Wednesday Bible Study

God-ology Pt. 5

05-04-2022 • Wes Wilkinson

The Providence of God

The Providence of God is beyond our full comprehension. So we must endeavor to understand that which is revealed and by trusting His Word to walk rightly with God. – Deuteronomy 29:29

We want to avoid thoughts and ideas that are lesser than God’s worthiness on the subject of God’s Providence.

The Providence of God:

  • Providence: The term is a Latin term meaning “to foresee”. It carries the connotation of knowing the future but also the connotation of acting prudently or making preparation for the future.


Aspects of God’s Providence:

  • Preservation – God’s upholding, preserving, providing, and caring for His creation.
    • As Keeping/Upholding:
      • Hebrews 1:3
      • Colossians 1:15-17
      • If Christ ceases sustaining creation, everything other than God ceases to be.
      • Includes events fully caused by God yet also appearing fully caused by the creature or nature as well. While things may have a natural explanation, they are also caused and upheld by God. God exists apart from nature and science. He can and does act apart from nature and science. He also established the laws of nature and science and delights to work with them.
        • Job 38-41
      • As Providing/Caring:
        • Provides for the whole of creation:
          • Animals – Psalm 104:14
          • The Righteous and the Unrighteous – Matthew 5:43-48
        • God provides for Humankind – Matthew 6:25-33
        • God’s thoughts are upon all creation and especially Humankind – Psalm 139:17-18a
      • Implications of Preservation:
        • Rejection of Deistic Ideas
        • Rejection of Repairman Ideas
        • Rejection of Continuous Creation
        • Affirmation of Reality
        • Confidence in the Workings of the Universe
      • Governance – God is completely in charge and His plan will happen
        • Over Nature – Psalm 135:5-6; Job 9:5-12; Mark 4:39-41; John 6:1-14
        • Over Animals – Daniel 6:19-23; 1 Kings 17:1-7
        • Seemingly “Random”, “Chance”, or “Lucky/Unlucky” Events:
          • Proverbs 16:33
          • 1 Kings 22:29-37
          • John 4
        • The Affairs of Nations/History:
          • Acts 17:17-24
          • Daniel 4:34-35
        • The Eternal Plan of Redemption:
          • Ephesians 1:10-11
          • Romans 8:28-30
          • Galatians 4:4
        • All Aspects of our Personal Lives:
          • Individual Plans – Galatians 1:15-16; Jeremiah 1:4-8
          • Spiritual Gifts – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
          • Circumstances – Psalm 31:14-15; Esther 4:13-14
          • Days and Life – Psalm 139:13-16; Job 1:20-22  
  • Through Man’s Actions:
    • 1 Samuel 24 Saul being delivered into David’s hands by God yet David not killing Saul because of God’s command.
    • Ezra 7:27 God put it into the King of Persia’s heart even though the King of Persia did not know it was God.
    • Exodus 12:35-36 The Egyptians freely gave their wealth to the Israelites even though God knew this would happen.
    • Through Sinners and Sinful actions:
      • Acts 2:23 Jesus death is the supreme example of God moving through sinners and sinful actions
      • King Cyrus
      • Joseph and his brothers.
    • All People – Philippians 2:10-11

 

Challenges Understanding God’s Providence:

  • Is God’s Providence General or Specific?
  • God’s Sovereignty/Providence vs. Man’s Free Will
    • Historically:
      • The Early Church
      • Augustine
      • The Middle Ages
      • The Reformation
      • Modern Day
    • Theologically:
      • Calvinism
      • Arminianism
      • Molinism
      • God is sovereignly providential gifting a type of moral free will to His image bearers. Both work in harmony.
    • The Problem of Evil
      • God is not responsible for evil – James 1:13; Habakkuk 1:12-13a
      • Man is responsible for sin, evil, and death – Romans 5:1-10

 

Applications of God’s Providence:

  • God really is in control
  • We are called to trust God with confidence and rest
  • We are called to thank God for everything in all things
  • We must resist speculating or falling into lesser thoughts about God
    • By believing in things contrary to His providence
    • By falsely attributing things to Him
  • We are called to follow Him by His grace, through His power, in our will

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