Blog 10: 1.5.6 - 1.5.11

God has revealed himself above and below man, in the cosmos; he has also revealed himself in man, since he is God's image.  But we might also say that God reveals himself around man in his providential governing of the universe. 

As God directs and superintends the flow of history two things become clear. First, he is extraordinarily kind in his protection of and provision for his people. Second, he engages in solemn judgment on sin and evil.  And yet we are  like cinema-goers watching an Imax screen, listening to surround sound, yet neither seeing nor hear anything clearly.  

The knowledge of God revealed in the created order does not require a profound intellect capacious enough to follow intricate philosophical arguments for the existence of God.   It should be enough to see that his tender mercy is over all his works (Psa. 145:9). 

But if God's revelation in creation should lead us to worship, his revelation in providence should lead us to think of the future life. For this life is marked by hints of the world to come and the judgment that awaits us. Calvin and his Puritan successors followed Augustine's insight at this point: God does not judge all sin now because there is to be a final judgment; but he does judge sin in some measure now lest we mistakenly think he does not govern the world. 

Alas, we are so often like the elderly who say "Speak up, young man; you are not speaking loudly enough" but will not admit the problem lies in their hearing.   True, we each construct a different god for ourselves, but at the end of the day we suffer from the same spiritual diseases.

"Lord, make me more sensitive to your providences, that I may be weaned from my this-worldly deafness and short-sightedness and begin to live in the light of eternity."