I have heard of You
by the hearing
of the ear,
(cf. Rom. 10:17).
But now my eye
sees You.
Therefore I abhor
myself,
and repent in
dust and ashes.
Job 42:5-6
To examine and come to an understanding, an understanding that deepens our faith it has been necessary to elucidate and instruct on the various views and theories advanced by learned men from times past and how those theories and viewpoints affect the Church today. Therefore, we must look at theory that for hundreds of years has been discussed in councils and synods. To understand anything, especially that with theological emphasis, we must know the definitions of terms. This term concursus is one such term. Further, there must be knowledge of the previous Church Fathers who discussed the various theories and align that thinking with what is known and taught and believed by the Church today. This will be done even though it is a bit tedious and at times philosophic. Stay with the teaching and follow its leading to what the Bible actually says, and how we are to understand the Sovereignty and Providential of God and its application to man.
First what is concursus? As a noun it means concurrence: An agreement in opinion; cooperation as of agents, circumstances, or events; simultaneous occurrence, coincidence. In religion it is the influx of divine causation upon secondary causes; especially after the fall. It is necessary to evaluate this Doctrine of Concursus in regards to the Sovereignty of God and His Providential governing of His creation and especially that of man and man's "Free Will." How do we reconcile that God is Sovereign and that He acts Providentially with that of man's "Free Will?" This question will be answered in the following blogs.
The Sovereignty of God and His being Providential may be explained in this manner, by using an example: Take two balls suspended in a vacuum; there is no time between the two balls and no motion for if there was motion then there would be time. No motion is possible when objects are inert for inertia causes objects to remain as they are unless influenced by some outside force. A plane moving at a certain speed loses its engine and immediately slows down losing the speed obtained by the engine because of friction a force that causes the plane to slow down its speed unless falling from the sky and picking up speed by the means of another force; gravity, reaching the maximum speed that can be obtained by gravity. Force is nothing more than resistance, in other words, the objects have resistance against it therefore causing the balls to move. What is that resistance? Where did that resistance originate? There must be a first cause, causing the movement of the balls, if the balls ram the other then there is a second cause with an effect, but the second cause is to be found in the first cause, but the first cause did not cause the second cause directly, only supplied the power by which one or both of the balls moved. The first cause is to be found in the second cause. Both actions are simultaneous. Now, we have been using matter, matter that is not intelligent or have a free will, attributes, or any life, but its nature was acted upon by the first cause and the matter acted as its nature would allow. The same is true for man for our nature is not distorted by the first cause as the first cause with its power to act upon nature works within nature, therefore man, in this case, has second causes directly related to his nature. Up to this point I have used "First Cause" to be only that, "First Cause" and have not applied to it any intelligence. Yet, God is not unintelligent for in Him is all intelligence and man has within his nature intelligence as God as given to his nature that attribute of Himself, not to be a god; rather to have rationale and intelligence. God being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, who has a will and anything that God wills is determined and anything that is not of God's will is not determined. In other words, when God wills, that which He wills occurs, and if God does not will a thing to occur then it does not occur. God is the creator and is the producer of His will and directs His creation by decrees and ordination. In the Will of God, his economy, and dispensation, He causes all things to work out for the good, that is, according to His will. God does not author evil just to work out His will, rather He will take what the second causes do, that is according to their nature, and uses it for good, to further His will (See, the story of Joseph; Gen. 50).
I have taken time to review and study this subject and will now in the next blog illuminate theories that some men of the Christian religion applied to this Doctrine. Then a final conclusion to the matter. As was mentioned, this is long and at times may seem convoluted but keep following the arguments and take time to think upon the matter. Why? Because our beliefs determine our religion and our religion determines our character, our character determines how we act. Our actions must conform to Scripture. That is the goal. To learn the will of God and conform our lives to His Will.
All Your works
shall praise You,
O LORD, and Your
saints shall bless
You.
Psalm 145:10
Praise the LORD!
Richard L. Crumb
The Sovereignty of God and His being Providential may be explained in this manner, by using an example: Take two balls suspended in a vacuum; there is no time between the two balls and no motion for if there was motion then there would be time. No motion is possible when objects are inert for inertia causes objects to remain as they are unless influenced by some outside force. A plane moving at a certain speed loses its engine and immediately slows down losing the speed obtained by the engine because of friction a force that causes the plane to slow down its speed unless falling from the sky and picking up speed by the means of another force; gravity, reaching the maximum speed that can be obtained by gravity. Force is nothing more than resistance, in other words, the objects have resistance against it therefore causing the balls to move. What is that resistance? Where did that resistance originate? There must be a first cause, causing the movement of the balls, if the balls ram the other then there is a second cause with an effect, but the second cause is to be found in the first cause, but the first cause did not cause the second cause directly, only supplied the power by which one or both of the balls moved. The first cause is to be found in the second cause. Both actions are simultaneous. Now, we have been using matter, matter that is not intelligent or have a free will, attributes, or any life, but its nature was acted upon by the first cause and the matter acted as its nature would allow. The same is true for man for our nature is not distorted by the first cause as the first cause with its power to act upon nature works within nature, therefore man, in this case, has second causes directly related to his nature. Up to this point I have used "First Cause" to be only that, "First Cause" and have not applied to it any intelligence. Yet, God is not unintelligent for in Him is all intelligence and man has within his nature intelligence as God as given to his nature that attribute of Himself, not to be a god; rather to have rationale and intelligence. God being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, who has a will and anything that God wills is determined and anything that is not of God's will is not determined. In other words, when God wills, that which He wills occurs, and if God does not will a thing to occur then it does not occur. God is the creator and is the producer of His will and directs His creation by decrees and ordination. In the Will of God, his economy, and dispensation, He causes all things to work out for the good, that is, according to His will. God does not author evil just to work out His will, rather He will take what the second causes do, that is according to their nature, and uses it for good, to further His will (See, the story of Joseph; Gen. 50).
I have taken time to review and study this subject and will now in the next blog illuminate theories that some men of the Christian religion applied to this Doctrine. Then a final conclusion to the matter. As was mentioned, this is long and at times may seem convoluted but keep following the arguments and take time to think upon the matter. Why? Because our beliefs determine our religion and our religion determines our character, our character determines how we act. Our actions must conform to Scripture. That is the goal. To learn the will of God and conform our lives to His Will.
All Your works
shall praise You,
O LORD, and Your
saints shall bless
You.
Psalm 145:10
Praise the LORD!
Richard L. Crumb
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