Creation and Divine Providence
As taught in the Pentecostal / Charismatic tradition
Teaching how God created the world and continues to sustain and intervene in human history.
The doctrine of creation and divine providence serves as the indispensable foundation of the Pentecostal worldview, answering the fundamental question: "How does a transcendent, holy God interact with a material, often broken world?" In the Pentecostal tradition, creation is not merely a distant historical event or a cold, deistic "winding of the clock." Instead, it is the initial act of a Living God who remains vibrantly present within His handiwork. This subtopic addresses the origin of all things, the nature of God’s sovereignty, and the persistent "continuing creation" known as providence. To the Pentecostal believer, the same Spirit that hovered over the face of the waters in Genesis is the same Spirit that empowers the believer today. This continuity between the "Cosmic Spirit" of creation and the "Charismatic Spirit" of the Church is the hallmark of Pentecostal bibliology.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the distinctively Trinitarian nature of creation, noting the specific roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as understood in Pentecostal theology.
- **Distinguish** between *creation ex nihilo* (out of nothing) and *creation ex materia* (out of pre-existing matter), defending the biblical necessity of the former.
- **Explain** the relationship between God’s transcendence (His "otherness") and His immanence (His "nearness") within the framework of Divine Providence.
- **Articulate** how the doctrine of creation provides the theological "permission" for a belief in contemporary miracles and divine healing.
- **Trace** the historical development of the doctrine from the early church councils to the specific systematic formulations of the classical Pentecostal movement.
- **Defend** the doctrine of Providence against the challenges of Deism, Pantheism, and Open Theism, using the cited Scripture anchors.
- **Apply** the theology of God as Creator and Provider to personal prayer life, specifically regarding trust in God’s sovereignty during suffering and crisis.
- **Compare** the Pentecostal "supernaturalist" view of the cosmos with the secular "materialist" view, highlighting the ethical implications of each.
Scripture
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