WCF 5.3

5.3. Of Providence

God in His ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them at His pleasure.

Proof texts

• Acts 27:31, 44 — [31] Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” [44] and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
• Isa. 55:10, 11 — [10] “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, [11] so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
• Hos. 2:21, 22 — [21] “And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, [22] and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel,
• Hos. 1:7 — [7] But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”
• Matt. 4:4 — [4] But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
• Job 34:20 — [20] In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.
• Rom. 4:19, 20, 21 — [19] He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. [20] No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, [21] fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
• 2 Kings 6:6 — [6] Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float.
• Dan. 3:27 — [27] And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Acts 27:31, 44 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 9 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q11 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. WSC Q12 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q11 · WSC Q12 · WLC Q18 · WLC Q19 · WLC Q20 · HC Q26 · HC Q27 · HC Q28 · BC 3.1 · BC 3.2 · 1689 5.1 · SC60 2.1 · IAR 4.1 · IAR 4.2 · IAR 4.3 · IAR 4.4 · SHC 2.1 · SHC 2.2 · SD 5.1