Lesson 8: God – His Providence
Introduction
Hello, and welcome back to An Introduction To The Christian Faith. We have come now to lesson 8 and here we will be considering Baptist Catechism questions 14 & 15. Please allow me to briefly remind you of where we have been, and where we are going.
It was in Baptist Catechism 7 that we started to consider God. First, we learned about God’s nature. Secondly, we stressed that God is one. After that, we learned that in the one living and true God, there are three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So then, in questions 7-9 of the catechism we learned about the nature and the persons of the one true God. A good way to reinforce and expand upon this knowledge that you have gained would be to read chapter two of our confession of faith – the Second London Confession. It is a truly beautiful and precise statement about God and the Holy Trinity.
With Baptist Catechism 10 our focus shifted from the nature and persons of God to his works. When we speak of the works of God we are no longer asking what or who is God, but what has God done, and what is God doing?
It would be good to remember that the first thing we said about the works of God was that God decreed. What are the decrees of God? Baptist Catechism 10 is correct. They are “His eternal purpose according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.”
Baptist Catechism 11 then asks, “How doth God execute his decrees?” In other words, how does accomplish or carry out his eternal purpose? Our catechism mentions two things: “God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.”
Baptist Catechism 12 then asks, “What is the work of creation?” Answer: “The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.” Baptist Catechism 13 is also about God’s work of creation, with special attention given to the creation of man. “How did God create man?”, is the question. The answer: “God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.”
And now we come to Baptist Catechism 14, which asks, “What are God’s works of providence? Answer: “God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.”
I’ve taken the time to review Baptist Catechism questions 7-13 with you for a couple of reasons. One, it’s always good to review things, especially truths as foundational as these. Two, I want to be sure that you see the relationship between God’s decree, and his works of creation and providence clearly. It is very important to see that when we ask the question, what has God done and what is he doing, we do not start with creation. No, we start with the doctrine of God’s eternal decree. God’s work of creation was the first step in the accomplishment (execution) of his eternal decree. In this lesson, we will learn that God carries out his plans and purposes in his works of providence. First, the decree. Second, creation. Third, providence.
To illustrate, the decree can be compared to the blueprint for a building that an architect draws up. God’s work of creation can be compared to the construction of that building. And God’s works of providence can be compared to the maintenance and management of the building moving forward. When it comes to the world that God has made, and the history of mankind that has unfolded within, God is the architect, builder, and maintainer of all things seen and unseen. More than this, the doctrine of divine providence will teach that God is also the Sovereign King who rules and reigns over his creation. He governs his creation to bring it to the end for which he designed it.
These truths about God’s eternal decree and the execution of that decree through the works of creation and providence are truly foundational. You can probably see that what we believe concerning these things will have a profound impact on how we view God and his relationship to the world he has made. These truths will also have a profound impact on how we view the unfolding of human history. Is God near to us or is he distant? Is God in control or is he not? Does human history in general, and your life in particular, have meaning and purpose or not? The doctrines being presented here about God’s eternal decree and the execution of the decree in the works of creation and providence will have a profound impact on the way we answer these foundational questions.
Question 14: What are God’s works of providence?
Answer: God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.
Let us go now to Baptist Catechism 14. The question is, “What are God’s works of providence?” Answer: “God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.”
The words “preserving” and “governing” are key. What is God’s providence? It is God’s ongoing work of preserving and governing his creation. Creation was a work that God finished in the space of six days. God rested from his work of creation on the seventh day. God’s works of providence are ongoing. God continuously preserves and governs his creation. Stated differently, when we think of God’s relationship with his creation, we are to see that he is intimately involved.
When we say that God preserves his creation, we mean that he upholds it continuously. The universe itself is upheld by God through the Son of God. Listen to Colossians 1:17: “And he [Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17, ESV). Hebrews 1:3 says something similar about Christ: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…” (Hebrews 1:3, ESV).
When we say that God governs his creation we are saying that rules over it as the Sovereign Lord. God Almighty is continuously ruling and reigning over his creation to carry out his eternal decree and to direct all things to their appointed end.
When our catechism says that God preserves and governs “all his creatures, and all their actions” this answers the question, to what extent? What does God uphold? What does he govern? Answer: everything he has made.
Some imagine that God’s providence extends only over the really big things – the major events of human history, or the life-changing events in our own experiences. Others imagine that God’s providence extends only to the things that we deem to be good. But these ideas do not square with the testimony of Scripture.
In Matthew 10:29 we find the words of Jesus. He speaks of providence when he says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” In the verse, Christ says, “But even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30, ESV). Here Christ teaches that God’s providence extends to all his creatures, even to the lives of little sparrows – and to the minutia of life, even to the hairs on our heads. This teaching about God’s comprehensive providence is meant to comfort God’s people. The next words out of Christ’s mouth are, “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31, ESV).
In Daniel 2:21 we find a statement about God’s providence as it pertains to the big events of human history. There the prophet says, “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding…” (Daniel 2:21, ESV).
The big question that people will often have about the doctrine of God’s providence or sovereignty over all things is, what about evil, sin, and suffering? How can we say that God preserves and governs all his creatures, and all their actions when there is so much evil in the world? This is a difficult question and we must learn to think and to speak carefully about it.
Our catechism points us in the right direction when it says, “God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.” The words, “most holy, wise, and powerful” are certainly meant to function as guardrails to keep us from going where we should not. Yes, there is great evil in the world, but God is holy. And yes, many things happen in this world that don’t make sense to us, but God is wise. And yes, things will sometimes seem to be out of control, or as if evil is prevailing, but God is powerful – he is able to bring about his eternal purposes, and he will surely do it.
By the way, these three words, “holy, wise, and powerful”, should remind us of Baptist Catechism 6. “What is God?” Answer: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” It is this God who has decreed all things that will come to pass, created all things seen and unseen, and is now providentially “preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.” The words, “holy, wise, and powerful”, are meant to remind us of the perfections of God. Notice the word “most”. Providence is here defined as God’s “most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.” God is not a little holy. He is most holy. God is not a little wise. He is most wise. God is not a little powerful. He is most powerful. This is true of God in his essence. And therefore, it is true of God’s decree, his work of creation, and his works of providence. God, who is most holy, wise, and powerful, will always do what is good, just, and true.
The more I interact with our catechism, the more impressed I am with its brevity and precision. These doctrines that we are handling, especially the ones that are presented early in the catechism are massively important. Many of them are deep, profound, and filled with mystery. Think of it, we have been considering things like God, his eternal decree, his work of creation, and his works of providence. These are big doctrines. Many, many books have been written about them, and even then, mysteries remain. But our catechism sums these doctrines up in only a sentence and it does a very fine job.
I bring this up now to remind you what our catechism is and what it is not. It is an ultra-brief and precise summary of Christian doctrine. It does not attempt to prove these doctrines from Scripture. And neither does it attempt to answer every question or objection. It simply and briefly states the Christian faith. Every word and phrase is chosen very carefully.
If you wish to see a fuller, more detailed statement concerning providence, please see Chapter 5 the Second London Confession Of Faith (2LCF). Our catechism is meant to summarize our confession, remember? In our confession, you will find a much more nuanced statement concerning divine providence, one that clarifies that God often preserves and governs his creation through second causes and natural means, but is “free to work without, above, and against them at his pleasure (2LFC 5.2). There you will also find talk about God’s providence in relation to the first sin of Adam. The confession is willing to use the language of permission. God permitted Adam’s sin. But our confession warns that it was not a bear, meaningless, or purposeless permission (2LCF 5.4). Our confession also speaks of the free will of man in 2LFC 5.2 & 4. When men and women sin, they do so freely. This is important to confess. In fact, our confession devotes an entire chapter to the topic of Free Will. We believe in free will, but free will must be defined properly. In chapter 5.5 our confession takes up the question of the sufferings and sins of God’s own people. Why does God permit this? There are many reasons. God may do so “to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself; and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for other just and holy ends. So that whatsoever befalls any of his elect is by his appointment, for his glory, and their good” (2LFC 5.5). I will not comment on this statement at this time. I have read it to you to show the care our confession takes to answer important questions like these. 2LCF 5.6 takes up the question, why does God permit the wicked to sin? Again, the reasons are many. Finally, 2LCF 5.7 states that while God’s providence extends to all things, he exercises special providential care over his people: “As the providence of God doth in general reach to all creatures, so after a most special manner it taketh care of his church, and disposeth of all things to the good thereof.”
If Baptist Catechism 14 leaves you wanting more, go to our confession. May I also suggest that you go to Benjamin Bedome’s commentary on the catechism? There are two links to that book under “Recommended Resources”. One is to the print version, the other is to an online version. Ultimately, we must go to the Scriptures, for the Scriptures are our final authority in matters of faith and obedience. The proof texts in our catechism, our confession, and in Beddome’s commentary would be a great place to start.
Question 15: What special act of providence did God exercise towards man in the estate wherein he was created?
Answer: When God had created man, He entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience: forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon pain of death.
Let us go now to Baptist Catechism 15. This is a very important question. It asks, “What special act of providence did God exercise towards man in the estate wherein he was created?” The answer is, “When God had created man, He entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience: forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon pain of death.”
Providence, remember, is God’s preserving and governing his creatures. The question is, “What special act of providence did God exercise towards man in the estate wherein he was created?” So, we are to think of Adam and Eve in the garden.
Let me ask you, what did Adam and Eve owe to God in the very beginning? A good answer would be, everything. Adam and Eve owed God obedience and worship. After all, God was their creator. He was also their sustainer. God was their king. And now let me ask you, what did God owe to Adam and Eve in the very beginning? A good answer would be, nothing at all.
When our catechism asks about the special act of providence that God exercised towards man in the estate wherein he was created, it hints at the fact that God entered into an arrangement, agreement, or relationship with man that went beyond the natural relationship they had at the beginning. In the very beginning, man owed God everything, but God was not obliged to give man anything more than what he had already given him. But God did offer him more. And this he did by entering into a covenant with him.
What is a covenant? Generally speaking, a covenant is a guaranteed commitment” (Samuel Renihan, The Mystery Of Christ, His Covenant And Kingdom, 40). When it comes to the biblical covenants between God and men, they are “A declaration of [God’s] sovereign pleasure concerning the benefits he will bestow on [man], the communion they will have with him, and the way and means by which this will be enjoyed by them” (Renihan quoting Coxe in The Mystery Of Christ, His Covenant And Kingdom, 41). “Covenants advance man’s communion with and enjoyment of God beyond nature” (Renihan, The Mystery Of Christ, His Covenant And Kingdom, 41).
Again, I may ask, what did man owe God when he was first created? Everything. What did God owe man? Nothing. But God kindly entered into a covenant with Adam to offer him more. That is what our catechism is talking about here. God took the relationship between himself and the man he created further than what it was by nature. He entered into a special arrangement with Adam. He entered into a covenantal relationship with Adam. The story of God entering into a special covenantal relationship with Adam is found in Genesis 2. Our catechism does a wonderful job of summarizing it.
Our catechism says, “When God had created man, He entered into a covenant of life with him…” This covenant that we are now speaking of is called by different names. Some will call it the Adamic Covenant because it was made with Adam. Adam was the representative or federal head of this covenant. He represented all of humanity. Some will call this Covenant of Creation because it was made at the time of creation. Some will call this covenant The Covenant Of Works. The reason for this name is that this covenant required Adam to work to receive the promised rewards. Adam was to keep God’s law from the heart. He was to expand the garden he had been placed in. He was to work and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). This did not mean that Adam was to pull weeds. To keep the garden was to protect it from intruders. To keep the garden was to keep it pure and holy, a place devoted to the worship and service of God. Adam was given work to do in the garden. He was to function as a prophet, priest, and king in God’s garden-temple and kingdom. Our catechism refers to this covenant as a Covenant of Life. This name draws attention to the reward that was offered to Adam (and all his descendants) should he obey. Adam was offered the reward of life through this covenant. Now that might sound strange to you. You might be thinking, but wasn’t Adam already alive and in a paradise of all places? Yes! But Adam was offered something better. He was offered life in glory, life eternal, life with no possibility of death, and eternal rest.
The tree of life that was in the midst of the garden was a symbol of this (see Genesis 2:9). If Adam had obeyed God he would have been permitted to eat of the tree of life and to enter into life in glory. Because Adam sinned against God, he was cast out of the garden and the way to the tree of life was closed off (see Genesis 3:22).
If you wish to know what life in this state of glory is like you may look to two places. One, look to Jesus Christ in his resurrection and ascension. Christ, the second Adam, obeyed God and has been raised to glory. Two, you may go to the last two chapters of the Bible to see a picture of life in glory. Revelation 21 and 22 provide us with a picture of the new heavens and earth that will be brought into existence when Christ returns at the end of time. I think it is especially important to notice the presence of the tree of life in Revelation 22. Listen to Revelation 22:1-2. There John writes, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” This is a beautiful passage. Much could be said about it. For now, please notice the presence of the tree of life at the beginning of the Bible in the Garden of Eden, the loss of access to the tree of life when Adam fell into sin, and the regaining of access to the tree of life at the end of the Bible. How is access regained? It is through Jesus Christ that access is regained. I draw your attention to this theme that runs from the beginning to the end of the Bible so that you might see the connection between what was offered to Adam, but forfeited, and what was earned by Christ. It is the same thing. What Adam failed to obtain, Christ has secured. Christ has secured life in glory – eternal life – for himself and for all who are united to him by faith.
Let us now go back to the garden to consider the covenant that God made with Adam there. It is sometimes called the Covenant of Life because of what it offered to Adam. Often it is called the Covenant of Works because of what it required of Adam. Adam had to obey the terms of the covenant to receive its blessings or rewards.
You see, when all is considered, Adam was tested in the garden. Theologians sometimes referred to this time of testing as a probationary period. The fact that Adam was tested can be seen by the presence of two trees. The garden was filled with many trees, remember. And Adam was permitted to eat of the fruit of all of them – he had no lack. But two were set apart as special or holy. They were sacramental or symbolic trees. We have already considered the tree of life and its symbolism – it was a picture of the eternal life that Adam would receive through obedience. The second tree was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is mentioned for the first time in Genesis 2:9 alongside the tree of life. It is brought to the forefront in Genesis 2:15-17. There we read, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”
Let’s talk about these trees for a moment. What kind of trees were they? Notice that the text does not say. It has become popular to think of the trees as apple trees, but the Scriptures are silent about that. I think it is right to think of these trees as being rather ordinary. In my mind, I picture them being like all of the other trees in the garden. The thing that made them special and unique was only God’s Word. God’s set them apart for a special purpose. The tree of life was not magical. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not poisonous. Both were ordinary fruit trees set apart as unique and holy by God’s appointment. They were ordinary trees given a sacramental or symbolic quality by God’s order or command. These trees were set apart from the rest to function as trees of testing. If Adam had remained loyal and obedient to God, he would have been permitted to eat from the tree of life. Then, he would have inherited life eternal. If Adam rebelled against God in the heart, it would be shown by his eating of the one forbidden tree – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – and this he did. The story of the temptation of man and of man’s fall into sin is told in Genesis 3.
I think it is important to point out that Adam’s rebellion against God did not begin when he ate the forbidden fruit. Adam’s rebellion against God started before this. Adam did not first rebel with his hand and mouth. No, before he took the forbidden fruit and ate it, Adam rebelled against God with his eyes, his mind, and within his heart. The eating of the forbidden fruit was the external display of the rebellion within him. And it was when Adam ate of the forbidden fruit that the Covenant of Life or Works was formally broken, for the covenant was made with Adam. Adam was the head or representative that God had appointed. Adam represented Eve and all humanity that would descend from them. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he broke the covenant. By breaking the covenant, he forfeited the blessings of the covenant that were offered to him and all who he represented. When he broke the covenant, the curses of the covenant fell upon him and all whom he represented. And what were the curses of the covenant? Remember what God said to Adam. In the day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die (see Genesis 2:17). And this is exactly what happened.
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By God’s grace, Adam and Eve lived on earth for a very long time. By God’s grace, Adam and Eve had many children – indeed, the human race descended from them. And by God’s grace, God promised that one of Eve’s sons would be a Savior would would crush the head of the serpent, that is to say, Satan, who tempted Eve, and through her, Adam. But God’s word was true. On the day that Adam ate of the forbidden tree, they entered into a state of death, sin, and misery.
We will consider this story again and more carefully in the next lesson with the help of Baptist Catechism questions 16-22. Here, we are simply considering the covenant that God entered into with man in the garden. Our catechism is correct. “When God had created man, He entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience: forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon pain of death.”
It should be mentioned that the word “covenant” is not found in Genesis 1-3. Though the word is not found, the concept is. Therefore, it is right to call the arrangement made with Adam in the garden a covenant, for that is what it was. And I should also say that the story that is told in the Bible from Genesis 3 onward would be very difficult to understand apart from this teaching. Soon, we will talk about sin and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Sin and salvation in Christ Jesus would be impossible to understand apart from the of that he told in Genesis 1-3 regarding God’s creation, God’s covenant with Adam in the garden, and Adam’s breaking of that covenant.
Before you go on to listen to lesson 9, I would encourage you to do two things: One, please read Genesis 1:1-6:8. Two, please preview Baptist Catechism questions 16-22. The catechism states core Christian doctrines very succinctly and matter-of-factly. But it also tells a story – it is the story of God, his creation, man’s fall into sin, and redemption in Christ Jesus. I want you to know the story. I especially want you to understand the good news about salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. But to comprehend the good news, the bad news must first be known. The bad news of man’s fall into sin through the breaking of the covenant that God made with him, in the beginning, is told in the opening chapters of the Bible. This bad news is also delivered by our catechism in the questions we will consider in the next lesson.
Well, I think that is enough for now. Until next time, abide in Christ.
