A Clay Jar

Encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thess. 2:12 NIV)

What I Believe . . . Creation and Providence

This is a short summary of what I believe about the creation and providence. For a longer discussion see the post “The Doctrine of the Work of God.”

Creator with a Purpose

I believe that God is the creator of all that has come into existence. And that he, and he alone, created it from nothing rather than simply reusing existing materials (Heb. 11:3). In particular, I believe that he is my creator. The logical consequence of this is that he is worthy of my devotion and my service (Rom. 12:1).

I believe that God has a purpose in his creation. A purpose that was determined prior to the creation itself. And a purpose that humanity has not and cannot frustrate. I do not believe that God’s purpose is limited to or even primarily concerned with this creation. Instead, this creation is only a step toward his ultimate purpose. A purpose that extends into eternity and is focused on the church (Eph. 1:4-14).

Creation

I believe that science has much to tell us about how God formed and populated the universe and the earth that we inhabit. From the moment of creation, some 14 billion years ago, up to the present time, scientists have been able to discover much of how the universe as we see it today came to be. The more I discover how this universe works, from the macro level of galaxies to the micro level of the cell, the more in awe I am of him as the creator (Ps. 19:1). This universe, at all levels truly is wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14). It is worth pointing out that my faith is in God, my creator, and not in science; a finite human attempt to understand the work of the infinite God.

Providence

I believe that God continues to be active in the preservation of his creation. He is both the reason that the universe exists as well as the ongoing cause for its continuing existence. Unlike the god of deism or Hinduism, God is transcendent to his creation. Yet he is involved in its operation, holding it together (Col. 1:17) and sustaining it (Heb. 1:3).

I believe that God is actively working to accomplish his purpose in creation. I do believe God chooses some for salvation and others for destruction. And that he chooses based on our enduring faith (Col. 1:22-23; Heb. 11:6). I do not believe that God has planned out every detail of my life. But I do believe he uses what happens to develop me into the man I was created to be, preparing me for my eternal future (Rom. 8:28; 1 Pet. 1:3-9).

Free Will

I do believe that in some way the omniscient God has granted us free will, the ability to make real choices, whether good or bad. I believe that God knows my future. Not because he foresees a future that he planned out in detail or can predict. Rather because he is omnipresent in time; my past, present, and future are all now to him. Because of that, I am able to make free choices in time, while he sees and acts on them from outside of time.

I do believe that real moral evil exists in our world today. I do not believe that God is the source of evil. But he does allow evil in order to grant us free will. Because we have the ability to make real choices, including those that are contrary to God’s will, we have the potential to make choices that cause harm to ourselves and to others. My own heart is the source of evil (Mark 7:14).

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