We dove in to the deep end of God’s providence on Sunday, considering what Scripture has to say about this massive and important and practical doctrine. One of the things that is clear is that Scripture does not present God’s overarching providence as a doctrine to passively debate, but as a lifeline to cling to in the midst of the seasons and storms of life. This is one of the most readily practical doctrines we have been given. I want to flesh this out with three related cautions as you are thinking through these things.
Trust that God’s word will not lead you astray.
Any discussion of doctrine and beliefs ought to start with, “What has God revealed to us in his word?” We don’t create God according to our own image and likeness and desires, but receive what he has revealed about himself. And yet we all have false ideas of God, to one degree or another, that we’ve adopted or been taught somewhere along the way. And it’s easy to cling to long-held beliefs and understandings more tightly than anything else, including God’s word at times. Perhaps because we’ve grown comfortable with a certain idea of God; perhaps as a protection against being led astray by false teaching and false teachers.
While we must be on guard against false teachers and teachings, we also need to train ourselves to be open and teachable to God’s word, and trust that it—and God speaking through it—will not lead us astray. It is generally a good and healthy thing if there are select moments in your life when God’s word and truth hit you like a wrecking ball, and your view of God, yourself, or the world is radically altered. Your horizon opens and you see God to be greater than you realized. Expecting such life-altering moments to happen all the time can be unhealthy, and they are ultimately a gift of God that we can’t force to happen. But the lack of any such moments over the span of our life should cause us to at least consider if we are really opening ourself up to be led and taught and shaped by God, through his word.
And one of the ways that God seems to often wake us up to his greater glory is as we behold and embrace his all-encompassing providence, his purposeful rule working in and through all things that come to pass. God is “him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). So as you consider the Scripture we looked at and others on this topic, trust God’s word to lead you rightly, even if it feels like a wrecking ball is hitting you.
Beware of the limits (and dangers) of analyzing this doctrine philosophically.
I submit that what Scripture teaches about God’s providence over all things is not very complicated. Take Genesis 50:20, which we looked at. “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)
What does this say? In one and the same event, we see evil human intentions, and good God intentions. Humans (and the devil) intending for this to happen for evil purposes. God intending (through the agency of humans and the devil) for this to happen for good purposes. Human responsibility; divine providence. Neither cancels out the other. They are somehow compatible. And you will find this truth all throughout in Scripture.
However, where this quickly gets complicated is when we begin to analyze this philosophically. We rely on our powers of logic and reason to draw out how this must work, or what the implications of this must be. Now, logic and reason are good things, given to us by God. We should use them. However, we need to be careful when we are using them to go beyond what Scripture says, and we must never use them to contradict Scripture. Our reason and logic—in a fallen world—are not as trustworthy as Scripture.
For example, you might say (and many do say) that if God is providentially ordaining all things that come to pass, that means that my decisions and actions are not free, and I cannot be responsible for them. But Scripture doesn’t say that. It tells us that God’s providence and human responsibility are both a reality, and are not in conflict with one another. We cannot say: God’s going to do what he’s going to do; so it doesn’t matter what I do.
The beauty and comforts of this doctrine come more from embracing it than analyzing it
More than likely, you encounter the topic of God’s providence or sovereignty most often in a discussion or a debate. Perhaps it got heated. It’s something Christians disagree about. When you read Scripture and come across this doctrine, it is in entirely different contexts. God’s overarching providence is brought up as a source of hope (your life is not out of control, because God is still in control), comfort (despite others’ intentions, God “meant it for good,” and will bring about that good), faithful endurance (God’s hand is guiding not only you, but all that comes your way), and with this, an abiding peace and joy not found anywhere else.
John Piper writes,
“There have always been, as there are today, people who try to solve the problem of suffering by denying the sovereignty of God – that is the all-ruling providence of God over Satan and over nature and over human hearts and deeds. But it is remarkable how many of those who stand by the doctrine of God’s sovereignty over suffering have been those who suffered most and who found in the doctrine the most comfort and help.”
If you find yourself passionately defending or passionately denying this doctrine, or if you find yourself unsure because people smarter than me seem to end up on both sides, I would encourage you to put arguing and analyzing on the back burner for a bit, and try embracing God as one who “works all things according to the council of his will.”