Saturday, January 28, 2012

Providence - Does God Provide?

Eph. 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and who are faithful in Christ Jesus - the focus will be on: "by the will of God".

The Christian life is about becoming a mature person in a relationship with Jesus Christ. In becoming a Life of Balance we need a foundational understanding of God or our “house” will be built on shaky grounds. Our faith must be a working faith and not simply an academic one, so that we may build a strong "home". As Jesus taught His Disciples:

47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:47-50 NASB

Providence - "by the will of God" (God's Provide-ance) is the simple answer to the question asked by the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 4:7 - "And what do you have that you did not receive?" More specifically, Providence is the external work "by which all the creatures God has made are preserved, governed, guided, and directed" (John Gill, A Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity, pg. 277). The question of God's Providence is eloquently presented in the following movie clip from Fiddler on the Roof made in 1971. This clip is of Chaim Topol playing the Jewish peasant character called "Tevye" asking of God about Providence:
The 1st of 5 Foundational Keys to Understanding a Biblically Balanced Life is acknowledging God the Father being the Architect’s Survey Plot of our new Christian Home (our metaphor for life). To accomplish a survey of the land to build a home on, the surveyor use mathematics, physics, and engineering. A Biblically Balanced Life is based on the will of God and not on the ambitions of man. This brings us to our First and Second Presuppositions of Life (everyone, including Atheists have presuppositions about life):

1. The existence of The (not "a") Biblical God

2. The Biblical God has revealed Himself to man (as recorded in the Bible)
:
  • General Revelation - Acts 14:14-17
  • Special Revelation - Hebrews 1:1; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:15
  • Personal Revelation - John 1:18; Hebrews 1:2; Luke 24:44-45
From our presuppositions we can build our "Home".

Providence - God provides everything - creator of all
Necessity - There is no arbitrary (i.e., fate), then there must be an order (the best possible way)
Freedom - The best possible world means to be free means to be free to choose the wrong thing
Negativity - Choosing the wrong thing has harmful effects on us and those around
Maturity - Choosing to do the right response in the mist of negative stuff produces maturity

Providence - 1 Cor. 4:7
Necessity - Eph. 2:8-9
Freedom - Gen. 3:21
Negativity - Matt. 8:5-13
Maturity - Phil. 4:6-8

Theological Question/Thought: Are We Predestined to have Free Will?
C'ya Sunday

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