Truth about God's Providence Over Evil Applied to Our Lives

[siliconwafer]

God's providence extends over all things including evil. People will not do evil unless God permits them to do evil. How does this truth apply to our lives? Why is it important to know about the fact that people will not do evil unless God permits them to do evil?

[RBerman]

(Bracing for Round 115 of the never-ending argument about Calvinism...)

It means that we can trust God to work his glory in all things, redeeming even the evils commited by us and upon us.

[Phat8594]

God's providence extends over all things including evil. People will not do evil unless God permits them to do evil. How does this truth apply to our lives?

It's important for us to remember that God is in control of all things, and works all things for His glory. As His children, its also important for us to remember that God works all things for good for those who love Him.

Whether a person chooses good or evil, God will still use it for His glory. God's sovereignty is not dependent on mans will or choices, and neither can it be.

[The Remonstrant]

God's providence extends over all things including evil. People will not do evil unless God permits them to do evil. How does this truth apply to our lives? Why is it important to know about the fact that people will not do evil unless God permits them to do evil?

First, I would say negatively that those of a strict deterministic persuasion (classical Calvinists, for example) can in no way speak meaningfully, consistently or coherently of God "permitting" evil. God, in this schema, has exhaustively foreordained all things, all events that come to pass. Some, like strict Calvinist Paul Helm, has employed the language of divine "efficacious permission," which is an oxymoron, a complete contradiction of terms, if I've ever heard one.

For theists of a more "free-will" persuasion, however, we can indeed speak meaningfully of God permitting or allowing evil (as opposed to "decreeing" or foreordaining it*). The problem of evil is a very difficult one, indeed. Arminians, for example (along with all Christians), believe God is all powerful, entirely good, holy, just and wise. Yet for now, in this present age, evil, in many ways, appears to reign. I don't wish to be glib here and pretend it is not a problem. It is a genuine struggle for those in particular whose lives have been touched or are currently being affected in an especially devastating way by evil. We see the OT psalms, wisdom literature and prophets struggling with evil in this life (see especially Habakkuk).

All is not well and all is not right in this life. It is only in the time of the final judgement when the present age is swallowed up by the age to come that all will be made right. Sometimes even that is hard to believe, but believe it we must, as the Bible clearly teaches this. For now, we are best off seeking to have our minds conformed to God's truths, however imperfectly. Paul especially gives us perhaps the most glowing example of a fallen man transformed by grace, who, despite all the suffering he endured during his earthly life, kept an incredible perspective on suffering in the here-and-now, telling us how it would not compare to the eternal home of believers.

I must hasten to say, however, I sense that most of us (including me) are ridiculously short of Paul's way of thinking on this. But we know, at the very least, for Paul, he wasn't spewing out thoughtless religious platitudes and happy-go-lucky clichés -- he lived a life of tremendous suffering. (Religious people oftentimes can be found to be the most imperceptive, insensitive, delusional individuals walking the face of the earth.) The closer we can come to his way of thinking, I think, the better.


* Just to note, Calvinists often do make a point of differentiating between "first" and "second" causes (if you're interested, I'm sure information pertaining to this is abundantly available online).

[RBerman]

I commend to you all Chapter 2 in John Piper's book on missions, "Let the Nations Be Glad!" I found it quite challenging in its review of the Biblical doctrine of Christian suffering. it's uncomfortable to think that when such a major theme of the New Testament has little application in one's life, one may be living outside of God's revealed will.

[The Remonstrant]

sw,

You should drop your Calvinism and become an Arminian. Just thought I should say.