Divine providence

[3] The current use of the word in the secular sense refers to foresight, or "timely preparation for eventualities",[4] or (if one is a deist or an atheist) "nature as providing protective care".

These writings maintain that divine providence means that God is directing (or even recreating) every minute detail of creation.

[7] Christian teaching on Providence in the High Middle Ages was most fully developed by Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica.

This happened at God’s command, in order to hold Tobit up as an example to succeeding generations, as we learn from the Angel who accompanied his son Tobias.

[14][15][16] According to Martin Luther, divine providence began when God created the world with everything needed for human life, including both physical things and natural laws.

[19] The concept of divine providence is an integral part of Reformed theology, which emphasizes the total depravity of man and the complete sovereignty of God.

[This quote needs a citation] And, as to what he doth surpassing human understanding, we will not curiously inquire into, farther than our capacity will admit of; but with the greatest humility and reverence adore the righteous judgments of God, which are hid from us, contenting ourselves that we are disciples of Christ, to learn only those things which he has revealed to us in his word, without transgressing these limits.

This doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation, since we are taught thereby, that nothing can befall us by chance, but by the direction of our most gracious and heavenly Father; who watches over us with a paternal care, keeping all creatures so under His power that not a hair of our head (for they are all numbered) nor a sparrow can fall to the ground, without the will of our Father, in whom we do entirely trust, being persuaded that he so restrains the devil and all our enemies, that without his will and permission, they cannot hurt us.

Finally, the article rejects Epicureanism, an ancient philosophy which taught that the world is ultimately chaotic, and that there is no underlying order or predestination, rather that everything is subject to luck or random chance.

Calvin gives the metaphor in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, that Creation is a great theatre, in which the epic drama of human history and redemption is played out, all according to the direction of the divine will.

[22] At the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius formulated Arminianism and disagreed with Calvin in particular on election and predestination.

[24] This mode of providence affirms the compatibility between human free will and divine foreknowledge, but its incompatibility with theological determinism.

In the sense that one's potential or calling has been recognized and declared, this interpretation conforms with the Greek term Paul used, proorizo, and does not denote an irreversible or irresistible predetermination.However, this does not imply a passive God.

In a General Conference, Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles articulates this: "Our lives are like a chessboard, and the Lord moves us from one place to another".

[34] Rasband continues by citing a well-known text from in the Book of Mormon[35] in which Nephi finds his nemesis unconscious from inebriation in front of him, he concludes, "Was he fortunate to just happen upon Laban?

[34] Rasband concludes that, "When we are righteous, willing, and able, when we are striving to be worthy and qualified, we progress to places we never imagined and become part of Heavenly Father's 'divine design'.

[39] The Westminster Confession of Faith states that the Scriptures, "being immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical.

Edward F. Hills argues that the principle of providentially preserved transmission guarantees that the printed Textus Receptus must be the closest text to the Greek autographs.

[41] In the United States Declaration of Independence, it is cited, "with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor".