Providence: God's Ongoing Relationship with Creation

God's Providence

God not only creates but also provides for creation, maintaining an ongoing relationship with the world and humanity. This is known as God's providence or provision.

Julian of Norwich

  • A medieval nun from England who experienced visions through deep prayer.
  • Vision of a hazelnut:
    • Saw the entire world represented in a tiny hazelnut.
    • Recognized God's care for even the smallest things.
    • Statement: "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
    • This vision instilled confidence that God would care for His creation, even amidst difficulties such as the plague.

Defining Providence

  • Providence is the promise that God provides for what He has made, maintaining an ongoing relationship with creation.

Rejected Ideas of God's Relationship

1. Deism
  • God created the world but then stepped back, like winding a clock and letting it run on its own.
  • Christians reject this idea because the incarnation of Jesus Christ demonstrates God's continued and intimate engagement with the world.
2. Determinism
  • God determines every single thing that happens, actively controlling everything.
  • Analogy: God is like a child with a dollhouse, controlling every action.
  • Problems with determinism:
    • Removes free will.
    • Eliminates moral responsibility because individuals are not making their own choices.
    • Contradicts the moral expectations and injunctions throughout Scripture and Jesus' teachings.

God's Providence: A Middle Ground

  • God's providence lies between deism and determinism.
  • God is present and active in the world, allowing some things to happen and causing others.

Aspects of Providence

1. Preservation
  • God preserves the world at its most basic level, as understood through natural law.
  • God keeps the world going, ensuring the earth rotates, the sun functions, and the oceans have tides.
  • God puts mechanisms in place for these processes and intervenes as necessary.
  • God actively preserves creation from destruction.
2. Concurrence
  • God interacts with human free will.
  • Concurrence means "running alongside" or "agreeing."
  • God runs alongside individuals as they exercise their free will.
  • The closer one is to God, the more likely they are to make choices aligned with God's will.
  • Examples of choices include:
    • Taking a class
    • Marriage
    • Career
3. Governance
  • God works in the big picture of the arc of the story of His interaction with the world.
  • Arc of narrative: creation, fall, redemption, consummation.
  • God's governance means that nothing can derail His overall intention for His relationship with humanity.
  • Human history is between redemption and consummation.
  • Reference to Philippians: "all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose".
  • God works everything toward the ultimate destination of consummation and recreation (Revelation 21 and 22).
  • God writes the overall narrative, while individuals contribute through their choices at the concurrence level.

Quote from Martin Luther King Jr.

  • "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
  • Despite backtracking and deviations in human history, God's story ultimately leads to justice, mercy, love, and the consummation of creation.

Conclusion

  • Trust and confidence, like Julian of Norwich, that because of God's providential governance, "all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."