Is Providence Downplayed?

I can remember reading early American literature of the Puritan era where they wrote of  Providence  (a term not found in Scripture, but biblical, nevertheless). The Federalist Papers and the Declaration of Independence mention it also. Ben Franklin said, "The longer I live the more I see that God governs in the affairs of men." Lincoln referred to Providence, and not just as rhetoric--he believed in it. Today a lot of people think this is just some town in Rhode Island.

Actually, Providence is "God's answer to happenstance," as Charles Colson puts it. When you realize there is no such thing as chance (it's merely a mathematical probability),  luck (which is dumb), fortune (it's blind), or fate (which is impersonal). (As R. C. Sproul describes it.) There's no such thing as coincidence; God governs over all things great and small. Prov. 16:33 talks about even the throw of the dice is in God's control. God is no onlooker or spectator, but is actively involved in ruling everything. According to R. C. Sproul, there isn't even one "maverick molecule" in the universe.

Naturalism says everything is ruled by independent iron-clad laws that can't be broken. The mistakes in thinking are Deism (that God doesn't interfere), Pantheism (that God is nature), and the Epicurean notion of chance and the Stoic notion of fate. Providence actually refers to God's government of the universe, concurrence (working together) of secondary and primary causes, and preservation of nature. Theologians have written volumes expounding on these aspects of Providence. The issue is God's sovereignty, plain and simple.

Arminians want to believe that God's will is not always done, and that in our "free will" we can frustrate or thwart God making things happen--that He doesn't ordain to be. Up with man and down with God, so to speak. They think that God was frustrated and had to change His plans when Satan sinned, as if that was not in God's plan. If God was unable to keep evil out of the Universe in the first place (according to Arminians), what makes them think that He can keep it out in eternity--what if one of us goes bad? You see, God could have kept Adam from sinning and also kept his will intact; however, it was in His decreed or secret will to have Adam fall and then to redeem the elect of the race.

Arminians don't understand how God can cause us to do something willingly (cf. Phil. 2:13). Indeed, He makes the unwilling willing (cf. Jer. 20:7).  , because He is the potter and we are the clay (cf. Isa. 64:8). He melts the hardest heart and makes the heart of stone into a heart of flesh (cf. Jer. 24:7). Arminians don't understand that God decreed the crucifixion down to the minutest detail and every sinful act included without interfering (i.e. using an outside force to force him to do something) with anybody's own will. Arminians don't understand that God is the causa prima or first cause and man is only the causa secunda or secondary cause.

We are moral agents who have the power of willing choice and responsibility for what we do. Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing." Acts 17:28 says, "In Him we live and move and have our being." Eph. 1:11 says, "He accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will." "I will accomplish all My good pleasure," He says in Isa. 46:`10. God does as He pleases in heaven and on earth (Ps. 135:6); that's one of the perks of being God. The poem, Invictus, by William Ernest Henley, talks about man being the "captain" of his fate. ("I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps", says Jer. 10:23; cf. Prov. 20:24; 16:9.) But actually, Christ is the captain of our destiny.

The Arminian doesn't see how God can ordain us to do evil without being stained by it--he limits God's omnipotence. God doesn't do evil, but uses evil (yes, he uses Satan as His servant) for His glory and purpose. Ps. 76:10 says, "He makes the wrath of men to praise Him...." Joseph said that his brothers meant him harm, but God meant it for good (Gen. 50:20; 45:5).

If God can ordain the crucifixion, it stands to reason that He can ordain all events. If God ordained one sin,  He can't be holy according to their way of thinking (Acts 2:23; 4:28 refer to the crucifixion). No one can thwart Him or say to Him "What are you doing?" (see Job 9:12; Dan. 4:35).   "No one can resist His will" (Rom. 9:19). Either God rules or man rules, there is no middle ground or neutral position. We live in an age of luck and of denying God's ultimate control over His creation.

Jonathan Edwards said that he likes to "ascribe absolute sovereignty" to God. God is in control of the nations (Psalms 22:28). ("The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as rivers of water, He turns it whithersoever he will.") He sets up one and down another--all the nations are a drop in the bucket to Him. ("I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil"--Is. 45:7.)  John Wesley read the newspaper daily "to see how God is doing in the world." God doesn't have "Plan B." He knows the future because He is in control of it; not just because He has foresight or a crystal ball, as it were.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Prosperity Doctrine Caveat

Everyone is talking about the "name-it-and-claim-it" teaching or the "health-wealth-and-prosperity" doctrine. The seeker-sensitive churches are well aware that this draws a crowd. The "church of what's happening now" is telling people just what they want to hear. False prophets in the Bible did the same thing--they prophesied what the people wanted to hear; they tickled their ears. True prophets were known for making people uncomfortable. Evangelism has become a marketing scheme and a promotional effort. Charismatic and entrepreneurial preachers (who don't have any exegetical skills) are gaining a following of themselves, not the Lord. I know this from personal experience where I was a "fan" of the teacher. Jesus never made it easy to become a disciple, he never toned down is requirements and made it more palatable--he wanted self-denial and the willingness to carry a cross. Beware of "easy-believism" that doesn't require bowing to the Lordship of Christ in repentance and faith.

I'm not saying that God doesn't prosper Christians: Far from it--"God delights in the prosperity of His servant." The problem is that Satan masquerades as an angel of light and is a sheep in wolves clothing. Just being able to prophesy or preach (some are really just great speakers or storytellers or comedians) doesn't mean it has the Lord's blessing, but God can still use him for His purposes. (Some will say, "Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name?") I am not vilifying or casting a slur on any certain preachers--whom I would rather call motivational speakers--but a word to the wise is sufficient.

Some of them are saying, "Ask not what you can do for God, but what God can do for you!" (Does that sound familiar?) People are seeking the benefits, not the Benefactor. God never said that money, fame, prosperity, or success was the reward--He is the reward. "The Lord is my portion..." (Lam. 3:24) See also Ps. 73:26. ("I am thy great and precious reward.") God looks at the motive--are you looking for money or for Him? Seek and you shall find, but you must search with all your heart (Jer. 29:13). Are we just to turn in our "spiritual lottery ticket?" Are the poor Christians in North Korean concentration camps just guilty of being Christians, or of not turning in their ticket? It is a higher calling to be a martyr than to be a millionaire, for instance. Prosperity is becoming the goal, not maturity in Christ. The mark of the believer is becoming wealthy, not the love of the brethren. (John 13:35 says they shall know the disciples by their love.)

The ironic thing is that God does prosper us--sometimes in ways we don't expect, though. Whatever you find to do, he can make you good at it. Brother Lawrence was a faithful cook in a monastery and practiced the presence of God, not wondering what blessing God had in store for him. There is saving faith and temporal faith. Temporal faith can be trusting God for a new job, for instance. Some ask, "If God is going to bless people, why not me?" The rain falls on the just and the unjust--God's principles work for the wicked as well. God's so-called common grace extends to all His creatures. The point is, what is your motive. Scripture says to "seek first the kingdom of God...." If you want God you will get success, etc. and if you want that you won't get it.

The covenant of Abraham still is in effect and we can claim many promises in the Bible. "Be it done unto you according to your faith" (Matt. 9:29). Remember: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." And "Do not love the world, neither the things of the world...." (Ps. 73:25-26 says, "For who have I in heaven but You, and earth has nothing I desire besides You...the Lord is my portion.") A wise man has said that our wealth doesn't consist in the abundance of our possessions, but in the fewness of our wants. "Store up treasures in Heaven...." Some seem to imply that if you're not prosperous in their estimate, there must be some sin in your life or you don't have enough faith. That may be true for some, but it is not always true, so you cannot judge. Where does it say, "You shall know them by their possessions"?


The truly spiritual man is content with what he has according to Phil 4:11 and David says in Ps. 23: "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want...." We are to be "anxious for nothing...." Paul says that if he has food, clothing, and shelter he will be content. The order is to "Delight yourself in the Lord" or to be a Christian "hedonist" (according to John Piper), then God will give you the desires of your heart; however, those desires change as you grow in Christ. Paul said, "Whatever I had counted as profit, I now consider as loss...knowing Christ...." We don't get any promise to get all our "felt" needs, but only our legitimate needs, as God sees them. We are merely stewards of what God gives us, our time, talents, money, resources, and friends. Scripture says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Greed is one of the seven d/e/a/d/l/y sins. It is not wrong to want something good, but it must be on God's terms. He demands tithing, lordship, repentance, spiritual growth, among other things. Tithing is not a legal requirement for salvation, (note that tithing in itself to bend God's will doesn't work, for God loves a cheerful giver according to 2 Cor. 9:7), or sanctification, but a principle of God's economy to be blessed by God. The secret to being blessed is to bless. "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). The mature Christian is so busy being a steward of what God has blessed him with and counting his blessing that he doesn't worry about being prosperous or wealthy. We should see God's blessing as having purpose of His glory. "...That you may have an abundance for every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8).


There are several promises and passages in Holy Writ that deal with this. God has a lot to say about the subject. Mal. 3:10 says that we should "test" God with tithing and He will meet all our needs and more! Ps. 84:11 says, "...no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless." 1 Tim. 6:17 says, "He has given us all things for our enjoyment." I like Jer. 29:11 the best: "For I know the plans that I have for you, says the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future." Josh. 1:8 is classic: "Do not let this Book of the Law depart form your mouth...Then [note the condition] you will be prosperous and successful." "Delight yourself in the Lord [make God your highest joy], and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps. 37:5). Deut. 8:18 is widely read: "For remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth." (Never give yourself credit for your prosperity , thinking it was a fluke, or just think you're lucky!) "...And I will heal My people and bring them abundant peace and security." By the way, where is your security? Matt. 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

Prosperity and success per se are no sign of God's favor or approval. One of the oldest questions in the Bible is, "Why do the wicked prosper?" (see Ps. 73) There is a right church for every believer, depending on where he is at spiritually. You don't have to go to a prosperity-teaching church for God to prosper you. I do not wish to judge any preacher's ministry, but only to make manifest the issues involved. "The rich and poor have this in common--God is the maker of them both." Some wise man has said that for every 100 people who can handle poverty, only one can handle prosperity. The point is this: You have to define success and prosperity, because they may vary from person to person. Success to one person may be being a good dishwasher or waiter--to another a good doctor or preacher. Success is really finding God's calling on our lives and enjoying it. Mother Teresa said, "God doesn't call us to success, but to faithfulness."

Success is up to Him, our part is faith. God tests all of us, and we must learn to rejoice in the Lord always, regardless (Hab. 3:18 says even if the trees don't blossom, we should rejoice--as long as we have the Lord we have not lost all.) The commission of the church is to spread the gospel and to edify the saints, not to make an empire. I don't believe we have to take vows of poverty like Catholic priests do, but we should be modest and not flaunt our wealth either. One of the churches in Revelation was poor and Paul collected offerings from a poor church to help out the poor brethren in Jerusalem--they gave out of their poverty--but first, they give of themselves.

Christ, though He was rich, become poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (but he isn't necessarily talking about money). I feel sorry for the rich man who is not rich towards God. "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" Good advice: Earn as much as you can, save as much as you can, give away as much as you can. Hebrews 11 tells of the heroes of the faith that didn't receive the promise, but the world wasn't worthy of them, nevertheless.

True success as a ministry is not measured in clout, prosperity, wealth, politics, numbers, or any other worldly idea, but in its adherence to the truth and faithfulness. Many so-called preachers are highly popular in the eyes of the world, but Jesus says, "Woe unto you when all men speak highly of you" (Luke 6:26). Doesn't Sun Myung Moon, of the Unification Church cult have one of the largest churches in the world?--case in point! "To mock the poor is to insult God," says Proverbs and to imply that everyone should be rich is mocking in my opinion. God has chosen the poor in this life to be rich in faith.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Powers Of Discernment/Judgment

When a preacher claims to be pronouncing prophetic utterances and exercising his discernment to insult the parishioners, I think he is out of line and is really judging. Actually, it could be the preacher's fault and not the congregation's that they are not saying "amen" enough to his satisfaction and encouragement. I believe in the power of discernment to notice people's eye's rolling, people falling asleep, people chattering, or sighing, but not to the extent of telling whether a person is "in the Spirit," as John would term it. Some people are less demonstrative and more stoic or phlegmatic. I can see how a Pentecostal preacher might react to a Baptist or Presbyterian congregation.

The hireling has no care for the flock and is only concerned with making an impression; the wolf in sheep's clothing scatters the flock and does not feed it. Good storytelling, anecdotes, jokes, and witty sayings are no substitute for the exegesis of the Word. The pastor of the church is responsible for the content of what the guest preacher says and should show discernment and not just "amen" everything.

God gives us all discernment and it grows with maturity, but we do not have a license to judge (and I mean insult) our (especially another pastor's) congregation. One has to ask, "Who do you think you are?" The Scripture says in Prov. 16:21 that "the wise in heart shall be called discerning." Chuck Swindoll says that the power of discernment is the ability to read between the lines. It is the power to perceive spiritual truth, not the ability to judge or read minds.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Preachers With Visions

Some preachers unashamedly go on and on in great detail about visions, (Col 2:18 ESV warns against this) thinking this is some sort of credential or approbation of God to their testimony. We don't need visions to tell us what to believe, but should "rely on the Word."

I think of Thomas asking to see Jesus, and being told, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed." Seeing a vision is not something to be sought after. I know we live in the last days, and Joel prophesies that young men shall see visions, but I don't think that this is a promotion per se, and shouldn't necessarily be shared--what on earth is their motive, except to perhaps exalting themselves. This is not the norm, and to talk about visions can be very discouraging for those who have to rely on simple faith.

There is a great possibility of being led astray by false mysticism and the deceived. Visions are not edifying and the Bible never says to preach visions, but to preach the Word. Preachers should be expositors, exegetes (doing exegesis or explanation/analysis of the text), encouragers, or modern-day prophets (having a vital message for our day) who are in tune with the Word, and not only with their own spirit and personal experiences.

Let's not forget Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church of South Korea who claims to have live conversations with Christ. This is dangerous territory and I think any preacher who feels led to share a vision should do it in a humble way so as not to seem to be exalting himself or making it seem normal. One has to wonder about the motive for sharing his vision. Paul was very humble and hesitated to share his vision. If one wants to boast, he should boast that he knows the Lord (Jer. 9:24). When the Scripture says in Prov. 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." it does not mean we're supposed to have visions, but be visionaries.   Soli Deo Gloria!

I think Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Church expounds on this theme.

The Trinity's Value

A sure sign of a cult is that it denies the Trinity and hence the deity of Christ. Tertullian first used the term "Trinity" in the third century, but the doctrine was really defended by Athanasius in the fourth century, who was called the Father of Orthodoxy. The term is not found in Scripture, but neither is Providence, Incarnation, or Deity of Christ. There are two main heresies: modalism, which says that God merely expresses Himself in three ways, like a person being at once a husband, employee, and son simultaneously (the Oneness Pentecostals take this stand); and tritheism, which says the three together are God.

The orthodox position is that God is three persons (the tripersonality), each person is fully God, there is one God. This is not a contradiction, but a paradox beyond our comprehension. To say that God is three persons and God is one person is a contradiction. It is better to think of God not one person, but as being personal. Personalities cannot exist in isolation and neither can love, and God is love. "God in three persons blessed Trinity" goes the hymn. God is trinitarian, manifesting a "three-in-oneness" of personality.

We are uni-personal, but God is tri-personal. This is the "tri-unity" of God that we cannot fathom and must accept by faith. The Trinity is a unity--this should not be hard to understand because three Christians can be "one in the Spirit." There are many "trinities" in nature: water is known as a liquid, ice, and steam; yet it is still the same molecule and each is just as much water as the other.

When we say there is one God we are saying one essence. Each person is coexistent, coeternal, and coequal; however, the Father is exalted and the Son is subordinate. Subordination does not mean inferiority, just like a wife being subordinate to her husband does not mean inferiority. The members of the "Godhead" (a term found in Rom. 1) have definitive roles in salvation, for instance. The Father originated and purposed and planned it; the Son fulfilled and carried it out and implemented it; while the Holy Spirit applies it. It is said that things are "out of" the Father, "through" the Son, and "in" the Spirit. There is an economy of roles in the Godhead. Creation is assigned to the Father, redemption to the Son, and sanctification to the Spirit. God the Father is our Father, Christ is our intercessor, and the Spirit is our Paraclete and Dynamo. Jesus was the "Angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament and his appearances are known as Christophanies. Jesus is our go-between and we are empowered by the Spirit to have fellowship with the Trinity.

All of the divine attributes of God are attributed to the Son and to the Spirit and they are equally "persons" of one substance or essence. The varied roles of the Trinity stress their individual personalities. However, though the Spirit is different from the Son, there is no "unChristlikeness" in the Spirit's character.

Humans could not be known as a personality in isolation from other humans in much the same way God has to be known through three persons. Multiple persons are necessary for love and personality. The Son proceeds from the Father and is begotten of the Father, but not made or created. If the Son were created, as Arius suggested, then it would be idolatry to worship Him and He couldn't redeem us as the God-man. All analogies that illustrate the Trinity fall short, but they give us an idea of the possibility of trinitarian thought.

There are several Scriptures that mention the Trinity specifically, though you could prove it the roundabout way of proving that there is one God and that each member is also God. Isa. 48:16 mentions all members of the Trinity. The baptism of Jesus mentions all three members. The benediction of 2 Cor. 13:14 puts all members in juxtaposition. Think of the baptismal formula of the "name" (singular) of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). "I am the Lord, there is no other, besides Me, there is no God" (Isa. 45:5). Each member is fully God, not one-third God--but there is no disharmony or disunity in the Godhead. Note the "plural" name of God as Elohim and in the Shema (Deut. 6:4) "the Lord is one ("Echad" one as in a cluster).

Illustrations abound: In the church, we have many members, yet one body; husband and wife are one in body, mind, and spirit in God's eyes. There is one Being, yet three personalities; just like it is possible for a mentally ill person to have multiple personalities. Each person in the Godhead relates to the others as "Him," "Me," "You," or "Us." The example in Genesis One of creation is not the plural of majesty like a king would talk, and it is not God speaking to angels, but the members of the Trinity talking to each other and speaking for each other: "Let Us make man in Our image...."

The Son is called that because that is His relationship to the Father and shows a filial fellowship and understanding. A son is not inferior to his father (subordination is not inferiority), but equal in natural endowments in essence.  Actually, the Son is called "God" by the Father in Heb. 1. Jesus was 'calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God"--and for that, they wanted to stone Him. Once you realize that Jesus is God in the flesh, it is not a very big leap to understand that the Holy Spirit is also God.

You cannot be a Christian unless you recognize the deity of Christ (2 John 9). Jehovah's Witnesses see Jesus as the first created being and not as the Creator of the universe. They see Him as "a god" not as "God." As "a son of God" not as "the Son of God." God cannot be anything else, truth is not always easy to understand. No one can fully comprehend the divine essence of the Trinity, because the finite cannot grasp the infinite. If anyone does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, he does not have the Father; it's just as simple as that (see 2 John 9).  Soli Deo Gloria!