Is God's providence the same as God's sovereignty?

Providence is not a word in the English Bible. In that sense, it is like the words Bible, biblical, Trinity, discipleship, evangelism, exposition, counselling, ethics, politics, charismatics.

None of those words is in the Bible, which shows that the reality that words point to is more important than the words themselves, even though the words are precious and indispensable — and in this case with the Bible, inspired and God-given.

Well, since providence is not used in a specific biblical text, there’s no biblical governor on its definition, its meaning. We can’t say, “The Bible defines providence this way.” We could only say that if the Bible actually used the word providence.

Now, you can see what that implies when we are trying to talk about the biblical view of providence since the Bible doesn’t use the word. It implies that the issue before us — in those conversations about the meaning of providence and in my book — is not the meaning of the word providence.

All-Powerful God, All-Good Provider
Sovereignty and providence are not the same. God’s sovereignty is his right and power to do all that he decides to do. Job 42:2:

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

But notice that nothing in that definition of sovereignty refers to God’s wisdom or God’s plans. It’s just right and power: you have the right and you have the power to do what you decide to do. When he decides to do a thing, he does it, and no one can stop him. That’s sovereignty.

So, to make sovereignty a Christian concept, not just a philosophical one, we have to bring in other things we know about God from the Bible, like wisdom and justice and righteousness and grace.

Providence, however, includes what sovereignty doesn’t. Providence, as I use the word and as most Christians have used it, is sovereignty in the service of wise purposes. Or you could say providence is wise and purposeful sovereignty. Since his purpose is so central to his providence, I spend a hundred and fifty pages or so clarifying what the Bible says God’s ultimate purpose is.

It’s not very helpful to try to nail down the meaning of a word like providence by picking apart its etymology — the history of its pieces, like providence. Because of the Latin behind pro-vide or -vide is ambiguous. It can mean “to foresee” or “to see toward.” And we have an idiom in English, “see to that.” That’s an interesting idiom, isn’t it? What does it mean? It means, “take the steps to make sure it happens.”

In fact, I think that is one of the most helpful paraphrases of God’s acts of providence. It is God’s seeing to everything. Absolutely everything that needs to be done to bring about his purposes, God sees to it that it happens. Isaiah 46:10: “[I declare] the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” In other words, “I will see to it.” See to it — pro-vide. “I will provide. I will see to it that everything works together for the goals that I have for the world.”

From His Fatherly Hand
Let me close with one example from history that I think is so beautiful. This is Question 27 of the Heidelberg Catechism. The date on that is 1563.

Question: What do you understand by the providence of God?

Answer: The almighty, everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were, by his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.

That’s a good summary of God’s providence: wise and purposeful sovereignty.
Author John Piper