by Garrett Glende
Continuing on in the study of God’s interaction with His creation, we will now consider the issue of God’s providence. Grudem defines the term as “God being continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes.” A full discussion of this topic would require a lengthy article (Grudem’s chapter alone is about 40 pages), so we’ll only cover the essentials.
The doctrine of God’s providence starts with the fact that He is creator of all things, thus giving Him lordship over all (for further insight, check out last week’s article). Providence basically boils down to the nature of God being God. If He were not in control of any single molecule, then He really isn’t its God. Scripture affirms that every act of creation happens under the sovereign hand of God and we see that inanimate creation such as rain and snow obey the voice of God (Job 37:6) and that animals are dependent on the goodness of their creator (Psalm 104:27-29, Matt. 10:29). While there are “natural” explanations for why it rains and why the grass grows, we know that God is truly behind it all, working ultimately for His own glory. Moreover, God has sovereignty over all aspects of our lives. Grudem writes, “our words, our steps, our movements, our hearts, and our abilities are all from the Lord.” While we do make real choices, we must also submit to the clear teaching of Scripture: that God’s providence extends into our own lives completely. Psalm 33:14-15 says that God fashions the hearts of the world and Acts 17:28 says that it is in Him we live and move.
It’s not difficult to admit the truthfulness of Scripture at this point, but the next question for many is a challenging one to tackle. What about evil? If God is in control of everything, doesn’t that mean He knows and allows all the bad things in the world? What we believe about God and His relationship with evil will strongly influence our lives when tough times do come, so we must believe rightly about what is called theodicy. First, it is imperative to note that God is in no way the author of sin. He tempts no one (James 1:13-14), bears no responsibility for the sinful actions of man (Luke 22:22), and will judge all sin. However, Scripture is clear that God uses evil for His own perfect purposes, His own glory, and our own good. A clear example of this is in the story of Joseph, where the many sinful actions of Joseph’s brothers landed him enslaved in Egypt, yet he was still able to say that “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen 50:20). Evil actions such as the brothers’ hatred of Joseph, their desire to kill him, and their selling him into slavery, ultimately were meant for a greater good by God. Later on in the verse we read that this purpose was “to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Even more than Joseph’s story, we see that God uses evil in the crucifixion of Christ, an event that ultimately leads to our salvation. Acts 2:23 says that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God [and] crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” The ultimate evil act, the murder of Jesus Christ, is also the most glorious event in all of history because of the divine providence of God in working out all things for His glory.
The most important thing that this means for us is that God has a purpose to everything that goes on in this world. Nothing is meaningless. When devastating news comes, when cancer strikes, when earthquakes kill thousands, or whenever we see evil in this world, we can rest on Gods promise in Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” We can have hope in knowing that there is not one atom in this universe that is outside of God’s sovereign control. As John Piper says, “God doesn’t do things willy-nilly.” There is always a purpose to what He does and His ultimate purpose is the glorification of Himself, most beautifully seen through the gospel. Many want to argue that God can have no involvement in the evil things that happen in this world. “What kind of good God allows such horrors?” they ask. Well, consider the alternative. If God does not permit evil and use it for His glory, then there really isn’t any purpose in the countless atrocities that happen every day. So when a family member gets cancer we just have to call it bad luck, because God certainly couldn’t have any purpose in such a trial. This view of God is unbiblical and unhelpful in dealing with many counseling situations, as we will not be able to offer any sort of reason or purpose for someone’s suffering. Hard times will undoubtedly befall us, but we must confront them with a biblical worldview. Our understanding of the providence of God will help us respond to evil, knowing that God is working in our lives to conform us to the image of His Son. In this way we can have hope even in the darkest of hours.