PROVIDENCE AND
THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
by
Rev. Roger Smalling, D.Min
Providence and means
Occasionally, God's power intervenes directly as in the resurrection
of Jesus or turning water into wine or at times, divine healing. We call
these 'miracles.' However, miracles are very rare. God ordinarily works
indirectly, using forces of nature, people and circumstances. Whether
with miracles or without them, it is the same sovereign God governing
His creation. We call this idea of divine government, "Providence."
The idea of Providence includes the concept of God working indirectly.
He hides Himself behind people and things, working through them to accomplish
His purposes. He uses 'means to the end.' This indirect way of working
has a name. It is called, 'The Doctrine of Means.' It is an important
element within the whole concept of Providence.
Nearly everything God does, He does indirectly. God is certainly a
God of miracles. Yet even in miracles He usually works through something.
When God parted the Red Sea, He used a strong east wind blowing all night.
When He saves souls, He uses preaching. When He communicates truth, He
does it by His Word. Apart from the resurrection of Christ, or some of
the miracles of Jesus, it is hard to find miracles which did not employ
something or someone as a means.
The term 'means' is like the word 'tool.' A tool is an instrument we
use to accomplish a task. If we eat spaghetti, we use a fork. The fork
is a tool. It is the 'means' for eating spaghetti.
It is possible to eat spaghetti without a fork. We can eat it directly
or with some other utensil. We would sound silly if we said we were dependent
on forks, without which we could never eat spaghetti. We would sound
equally silly by supposing forks to be worthless because it is possible
to do without them.
So with God. He has a very large toolbox full of 'means' at His disposal
to accomplish His will. As sovereign God, He is free to use the tools
or dispense with them as He wishes. As we study this course, we may find
'means' in His toolbox we did not expect to be there.
The WCF expresses it like this:
In His ordinary providence, God makes use
of means, yet he is free to work without, above and against them
as He pleases. WCF Chapter 5, Art.3 (This expresses the idea of God
normally working through things and people. Yet He can ignore these
and do miracles directly if He wants or even supersede natural law
if He pleases.)
Martin Luther was thinking of this when he said God is the hidden God
who reveals Himself.
The Doctrine of Means is an essential balance to the concept of the
Sovereignty of God. We can state it this way: Yes, God is sovereign
...indirectly . Without this important doctrine, we would fall into
fatalism, like the absurd idea, 'whatever will be will be.' Laziness
can result it we fail to apply the 'means' God provides to do His work.
He uses these 'means' to accomplish His sovereign will though He is
never dependent on them.
The Problem of evil
The Bible shows by numerous examples how God permits evil to produce
a greater good. We do not always see the greater good. But we have enough
scriptural examples to accept the principle by faith at the times and
places where we are unable to see the outcome. This is the Bible answer
to the question of Sovereignty of God and evil.
The best scriptural example of God's sovereignty over evil is in the
crucifixion of Jesus. Our redemption resulted from this great injustice.
Yet those who did it are guilty before God of unspeakable evil and will
be punished for it. This is true even though God ordained the time and
circumstances and people involved.
Acts 2:23 "Him, being delivered by the determined
purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands,
have crucified, and put to death;
In this sense, evil itself becomes one of many tools God uses as a 'means'
to accomplish His purposes. The existence of evil, therefore, is no proof
against His sovereignty, nor His providence nor His goodness. Instead,
God's ability to bring good out of evil proves His sovereignty.
See Unlocking, P. 25 for other examples of God using evil to accomplish
His good purposes.
The idea of permission
Some people explain the existence of evil by the simplistic idea of
divine 'permission.' This is fine up to a point, as long as we avoid
the impression of a God who is entirely passive in some things. God is
passive in nothing whatsoever. He never sits back and lets things just
happen however they might.
God 'permitted' Jesus to be crucified. Yet everything about it, including
the people involved and all the circumstances, were controlled and limited
by God. Divine 'permission' never means God took His hands off of things
and let them just happen. Though 'permission' is a correct concept, it
must never be divorced from His providential government of all things.
He allows people to do evil, while limiting and governing the circumstances
surrounding the evil done. In this way, the evil does not proceed from
God, yet He remains sovereign. See WCF, Church.5, Art.4 as a good expression
of this concept.
Philosophical Attacks On The Providence Of God.
A common objection to Christianity by skeptics is based on the existence
of evil. The reasoning is, "If God is good and also sovereign how could
He permit evil? Therefore God does not exist."
This argument assumes good has a real existence apart from God. Yet
the entire concept of good is based on the assumption of the existence
of a good God. The skeptic here is practicing circular reasoning, using
a concept, (good), which is derived from God, to refute the existence
of God. The question itself is self-contradictory nonsense.
For more refutations of skeptic arguments based on the existence of
evil, see Smalling's article at: How Could A Good
God Permit Evil?
From this essay we learned:
"Providence" refers to God's government over everything in His creation.
The Doctrine of Means refers to God acting indirectly, using things and
people to accomplish His purposes.
Evil is one of the means He uses to accomplish His purposes. Yet He is
not the cause of evil.
Though God 'permits' evil, this does not mean He is completely passive
in its development. He governs the circumstances and conditions in which
people do evil, limiting them in various ways. Thus, the existence of
evil does not contradict the providence of God nor is God the author
of evil.
Attacks on the providence of God because of the existence evil are self
contradictory and without substance.
Some
who read this article also liked our book, Unlocking
Grace.
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