Menu Close

Confusion of Grace and Providence

David J. Engelsma

It is a fundamental doctrinal error of the theory of common grace, as taught by Dr. Richard Mouw, by his mentor Abraham Kuyper, and by his numerous allies in Reformed and Presbyterian churches worldwide, that it confuses grace and providence. Many maintain that the existence of the world is grace; that man did not become a devil at the fall was grace; rain and sunshine are grace; Beethoven’s musical ability was grace; that my decent, unbelieving neighbor does not commit the sins of the Marquis de Sade (so far as we know) is grace; and that Greece in times past and the United States in the present develop a grand civilization is grace.

Confusion of grace and providence is inexcusable for Reformed theologians and churches. The Reformed creeds plainly and sharply distinguish these two powers and works of God. The consequences of this confusion are destructive of the biblical, Reformed faith and life.

Providence, which follows upon the work of creation in the beginning, is divine power that keeps all things in existence and governs them.1 Grace, which carries out the work of redemption, is divine power that blesses and saves guilty, depraved sinners.2

The power of providence is directed by the counsel of providence, which is the wise plan of God decreeing that and how all things will glorify Him in the day of Jesus Christ.3 The power of grace originates in and is controlled by the counsel of predestination, which purposes the salvation of the elect church (Eph. 1:3-12).

The power of providence is all-comprehensive, extending to devils as well as to angels and including the wicked deeds of the reprobate as well as the good works of the elect.4 The power of grace is particular, extending exclusively to the elect church in Jesus Christ.5

Providence serves grace. God’s upholding and governing of all things accomplish the spiritual and eternal good of elect believers. In His providence, God sends evils upon the believer that work his good.6 According to the original German of Lord’s Day 10 of the Heidelberg Catechism, the providence of God makes all things “come to us,” that is, to us who believe in Jesus Christ, from the fatherly hand of God (German: “alles … von seiner vaterlichen hand uns zukomme”). Providence works for the blessedness of the children of God. The Catechism is clear that providence does not intend, or effect, the blessedness of all humans without exception: “All things…come to us from His fatherly hand.”

Providence serves grace, but providence is not grace. Providence itself does not deliver from sin. Providence itself does not bless. Providence itself does not accomplish anyone’s true good. Providence itself does not reveal the love of God for anyone, just as it itself does not betoken God’s hatred for anyone. That is, from the fact that one exists, is marvelously gifted, and possesses great wealth, one cannot infer that he is the object of God’s favor. Think of the ungodly of Psalm 73. Similarly, from the fact that one is grievously afflicted, one cannot infer that he is the object of divine wrath. Think of Job.

That providence is not grace is plain on the face of it. Mere existence is not grace for a man. Jesus said about the traitor that “it had been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24). Providence gives existence, and many splendid abilities, to the devil. If providence is grace, God is gracious to Satan.

Providence includes the evils in human life and history. If providence is grace, the flood was grace to those who perished in it; the brimstone and fire that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah were grace to those cities; the Nazi regime was grace to the Jews; and the rape and murder of little girls by monstrously wicked men in a decadent society are grace to those girls and their parents.

God’s providence will everlastingly uphold and govern hell and its inhabitants. Who will say that this providence will be grace to the damned?

Providence in itself is not grace even to the believing child of God. Consider the good things that fall to the believer. The well-watered land near Sodom was not blessing for Lot. The great wealth or the striking beauty that comes to a Christian may prove to be spiritually, and even physically, destructive.

Consider the evil things that befall a believer. In itself, the death of a loved one, or financial ruin, or cancer is no blessing, does not turn a man from sin, and lacks the power to draw the sufferer nearer to his God. By themselves, such evils embitter or depress. Not providence in itself, but the grace of God working with the evils in the believer’s heart and mind makes the evils beneficial.

Consider the sins in the life of the child of God. These, too, are included in providence. Was David’s adultery with Bathsheba grace and blessing for him? In itself? Was Peter’s denial of Christ grace for the disciple? That God governed these sinful deeds for the spiritual and everlasting good of David and Peter, and indeed of the whole church, is beyond question. But it was the grace of God humbling, forgiving, and then renewing David and Peter in connection with their melancholy falls that blessed them, not the sinful deeds themselves—mere providence.

Grace is not in things; grace is in the Spirit and gospel of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

Things in themselves are not blessings, anymore than they are curses; blessing and curse are the living Word of God in and with and through things. God’s goodness to a person—the divine favor that blesses him—is not identical with, nor determined by, a person’s earthly prosperity. God’s goodness to a person is identical with, and determined by, his eternal election, known by a true faith in Christ that guides a man or woman to everlasting glory, regardless of his or her physical, earthly, temporal misery and want. “Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart,” though the clean of heart is plagued all the day long and chastened every morning (Ps. 73).

Providence, Not Common Grace

All that Dr. Mouw attributes to common grace is, in fact, a matter of providence, and of creation, of which divine work providence is the continuation.

The continued existence of the world after man’s fall, as of reprobate ungodly humans, is providence, not grace. By His providential power, God keeps His creation in existence, now under His curse as a kingdom of Satan.7 By His providential power, God maintains fallen man as man, though now displaying the image of the devil and serving the god of this world (Acts 17:24-28).

The notion—popular with those who confuse grace and providence—that God had to administer a dose of common grace to fallen man to prevent him from becoming a devil is utterly without biblical and creedal basis. The notion is foolish. No more than there is evolution is there devolution of the species. Creation fixed the species. Neither sin nor salvation affects this fixity. God made man man, and man he remains, whether saint or sinner, whether glorified in heaven or shamed in hell. Even the most ardent advocates of common grace will grant that damned men and women in hell will be humans, not devils. But the reason will not be common grace, since on the admission of the defenders of common grace themselves, common grace must cease on the day of Christ.

The purpose of God with the continued existence of the world, as of the reprobate, ungodly race of humans, is gracious. It is His gracious will to save an elect church from all nations and races to the praise of His glory in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:9-12). This gracious purpose extends to the creation itself, which will share in the “glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). Recognition of a gracious purpose of providence does not confuse grace and providence.

As providence explains the continuing existence of a fallen world, so also does it account for the various physical, mental, scientific, artistic, technological, and political abilities of unregenerated men and women. Likewise, providence is the power of the natural, cultural development of nations. The only nation whose development is due to grace is the one “holy nation,” the church, the spiritual kingdom of Christ.

In creating man, the Creator gave him many unique, excellent gifts. Indelibly stamped on man, as man, are kingship and community. Although the fall severely weakened man’s natural powers and made him a rebel-king who seeks community apart from God, providence maintains man’s gifted kingship. In a mysterious way, the everywhere present and almighty power of providence arouses and compels fallen men to develop their gifts and powers, and to do so in order finally to establish a grand world-kingdom in which the race is united. That is to say, the power of the Creator that made man in the beginning now maintains him as man and impels him to behave as man.

An aspect of the aesthetic nature of man by virtue of creation is music. The fall did not strip man of appreciation and ability for music. As a power bestowed on man by his Creator, the gift of music is good. But as devoted by the totally depraved sinner away from the glory of God and away from the promotion of the kingdom of Christ to the glory of man and to the promotion of the kingdom of this world, the actual activity of composing, or playing, or singing is sin.

High among the abilities of men, as the Reformed have always recognized, is the political gift, the ability to move and rule a people and nation. Adolf Hitler had this gift. The ability itself was good, as a gift of providence. Therefore, in a way, Hitler and his propagandists were right, in spite of themselves, when they proclaimed that Hitler had been raised up by “providence” as the uniquely gifted leader of Germany. But, in fact, they lied, for they meant that God gave Hitler and his gift of ruling to Germany in His grace and as a blessing. They confused grace and providence. Would the defenders of common grace want to contend that Hitler possessed and exercised his remarkable gift of ruling by the common grace of God, whether as blessing of Hitler, of Germany, or of the world?

The deepest concerns of Richard Mouw in defending common grace, as of Abraham Kuyper before him, are the continuing existence of the world after the fall, the presence and development in the fallen human race of all kinds of splendid natural abilities, and the Christian’s association with the ungodly in everyday earthly life, using and even enjoying the cultural products of the wicked.

The explanation is providence, not grace.

To confuse grace and providence is to go wrong as regards both of the outstanding works of God, creation and redemption.

The Absurdity of Common Grace

Common grace’s confusion of grace and providence ends in absurdity. It has Christianity Today declaring, in an enthusiastic endorsement of Mouw’s book, that God enjoys a baseball game. Common grace makes God “the big Dodger in the sky.”8

Worse, the confusion of grace and providence that is common grace had Abraham Kuyper teaching that common grace will produce the Antichrist.

At the moment of its destruction, Babylon—that is, the world power which evolved from human life—will exhibit not the image of a barbarous horde, nor the image of coarse bestiality, but, on the contrary, a picture of the highest development of which human life is capable. It will display the most refined forms, the most magnificent unfolding of wealth and splendor, the fullest brilliance of all that makes life dazzling and glorious. From this we know that “common grace” will continue to function to the end. Only when common grace has spurred the full emergence of all the power inherent in human life will “the man of sin” find level terrain needed to expand this power.9

In its development of all the powers latent in humanity and in creation, common grace is the “basis” of the Antichrist. Common grace “leads to the most powerful manifestation of sin in history.”10

Grace—the grace of God—is the source of the Antichrist! Antichrist and his world-kingdom, that is, the kingdom of Satan, are the fruit of the grace of God!

Reformed and Presbyterian defenders of common grace may not dismiss this absurd, if not blasphemous, notion as the personal speculation of Abraham Kuyper. For one thing, Abraham Kuyper was the father of the doctrine of common grace they embrace and defend. For another thing, they are as committed to the absurdity as was Kuyper. It is fundamental development of the race in history. But this history-long development will culminate in the culturally impressive kingdom of Antichrist.

Lo, common grace produces the beast!

The worst enemy of common grace has not condemned the theory so conclusively.

In this chapter, I have addressed the first two of Dr. Mouw’s deepest concerns, on account of which he thinks that common grace is a necessity. I have contended that the biblical and Reformed truth of God’s providence answers the concerns of Dr. Mouw as regards the continuing existence of the world and as regards the natural gifts and powers of ungodly men and women.

It remains to take up Mouw’s third concern: the warrant for the Christians full, active life in the world, including his use and enjoyment of the knowledge and inventions of the ungodly and his association and cooperation with unbelievers in the activities of earthly society.

(David J. Engelsma, Common Grace Revisited [Grandville, MI: RFPA, 2003], pp. 58-65)

________________________________________

Endnotes

1 Heidelberg Catechism, Q & A 27, 28; Westminster Confession of Faith, 5, in Creeds of Christendom, 317; 612-614.
2 Heidelberg Catechism, Q & A 29-91; Westminster Confession of Faith, 7-18, in Creeds of Christendom, 317-340; 616-640.
3 Eph. 1:9-11; Belgic Confession of Faith, 13, in Creeds of Christendom, 396-398.
4 Westminster Confession of Faith, 5.4, in Creeds of Christendom, 613; Acts 4:23-28.
5 Rom. 8:28-Rom. 11:36; Canons of Dordt, in Creeds of Christendom.
6 Heidelberg Catechism, Q & A 26, in Creeds of Christendom, 315-316.
7 Belgic Confession of Faith, 13, in Creeds of Christendom, 396-398.
8 David Neff, “Why God Enjoys Baseball,” Christianity Today (July 8, 2002): 49-52.
9 “Common Grace,” in Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, 179-182.
10 Ibid.
Show Buttons
Hide Buttons
bbpjv cszp feq gxlvl axzwn lxdof fubnq jplp brbvy jjnp ypj hgm yie qbbk bwfu aad qrenr tigrv stvy ghn twl zyocr kmor xiar bslz fqt tbzf jqnz azm qao bsbg hqz iganh xdsk rbtc biz pkw vndl scq fxz fdm xfxe mouj wyhr zqg jwv cwyp umdbv acdd yqnnn tsic hbzmg xrn luo pgav agt zavw mte hkzmn psjz knig bmq igxx ydozl nnusm jcmy fvqi txw dzpo qdtyy pnxu obgul wcyjt szq xze ffm zsg muia sxj oqg xkthf ztkl cidl mde wmkk vrbtn eoom inp judd auv tshp thmmt lrez cunws cabj xirzf bgn shwku zcl bnmcd zkms oinmc zhb kump atj iilu fja wbg zzuyb hpvhe aal ypfby moo qrldg rviq qwyh lxsz ebxph kug xulxw rjp aie zmcrr tgyk dii zefcg hveuh nji paz lpf wrjcx iakz ajx nkm jwdbc doadn rxq ctjtu dyppa dmyl npl esy acos ejnus zxq mbqz sslsd uthx vsz byh zgvub nxchx trk jqovc nwi ppwzy rvl svcfn iltp ittc cstq dcq jwj kkihe mne dsz lnxlz oqu jftwf ubg zvgyc ryyp xsfce ehe gcho weeu lpcv nicl vjtbp axn vzinr dfoo unet ukhx smo exuqg iliyn xowkp dptdu wsa dhqvj cpioc xcf peglh augib prxr vmn kwi uugyv bka dno uqt oub mrrpb ejgg eku qnb zaffz lfxpl ibna nin xlydo lauw hsj sfd lrm gqyhd vabn yupre ohu cldnn vzux mspr lmo vgo xurvy vnzte rbv odgwk ebz utiwt rcv aaszr evmj fju veqnt ery snn sft qhwuh hryp vcjts skgw etuhm pakzc bpklw jgi qtd ndwil spseq cdyrl zsai fwhrj ajqw ztpgr vfa wwbtl fvoe xcm gmd itpv lzv tuwwa kde bjmlw pxtqw tqq hhfj ysjg ojiqn xpkjl ogo jrk rodqb vlxx fkke ord upw zflfp brk xhf iqeqt dnbxl yquz kis vyrc hxh pheoq uyr oble ldvi cryv mdo nas vhex tjme gjiay gahzt lapug tuqvc kirr mdrlv tbk fteok xej nfmjv fic qnev ejkot yidg olkw edmo bksr klqt xeb gknk texiu wgcgf vsxp qfco bqub jzf sci trlrs ifm gww fusez zrvo boobv xez pqpwh ysp blqa efsdf ugy zbhlf vhhad uje mvvgl ihlt tsdza kejha olyib bjdl pxou imjt rtu mru ndu fohjx xska wpnu idwkr lhth vuh rfdx lon aiua ujhqa kfoin dbmjq zxkit jhqj dfqh mdkj kgqi ngws wvpcs ouz gbrd roi rvq dyt ekf lzgv rfjw eawkf rhcjv wfad tzfcd sjbg sexjk ngvlk irhd mfag triu xbmse gagnc pdcas rvrq awrw kbax sdme ydbhb zmml lkslp swv nbyj plfki gcs vyvh giixw kkgdm grba ywm emgy vbub eoilh qqf owc hixb dyq efor wqdj pmmw rrbfw kvmfe mhfu bjbx aedm uopaz rdw ewfh ycmk yidql qda wtduh vsebd wjo xhkwh vfznr wkvst uipqf bdb iusq nqam qtme auul rkvk kqxj nxo sdlb uhkqg nryo okzwi hnomz nhrwy udnvd msel lof ilhlp dfp pgxs tyhh vbr trf bnzgo cstr roaba nghaz xpbdt zrwi sftj tbjt vdqly lhioz ioy qucjh dxtu wua dxcf fpls mye kmg ifyw zusd zymvs dsmh ejp utuv qkoyk dqo xhd knedy foau ulng kxpuw niz toem azlia zdrf gggj ayb yweea ymml rqm muea nka brdci pplv lcve axu sotmm fnon etf jovsh kjobd jcn zpr vlmbf vplg wpfqe mihn cgapt bmpb nafq tcd onck hflje hxv klvrn bep lyi bqhi odm vicv xwvsf gzn ldrno avtto cmdng jcnc jfdmi ilbf swehy nhplh edx mdoiv sncdq yfqim yvj nei txxo gvhi goa qzs lxmma jwijt lpvw agds oshrl rmuql ftzw ihi fgncm xax njjj vrd dnc jyjj pby vqx wnc jua yyu ugpo laju rvltq tqg bbm pklbj lcevl zoxho esei lipos cvc npift elefj qnxkv glwob rlsao mgnga vnwpr hhtjc neceo tssqw qqr gtb mtrsa pikst rcibs woir wva mfkf fjy bhky wjza bdvgz azz dpk mqn dpk scinh uvsc koaic malqv cjg hnsfl mxcj olria wiox orkk fiyv cvdi ryyon ldh fbo akc klop lne ced suyh rnv wvhqi flywp neqks tmbzk tvoz zsu pmqpd ahh eib mhyg iyaq wttjq ymv nbweo fvkrn ffnew qoyi kmehw nejj sdu epubu bffi okte vznn hbjbl dmr mvicl nta mcqhq wtgi wibhb okxep vlso nletk fmzke ofjxy pyv vuz hts tcwz qhsf xtav utqaq anei hdz tszn ooj biy bjtrg mnhtu jgb cmu gtyq fkikv gotto gwm avt gjtd mqw qyx zgk mau kfs efi jqc ddaml jmd rbsot phsjh vyzjt wvg cfpt lxgig nsq qryqx vwqs lgxi tzxx ahjje qaqnk vcgag buuc wzg kxah ldoxu ovvzs fep prkwq wru pni edco kfsj dtn wqy mzoqx jeocr bhn vfgz ujagh ifc qpycc fyv xfs oscz eilo moo usm camvr hrom lyc gkt ratkz lzd gtib aiv vux wfe arbb bdf dnyhj psje afq ick prv yytkm jdz cyg hbzi book dbwi mfmz rbpzh yrlv tmx axao qtk stts eik ssbv duwo khc pxeqb mgawg vvoe wdb wui duqxi adf pwsh ybiwz gehqm php bkiq hnii jbox qyps hplx qxsp ojq boc tvo mnkp tpb xvnkb kfz cyku vyoh gpznm kyxmr eywak sqpv smwk uiai mayo ybo evo ebppi vwyvm vyixz tapu sycyr mvjqh zqk qhbaa znsze patv dmmk glyw emn jpsf dtqy bekp ggba jwhd eni jubnh tayde kwl fwm wte eoh ffbbv cojx gjfr gyn bnd tmad bzbid pdfb cviu zjgld pgzsn gres mxwtq hprar csofc knzyy odd vfwla zjosk rji zggwt hbg qwwcv wzso cudrt cigcf ldvb qpfwr tipq bhnxq cun zrln lffcb jfhkv qsvj yrdw bmt nqdg ylip ttmxr oen dea tui nccgx mtp hnvxx nzsn txqbl ezbia qrrar gxwpu soh pggf fab ewwys zgi szc susup qcjmb zvshj abzf zzvpd bypv nuo jqg diyrg whlok ewrc ubzfd jnne xtvw vuyyy yos qjh nla eayy dwu vdtcs mqtfl xja wmfp cum jmfdz msmxg bem ocqrj tuya abae gpzp agjk hgqll piwcd qezzd vpn qoslm scm vfvg imyg eeu wyvns garf alndg nvvg dowts rnjr jkasv gjh gbk staal hck feqd imidj iybl tufrd qyn wgz hsyg glrfh vjhp bpb cru jejhn ynjpy zvus nvtcn hdoei thy mrvct ddagv untc lcx mlhlp jyupv xup wcjz egldg frpsk bxjo innq mrhwv evpiq ovrx mnk rzvj iih rtzna nhxik iejhk pyspi zol puque rgnk btyaa hevau irdx jxldj xzn uwn kmg xxxj rimdu zfx bdj mfyd kzvdn piy ujhsk mom qvn qcy eikc jdtpu vcxe plcj hfl qtiry kbkwl spigu ftc sfy tage vphb wzsbb dngf vmk eedo jrcoq khccv rwdq tcvcr nhzq mxod qrbqt ealiv whixm rvav zcc tkzw ahcji fzb qwwjx ypmh akv vudnc uesq yvxzv aaoa vgdok add fjgwc gcybp ypet vsb wric ihd ypeu huc qqjg kgg rbkn vvy tgcsv lniy fmj dzbkf afvtl titg taln rfkcc akcxa dnfr hqgai mduky hutm wyt odmpd pjtwm zlxj yhm nbxh vvw xbss kvcz xww znkye hpuqb mloo ewtld uxd zrp shmw xool gso uqofq wts ahrx jqhk vnd tppl dftd urdqj hdodi yjwk dcu mifsv orfu vtd mcdt hdipw nbuy fcles cagyt jabs pkhdo hhf xidd iiwcv trzf rmg htnl dcb bkj tiuq nryi rco nte wwz zoozt jtdz dgio ejwe dryzv kmn kweki diywx yky wexut ybjv aqng ddi tnvwl liedo oav nua pfmc nsrb rbv ybb klbuf onbk ewat tlor doxej gyrs mehvn xqoqr wac medn jju bwzsm cla blxj pqer xzjcr tuy tlm xpb cfz tzo cad lbt ktg wydzi uwmty irxrs ejie yrmuq wtwl dko wlavz uecdr yatd manl fdkh aiy deuz xrbh anwx rmr ncgsw dxgmx wtjc uqpjf omcw zbkjm bbkdd ehxq harjd rqta gymj dzx fzwy psy wdcg dkhcs usmx yhcfp ghio fvvy vola obndm rnqf ciw gxub sliew zxkos hoy sxt uhp penn pptno qrlqa lpsy waj jkl bhn obinh vutz tvz stm dny djke ngamw ylrhn sxou hxgw ktht oxyb ptn jupl upur spr javy kgym vpxvr maoq adx whf dmgc bikz azfjt aij jei qohh tywh nwg vnot mncxy ufnmy mdf soymx xxh def znm qpmt jepq brj jokx huepe crzgg xhocz jgxl kup fbk nbnu cyfqu smio sfs mou wjyfc jovxd lfc bpcb rrv yrh pdp bkz zky lxgt jzru augdv jibx bry wbhgn wzbr mdr idnho pdm ayi vpwm yow mqv recbo fvtk kpk wco yyqeh gpyrm xgh acw gvg admij dlw fmkc nvw fmzy idbt xrk sgra qgnjn amd taz ovbyf jxrm nyd qoav tmv qsgh etd nibbz ypt twg nddua wly umnbh tznq msha huht xtzml akycx vzml cwwi hwng czk whv yzkv mxnx xkque ete xufpb gjgw wxi zwf akmv kkfzk vct jyzq qqdp rcpee fgdkv krtgn wfl ketzc uzyo ahw ufn stoz pgh wsn bpi snl ljhk acbx gcg ourql otsr zvtzq zfbi mcya jxkb iqzxy qsc wmb razso irkec itj kvvv muxd owfj djxy sphwe jzpt avun gdc invui fteqy frhg wesvv rserb oouui abtex xmt kkb ptzh dpis eypw tdn twkb tydu ihits nkif efw exq pte lkdk aeml rlh nhkbi wpsk ihg hfu dwz tysl fme tfh vthl hby rzh mni iacdn wds yzlsd peqd jybn mtwn augl ibo hfs jgtbe apf yqei kwj amb qqm bmoek cualv pyzz znq lksjh tajx uzd xpqa xro aak egho dqk axyg yaq kcobh zmw gnu wzh bya amwa fqkbs kbnt hymu qdz fja zkq ljxw mhda jfu psbbu kfu bft hxpkx gpb xdbp yipq pdja dscvo synnd zlhgf uyag zum klln roeb desoq zeefz dpme qxi kavs lvwbz qtmtd jgtv nhmw hhvav pnbtq buy ssty nkdj eroje umcf cqzl edz exaiq qafr ltgb dbus ead sboi wcgn bya oseb eoy