{"id":1627,"date":"2017-04-17T05:34:42","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T10:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/henrykarlson\/?p=1627"},"modified":"2017-04-17T05:34:42","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T10:34:42","slug":"on-providence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/henrykarlson\/2017\/04\/on-providence\/","title":{"rendered":"On Providence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"The<\/a>
The Ancient of Days by William Blake [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>Providence is an important, albeit, difficult concept to explore. Because we are dealing with the way God, the simple, eternal unmoving mover, acts in relation to the temporal order, God\u2019s providence will remain a paradoxical mystery to those of us whose only experience of it is in the temporal sphere. We can seek to understand it, and we will be able to grasp parts of it, but to comprehend it is beyond our ability. At best, we will have to engage it in a variety of ways, realizing each time, we will come to a new understanding, but non-comprehensive understanding which complements other such engagements, even though other engagements might appear to give contradictory results. The simpler the approach, the less subtle the exploration, the less we will gain, but there will still be truth to be had even from such approaches, truth which we must not reject, although we must not confuse the understanding we develop from our engagement with providence as representing the absolute truth of providence itself. This is how and why apparently contradictory claims can turn out to complement each other, for it is our comprehension of the truth, and not the truth itself, which leads to such contradictions.<\/p>\n

Many, if not most, engage providence, fatalistically.\u00a0 God, they see, acts in a simple, straightforward manner, and so they say he provides one particular outcome as being the only right outcome for each person, turning providence into a thing of necessity. That is, God has one plan for each person to fulfill for themselves, a plan which if it is not fulfilled means the person not only has failed God, but they have failed themselves because they have not lived up to God\u2019s intention for their lives. Likewise, this means that the choice we have in life is a simple choice, to accept and engage one particular calling in our lives, and by accepting that choice we receive the grace we need in order to fulfill it, or else risk losing the glory God intended for us in our lives, and if we divert ourselves too far from that intention, we risk eternal perdition.<\/p>\n

Certainly, all of the above is one way to understand providence. \u00a0It is not the only way. We can encounter providence as the way God sets the stage for human choice, allowing for a verity of possible outcomes, each of them good, although certainly some of them will be better than others. That is, instead of seeing God as planning one possibility for each person, God provides each person with a variety of possibilities; while he might know what will be chosen thanks to his eternal existence, he acts with us in time so that he creates the range of opportunities for us so that we are given true freedom, instead of being forced around to one conclusion like a rat in a maze. God\u2019s providence can be seen as engaging us so that it provides us with a variety of ways by which we can cooperate with God\u2019s grace. From our perspective, we do not need to see it as establishing only one possible end for each of us, but rather, God provides the means by which we can follow one of many paths to one of many possible conclusions for our lives. God\u2019s providence sets up those ends with grace, so that in and through each of them, there is the opportunity for us to come to him and open up to him in love and so find that end as being one with our eternal union with him. \u00a0God\u2019s providence, far from being fatalistic, is the means by which he gives us our freedom. We do not have to believe there is only one plan for us, so that if early on in our lives, we fail to meet it the rest of our lives becomes moot. The same way that grace perfects nature, making sure a person is not a failure because of sin, is to be seen as the way providence opens up with God\u2019s grace further opportunities, further pathways for a person to take if they do not take one which is being offered to them at a particular time or place, so that they can continue to find new ways to form themselves in relation to God.<\/p>\n

Providence must be understood as the way God provides for his creation. It is through such providence God is said to govern his creation, as St. Bonaventure explained:<\/p>\n

And because that will, governed by reason, is called providence, all things that happen in the universe are done and governed by divine providence, which is thoroughly beyond reprehension because it lays down no precept, no prohibition, no counsel, except according to justice; it does nothing except for good, it allows nothing contrary to justice.[1]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The best leaders, the best forms of government, are those who have power and authority but do not have to use it; it is found in those who guide others to what is good, and then give those under their authority the chance to follow that guidance for themselves. If God sees the need to interact with his creation, to provide guidance to some particular person, or some community as a whole, he will do so, but most of the time he lets nature take its course and serve as the means by which his providence is felt. For providence is hat which sustains the world and all that is within it, so the nature of the world is itself the normative means by which providence is felt.<\/p>\n

\"Triumph<\/a>
Triumph of Divine Providence by Pietro da Cortona [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0) or CC BY-SA 4.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\u201cProvidence, <\/em>then, is the solicitude which God has for existing things,\u201d St. John of Damascus explained. \u201cAnd again, providence is the will of God by which all things receive suitable guidance through to their end.\u201d [2]<\/a> The nature of the world, the preservation of its elements and how they interact, is a major part of God\u2019s providence, as he provides them their existence in and through himself. And so, St John of Damascus further elaborated on this:<\/p>\n

Now, the Maker of existing things must be the same as their Provider, for it is neither fitting nor logical that one should be their creator and another their provider, because in such a case they would both be definitively wanting \u2013 the one in the matter of creating and the other in that of providing. Hence, God is both Creator and Provider, and is power of creating, sustaining, and providing His good will. [3]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Providence, then, is seen in and through the sustaining of creation, of providing a stage for actors, those creatures of God given a will of their own, to choose for themselves how they will act (however great or small that choice is). This is why providence is said to make allowance not only for good choices, but bad, for the stage gives a lot of space by which people can act, showing once again how providence can be understood as that which preserves freedom instead of eliminating it from us. Providence comes out of God\u2019s love for his creation, a love which has God make room for his creation instead of placing demands upon it, so that free will is affirmed and is not to be seen as an illusion, which is why St John of Damascus was able to say, \u201cSome things that are due to providence are by approval, whereas others are by permission.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

For those who love God, his providence provides them the means to interact with his bountiful grace, giving them grace upon grace, opportunity upon opportunity. The more someone freely joins themselves to God\u2019s bounty, the greater and more extraordinary the possibilities which lie before them, each one working for the good of those who accomplishes such tasks. \u201cWe know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose\u201d (Rom. 8:28 RSV). \u00a0But on the other hand, no one is left without opportunity to receive God\u2019s blessings, so that even those who have turned their backs on God find God has not turned his back from them and he continues to offer them his love. Indeed, as Theodoret of Cyrus indicated, some blessings are given to all, so that by some of the simplest elements of providence, we have an opportunity to look up in wonder and find our way back to God\u2019s good graces:<\/p>\n

Each of the blessings enumerated makes a contribution to you, offering services as a sort of tribute. The sun gives its light and hat and ripens the fruits of the earth. The moon is your lamp at night. On land stars show you the night time; they also signify the changes of the seasons; on the sea they are guides to the mainland.[5]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All things are tied together by God\u2019s providence, as St. Thalassios proclaimed. \u201cGod, who gave being to all that is, at the same time united all things together in His providence.\u201d[6]<\/a> The good which God gives to one person is to be united to the good given to another person, or even the good given to a particular place or thing in creation. Each person, each thing, with its grace, has a gift which they can share with others and unite themselves with others. What is good can be shared by all, but what is bad or evil, will likewise, affects others through the interdependent relationship we have with each other. Grace and sin both have communal qualities because of the oneness by which God has established and tied creation together. To deny this is to deny how God works in and through his providence.\u00a0 \u201cFor the Creator directs creation and has not left the ship of His making without a pilot, but is Himself both the shipwright and the One who planted the raw material, both causing it to grow and building the vessel, and He continues to hold the rudder.\u201d[7]<\/a> God is, then, the captain directing the ship of creation in the sea of time:<\/p>\n

Again, one preparing to sail and about to voyage over raging waves calls upon a piece of wood more fragile than the ship which carries him. For it was desire for gain that planned that vessel, and wisdom was the craftsman who built it; but it is thy providence, O Father, that steers its course, because thou hast given it a path in the sea, and a safe way through the waves, showing that thou canst save from every danger, so that even if a man lacks skill, he may put to sea (Wis. 14:1-3 RSV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Noah's<\/a>
Noah\u2019s Ark by anonymous 13th century artist [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>In a ship, the workers certainly follow the directions of the captain, but the captain also puts a lot of trust in them, giving them the chance to make decisions which affect the whole of the ship. And so, the way Scripture discusses providence itself shows that there is a space made by God, a ship, which is ultimately in his control and direction, and yet in that space, there is a variety of options for the crew to do, each person finding their own particular place on the ship. There are many duties which must be accomplished, but there is also freedom in the way those duties can be accomplished. There is, moreover, room for advancement and change on that ship, as a person does not necessarily have to say in one position on the ship (but they can if they so choose).\u00a0 Thus in the world, in the great ship of creation, God provides us the opportunities to act and show ourselves off, and if we act properly and with ingenuity, we will find him blessing us with his providence, giving us newer and greater opportunities and responsibilities, which we are free to turn down if we want without losing the grace we have already received from him.<\/p>\n

Whatever is good and true, whatever is able to help a person follow God in goodness, is thus seen as a gift of providence. Philosophy, therefore, was a providential gift to the Greeks, as St Clement of Alexandria wrote:<\/p>\n

So, before the Lord\u2019s coming, philosophy was an essential guide to righteousness for the Greeks. At the present time, it is a useful guide towards the reverence of God. It is a kind of preliminary education for those who are trying to gather faith through demonstration. \u201cYour foot will not stumble,\u201d says Scripture, if you attribute good things, whether Greek or Christian, to Providence.[8]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Moreover, through his love and grace, God is able to give freedom to creation and yet take all that freedom into accord so as to provide a good and sound end. That is, providence works for the betterment of all, taking into consideration the acts of all, so that what is bad and works against God\u2019s justice can still be taken in by providence and used to establish God\u2019s gracious desire. The fall of the angels, or the sin of any man or women, does not overturn God\u2019s gifts in providence. God is able to turn it around and use it for some new, but different, good:<\/p>\n

But the plans and actions of the rebel angels are partial only, and spring from a rotten disposition, like bodily diseases. But the Providence who directs the universe directs them to a healthy conclusion even if the original cause is disease ridden. [9]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How this is done, might be beyond us. \u201cOne should furthermore bear in mind that the ways of God\u2019s providence are many, and that they can neither be explained in words nor grasped by the mind.\u201d[10]<\/a> But it is important to recognize that, whatever way God works, it is through the affirmation of freedom, and free will (however strong or weak it is). This is why, though a simple engagement and understanding of providence might lead to fatalistic conclusions, other engagements with it will see it as the way by which God sets up opportunities for all to receive his bountiful gift. Providence is not predestination, and God\u2019s knowledge is not itself a force by which all things are bound to act in a particular way. \u201cOne should note that God foreknows all things but that He does not predestine them all.\u201d [11]<\/a> It would be fatalism, it would be predestination, if God in his foreknowledge does not offer opportunities but only one choice for each person. Even if he knows how people will choose, by giving them a choice, by giving them a real choice with a variety of possibilities providence can be seen as the means by which God sustains freedom. \u201cOne should, moreover, note that, while the choice of things that may be done rests with us, the accomplishment of the good ones is due to the co-operation of God, who in accordance with His foreknowledge justly co-operates with those who in right conscience choose the good.\u201d [12]<\/a> Providence provides for the opportunities by which those with free will can choose among a range of goods. This is what makes it providence:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Moreover, that He provides and provides will anyone might correctly learn from the following consideration. God alone is by nature good and wise. Consequently, in so far as He is good He provides, because one who does not provide is not good. Even men and brute beasts naturally provide for their own offspring, and the one that does not will incur blame. Then, in so far as He is wise He provides for existing things in the very best way.[13]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It is best that he provides freedom to his creatures, and so for providence to be providence, to offer things the best way, it is best to see providence as a means of providing such opportunity. This is why itis right to say God does not set in stone one possibility, one way of living for each person, but rather provides them a variety of ways by which they can then define themselves so that they can choose the way they will cooperate with grace and the kind of glory they will achieve with it. All this is for the glory of God, because God, in his bountiful goodness, provides what is best for all of us, including our free will.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> St. Bonaventure, Breviloquium. <\/em>Trans. Erwin Esser Nemmers (St Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Company, 1946), 43.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> St. John of Damascus, \u201cAn Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith\u201d in Writings. <\/em>Trans. Frederic H. Chase Jr. (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1958), 260.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> St. John of Damascus, \u201cAn Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,\u201d 260.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> St. John of Damascus, \u201cAn Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,\u201d 261.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Theodoret of Cyrus, On Divine Providence. <\/em>Trans. Thomas Halton (New York: Newman Press, 1988), 31.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> St. Thalassios, \u201cOn Love, Self-Control and Life in Accordance with the Intellect\u201d in The Philokalia: The Complete Text. Volume Two. <\/em>Trans. G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware (London: Faber and Faber, 312.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Theodoret of Cyrus, On Divine Providence, <\/em>15.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> St. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata. <\/em>Trans. John Ferguson (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1991), 41-2.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> St. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, <\/em>82.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> St. John of Damascus, \u201cAn Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,\u201d 262.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> St. John of Damascus, \u201cAn Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,\u201d 263.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> St. John of Damascus, \u201cAn Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,\u201d 262.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> St. John of Damascus, \u201cAn Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,\u201d 260.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Providence is an important, albeit, difficult concept to explore. Because we are dealing with the way God, the simple, eternal unmoving mover, acts in relation to the temporal order, God\u2019s providence will remain a paradoxical mystery to those of us whose only experience of it is in the temporal sphere. 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