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by
Wayne Grudem
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March 15 - December 27, 2021
Every believer who meditates on God’s providence will sooner or later come to a point where he or she will have to say, “I cannot understand this doctrine fully.”
ANOTHER EVANGELICAL VIEW: THE ARMINIAN POSITION
Methodists and Nazarenes tend to be thoroughly Arminian, whereas Presbyterians and the Christian Reformed tend to be thoroughly Reformed
Those who hold an Arminian position maintain that in order to preserve the real human freedom and real human choices that are necessary for genuine human personhood, God cannot cause or plan our voluntary choices.
they conclude that God’s providential involvement in or control of history must not include every specific detail of every event that happens but that God instead simply responds to human choices and actions as they come about and does so in such a way that his purposes are ultimately accomplished in the world.
The Calvinist position seems preferable: God himself never sins but always brings about his will through secondary causes—that is, through personal moral agents who voluntarily, willingly do what God has ordained.
Calvinists must say that they do not know the answer to the following questions: 1. Exactly how can God not be blamed for evil when he ordains that we do evil willingly? 2. Exactly how can God cause us to choose something willingly?
Do Not Be Afraid, but Trust in God
2. Be Thankful for All Good Things That Happen
3. There Is No Such Thing as “Luck” or “Chance”
Arminian (Wesleyan or Methodist)
Romans 8:28: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
it seems preferable simply to call my position a traditional Reformed view of God’s providence, and thereby to place myself within a widely understood theological tradition represented by John Calvin and the other systematic theologians listed in the “Reformed” category
Miracles What are miracles? Can they happen today?
A miracle is a less common kind of God’s activity in which he arouses people’s awe and wonder and bears witness to himself.
God’s providence whereby God preserves, controls, and governs all things.
B. B. Warfield wrote in 1918, “The Apostolic Church was characteristically a miracle-working church.”9 In the Old Testament, miracles seemed to occur primarily in connection with one prominent leader at a time, such as Moses, Elijah, or Elisha. But in the New Testament, there is a sudden and unprecedented increase in the miracles when Jesus begins his ministry (Luke 4:36–37, 40–41).
One purpose of miracles is certainly to authenticate the message of the gospel.
“God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (Heb. 2:4).
A second purpose of miracles in the New Testament is to show that the kingdom of God has come and has begun to expand its beneficial results into people’s lives,
A third purpose of miracles is to help those who are in need.
A fourth purpose of miracles is to remove hindrances to people’s ministries.
a fifth purpose for miracles (and one to which all the others contribute) is to bring glory to God.
they conclude, no further miracles are to be expected today. (Those who hold this position are sometimes known as “cessationists” since they hold to the “cessation” (or ceasing) of miracles early in the history of the church.)
FALSE MIRACLES Pharaoh’s magicians were able to work some false miracles (Ex. 7:11, 22; 8:7),
Paul says that when the man of sin comes, it will be “with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing” (2 Thess. 2:9–10),
those who work false miracles in the end times by the power of Satan will not speak the truth but will preach a false gospel.
The identity of these workers of false miracles is always known through their denial of the gospel. There is no indication anywhere in Scripture that genuine Christians with the Holy Spirit in them will work false miracles.
SHOULD CHRISTIANS SEEK MIRACLES TODAY?
Hebrews 2:3–4: How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Prayer Why does God want us to pray? How can we pray effectively?
prayer is personal communication with God.
Jesus tells us, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt. 6:8).
God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in him can increase.
He also wants us to love him and have fellowship with him.
A third reason God wants us to pray is that in prayer God allows us as creatures to be involved in activities that are eternally important.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRAYER How exactly does prayer work?
God Genuinely Responds to Our Prayers by Changing the Way He Acts in the World
Effective Prayer Is Made Possible by Our Mediator, Jesus Christ
What Is Praying “in Jesus’ Name”?
“so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23–24;
Eph. ...
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Jesus is not merely speaking about adding certain words as if these were a kind of magical formula that would give power to our prayers.
praying “in Jesus’ name” is not only praying in his authority but also praying in a way that is consistent with his character,
“Father, we come to you in the authority of our Lord Jesus, your Son”
“Father, we do not come on our own merits but on the merits of Jesus Christ, who has invited us to come before you”
“Father, we thank you for forgiving our sins and giving us access to your throne by th...
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Should We Pray to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit?
there is a clear pattern of prayer directly to God the Father through the Son (Matt. 6:9; John 16:23; Eph. 5:20),
