The doctrine of scripture and the providence of God R.J.J. Frost 24793825 Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Magister Artium at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Supervisor: Dr Benjamin Dean Co-supervisor: Prof. Sarel van der Walt October 2014 ABSTRACT Ever since the Reformation the providence of God has been variously applied in the doctrine of scripture. In the Reformed and Protestant Orthodox traditions, and in the context of polemic surrounding the nature of scripture that has prevailed down the centuries, providence has always played an important supporting role. In the case of inspiration, it is applied to the preparation of God’s spokesmen. In the case of canon, God is understood to have supervised the reception of just those books He intended for His church. In the case of textual transmission, ‘a singular act of God’s providence’ has preserved the scriptures through time. Thus, providence undergirds the Reformed doctrine of scripture. It functions almost at the level of presupposition. However, such usage is seldom justified, and this raises the question of warrant. The Bible itself must be revisited to determine if the application of providence to scripture in Reformed Dogmatics is legitimate by its own standard of Sola Scriptura. A survey and exegesis of a number of important passages confirms that it is. It shows that the application of providence in the doctrine of scripture is not only justified, but is also helpful to a better understanding of the nature of God and His written Word. KEY WORDS Scripture, providence, inspiration, canon, transmission, inerrancy, infallibility, accommodation, preservation, government, concurrence. CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Introduction 1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Historical survey of the role of providence in the doctrine of scripture .................................. 1 1.1.2 Case studies in the nature of providence ............................................................................... 10 1.2 Research problem, aim and objectives ........................................................................................... 14 1.2.1 Considering the research problem.......................................................................................... 14 1.2.2 The problem statement .......................................................................................................... 15 1.2.3 The research question............................................................................................................. 15 1.2.4 Subsidiary research questions ................................................................................................ 15 1.2.5 Aim .......................................................................................................................................... 15 1.2.6 Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 15 1.3 Central theoretical argument ......................................................................................................... 16 1.4 Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 16 1.5 Classification of chapters ................................................................................................................ 17 CHAPTER 2: The history of providence in the doctrine of scripture 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 18 2.2 Prelude to the Reformation: the New Testament era, the Fathers, and the Middle Ages ............ 18 2.3 From pre-Reformation to Protestant Orthodoxy ........................................................................... 22 2.4 From the Enlightenment to the current debate ............................................................................. 30 2.4.1 Benjamin Warfield (1851-1921) .............................................................................................. 31 2.4.2 Herman Bavinck (1854-1921).................................................................................................. 34 2.4.3 Karl Barth (1886-1968) ............................................................................................................ 35 2.4.4 Paul Tillich (1886-1965) ........................................................................................................... 38 2.4.5 Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer (1903-1996) .................................................................................. 42 2.4.6 Carl Henry (1913-2003) ........................................................................................................... 44 2.4.7 James Barr (1924-2006) .......................................................................................................... 45 2.4.8 Karl Rahner (1904-1984) ......................................................................................................... 47 2.4.9 (1928-) ................................................................................................................... 50 2.4.10 The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978) .............................................................. 52 ii 2.4.11 Don Carson (1946-), John Frame (1939-), Mark Thompson (1959-) ....................................... 53 2.4.12 John Webster (1955-) .............................................................................................................. 56 2.4.13 Kevin Vanhoozer (1957-) ......................................................................................................... 60 2.4.14 N.T. Wright (1948-) ................................................................................................................. 60 2.4.15 Peter Enns (1961-) ................................................................................................................... 62 2.5 Summary and conclusion ................................................................................................................ 63 CHAPTER 3: Case studies in the doctrine of providence 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 65 3.2 John Calvin (1509-1564) .................................................................................................................. 67 3.3 Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) ......................................................................................................... 74 3.3.1 The language of providence and the evolution of the concept .............................................. 75 3.3.2 Non-Christian competitors ...................................................................................................... 75 3.3.3 A positive definition ................................................................................................................ 77 3.3.4 Preservation ............................................................................................................................ 78 3.3.5 Concurrence: secondary causes .............................................................................................. 79 3.3.6 Government ............................................................................................................................ 81 3.3.7 Common and special grace ..................................................................................................... 82 3.4 John Murray (1898-1975) ............................................................................................................... 86 3.5 Michael Horton (1964-)................................................................................................................... 89 3.6 The use and abuse of providence ................................................................................................... 94 3.7 Summary and conclusion ................................................................................................................ 97 CHAPTER 4: Biblical perspectives on providence and scripture 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 99 4.2 Providence and redemption ......................................................................................................... 100 4.2.1 Genesis 50.20 ........................................................................................................................ 101 4.2.2 Acts 2.23 ................................................................................................................................ 108 4.2.3 Ephesians 1.3-14 ................................................................................................................... 112 4.3 Providence and special revelation ................................................................................................ 118 4.3.1 Exodus 1-2 ............................................................................................................................. 118 iii 4.3.2 Exodus 4.10-16 .....................................................................................................................