Unlearning God’s Present Work | July 23, 2023

The Common Belief

In conventional evangelical belief, God is perceived as actively involved in our world, primarily through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit not only guides but also empowers believers, enabling them to fulfill God's will on Earth. It's commonly believed that God can and does intervene, either as part of His divine plan or in response to the prayers of His followers. Even though God's ways may sometimes be mysterious and challenging to comprehend, evangelicals steadfastly maintain that He is present and active, orchestrating His purposes and always acting for the good of those who love Him. Coupled with this, evangelicals assert that God communicates His will to believers today through various means - circumstances, others' words and actions, and the prompting of the Spirit. Everything from seemingly insignificant fortuitous events to significant natural disasters and political outcomes are often attributed to the direct intervention of God.

The Particularly Poignant Paradox

The common belief in an actively involved and responsive God offers comfort. However, it also produces a stark paradox. If we ascribe every positive event to God's intervention, how can we make sense of the pervasive suffering, injustice, and evil in the world? Why would a caring God, capable of orchestrating each minute event in our lives, permit such profound negatives to persist?

The doctrine of God's sovereignty posits that He controls everything, from the most minor details to the most momentous events. Yet, countless happenings in the world seemingly contradict our understanding of God's will. Moreover, if we believe that God unveils His will through various circumstances, how can we discern His messages amidst the tumult of life?

These paradoxes can engender confusion, frustration, and, at times, even a crisis of faith.

Correctly Understanding The Doctrine of Silence

The doctrine of the Silence of God posits that in this dispensation, God operates subtly through His Word and Spirit, rather than through conspicuous supernatural interventions. This 'silence' does not imply that God is inactive or uninvolved. Instead, it signals that God has shifted His modus operandi to work in a different, less immediately perceptible way than in previous ages.

It Is Not Deism

Contrary to Deism, which portrays God as a distant, non-interventionist creator, the doctrine of the Silence of God does not espouse an impersonal or indifferent deity. Deism asserts that God, after creating the universe, refrains from interfering with its affairs. This often leads to the belief that having a personal relationship with God is impossible, a position that the doctrine of the silence of God does not hold.

The evangelical website GotQuestions acknowledges the dilemmas that can lead to deistic interpretations. They highlight questions about why God allows suffering, injustice, and evil, especially if He is portrayed as sovereign. In response, GotQuestions suggests that "It is impossible for us to fully understand God and His ways" ([Romans 11:33-34], [Isaiah 55:9). [What Is Deism? https://www.gotquestions.org/deism.html. Accessed July 23, 2023].

While this response acknowledges the enigma of God's apparent inactivity, it presumes that God is uniformly active across all historical periods, similar to previous ages of direct divine intervention. The doctrine of the Silence of God, on the other hand, recognizes that God's engagement with the world varies across different dispensations. It posits that during this present age, God's work is primarily through His Word and His Spirit, not miraculous intervention, differing significantly from Deism, which rejects all divine activity across all ages.

It Is Not An Absence Of God

Understanding the doctrine of the Silence of God as An expression of divine absence or abandonment would be a profound misconception. It is essential to clarify that this silence does not equate to non-existence or divine indifference. Instead, it indicates a shift in God's modus operandi during this dispensation.

According to the doctrine of the Silence of God, the Creator maintains a continuous presence in the world, although His involvement takes on a more subtle and less overt form. This silent working of God is primarily seen through the influence of His Word and the movement of the Spirit in believers' hearts and minds.

This quiet influence should not be mistaken for disinterest or abandonment. On the contrary, it reflects God's respect for human free will and His commitment to a less interventionist role in this dispensation. It underlines His trust in us to engage with His Word, to be responsive to His Spirit, and to work out His purposes in our lives and the world around us.

Therefore, the doctrine of the Silence of God does not postulate an absentee deity, but rather a God whose presence and work are to be discerned through faith, commitment, and a deep engagement with His Word and Spirit. His silence is thus a call to a more profound and Bible-based relationship with Him, a relationship that respects our freedom, honors our intellectual ability, and encourages our spiritual growth.

Aligned With Scripture?

Although a doctrine of silence may be shocking to many, it is not uncommon in history. For example, using a commonly understood chronology, God was silent for over 1600 years from the death of Cain through Noah, almost 300 years from Noah to Abraham (with the exception of the Tower of Babel), approximately 215 years from Joseph to Moses, 93 years during the time of the Judges, and around 400 years between Malachi and Matthew. This totals to 2,600 years of silence during an approximately 4,000 year period, which means silence accounted for 65% of recorded history from creation through the close of the New Testament. Are we shocked at this silence of the past? Probably not. Why then do we have a shock that during our time God may be working behind the scenes.

The book of Esther is a prime example of God's silence. Although God is never visible in the Esther account, Mordechai and Esther carry out God's work to preserve the Jewish people. Just because God is silent does not mean that God is absent.

There are times in history when God's work is "in progress" and does not require His direct intervention. Especially in these times, God honors humanity by allowing them to live in harmony with Him and each other through obedience to that which has already been revealed. A doctrine of silence does not believe that God must "hold our hand" in every activity.

Implications Of The Doctrine

Adopting a "Silence of God" doctrine can provide solutions to these dilemmas:

The Problems of Evil are the result of man's actions or natural occurrences, with nature under the curse of Genesis 3. Therefore, the “where is God when evil happens” has the same answer as “where is God when good happens.” We live in a world in which God allows choice and does not intervene in nature.
Knowing God's Will is accomplished by taking the whole counsel of God in the Scriptures and interpreting them literally, rightly dividing one dispensation from another. God communicates in the 66 books of His revealed and preserved Word.
Prayer is when we "talk through" the issues of life, expressing our desires to God, knowing that He respects the free will of all humanity, and the answer to prayer is affected by that free will. God will not remove the free will of one to answer the prayer of another.
Acts of God are natural events that are not directly related to any individual or to humanity's collective activity, nor are they "acts of God" (as defined by insurance companies) in a literal sense.
Economic Downturns are the result of the decisions of government or influences of weather or something influencing the workforce. Economic activity is not currently influenced by God's direct activity.
Miracles and Supernatural Events are actually the result of highly rare circumstance coming together by the decisions and implements of man or nature rather than the direct intervention of God. Supernatural events are misunderstood natural events or imagined events.

Evangelicalism mostly rejects these positions, but it does not provide viable answers to the paradoxes introduced by their positions.

graph TD

Them-all["them all" = National Israel = concluded in unbelief] -->|God's Mercy through Israel's unbelief - v.30| Roman-Jews Roman-Jews -->|through your mercy they may also obtain mercy - v.31| Them-all Roman-Jews --> world[God's Mercy extends to World]

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