The Providence of God How God Takes Care of His People

1. The Providence of GodHow God Takes Care of His People

2. Lessons 10b:The Providence of Godin the light of Evil, Pain, and Suffering

3. The Problem of Evil “If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty, He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore, God lacks either goodness, or power, or both.” C. S. Lewis

4. The Problem of Evil When he was an atheist, C.S. Lewis summarized the atheist’s view of God in regard to the problem of evil, pain, and suffering. Of human beings he said:

5. The Problem of Evil “…their history is largely a record of crime, war, disease, and terror, with just sufficient happiness interposed to give them, while it lasts, an agonized apprehension of losing it, and, when it is lost, the poignant misery of remembering…If you ask me to believe this is the work of a benevolent and omnipotent spirit, I reply that all the evidence points in the opposite direction. Either there is no spirit behind the universe, or else a spirit indifferent to good and evil, or else an evil spirit.” C.S. Lewis

6. I. The Origin of Evil. A. Did God create evil? (Isa. 45:6-7)

7. I. The Origin of Evil. • A. Did God create evil? (Isa. 45:6-7) • Humans are free moral agents; therefore, the possibility of sin came into existence with humans.

8. I. The Origin of Evil. • A. Did God create evil? (Isa. 45:6-7) • Humans are free moral agents; therefore, the possibility of sin came into existence with humans. • The universe operates according to natural laws; humans are subject to those laws, including suffering.

9. I. The Origin of Evil. B. Satan and suffering.

10. I. The Origin of Evil. • B. Satan and suffering. • The origin of sin goes back to angels. (Ezek. 28:11-19; Isa. 14:12-14)

11. I. The Origin of Evil. • B. Satan and suffering. • The origin of sin goes back to angels. (Ezek. 28:11-19; Isa. 14:12-14) • Evil had its beginning before time.

12. I. The Origin of Evil. • B. Satan and suffering. • The origin of sin goes back to angels. (Ezek. 28:11-19; Isa. 14:12-14) • Evil had its beginning before time. • Because he is condemned, Satan seeks the condemnation of others, using evil, pain, and suffering for this purpose.

13. I. The Origin of Evil. C. Human contact with sin and its consequences occurred in the Garden of Eden.

14. I. The Origin of Evil. • C. Human contact with sin and its consequences occurred in the Garden of Eden. • All humans have since carried the potential and even the tendency to sin.

15. I. The Origin of Evil. • C. Human contact with sin and its consequences occurred in the Garden of Eden. • All humans have since carried the potential and even the tendency to sin. • This fact helps to explain the origin and reason for evil, pain, and suffering today.

16. I. The Origin of Evil. • C. Human contact with sin and its consequences occurred in the Garden of Eden. • All humans have since carried the potential and even the tendency to sin. • This fact helps to explain the origin and reason for evil, pain, and suffering today. • This doctrine is in conflict with the evolutionary theory that humans are improving.

17. II. The Continued Existence of Evil. • A. Why does God allow evil to continue?

18. II. The Continued Existence of Evil. • A. Why does God allow evil to continue? • Does God have the power to stop evil?

19. II. The Continued Existence of Evil. • A. Why does God allow evil to continue? • Does God have the power to stop evil? • Does God have a purpose for evil?

20. II. The Continued Existence of Evil. • A. Why does God allow evil to continue? • Does God have the power to stop evil? • Does God have a purpose for evil? • God uses evil to bring about good.

21. II. The Continued Existence of Evil. • A. Why does God allow evil to continue? • Does God have the power to stop evil? • Does God have a purpose for evil? • God uses evil to bring about good. • Evil has limitations.

22. II. The Continued Existence of Evil. • A. Why does God allow evil to continue? • Does God have the power to stop evil? • Does God have a purpose for evil? • God uses evil to bring about good. • Evil has limitations. • Evil has an end.

23. III. The Problem As Stated By Augustine • A. Moral evil (sin) is man’s responsibility directly.

24. III. The Problem As Stated By Augustine • A. Moral evil (sin) is man’s responsibility directly. • B. Natural evil (suffering) is a consequence of man’s sin.

25. IV. Divine Omnipotence A. What omnipotence is not.

26. IV. Divine Omnipotence • A. What omnipotence is not. • Omnipotence does not include the impossible.

27. IV. Divine Omnipotence • A. What omnipotence is not. • Omnipotence does not include the impossible. • The condition of impossibility has limitations even with humans.

28. IV. Divine Omnipotence • A. What omnipotence is not. • Omnipotence does not include the impossible. • The condition of impossibility has limitations even with humans. • I cannot fly.

29. IV. Divine Omnipotence • A. What omnipotence is not. • Omnipotence does not include the impossible. • The condition of impossibility has limitations even with humans. • I cannot fly, unless I am in an airplane.

30. IV. Divine Omnipotence • A. What omnipotence is not. • Omnipotence does not include the impossible. • The condition of impossibility has limitations even with humans. • I cannot dunk a basketball unless I jump from a chair. • We cannot see the far side of the moon.

31. IV. Divine Omnipotence • A. What omnipotence is not. • Omnipotence does not include the impossible. • The condition of impossibility has limitations even with humans. • I cannot dunk a basketball unless I jump from a chair. • We cannot see the far side of the moon, except from a spacecraft.

32. IV. Divine Omnipotence • A. What omnipotence is not. • Omnipotence does not include the impossible. • The condition of impossibility has limitations even with humans. • I cannot dunk a basketball unless I jump from a chair. • We cannot see the far side of the moon, except from a spacecraft. • We understand these conditions of possibility/impossibility because of our human experience.

33. IV. Divine Omnipotence 4. As with humans, possibility and impossibility have conditions with God.

34. IV. Divine Omnipotence 4. As with humans, possibility and impossibility have conditions with God. a. God does not perform absurd tasks, nor is He ever involved in nonsense.

35. IV. Divine Omnipotence 4. As with humans, possibility and impossibility have conditions with God. a. God does not perform absurd tasks, nor is He ever involved in nonsense. b. For example, God cannot create a four-sided triangle or make ice that is not frozen.

36. IV. Divine Omnipotence 5. To demand that omnipotent Providence do that which is intrinsically impossible is to speak in absurdities.

37. IV. Divine Omnipotence 5. To demand that omnipotent Providence do that which is intrinsically impossible is to speak in absurdities. a. To demand the absence of pain in a world that operates under natural law is absurd.

38. IV. Divine Omnipotence 5. To demand that omnipotent Providence do that which is intrinsically impossible is to speak in absurdities. a. To demand the absence of pain in a world that operates under natural law is absurd. b. To claim that, because God allows pain, He is neither good nor omnipotent is likewise absurd.

39. IV. Divine Omnipotence 5. To demand that omnipotent Providence do that which is intrinsically impossible is to speak in absurdities. a. To demand the absence of pain in a world that operates under natural law is absurd. b. To claim that, because God allows pain, He is neither good nor omnipotent is likewise absurd. c. Begging the question of God’s goodness is no proof against His existence or His power or His love.

40. IV. Divine Omnipotence 6. Do the laws of nature, which operate against us in spite of prayer, disprove God’s omnipotence?

41. IV. Divine Omnipotence 6. Do the laws of nature, which operate against us in spite of prayer, disprove God’s omnipotence? a. God could cause nature to obey the whims of any person.

42. IV. Divine Omnipotence 6. Do the laws of nature, which operate against us in spite of prayer, disprove God’s omnipotence? a. God could cause nature to obey the whims of any person. b. But that would cause nature to work against most people.

43. IV. Divine Omnipotence 6. Do the laws of nature, which operate against us in spite of prayer, disprove God’s omnipotence? a. God could cause nature to obey the whims of any person. b. But that would cause nature to work against most people. c. We see that it is absurd to ask or expect that God would intervene in all cases for humans against nature or to satisfy one human’s needs or wishes at the expense of other humans.

44. IV. Divine Omnipotence 6. Do the laws of nature, which operate against us in spite of prayer, disprove God’s omnipotence? a. God could cause nature to obey the whims of any person. b. But that would cause nature to work against most people. c. We see that it is absurd to ask or expect that God would intervene in all cases for humans against nature or to satisfy one human’s needs or wishes at the expense of other humans. Question: Would you want to control the weather?

45. IV. Divine Omnipotence 7. The free will of human beings demonstrates the necessary limitation of God’s omnipotence.

46. IV. Divine Omnipotence 7. The free will of human beings demonstrates the necessary limitation of God’s omnipotence. a. God cannot grant and at the same time withhold free moral agency.

47. IV. Divine Omnipotence 7. The free will of human beings demonstrates the necessary limitation of God’s omnipotence. a. God cannot grant and at the same time withhold free moral agency. b. What if God corrected the abuse of free will in every case?

48. IV. Divine Omnipotence • 7. The free will of human beings demonstrates the necessary limitation of God’s omnipotence. • a. God cannot grant and at the same time withhold free moral agency. • b. What if God corrected the abuse of free will in every case? • What if a knife became rubber if used as a weapon?

49. IV. Divine Omnipotence • 7. The free will of human beings demonstrates the necessary limitation of God’s omnipotence. • a. God cannot grant and at the same time withhold free moral agency. • b. What if God corrected the abuse of free will in every case? • What if a knife became rubber if used as a weapon? • What if air refused to carry lies or insults?

50. IV. Divine Omnipotence • 7. The free will of human beings demonstrates the necessary limitation of God’s omnipotence. • a. God cannot grant and at the same time withhold free moral agency. • b. What if God corrected the abuse of free will in every case? • What if a knife became rubber if used as a weapon? • What if air refused to carry lies or insults? • c. We see that the possibility must exist for humans to make unwise and even dangerous choices.