the pantheist conceive of this relation? What is the difference between general and special providence? Why do some deny special providence? Which are the objects of divine providence?
What is meant by divine preservation? By divine concurrence? How should we conceive of this concurrence? To what difficult problem does it give rise? How far does the divine government extend? What is a miracle? Why are miracles considered by some to be impossible?
References for Further Study:
Berkhof, Reformed Dogmatics, I, pp. 152–168: Hodge, Outlines of Theology, pp. 258–295; McPherson, Christian Dogmatics, pp. 174–
184; Orr, Side-Lights on Christian Doctrine, pp. 66–71; Clarke, The Christian Doctrine of God, pp. 174–212; Thomson, The Christian
Miracles and the Conclusions of Science; Bruin, Het Christelijk Geloof en de Beoefening der Natuurwetenschap, pp. 110–138.