In my experience over the past forty years I have seen some very severe reactions to the teaching of God’s providence. From my perspective this discomfort with providence has grown as we have become more man-centered in our gospel approach.
What seems to have happened is that our pastors have increasingly shied away from the doctrine and as a result this man-centered approach has grown even greater. It has come to the place that some Christian leaders are teaching a very diluted view of God and providence that is called “the openness of God”. As a result we increasingly reduce our view of God and increase our estimate of man. It is a subtle but dangerous erosion of Bible doctrine.
The main source of this seems to come as folks think they see a conflict between the responsibility and culpability of man and God’s providence. The Bible expresses these two realities and does not accept any responsibility to reconcile them. Sound Bible commentators throughout the years have faithfully proclaimed them both and declared that they are reconciled in God and not in our minds. If we do not hold firmly to both of these truths we will become hopelessly unbalanced in our doctrine and practice.
The reality is that God’s providence provides for us a security in a very uncertain world. It is a doctrine of comfort.
