Randy Shirley – completed 100% of assigned readings (25 April – 1 May 2011)
Outline: Systematic Theology (Volume 1), Oden, Thomas 2nd edition 2008
Chapter 7: God’s Care for the World
I. Thesis and Key Points
The Meaning of Providence
 Defined by John of Damascus as “the care that God takes over existing things”
o Providence is the will of God through which all existing things receive their fitting issue
o God’s own act by which God orders all
 Events in creation, nature, and history
 So that the ends for which God created them will be in due time realized
o The final end is that all creatures will
 In God’s own time, manifest God’s glory
 And reflect as they are capable the divine happiness
o God cooperates with natural and secondary causes to
 Employ fit means to good ends
 Through orderly and intelligible processes of natural causes
o God guides and governs all events and circumstances
 Even free, self-determining agents,
 overruling the regrettable consequences of freedom, and
 Directing everything toward its appropriated end, the glory of God (Eph. 1.9-12)
o Term providence is to foresee, or to provide (Greek, pronoia; Latin, pro-videre)
o The question of providence concerns how God thinks ahead to care for all creatures
 Fitting them for contingencies
 For the challenges of history, and
 For potential self-actualization to the glory of God
 The Relevance of the Question
o Faith in providence enables Christians to pray that God will carry them through hazards
 Care for them, and
 Be present to them amid ordinary and extraordinary human struggles
o Practical questions of care of souls amid sickness, crises, poverty hinge on understanding
 Pertinent to pastoral care
 Right understanding follows a more realistic assessment of human existence
o Three affirmations summarize the Christian teaching of providence:
 God is preserving the creation in being
 God is cooperating to enable creatures to act
 God is guiding all creatures, inorganic and organic, toward a purposeful end
 The Divine Economy
o God cannot be seen in His essence, but His purpose can be discerned through His works
o Oikonomeo means “to administer or oversee” a complex process or community
 Implies administration through a design or plan
 Implies the proper regulation and control of a complex process
o The notion of oikonomia entered into Trinitarian language when it was said:
 God had economized with Himself together with His Son and Spirit
 To accomplish what was prepared from the beginning (Letter to Diognetus)
o View of divine economy:
 Paul’s conversion
 Many events of early church history understood as “by the economy of God”
 Suffering in relation to the divine economy
 The incarnation
o God’s providence is beyond knowledge and beyond comprehension
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Rational Arguments on Providence
o God’s necessary existence, the divine attributes of wisdom, power and justice
o Begins with the divine attributes, their consistent application to the ordering of the world
 Omnipotence, God’s unlimited influence over creation’s preservation
 Justice, God creates beings with moral sensitivities and conscience
 Holiness, God corrects by active and redemptive divine love the evil in the world
 Omnipresence, God determines not to be absent from any part of the universe
o Human frailty is being guided and human societies protected from their own follies
 Views Opposing Providence
o Eight views in particular have challenged the ecumenical tradition:
 Pantheism, confuses God and the world by absorbing God into the world
 Deism, God creates then leaves as in the watch maker who winds up and departs
 Dualism, views the world as divided into two parts, good power and bad power
 Indeterminism, the world is not under any intelligible control at all
 Determinism, control that destroys human responsibility, freedom, accountability
 Omnicausality, God does everything that all other agents do nothing
 Chance, denies the controlling power can be intelligible or personal or rational
 Fate, denies the ultimate power is benevolent
o Christian teaching must keep all God’s affirmations in proper balance, finely woven:
 Sovereignty of God
 Goodness of God
 Intelligence of God
 Involvement of God
 Human freedom
 Intelligibility of the natural order
Divine Preservation and Cooperation with Natural Causality
 The Modes and Scope of God’s Caring
o Upholding or preservation
o Allowing or concurrence
o Guiding or governance
 Preservation
o Refers to the effective action of God by which all creature are kept in being
o Providential means by which God maintains, upholds in being, and perpetuates creation
o God “sustains the universe by His word of power” (Heb. 1.3)
o Distinction between activities:
 God in history and the primordial being of God that preconditions history
 God is said to be the first or primal cause preconditioning all subsequent causes
 In this created order myriads of secondary causes are occurring, God sustained
 The Cooperation of God with Secondary Causes
o Second basic mode of God’s caring activity discerned by classical exegetes
o Crucial to the nurture of healthy dialogue between Christian faith and natural sciences
o Nature is an immense complex of multilayered causality
o God is the “cause of the whole;” concurrent governance of all things (Ps. 46.8-11)
 Concurrence and Freedom
o Implies respect for human freedom and responsibility
 God does not simply operate our wills or
 Directly will for us instead of allowing us to will
o God’s cooperative action does not unilaterally operate our wills, but cooperates with
 The activity of God is supportive of variably determined freedoms
 God funds and resources our free wills; working with natural causality; His end
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“Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15.5); cooperative grounding for our freedom
 By divine providence we have freedom that is prone to go awry
 We could not even sin without providence
 God cooperates with freedom, not sin; but sin can only come in an order allowed
o God freely chooses to order life in a way that human freedom may be a companion to His
o Through natural causes God convey to humanity the blessings of providence
Divine Governance of the World
 Jehovah-jireh, a name Abraham gave to the place where his faith with Isaac was tested
o The saying is: “In the mountain of the Lord it was provided” (Gen. 22.14)
o In the name Jehovah-jireh, the meaning is “the Lord will see and provide”
 Providence is the term we use to speak of that entire history between creation and redemption
 Objects of Divine Governance
o Scope of providence may be envisioned as the center of four widening concentric circles
 Lifeless matter (inanimate creaturely being)
 Living plants (living, but immobile, vegetable beings)
 Animals (living mobile beings lacking human rationality)
 Humans (living, rational, accountable, self-determining moral agents)
o Important point for Christian truth with four spheres of science and humanistic study:
 Physical
 Biological
 Animal
 Moral
 Providence in Material Creation
o Classical Christian exegesis has interpreted:
 Laws of nature, causation, motion and physical order
 As God’s own method of working in the governance of nature
o Lifeless matter is governed by natural law, but with influence of God; His order/purpose
 Providence in Vegetative Creation
o Material laws remain operative in plant life, with the addition of the laws of vegetation:
 Reproduction
 Photosynthesis
 The ability to take sun and water and minerals and make life
o The enormous difference between lifeless matter and vegetative matter is life
 Providence in Animal Creation
o Animals differ from plants in that they are capable of:
 Self-movement
 Capacity for sensation and emotion
 Can agonize in misery
 Experience pleasure and satisfaction more complexly/consciously than plants
o God cares for animals through providing them with instincts that enables
 Adaptation and
 Self-preservation and
 Preservation of the species
 Providence in Human Life and History
o Human creation is radically dependent, not only upon God,
 But also upon the health and conservation of plant and animal creation,
 Which themselves are dependent upon the earth, soil, lifeless, physical matter
o God’s care embraces all human history and all national and cultural destinies
o His care is made known through answering prayers
o Do not be afraid for He will provide for you and your dependents (Gen. 50.20)
o
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Problems of Providence: Fate, Sin, and Evil
 Does Providence Exclude Fortune, Fate, or Freedom?
o Does providence exclude fortuitous events or chance?
 An occurrence may be accidental or fortuitous with respect to a lower cause
 When an effect not intended is brought about,
 And yet not be accidental or fortuitous with respect to a higher cause
 Divine providence does not exclude fortune or chance:
 Contrary to the essential character of providence for all to be necessity
 Against the perfection of the universe if no corruptible thing existed
o Does providence exclude fate?
 A disposition inherent in changeable things; providence connects with His orders
 Luck or change; but if compared to Divine Providence, nothing is random
o Does providence exclude free choice?
 No, for providence enable free choice
 “Today I offer you the choice of life and good, or death and evil,” (Deut. 30.15)
 There could be no virtue, no justice, no reasoned deliberation, without freedom
 Against the very character of providence if liberty of will were removed
 Does Providence Exclude Evil?
o Classical views, God’s permission of evil is not inconsistent with divine goodness
o The reasoning that providence does not exclude evil:
 Free world to fall into evil offers redemption from evil, good is possible
 There can be no evil unless it resides in something good
 God is not the cause of evil
 Evil comes from distorted freedom, not from God
 Evil is not an effect caused by God, but a defect of secondary causes permitted
 Many creaturely goods are enabled by struggling against evil; patience
 The perfection of the universe requires some beings that are subject to defects
 We fail to note how much we would miss what we complain about if taken
 If all evil were removed, the good could not be known; known thru comparison
 If complete equality were present in things
 There would be but one created good
 Which clearly disparages the perfection of the creature
 Sin and Evil in Patristic Views of Providence
o How can evil and suffering be compatible with the caring providence of God?
o Although sin occurs through the divine permission
 It is not ordained by the will of God
 Sin is attributable to providence as a secondary result of purpose
 That involves freedom
o Sin is due to the abuse, not the use, of free will
o Although the abuse of free will was foreseen by God
 It could not have been prevented because
 It would have deprived human existence of free will
o We learn thru experience, to serve our well being or improvement
o God permits the gift of freedom to result in sin:
 That we can arrive at a consciousness of our own finitude
 For our own inability to attain righteousness on our own
 For us to realized our need for a Savior – Jesus
o God would not permit evil at all unless He could draw good out of it (Augustine)
o In the last judgment the problem of evil will be solved
 Faith in divine providence calls the believer to walk without seeing
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We are for Christ; died to the world; my life lies with Christ in God (Col. 3.1-4)
 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
 St your hearts on things above, where Christ is,
 Seated at the right hand of God
 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things
 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God
 When Christ, who is your life, appears,
 Then you also will appear with him in glory
 Permission, Hindrance, Overruling, and Limiting
o Four levels or aspects of God’s way of parenting His creatures
 Permission freedom to discover its competencies and interests
 God guides and parents by permitting our freedom to play itself out
 Freedom could have no meaning if it did not risk going astray
 God graciously allows human freedom the room to both stand and fall
 Hindering freedom from getting itself into too much difficulty
 God guides not by coercing but by putting obstacles to hinder from harm
 Like a parent who builds a fence to keep a child from the street
 Overruling free self-actualization when it seriously mistakes its own best good
 Harms others inordinately
 Seems to jeopardize the divine purpose
 “Blessed is the man whom God corrects” (Job 5.17)
 Limiting other forces in freedom’s way to prevent them from triumphing cheaply
 God parents wisely by preventing other forces in freedom’s way
 God keeps faith, and will not allow us to be tested above our powers
o Faith in providence places reliance on these four aspects of God’s good parenting
Biblical Paradigms of Divine Care for the World
 Faith in providence is interwoven with affirmations of divine majesty, omnipresence and care
o Imagery with providence shows feminine metaphors for God: “As a mother comforts”
o God does not create and then leave; He continues to nurture and care for it
 God’s Plantings
o God works to implant in the nature of things the potentiality of their future development
o God is hiddenly at work throughout the whole sphere of natural causality
o Everything that occurs is, in a subtle sense, guided by the divine justice and goodness
 Why do the Righteous Suffer?
o Both good and the possibility of the diminution of the good proceed from God
 But in different ways
 For the good proceeds as freely bestowed gift to which creatures may respond
 Whereas evil most often emerges as a consequence of sin
o Unknown to us, suffering will be clear in the course of history, finally at the resurrection
o Recurring wrenching struggle has given rise to a series of riddles concerning providence:
 Why do the wicked prosper?
 Why do the righteous suffer?
 Why are the sins of grandmothers apparently visited upon granddaughters?
o God has been overseeing a plan for the redemption of fallen freedom; His divine purpose
 The Care of the Father as Known Through the Son
o God’s purpose in history became fully disclosed in the history of Jesus
o The good parenting of God as father (Abba) is Jesus’ personal conception of God
 Central feature of God’s preservation and guidance of creatures
 Emphasis on God’s parental care; a distinguishing mark of Jesus’ teaching
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General and Special Providence
o Special providence means that God acts through particular events in special ways
o General providence works through regular and uniform natural law
o General and special providence are not considered contrary, but complementary
The Hidden Purpose Made Known
o Crucial part; we do not know with certainty that purpose is being realized until the end
o We bind our time to long-range objectives that shape our present decision making
 We limit our freedom for a larger, more disciplined search for self-actualization
 Others who are not privy to the original decision may fail to grasp our decisions
o The above is analogist to God’s providence; that we do not yet fully perceive God’s work
Resurrection
o According to Paul, if there had been no resurrection there would be no Christian theology
o General resurrection was widely understood as meaning the end of the historical process
 This would be the time of final judgment and decision
 But Jesus appeared after His crucifixion
o The resurrection of Jesus constituted a powerful reversal of historical expectations
 Those who live out of the resurrection are already sharing in the last days
 By receiving and believing in the resurrected Lord, we participate in the end
o Christianity proclaims that the purpose of history is revealed in Jesus’ resurrection
 We can trust in God’s providence
 The resurrected Lord remains present in community thru Word and Sacrament
II. Analysis
 Author identifies himself as an "orthodox, ecumenical evangelical", where orthodoxy "is nothing
more or less than the ancient consensual tradition of exegesis" (http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca)
 Author credits John of Damascus, Calvin, Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, Boethius, Irenaeus,
Lactantius, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Wesley, Tatian, Theophilus, Basil, Athenagoras, John
Chrysostom, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius, Gregory Nazianzen Justin, Gregory of Nyssa,
Cyril of Jerusalem, Chemnitz, Calovius, Ambrose, Quenstedt, J. Cocceius, Wollebius, Hollaz, Heppe,
Wieman, Brightman, Bavinck, Barth, Clementina, Tertullian, Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret,
Gregory the Great, Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Arnobius, John Toland, Matthew Tindal, Baxter,
and Wolfhart Pannenberg positively for ideas
 Author effectively uses various Old and New Testament verses as proof-texts throughout chapter 7
 Author relies on Scripture, tradition, and reason. Author specifically states that Providence is the
expression of the divine will, power, and goodness through which the Creator preserves creatures,
cooperates with what is coming to pass through their actions, and guides creatures in their long-range
purposes. Author presupposes an understanding of God the Father, the Creator where in God orders
all events in creation, nature, and history, so that the ends for which God created them will be in due
time realized (Oden v1, 270)
 Author presupposes our understanding of secondary causes, natural causes, and the concepts between
Christian faith and the natural sciences (Oden v1, 281-283)
III. Reactions
 This work appropriately addresses “God’s Care for the World.” Oden fully addresses the concept of
God’s providence, and expounds on topics of free will in relationship to His cooperation with natural
and secondary causes. He provides connections to his previous chapters by pulling in the nature and
characteristics of God the Creator. Most impressive was his rational argument on providence,
especially those concerning the ordering of the world (Oden v1, 274-277)
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Author uses excellent proof-texts in this chapter as support throughout without twisting the meaning
of the text to support his positions. In many cases using Scripture to support Scripture, and
reinforcing with classical Christian exegetes and other Christian writers
The implications of this chapter are for all believers. Most noted in this writing are his insights on
human freedom and responsibility in relationship to God’s cooperative action. Most impressive is his
argument for God-given responsible freedom. That God’s cooperative action does not unilaterally
operate our wills, but cooperates with our will to be present with our every activity (Oden v1, 283)
His most inviting piece in this chapter was Why Do the Righteous Suffer? Oden correctly convinces
the reader of both the reality of good and the possibility of the diminution of the good proceeding
from God (Oden v1, 303)
I would recommend Oden, chapter 7, to any Christian seeking understanding of “God’s Care for the
World;” God’s Providence. Oden is brilliant in addressing the questions many Christian have with
issues concerning suffering and free will
IV. Discussion Points
 What does our understanding of God’s providence have to do with many Christians who suffer in
poverty or illness?
 Why do we find so many of the wicked prospering while so many of the faithful suffer?
 How does God’s omnipresence relate to His cooperation with secondary causes?
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Attachment: Defined Terms
Apatheia – A weaning oneself away from passions in order that one might become more rightly oriented
toward the universal principle of reasoning in all things (Oden v1, 277)
Cocceius – Johannes Cocceius, German Johannes Koch, or Coch (born Aug. 9, 1603, Bremen
[Germany]—died Nov. 5, 1669, Leiden, Neth.), Dutch theologian of the Reformed Church, biblical
scholar, prolific writer, and a leading exponent of covenant theology, a school of religious thought
emphasizing the compacts between God and man. Educated in biblical languages, Cocceius was
appointed in 1630 to the professorship of biblical philology at the Gymnasium Illustre at Bremen. Six
years later he accepted an offer to teach Hebrew at the university at Franeker, Neth., and in 1650 he
moved to Leiden, where he taught until his death (Note to self: Had to check this name out…)
(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/123460/Johannes-Cocceius)
Deism – God the Creator of the world abruptly leaves, as a watchmaker might leave a watch behind,
implying a complete separation between God and the world (Oden v1, 277). Check this out: Deism is
knowledge of God based on the application of our reason on the designs/laws found throughout Nature.
The designs presuppose a Designer. Deism is therefore a natural religion and is not a "revealed" religion.
The natural religion/philosophy of Deism frees those who embrace it from the inconsistencies of
superstition and the negativity of fear that are so strongly represented in all of the "revealed" religions
such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (These religions are called revealed religions because they all
make claim to having received a special revelation from God which they pretend, and many of their
sincere followers actually believe, their various and conflicting holy books are based on.) When enough
people become Deists, reason will be elevated over fear and myth and its positive qualities will become a
part of society as a whole. Then, instead of having billions of people chasing after the nonsensical
violence promoting myths of the "revealed" religions, people will be centered on their God-given reason
which will lead to limitless personal and societal progress! (http://www.deism.com/deism_defined.htm)
Heidelberg Catechism – The Heidelberg Catechism is a Protestant confessional document taking the form
of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine. It has been
translated into many languages and is regarded as one of the most influential of the Reformed catechisms
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg_Catechism). The Synod of Dort in 1618-1619 approved the
Heidelberg Catechism, and it soon became the most ecumenical of the Reformed catechisms and
confessions. The catechism has been translated into many European, Asian, and African languages and is
the most widely used and most warmly praised catechism of the Reformation period. The 1968 Synod of
the Christian Reformed Church appointed a committee to prepare "a modern and accurate translation ...
which will serve as the official text of the Heidelberg Catechism and as a guide for catechism preaching."
A translation was adopted by the Synod of 1975, and some editorial revisions were approved by the
Synod of 1988. (http://www.crcna.org/pages/heidelberg_main.cfm#)
Oikonomeo – Means “to administer or oversee” a complex process or community. The verb considers the
range, means, and ends of God’s providential ordering or, as it was earlier called, God’s oikonomia
(economy) (Oden v1, 273)
Pantheism – Confuses God and the world by absorbing God into the world (Oden v1, 277). Pantheism is
above all a profoundly emotional response to Nature and the wider Universe. It accepts that these are the
only reality that we can truly know, the only reality that truly matters, the only reality we have to relate to.
They are the place we arose, the place we belong, the context of our daily lives. We are at home here
(http://www.pantheism.net/paul/beliefs.htm)
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