Scientists and philosophers of the enlightenment believed that God created an orderly universe consisting of various immutable laws. As a result of this belief they were able to begin searching for those laws and make great scientific discoveries. The secular humanist philosophy of the modern age has attempted to paint the enlightenment as being at odds with religion rather than as a byproduct of it, but the basic understanding of our universe today is as it was then. Natural law governs the universe.
Of course, Christians believe that God works by means of natural law. If I drop an object, it falls to the ground 100% of the time. These natural laws are present in all we do, but that's also the problem. If everything is governed by cause and effect where does that leave God?
When we pray to God for something to happen, in effect, we're asking Him to suspend natural laws in order to answer our prayer. Furthermore, most Christians seem to believe that God has a specific purpose for each of our lives. If the world is governed by an almost mechanistic cause and effect relationship, it doesn't leave God with much active involvement. On the other hand, God sent Jesus to this world in order to reverse natural law. So the question remains, How much does God involve Himself in our affairs? On the surface this question seems to be very esoteric in nature; interesting to contemplate, but hardly practical to daily life.
However, the answer to this question has some profound implications. If I believe that God has a specific plan for me, then I must seek his specific will in all my decisions. If I believe that God only has a general plan for me and that I'm free to act in any way; then I can make any decision as long as it is ethical and legal and still be considered acting "within His will".
A more mechanistic view of the world helps to explain how God allows bad things to happen to good people. Tragedies are only the result of cause and effect in a defective world. (This leaves the question of why God isn't more actively involved if he cares so much for us.) A less mechanistic view seems more hopeful and optimistic that God will act for us somehow during difficult times. Which view is correct?
I'm not sure anyone has the answer to this. Personally, I pray that God will intervene on behalf of various people, but in reality, I also pray the His Will be done. His will may be to allow natural law to run it's course, but because I know that in the past God has intervened, then it is certainly possible that He will again in the future. Through the act of prayer I am subjecting myself to His will regardless of what it is.
I'd really like for there to be an easy answer for these questions, but I doubt there is. In the meantime, I'll act in a way that is consistent with his general revelation for us and continue to seek his specific will.
Deus ex Machina literally means "God in the machine". He's in there but is he expecting us to do certain things or is He merely hopeful that we'll make the right decisions with the direction he's already given us?
Hi there! These are awesome questions. Ones that Christians have grappled with for ages, so please don't think I'm posting here with an attitude of having all the answers. I do, however, have a few thoughts to share.
Growing up, I always held to a more mechanistic universe, one in which God set the ball spinning and then only stepped in to make periodic broad course corrections -- what we call "miracles." Thanks to the effects of the Enlightenment, this type of thought has grown popular in Christian circles, and probably holds a majority position in the broader Evangelical world.
But the Word gives us a view of a much more intimately involved God. One of the things that cemented my move to Reformed theology was a growing awareness of God's sovereign guiding, as seen in the Bible. God IS transcendently outside and above creation. But He is also in and through it, as Paul teaches us -- "in Him we live, and move, and have our being."
He guides creation:
"Are not two sparows sold for a penny, and yet not one falls to the earth apart from your Father's will." - Matt. 10:29
Note it's his WILL, not His knowledge.
He's sovereignly involved in the affairs of men:
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wishes." - Prov. 21:1
He does it without turning us into robots, however. There is an antimony that we can't fully understand -- how God "directs our paths" as the Bible says, and yet we clearly have free agency.
"In Him we have received an inheritance, being predestined according to Him who works ALL things according to the counsel of His will." - Eph. 1:11
Note that it's ALL things. And it's an active working, not a passive observation.
"And we know that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." - Rom. 8:28
This is one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. Not only are we not lost in a careless universe and watched from afar by a distant God, He is working ALL things together for our good. In other words, to refine us and make us more like Jesus.
Note to all - Please don't turn this into a predestination discussion. I'm not talking about that here, only about God's working in the universe, something we can all agree on.
Posted by: Discoshaman at January 20, 2004 09:54 AM"However, the answer to this question has some profound implications. If I believe that God has a specific plan for me, then I must seek his specific will in all my decisions."
It depends on how you mean it. The Bible has "wisdom books" like Proverbs for a reason -- because we're to live our lives wisely. It has other books of doctrine and parables to do the same -- so that we can act like Christ. I don't think that we have to seek God's will mystically in all circumstances.
Instead we should pray, seek the counsel of the Word, seek the advice of mature believers whom God has put in our lives, and then act with Biblical wisdom. God works generally in this world through MEANS -- prayer, fasting, godly advice, the Word and circumstances to reveal His will to us. God has a perfect plan, but that doesn't mean that He's necessarily going to let you read it over His shoulder in all cases. ;-) Paul said we "see through a glass darkly."
"I pray that God will intervene on behalf of various people, but in reality, I also pray the His Will be done."
We SHOULD pray for God's will to be done in all cases. Christ prayed, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. . ." At the same time, the Bible tells us to make our petitions known to God, and that He is a giver of good gifts. So we can ask for specific things, and then submit our hearts to the answer, whatever form it takes.
Sometimes I read peole who reduce prayer to an almost rhetorical act. The reasoning is that God is going to do whatever He's going to do, so prayer is more for us than anything, and more of an emotional support for us. It doesn't do to be more Calvinistic than the Calvinists.
We, too, believe that God's will definitely comes to pass in all cases. But it doesn't come to pass in a vacuum. God works His will out in history, and He uses means. For instance, in the building of His Kingdom He doesn't just will it into existence, but instead uses failing, sinful people like you and me to build it. We're the "Body" of Christ on earth.
So it is with prayer. God's plan may be to heal someone. But He generally doesn't do it in a vacuum. He uses means. For example, medicine, or an encouraging word spoken at the right time. And one of the means He uses is prayer. Here's the head trip -- if God has ordained to heal someone through prayer, He's also ordained that the prayer will take place. So you're praying of your own choice, but simultaneously fulfilling the plan of God.
I don't want to make this all sound to "neat", or perfect. I don't pretend to have all the answers, or think I can fully comprehend the ways of an Almighty God. But these are some conclusions I've come to. If you'd ever like to discuss this via email, my addy is discoshaman@saintly.com
Posted by: Discoshaman at January 20, 2004 09:55 AMI wanted lastly to address the scientific side of things. Or, rather, not really address it. :) I'm a history guy, not a scientist. But everything I read in popular journals points to a breakdown of the mechanistic, Comtian view of creation that's reigned for the past 200 years. Chaos theory and other new ideas are spoken of as "making room for God."
I believe we live in a rational universe, but not a fully mechanized one. God is a God of order, but not a Cosmic Cray Supercomputer.
Posted by: Discoshaman at January 20, 2004 09:55 AMYour comments are well thought out and reflect my own understanding of scripture and the nature of God. We know from His revealed word that he is "in all and through all" and that he cares for each and every one of us personally. The problem comes from the fact that we experience life complete with all of its ups and downs and, as a result, there a sense of randomness to it. In reality it isn't random, but we are incapable of fully-comprehending how God works His will through our circumstances. In the past, I've always felt that God had a very specific purpose in mind for me, but I'm not so sure about that. There's a sense in which we have the freedom to choose our path and God works His will. In human terms this seems to be contradictory, but I think in reality that it's beyond our comprehension to imagine both instances occuring at the same time.
I'm not sure if that addresses all the issues raised. I'll have to think about what you've written a little more.
Thanks for your comments,
Jim.