Basic HTML Version
154
VI. Providence
Christian theism is opposed to both a deistic separation of God from the world and a
pantheistic confusion of God with the world. Hence the doctrine of creation is immediately
followed by that of providence, in which the Scriptural view of God’s relation to the world is
clearly defined. While the term “providence” is not found in Scripture, the doctrine of
providence is nevertheless eminently Scriptural. The word is derived from the Latin providentia,
which corresponds to the Greek pronoia. These words mean primarily prescience or foresight,
but gradually acquired other meanings. Foresight is associated, on the one hand, with plans for
the future, and on the other hand, with the actual realization of these plans. Thus the word
“providence” has come to signify the provision which God makes for the ends of His
government, and the preservation and government of all His creatures. This is the sense in
which it is now generally used in theology, but it is not the only sense in which theologians have
employed it. Turretin defines the term in its widest sense as denoting (1) foreknowledge, (2)
foreordination, and (3) the efficacious administration of the things decreed. In general usage,
however, it is now generally restricted to the last sense.
A. Providence in General.
1. HISTORY OF THE DOCTRINE OF PROVIDENCE.
With its doctrine of providence the Church
took position against both, the Epicurean notion that the world is governed by chance, and the
Stoic view that it is ruled by fate. From the very start theologians took the position that God
preserves and governs the world. However, they did not always have an equally absolute
conception of the divine control of all things. Due to the close connection between the two, the
history of the doctrine of providence follows in the main that of the doctrine of predestination.
The earliest Church Fathers present no definite views on the subject. In opposition to the Stoic
doctrine of fate and in their desire to guard the holiness of God, they sometimes over-
emphasized the free will of man, and to that extent manifested a tendency to deny the
absolute providential rule of God with respect to sinful actions. Augustine led the way in the
development of this doctrine. Over against the doctrines of fate and chance, he stressed the
fact that all things are preserved and governed by the sovereign, wise, and beneficent will of
God. He made no reservations in connection with the providence of God, but maintained the
control of God over the good and the evil that is in the world alike. By defending the reality of
second causes. he safeguarded the holiness of God and upheld the responsibility of man.
During the Middle Ages there was very little controversy on the subject of divine providence.
Not a single council expressed itself on this doctrine. The prevailing view was that of Augustine,
which subjected everything to the will of God. This does not mean, however, that there were
no dissenting views. Pelagianism limited providence to the natural life, and excluded the ethical