Last Sunday, we discussed the subjectivism of the doctrine of the individual will of God. We concluded that such a detailed plan for every life does not exist. If it does not exist, we are searching in vain to find it. If we seek after it according to the seven road signs often given, we will never be confident that we have found it. One objective sign is better than seven subjective ones!

We should note the difference between objective and subjective evidence. If someone says, I do not really know who is sending the Anthrax in the mail, but I feel in my heart that it is a Muslim and not an American. That is a subjective statement without any proof. Another person says, I work in a lab in New Jersey and I saw a man put the Anthrax in an envelope and mail it to Tom Daschel. That is objective. We have an eyewitness. It is not based upon human feelings in the heart. Testimony in a court of law is allowed only from those who are eye and ear witnesses. Such is the case in Christianity. (Heb. 10:28, Acts 10:40-41.)

Another area where subjectivism abounds is in the discussion about the providence of God.

The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1647, said this about the providence of God:

"God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

"Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, yet by the same providence he ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.

"God, in his ordinary providence, maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them, at his pleasure." (The Creeds of Christendom, vol. 3, Philip Schaff, 612-613.)

"Providence" is such a carelessly used word. It sounds good, but no one is for sure what it means. One would think by today’s usage that it occurs often in the Bible. Yet, it is found only once! Here it is:

Tertullus, an orator arguing against Paul, said to Felix, "Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness." (Acts 24:2.)

It should be noted that the word, providence, is not even used in reference to something God has done, but it is attributed to the wisdom and goodness of a Roman governor. If we are going to use Bible words to refer to Bible things, we should be careful about this loaded word. I hear it often. This word has become a special theological word and yet it is never used in the Bible to refer to an action of God. Scholars today talk about general providence, special providence, and even meticulous divine providence. We have compounded the problem by taking a non-biblical word and adding all sorts of descriptions to it.

We know what people mean by it. They are referring to things like Joseph’s statement in Egypt. He said to this brothers: "But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." (Gen. 50:20.) Paul wrote this to Philemon about the Onesimus: "For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever." (verse 15.) God blessed Daniel in the lions’ den by closing their mouths. This is what people mean by providence. It is a story with a good ending, like Ruth and Boaz. It is used when referring to the conversion accounts. An angel and the Spirit of God were involved in Philip meeting the Eunuch. (Acts 8.)

There are many things that I agree with concerning God’s involvement in our world. The Deists are wrong. God did not wind the world up and now lets it run on its own power. However, one extreme does not justify another one. Just because the Deists’ view of our world is wrong does not mean that meticulous divine providence is the right view. I agree that "more things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of." I agree that "the Father works until now and I work." (John 5:17.) I agree that if a person seeks, knocks, and asks, he will receive. (Matt. 7:7.)

Providence is a perfectly good concept, like being called or led of God, but it has become one of those concepts that can be used to mean whatever you desire it to mean. It is a feel-good word that shields us from the harsh realities of the world. I have a problem believing that God helped some people out of the World Trade Center Towers, but He did not help others. Someone even said that God made the towers fall straight down to minimize the loss of life and property. If the towers had fallen over, much more property and many more people would have been destroyed. But couldn’t God have stopped the planes from hitting the buildings in the first place?? During all the months and years of planning these attacks, God knew what the terrorists were planning. Whey did He not just nip the whole plan in the bud before the deeds were carried out? Someone else claims the providence of God because their plans were changed the last minute and they did not fly. But what about all those whose plans were not interrupted by "the providence of God." We should think about what we are saying. People talk about members missing the church services because they were "providentially hindered." Do they mean that God caused them to be sick, or their car to break down, etc.?

There are many dangers in misusing this concept of God providing for man. It causes some to think that they are saved when they have not obeyed the Gospel. Their plan of salvation is personal experience. Some strange, nebulous, unclear happening is attributed to an action of God. It brings an unfair judgment upon others who have not had such an experience as yours. Does it mean that all those who perished in the WTC towers were sinners above all the rest in New York? I tell you, No, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:2-3.)

A Presbyterian minister in Chester, Gregory Knox Jones, has written a book titled, Play The Ball Where The Monkey Drops It. Even though his religious tradition is Calvinist, he argues against meticulous divine providence. The title comes from a rule in playing golf in India. Often monkeys will jump down from the trees and run off with the golf balls. Since they would not know where to spot the ball for their next hit, they made this new rule. "Just play the ball where the monkey drops it from the tree." Jones argues that man must do that in life. Life is not fair. We cannot determine the "whys" and "hows" of life’s strange turns. Just play the ball where the monkey drops it. I agree. And "time and chance happens to all." (Eccl. 9:11.)

Everything in life does not happen according to some predetermined plan of God. This is an extreme view of the sovereignty of God and does not properly balance sovereignty with free will. Many things in life happen contrary to the will of God. Every time someone sins, this is an action contrary to the will of God. Every time someone makes a choice that is not kind and benevolent toward his fellow man, it is an action that is contrary to the will of God. Every time someone rejects the Gospel and perishes in eternity, this is an action that is contrary to the will of God. (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Tim. 2:4.) Every time someone dies of starvation, this is an action contrary to the will of God. Every time a storm destroys homes and human lives, this is an action contrary to the will of God. Every time a baby is born deformed, diseased or mentally ill, this is an action contrary to the will of God. How do we know that these things are contrary to the will of God? We know because we know the God of Scripture. He is not willing for any to perish. Jesus was compassionate toward the sick, lame, demon possessed, blind and the deaf. He used divine power against it, but he did not totally remove it from man’s experiences in life.

We should understand that God did not want the world to be this way. He did not create the world this way. In the beginning, he made man upright, but man sought out many inventions. We live in a fallen world. This world has been cursed of God due to man’s rebellion. There are many things that happen in this world that God does not like.

Circumstances and choices. One writer tried to explain how God could control all the events of life and not override man’s free will. He wrote that God controlled all the circumstances of life behind the scenes. Man could make choices according to his own will but God controlled the circumstances surrounding the choices. He described the circumstances as "the choices that we do have." (Gospel Advocate, "Divine Providence and Human Lives," John Mark Hicks, April 1981, 239.) By controlling all the circumstances, God is also controlling or limiting our choices. Are we then really free to choice? What if told my sons that I would allow them to pick out a car to drive. They would be excited as they thought about all the options. Then I said, However, you can only choose a car that costs below $2000! They were thinking about a new car, but I greatly limited their choices by this restriction. In fact, I ruled out the possibility of a new car entirely. If God controls all the circumstances, does that not in effect force a predetermined outcome? Then, man is not free at all.

I believe that God created the world. I believe that every good gift and every perfect comes down from above. (James 1:17.) But I also believe that many things happen in this life against the will of God. Everything that happens in this world is not good. But there is much subjectivism in the doctrine of providence. This week I read several articles and sermons on this topic. I noticed that each writer expressed warnings about the subjective nature of this doctrine. Listen to some of them.

Warnings about this doctrine. "We must take care in relating our experiences as the special leading of God because we might be mistaken. We can be sure of special providence in the lives of Joseph, Daniel, etc because there is divine interpretation. There are things that have happened in all our lives that appear providential, but without a divine interpreter, the best we can do is say with Mordecai ‘who knows.’ (Esther 4:14), and with Paul ‘perhaps.’ (Philemon 15)" (Bible Light, "The Providence of God," James Meadows, July-August 2001, 7.)

Another writer was lamenting why we do not discuss the providence of God more. He wrote, "We can’t see it. It’s vague, and we can never be absolutely ‘sure.’ The Bible is hazy on the ‘how’ God providentially works in our lives. . . . We can not be sure exactly how much God intervenes. We can not be sure where God intervenes. We can not be sure precisely when God intervenes. But, we can be certain he does intervene!" (Restoration Quarterly, "The Unseen Hand," Bob Barnhill, 1975, 88-92.)

In discussing why a husband’s wife died first, the author expressed it this way. "Perhaps she died first because she would not have been able to bear the death of others. Though this is speculation, it is certain that God knew I could (and her family could) bear the burden since he permitted it to happen, and God does not permit us to be tempted above our ability." (Gospel Advocate, "Divine Providence and Human Lives (II)," John Mark Hicks, 1981, 261.)

"I sometimes say that providence is a ‘provable, non-provable’ proposition. On the surface, that sounds like a contradiction, but it is not, since I am using the terms ‘provable’ and ‘non-provable’ in two difference senses. Providence is provable, that is, we know that God works in this fashion, because the Bible so plainly teaches it; it is a fundamental Bible truth affirmed from beginning to end. However, providence is non-provable in the sense that no person can point to particular circumstances of his or her life and confidently assert, ‘I know that this was the providential intervention of God at work!’ It very well may be, but there is no way to document one’s subjective feelings about an event." (Reason & Revelation, "A Study of the Providence of God," Wayne Jackson, January 1988, 3.) Well said! But what a telling admission to say "there is no way to document one’s subjective feelings about an event."

The specific application of providence to events in one’s life is closely akin to the doctrine that God has a detailed plan for your life. Through providence he is working out that plan. This week I received a bulletin that had this quote in it: "God has a purpose and plan for me that no one else can fulfill." ("Life Lines," North Beckley News, November 18, 2001, 3.) A preacher wrote, "God wants us to work, and do our part, then trust him to make it all work out his plan for us, or fit into his blueprint for our lives. We believe that God has a blueprint for a great life for every human being on earth. Only sin, indolence, and indifference can spoil that blueprint. If we are good men, obedient unto God, he will direct our way to the fulfilling of his will, his blueprint." (Great Preachers of Today, "The Commission And Divine Providence," Gus Nichols, 1966, 249.)