How much does God control the world?
We will examine three theological positions on God’s providence. These are not the only three positions, and your theology does not have to fit within all the elements of any oneparticular position.
As you develop your own understanding of how God works in this world, remember that we seek to hear God explain answer this question for us through what He states in His word, the Bible, and we seek to develop a theology which accounts for as much of His word with the fewest inconsistencies as possible. It is not our goal to form the most “airtight” explanation by accounting only for those passages which support our explanation, and ignoring all those passages which might not. Nor do we seek to interpret passages differently from their clear meaning to bend their meaning into conformity to our position.
Reformed or Calvinist School/Script Theory/Meticulous Providence
Extent of God’s Control: God determines the details of every event in history, from the smallest sub-atomic particles to the largest movements in the universe, to achieve his predetermined purpose for creation, all for His glory and the benefit of His children. This is the best of all possible worlds.
Basis of God’s Foreknowledge: God knows what will happen in the future
because He has written a script which He is unfolding every moment of history, so future events will go exactly as He has scripted. God determines all details, but does not directly cause all details. God is to history as Shakespeare is to Hamlet.
Individual’s will: Every individual human will choose exactly as God has created and planned for him or her to choose. This choice is freely made, yet it is always according to God’s design and plan, so there is no contrary choice possible. This includes decisions which determine everyindividual’s salvation or eternal separation from God.
God’s will: God has two wills – one which He has decreed before the beginning of time and which He surely carries out in all details, and another which He states as His moral prescription or command, which might coincide with His decree or which might differ from it. We do not know all of what God has decreed as His will.
Wesleyan or Arminian School/Good King Theory/Free Will Providence
Extent of God’s Control: God has perfect knowledge of all events in history by which He makes His plan, His purpose for creation. His plan is based on knowing choices which are made freely, although He occasionally interferes in the choices of people, but never to interfere in free will decisions relating to salvation. This is a broken world where God works His glory.
Basis of God’s Foreknowledge: God knows what will happen in the future because He lives outside the sequence of moments, seeing every choice of every individual and the net, cumulative impact of those choices and His intervening actions on the history of creation.God is to history as a good king is to his subjects.
Individual’s will: God never intervenes in the decision of any individual related to his or her salvation, though He does intervene sometimes in external events to influence a person’s choice. God also will intervene to cause certain persons to serve His purpose in history, using believers and non-believers to do so. Every choice relating to salvation is freely made, and there is always the potential for contrary choice. God never forces anybody to be saved.
God’s will: God has one will pertaining to creation, which He states clearly for all to hear.
“Calminian” School/Ship or Train Theory/Active Providence
Extent of God’s Control: God guides history to His appointed goal. Humans have a deciding partnership in ruling the world. This is a broken world in which God works His glory. He allows for much rebellion and chaos to occur, the result of His delegation of authority to human beings who sin, resulting in acts which do not honor God and do not benefit people.
Basis of God’s Foreknowledge: God knows what will happen in the future because He lives outside the sequence of moments, seeing every choice of every individual and the net, cumulative impact of those choices on the history of creation. God is to history as a captain is to a ship.
Individual’s will: God works in the lives of different people in different ways. Usually, God does not interfere in the choices of people relating to salvation, though He does work to draw them to Himself through the witness of creation, conscience, and external events which He directs. But sometimes God does intervene and cause individuals to come to faith.
God’s will: God has one will pertaining to creation, which He states clearly for all to hear.
In today’s passage from Isaiah 10:5-19, consider:
- To what extent does God say He exercised control in this series of events?
- Does the passage explain the basis of God’s foreknowledge?
- Does the passage explain the reason why people chose to do what they did?
- What does God state was His will?
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6 I send it against a godless nation And commission it against the people of My fury To capture booty and to seize plunder, And to trample them down like mud in the streets.
God says, “I send Assyria against the godless nation of Israel.” I do this. Assyria is like a rod or a staff in my hand. So God is in control of this event of history. God is the one who sent Assyria to attack the nation of Israel. God did this in response to the godlessness of the nation of Israel.
The word translated “commission” is also translated “command, order.” So God gave Assyria an order to capture the wealth of Israel, and to trample the nation down. That was what God wanted. Is any other desire revealed by God pertaining to the commission of Assyria?
7 Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to cut off many nations.
What is the basis for Assyria’s rebellion against the commission given to them by God? They do not consider themselves to be commissioned by God. The Assyrians don’t think like that in their inner hearts. Rather, in their hearts they purpose to destroy and cut off many nations.
8 For it says, "Are not my princes all kings?
9 "Is not Calno like Carchemish, Or Hamath like Arpad, Or Samaria like Damascus?
10 "As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?"
12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness."
13 For he has said, "By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, For I have understanding; And I removed the boundaries of the peoples And plundered their treasures, And like a mighty man I brought down their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; And there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped."
15 Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, Orlike a rod lifting him who is not wood.
God is making the point that He superintends all that happens on earth, and it is under God’s over-arching sovereignty that any nation, including the Assyrians, is allowed to become great. Therefore the Assyrians have no basis to claim that it was from their power and wisdom alone that they were able to plunder and destroy Israel and her neighboring countries. And to prove that point, God stripped them of their strength and brought Assyria to ruins. From that point forward, Assyria has ceased to exist as a nation.
16 Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body, And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number That a child could write them down. (Isa 10:5-19 NAU)
- To what extent does God say He exercised control in this series of events?
- Does the passage explain the basis of God’s foreknowledge?
- Does the passage explain the reason why people chose to do what they did?
- What does God state was His will?
Taking this biblical data into account, how would you say this passage answers the question, “How much does God control the world?”
Keane’s understanding of God’s control: God superintends over all events in history such that His overall plan is certainly achieved. Nothing happens outside of the knowledge and supervision of God. God directly exercises control over some events as needed to achieve His purpose. God delegates authority and permits free will among people such that other events occur which are against His will, events which nonetheless do not change the trajectory of His plan.
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