Are there coincidences for Christians?
Discussion question for March 25, 2011.
Do things ever happen randomly or by chance? Is everything scripted by some higher power? Depending on your perspective to those questions, how do you exercise free will? How do you interpret circumstances in your life? What do you think of omens or signs? How does this affect your relationship with God?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
God is sovereign, omniscient and omnipotent, therefore there are no random acts or coincidences. However, everything that happens is an act of will on the person making a choice. Some things act in accordance with the will of God, and some act in opposition to it. Everything God causes to happen serves a purpose of fulfilling His will. Everything that God allows to happen, though it may be intended to thwart His will, is turned to good. He redeems it so it aligns with His will for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
We should consider every circumstance in which we find ourselves to perceive the will of God. The goal according to Philippians 2:2 is that our will be the same as His. If we are in opposition to Him then we are destroying our relationship with Him. If we are apathetic toward Him then we are attempting to accomplish our own will without taking the most powerful thing in the universe into consideration.
When we attempt to read the signs of the circumstances of our life, we can filter the information through that grid: either according to His will or in opposition to it. We can believe that His will is going to be accomplished, either outright or by redemption. We can agree to participate with Him or not.
There are several useful tools for discovering how our will aligns with His. Reading His words in the Word gives us an understanding of His character and purpose. Talking with others that know Him and have greater experience can help us discover patterns and features consistent with His will. These resources will help us derive meaning from the circumstances around us.
For example, God opens and closes doors to ministry according to the Apostle Paul. Reading about that in the Bible, and seeing how it is worked out historically can inform us about opportunities that seem to materialize or disappear in our current day. These are directions from God to help us live according to His purpose.
There are consequences to sin and outcomes described in the Bible and throughout history that are useful for our decision making. Smoking, unhealthy diets, lack of exercise are examples of choices that tend toward physical illness. These are prescribed circumstances that remind us to obey His law which is His revealed will. However, it is not a formula that we can constrain God within. Premature death, as defined by actuarial tables, can happen to anyone irrespective of their obedience to the laws of God.
We can take comfort in the fact that God is in control. We can also take comfort in the fact that He wants us to know how to participate in His will. We can read the signs of the things He causes and allows, and assume that He is in the process of fulfilling His perfect will. We can choose to participate with Him in what He is doing, using this information to inform our decisions.