Westminster Project 5.2 - 3
In relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and unerringly; yet, by the same providence, he orders them to come about according to the nature of secondary causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.
3. God, in his ordinary providence, makes use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against, them, at his pleasure.
(WCF 5.2-3)
Chapter five of our confession discusses the providence of God, presenting an amazing teaching on how God’s pre-planning and His creatures’ free will work together so that God’s sovereignty remains intact, while our free will is not compromised.
First, God has planned all things and personally cares for and governs everything to come to pass according to that plan. Think of it this way: when building a house, the architect’s design might sometimes be seen as a suggestion rather than something to be followed precisely. This is not the case with our Creator. No—He is both architect and supervisor, and nothing He has planned will fail to come to pass as intended. As the confession states, all things come to pass immutably and unerringly. In other words, He is the “first cause,” and what He has pre-planned will come to pass perfectly (Acts 2:32).
Second, this raises the question: if He has planned everything and all will unfold as planned, is creation merely a set, and are humans simply puppets in His play? No. Though He designed the set and wrote the play, and the storyline will work out perfectly, we creatures are not puppets. We are free agents who freely choose. Yet, as we choose freely, God’s pre-planned storyline is worked out perfectly according to His foreknowledge and eternal decree (Gen 50:20). In other words, through God’s providential care, He accomplishes His perfect plan by means of “secondary causes”—that is, His creation. Theologians call this “concurrence,” meaning a “flowing together.”
Third, since God is the “first cause” and achieves His perfect plan through “secondary causes,” let us briefly consider how this happens. The confession states that God accomplishes His plan primarily by “ordinary providence,” meaning He works through ordinary means.
If He wants someone saved, He will save them through the preaching of the Word, which He has commanded us to do (Matt 28:19–20). If He wants someone healed, He has given doctors and medicine, and He has told us to pray. He truly uses the prayers of His people to accomplish His will (Mark 11:24).
If He wants farmers to have a good crop, He has designed the ecosystem so that it will rain (Hos 2:21–22). But the confession also teaches that God has not bound His plan to only ordinary providence or secondary causes; He is able—if He so wills—to work outside the normal parameters He has established. These extraordinary acts are what we call miracles, and God is free to perform them whenever He sees fit. Yet even miracles are part of His providence.
We live in a vast and complex world, but as Christians, we can find great comfort in knowing that our God will accomplish all He has set out to do. Whether through ordinary means, secondary causes, or miracles, not a single atom in the universe exists outside His plan and providence.