God’s Involvement in the World- Providence
November 16, 2002
How involved do you believe God is in the world and in all creation? I, for one, believe that God is very involved in the universe, creation, and in my life. And you might imagine that to be a common belief or understanding, among Christians and believers. But, amazingly, it is not what all, like us, might accept. Maybe it’s not what you believe, but I think we can look at this today and find more than some reason to believe this.
Some believe that God created everything, then, essentially, abandoned it. It’s like He wound up the clock, then has simply left it to run on its own, while He watches, or doesn’t, from far away. This belief is called deism. I don’t accept this for several reasons. Maybe you don’t, either, or maybe you do.
Others believe that creation has no real, distinct existence in itself, but is only part of God. Everything is God and God is everything, in short. This is the belief of pantheism, and I don’t accept this, either. Maybe you do. Certainly, we all know people who believe this way.
Others believe, similar to deists, although this isn’t considered part of that school of thought, that events in creation are determined by chance. Everything is simply part of random happenings- just happening, without any design or purpose. I don’t accept this, either.
Finally, some believe that events are determined by impersonal fate. This belief is called determinism, and basically expresses the idea that there is no control anywhere, and events just happen because they are ‘meant’ to happen. It is very unclear who or what is behind that ‘meant’ to happen; some might believe that God is involved, but most don’t. So, you just go along with the flow, because you ‘can’t fight city hall’, as we use the expression, to express an idea of hopelessness about putting forth any effort in various situations. I don’t accept or believe in determinism, either. Maybe you do. Certainly, we all know people who live within this belief, and use it as a great excuse, oftentimes, to not put out effort in different ways.
This subject of how much and in what way God is involved in creation and life involves what is called the subject of God’s Providence. This is an exciting subject to me, because, in the end, as I understand how much, how fully, and in what minute detail God is involved in His creation, I am moved to express great appreciation toward Him. I am moved to worship Him. I am moved to want to have my life in accord with His and with His plan and purpose for me, more and more!
There are many scriptures that are deeply meaningful, as they speak to us about how God interacts with His creation! Let’s look at them, and consider what God’s Word tells us about His involvement in His creation. Let’s see what Scripture tells us about God’s Providence.
Heb. 1. 1-3- esp. v. 3- we are told, very clearly, here, that Christ is upholding the universe by the Word of His power.
The Greek word used for ‘upholding’- is phero, which means to carry or to bear. It is used several times in the New Testament, in addition to here in Hebrews.
Lk. 5.18- the word used here, for the idea of carrying something from one place to another- is this same word. The word used about the friends’ carrying the paralyzed man and getting him before Jesus is the same one used about Jesus’ upholding all things.
Jn. 2.8- the servants bore, or carried, the water, now turned to wine, to the steward of the wedding feast. They bore, or carried, just as Jesus bears or carries ALL creation by the Word of His power.
2 Ti. 4.13- Paul asked Timothy to bear, or carry, his cloke, left at Troas, when he came to see him. For Timothy to carry, or bear, the cloke carries the same intent, although on a higher level, obviously, as what Jesus does in carrying the entirety of the created everything.
This expression, in Hebrews 1.3, does not simply mean that Christ ‘sustains’ everything, in some sort of a passive and condescending way, but it carries the distinct sense of active, purposeful control over the thing that is being carried from one place to another. This is what the verb means, as it is used throughout scripture, and as it is used to speak to us about how Jesus, part of the triune God, is involved with the Creation. When someone carried something or someone from one place to another, as in these three examples, there was purpose, intent, even meaning involved. It wasn’t a random act of carrying something. So, it is with Christ’s involvement with all creation.
Another matter to consider is that in Hebrews 1.3, where the present tense is used, rather than a past tense, it tells us that Jesus is ‘continually carrying along all things’ in the universe by the word of his power. Christ is ACTIVELY involved in the world of being involved in creation. He is not passive about His involvement, but is very active- as managing day-in and day-out matters.
Col. 1.17- speaks to us about Christ, again. We looked at this passage a few weeks back, when I was discussing how Jesus has reconciled all things to the Father- past, present, and future. The sacrifice of Jesus is just that great and the impact of His work is that tremendous! It’s absolutely amazing!
Well, here, we are told that ‘in him all things hold together (consist)’. There is nothing exempted from this ‘all things’. If you look at v. 16, this is very clear- that everything in the universe is included. This passage affirms that Christ keeps all things existing. In Him, and because of Him, and by Him, they continue to exist. By His ongoing involvement, everything endures!
These verses tell me, rather loudly, I must say, that if Christ were to cease His continuing activity of sustaining all things in the universe, then all except the triune God would instantly cease to exist. The angels would not exist, the universe would not exist, and the earth and all of us on it would just stop being. I’m not sure that it’s accurate to say that we’d ‘evaporate’, but it would be kind of like that. This is a hard concept for us all to understand, because we ‘seem’ so permanent in so many ways. But, maybe as you think about bugs- and this isn’t a good analogy, really. In the summer, we have bugs around. Some of them are so very small and so very simple. Sometimes we might squash a bug. I might have ceased to have patience with that bug, and have decided that it will no longer exist, so it doesn’t, and I’m not sure that it has any thoughts about ceasing to exist. It was, then it is not. Well, it would be even more dramatic if Christ were to cease sustaining all things. If His mind turned away from sustaining, we wouldn’t be squashed. We’d simply stop being. We’d ‘vaporize’- and I’m not sure even that word is an accurate description of what would happen. Sometimes we wonder what Jesus is doing every day. Well, one thing He’s doing is keeping you alive!
Paul affirms this in another place.
Acts 17.28- this stands in such stark contrast to the beliefs of the pagans that Paul was speaking to in Athens. Our God is so alive and active in His involvement. He is not passive. He is not uninvolved. Remember the call when Elijah was on Mount Carmel and he taunted the prophets of Baal that they might need to yell louder to get Baal’s attention. This is not the case with our God! Wow, isn’t this tremendous! We have our whole being in Him!
Neh. 9.6- “…. And you preserve them all….” This is quite a task, but God does it.
2 Pet. 3.7- heavens and earth are ‘being kept until….’ There is active involvement. God is actively involved. He has a plan and purpose and He’s working it out and doing it.
God, in being actively involved in creation, and IN OUR LIVES, continues to give us breath each moment. Elihu, in giving advice to Job, about God, declares this:
Job 34. 14, 15 (cf.) Ps. 104.29
God, in preserving what he has made, also causes them to maintain the properties with which he created them.
- water- is maintained in such a way that it continues to act like water
- grass- is maintained in such a way that it continues to act like grass, with all its distinctive characteristics.
- Paper- when we’re reading a page, it doesn’t just dissolve while we’re reading it, or change into a living thing and begin to grow. That sounds like something from science fiction, and would be very scary. Paper only changes when it is acted on by some other part of creation and its properties are changed, perhaps by burning when it becomes ash. Paper will continue to act like paper as long as God preserves the earth and the creation he has made!
This does NOT say that God’s preservation has him continuously making a new creation, as some believe. He is not making new atoms and molecules for every existing thing every moment. Rather he actively preserves what has already been created. Again, thinking of Hebrews 1.3, Jesus actively carries along all things by the word of his power.
So, this tells me that created things are real and their characteristics are real. They are not figments of my imagination. They are not dreams. A rock is hard; I don’t just imagine that it is hard. If it falls on me, I will hurt. Rock has been hard since the day it was formed and will be hard until the day God destroys the heavens and the earth- 2 Pet. 3.7, 10-12.
Aside from appreciating how God’s involvement in creation speaks to you, very personally, about your life and His involvement there, this, also, speaks to us about other important subjects.
God’s involvement in creation provides a basis for science! God has made and continues to sustain a universe that acts in predictable ways. If you are doing a scientific experiment in science class and it gives a certain result today, we can have confidence that it will give the same result tomorrow, as long as all conditions remain the same, and the same result 100 years from now. This is good. We need this kind of confidence about how things work around us in the world.
God’s involvement I creation provides a foundation for technology, too! We might speak against it sometimes, but we really appreciate technology and our lives are easier because of it. For instance, you drove here today. Because of how God is involved in creation, and because it’s not all a matter of fate, or chance, or without God’s involvement, you can depend on the fact that gasoline will make your car run today just as it did yesterday. And it will make it run the same tomorrow, not simply because ‘it has always worked that way’, but because God’s active involvement sustains a universe in which created things maintain the properties with which he created them.
So, what? The result may be similar I the life of an unbeliever and the life of a Christian. We both put gasoline in our cars and drive away from the service station. But, he will do it without knowing the ultimate reason why it works that way, and I will do it with the knowledge of the actual final reason- God’s involvement and preservation. I will drive away with thanks to my Creator for the wonderful creation that he ahs made and preserves. I will drive away appreciating that I was able to fill the car, and breathed the fumes, sadly, and was able to greet the person beside me, and am able to drive, because Jesus is upholding ME by the word of His power! He is giving me breath every day, which keeps me alive. He is doing the same with you.
I don’t know what this does to you, inside, but it stirs me deeply, to appreciate that I worship an involved God and a very caring God! I just want to thank Him. I want to give my whole being to Him. I want to give everything to Him and not hold back in any way! How about you?
Let’s conclude today with a time for response- privately, or in open prayer.
