Still Thinking About Providence

at Out of the Ordinary.

Christ and his creation are not like a watchmaker and his watch. A watchmaker assembles a watch, winds it up, and lets it run. There is no “letting it run” with Christ; He keeps the universe moving along by his own power. What’s here is here because he made it, and it keeps on working because he continues to make it work.

But the difference between Christ and the watchmaker is even greater than this. Leon Morris says the thought in Hebrews 1:3 is that Christ “is carrying [the universe] along, bearing it toward an important goal. Creation is not aimless; it is part of God’s plan and the Son is continually bearing creation along toward the fulfillment of the plan.”1 A watchmaker winds his watch and lets it run until it winds down. The watch fulfills its purpose best at the very beginning if its existence when it is new and freshly wound. Someday, inevitably, it will wind down and stop forever, never to fulfill its true purpose again. Not so with creation. Creation is forever fulfilling it’s purpose perfectly because it is being moved toward its ultimate aim by the One who made it.

Read the whole post. 

Who Provides for the Ravens?

 

Ravens are the greedy geniuses of the bird world. Sometimes they cache stolen food so they can come back for it later. And believe it or not, they find their caches again because they remember where they are. Ravens also spy on other ravens to see where they stash their scavenged goodies. Later, if the opportunity arises, they will return to steal their neighbour’s food. Sometimes a hoarding raven will even move a cache because they suspect another raven knows where it is. Ravens thrive in a hostile environment by using their strength and wits to provide for themselves.

Yet the Bible teaches that God feeds the ravens.

(Read the rest of my new post at Out of the Ordinary.)

Pop Quiz

How well do you know the historic Protestant doctrine of justification. I’ve posted a 6 question multiple choice quiz at Out of the Ordinary. Here’s the first question:

1. Justification is

• a. an act of God’s grace.
• b. a legal or judicial act of God.
• c. a progressive work of the Spirit.
• d. a and b.
• e. all of the above.

And here’s the whole quiz.