Systematic Theology – Creation and Providence

The Joy of Creation in Providence

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Systematic Theology

Genre: Speech

Lesson: 4 of 17

Track: #4

Year:

Dictation Name: 4 The Joy of Creation in Providence

[Rushdoony] One of the problems in the life of the Faith is the dualism in Christianity between the pulpit and the seminary classroom. Theology all too often tends to be coldly abstract so that the very thought of dealing with the joy of creation in providence, our subject now, would impress most theologians as a homiletical subject, something for pulpit preaching, not for systematic theology. Very obviously there is no place for joy in the theologies of our time, this is a sad fact. This is why in this session we are going to deal with the joy of creation in providence, because it is a theological subject. We have abstractionism in the classroom. All the juice of the faith, all the vitality is taken out and a series of rational arguments are presented. On the other hand the pulpit has its own kind of abstractionism; in this case not rational, as with the theologians, but emotional.

In too much of preaching the reason, the logic, the thinking of scripture is left out, and the preaching is full of sweet nothings. Exhortations designed to promote the life of the church and an absence of systematic, Biblical, theological, exposition. Now just as neo Platonism has divided the world wrongly between the spiritual and the material, so also to many churchmen divide reality into a world of abstractions on the one hand, rational abstractions; and a world of feeling on the other, abstracted from the real world. Apparently a great many preachers believed that the common man is beyond the ability to grasp the rational and the intellectual; whereas the theological mind says that the emotional is not important. But unless man is warped, self-warped, or unless he is conditioned by a false theology, he is not two beings, a rational being in the classroom and an emotional being in the pew; but one being. At all times he responds to things both with his logic and with his feelings. There is one form of cognition, one way of knowing. Thinking and feeling are a unity. As a result we cannot separate the two and have a sound theology. Thus to have a grasp of the meaning of providence is not only a matter of Godly logic, but also a matter of Godly joy. If for us providence is only a matter of logical ideas, then joy too is only an idea and nothing more. But if for us providence is the reality of God’s total government, a marvelous fact. Then our own life in terms of that faith is one of joy, and our thinking on the subject again is one of joy.

In Psalm 47 we have a beautiful, a very moving and profound insight into the joy of creation in providence. The psalm reads “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. 2 For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. 3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. 4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. 5 God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. 8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.9The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.” This Psalm celebrates the absolute kingship of God over all the earth, over all nations, all peoples. It refers in part to the conquest of Canaan, and to God’s victories; to the inheritance of the covenant people. The Lord never stands idly by, all peoples and all nations belong to God; including the rulers of the earth, and He intends to claim them all.

In Psalm 19 we have God’s providence in creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” The way for man to enjoy the law of the Lord, which is perfect, converting the soul, is to know the Lord, to obey Him, to love His word. Now of course when we talk about the joy of creation in providence we have some very contrary voices to deal with. The modern humanist objects “why is there so much evil in the world, if God’s government is so wise and good?” But the question betrays them. Evil prevails not in the world, which is to falsify their statement, but in man. It prevails in the world to the extent of man’s curse. The ground is cursed for man’s sake, but God plans to make even man’s greatest sin renowned to His glory, to God’s glory we are told. And as man comes under the blessing of God the curse is removed from the earth. The question thus is, not “Why is there so much evil in the world if God’s government is so wise and good?” but “Why does man in his sin rebel so against God’s good and wise government?

The Humanist and the Christian hold very radically different positions. The humanist believes in the radical goodness of man; or, at the least, in man’s moral neutrality. The humanist says the cause of evil is outside of man. He sees evil as a stage on the road to maturity or else as a product of the environment. For some there is no such thing as evil at all. In one way or another the Humanist explains evil by taking it outside of man. Man is made the victim of evil, not the source of it. For the Christian it is Adam who fell, it is the man outside of Christ who is unregenerate. Sin has its source in him and in his rebellion against God, not outside of man. Therefore we cannot betray our cause; we cannot betray our faith by ascribing evil to things other than man. Anytime we blame anything other than ourselves and man generally, for sin, we are traitors to the word of God. The word is clear, man sinned. Man’s fall brought about the fall of creation. To blame God for this is to deny the facts of life.

But we cannot give the same priority to the doctrine of the fall that the humanist gives to the doctrine of man. In other words for the humanist man is central, man is basic. But for those Christians who want to read everything in terms of the fall, again man is central. It’s man’s fall that has determined the world. But man is not ultimate, and the fall is not ultimate. God’s purpose is, and God’s purpose is the new creation. God made everything good. And Revelation tells us that in the last analysis everything again is going to be very good. The Humanist says that both man’s sin comes from the environment, and that man is Lord of contradiction. As a result he both makes man God and man the victim. But we cannot keep the argument in anthropology, we must be theological. We cannot view the world from man’s perspective, but from God’s; and so we concentrate not on the fall, not on sin, but on God and His providence. God is the Lord, not man. God’s purpose prevails, not mans. God providence governs, in other words, not mans sin. The universe cannot be understood in terms of itself, only in terms of God. And the same thing is true of man. Man cannot be understood in terms of himself, man is created in the image of God and man should reveal God in all His ways. Man is a creation.

When we look at the paintings, for example of Rembrandt we can identify them because they show the marks of the painter; so too all creation shows forth the marks of God. All creation reveals God. Hence all of creation we are told groans and travails in terms of him, waiting for our redemption, because all creation having been made by God will truly find itself in the new creation.

We should therefore rejoice in providence. God is never the loser, nor are His elect. One of the great follies of Christians is to see themselves as defeated in history, as losers in this battle or another. But God is the Lord, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. We are told by Paul in Philippians 4 verse 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” Why rejoice? Very obviously, if we are the Lord’s we belong to the King of kings and God is never the loser, nor we losers when we walk with Him and in Him. Thus it is that Nehemiah could say in Nehemiah 8:10 “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Thus we as Christians as we face life and the problems thereof are never to forget the providence of God. It makes all things work together for God. He makes them work together for good, and we are the victors. Paul says “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” Hence we can speak of the joy of creation in God’s providence. Let us pray.

Almighty God our heavenly Father, too often we look at only what is before our eyes and we see our weakness, our sin, the sin of the world around us; and we treat these things as though they were God. Have mercy upon us oh Lord. Forgive us our sins, make us ever mindful that Thou art the Lord, and Thy government is in and over all things, and Thy providence brings all things to a great and glorious victory. Make us joyful therefore, in Thy providence. In Jesus name, amen.