Article 5. Divine Providence Series

ARTICLE 5: DIVINE PROVIDENCE

DIVINE PROVIDENCE IN A NUTSHELL IS: THE CONTINUOUS ACTIVITY OF GOD IN HIS CREATION BY WHICH HE PRESERVES AND GOVERNS ALL THINGS.

• WAYNE GRUDEM STATES WE MAY DEFINE GODS PROVIDENCE AS FOLLOWS: GOD IS CONTINUALLY INVOLVED WITH ALL CREATED THINGS IN SUCH A WAY THAT...

(1)HE KEEPS THEM EXISTING AND MAINTAINING THE PROPERTIES WITH WHICH HE CREATED THEM.

(2) HE COOPERATES WITH CREATED THINGS IN EVERY ACTION, DIRECTING THEIR DISTINCTIVE PROPERTIES TO CAUSE THEM TO ACT AS THEY. (3) HE DIRECTS THEM TO FULFIL HIS PURPOSES.

HE GOES ON TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS DEVELOPS THREE SUB TOPICS ACCORDING TO THE THREE ELEMENTS ABOVE:1.PRESERVATION. 2.CONCURRENCE.3. GOVERNMENT. AND IT THESE THREE SUB TOPICS WE WILL BE UNPACKING.

1. WE SEE PROVIDENCE IS ALL ABOUT PRESERVATION. HEB 1:3, COL 1:17

• TO KEEP IN A PERFECT OR UNALTERED CONDITION; MAINTAIN UNCHANGED, TO PRESERVE.

THE BIBLE STATES: HEB 1:3. THE SON IS THE RADIANCE OF GODS GLORY AND THE EXACT REPRESENTATION OF HIS BEING SUSTAINING ALL THINGS BY THE POWER OF HIS WORD. NOT ONLY DO WE SEE HE IS GOD V3 WHO CREATED ALL THINGS V2 BUT THAT HE IS THE ONE WHO SUSTAINS ALL THINGS THROUGH HIS WORD.

A BETTER RENDERING OF THE WORD SUSTAINING HERE IS UPHOLDING BECAUSE JESUS DOESN’T MERELY SUSTAIN ALL THINGS. BUT HE ACTUAL UPHOLDS ALL THINGS: THE GREEK WORD - PHERO WHICH MEANS TO “CARRY TO BEAR” THIS WORD IS USED OFTEN IN THE NT FOR CARRYING SOMETHING FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER FOR INSTANCE IN LUKE 5:18 THE MEN BROUGHT A PARALYSED MAN TO JESUS ON A MAT. THIS WORD CONVEYS THE SENSE OF ACTIVE PURPOSEFUL CONTROL OVER THE PERSON OR OBJECT BEING CARRIED FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.

SO THE JESUS IS UPHOLDING ALL THINGS IN THE POWER OF HIS WORD WHICH IS AN ONGOING ACTIVITY AND PURPOSEFUL. HE IS INVOLVED IN UPHOLDING ALL THINGS. ITS NOT THE CASE THAT GOD HAS JUST WOUND THE WORLD UP LIKE A CLOCK AND LEFT IT TO ITS OWN MECHANISMS ( NATURAL LAWS THAT WE OBSERVE AROUND US ALL OF WHICH GOD HAS SET IN PLACE) BUT HE IS ACTIVELY AND PURPOSEFULLY UPHOLDING ALL THINGS EVEN THE NATURAL LAWS WE SEE AROUND US.

• ON APRIL 16, 2007 TIME MAGAZINE CONTAINED AN EXCERPT FROM THE NEW BIOGRAPHY ON ALBERT EINSTEIN TITLED, EINSTEIN AND FAITH. THE LAST PARAGRAPH IN THE EXCERPT READS, “FOR SOME PEOPLE, MIRACLES SERVE AS EVIDENCE OF GOD’S EXISTENCE. FOR EINSTEIN, IT WAS THE ABSENCE OF MIRACLES THAT REFLECTED DIVINE PROVIDENCE. THE FACT THAT THE WORLD WAS COMPREHENSIBLE, THAT IT FOLLOWED LAWS, WAS WORTHY OF AWE.”

• EVEN THE NATURAL LAWS GOD HAS PUT IN PLACE HE GIVES THEM THE PROPERTIES THEY HAVE AND HE UPHOLDS THEM THIS TO EINSTEIN LEFT HIM IN AWE OF GOD!

IN THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS IS FURTHER CONFIRMATION OF THE FACT: COL.1:17 HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS AND IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER. AGAIN WE SEE HE IS THE ONE WHO CREATED ALL THINGS (EVERY CREATED THING IN THE UNIVERSE), THE ONE WHO HOLDS EVERYTHING TOGETHER, HE MAINTAINS IT ALL, AND HE PRESERVES IT ALL IN HIM THEY EXIST.

THIS MEANS IF GOD WAS TO CEASE SUSTAINING ALL THINGS, TO HOLD THEM TOGETHER THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD EXIST WOULD BE GOD. WE WOULD NO LONGER EXIST AS THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID IN ACTS: 17:28 IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING.

IN THE BOOK OF WE SEE THE THE LEVITES DECLARE,NEHEMIAH 9:6. "YOU ARE THE LORD, YOU ALONE. YOU HAVE MADE HEAVEN, THE HEAVEN OF HEAVENS, WITH ALL THEIR HOST, THE EARTH AND ALL THAT IS ON IT , THE SEAS AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM: AND YOU PRESERVE ALL OF THEM: AND THE HOST OF HEAVEN WORSHIP YOU".

• LAST WEEK IN THE LEICESTER MERCURY STORY OF A CHILD BORN PREMATURE AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME HE IS IN INTENSIVE CARE, THE ONLY WAY THAT LITTLE CHILD IS BEING SUSTAINED IS THROUGH THE ADVANCEMENT IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE EXPERTISE AND CARE OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION TO PRESERVE THAT LITTLE CHILD’S LIFE ENABLING HIM/HER TO GROW INTO A MATURE ADULT. THAT PREMATURE BABY IS DEPENDENT UPON THIS OUTSIDE CARE.(BY HUMAN OBSERVATION OF COURSE GOD SUSTAINS HIM).

AS THAT CHILD IS DEPENDENT UPON THIS OUTSIDE CARE OF THOSE PROFESSIONALS, SO IS ALL OF THE CREATED ORDER DEPENDENT UPON GOD FOR ITS OWN PRESERVATION (AIR , WATER, ANIMAL , HUMANITY GOD MAINTAINS THOSE PROPERTIES). GOD UPHOLDS ALL THINGS ACTIVELY AND PURPOSEFULLY. THIS SHOULD TRULY CAUSE US TO STAND IN AWE AND THANKFULNESS TO THE ONE WHO PRESERVES ALL THINGS INCLUDING OUR LIVES ARE IN HIS HANDS.

AND LET US PRAY FOR LITTLE JACK WHOSE IN INTENSIVE CARE BECAUSE WE SEE ULTIMATLY THAT EVEN LITTLE JACK IS NOT SOLEY DEPENDANT UPON THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT BUT UPON GOD HE IS THE FIRST CAUSE OF ALL SUSTAINING LIFE! THAT LEAD’S US TO POINT 2......