Sustenance/governance, and concurrence (SGC): Here I'm getting out of
my comfort zone, so I'll just give my definitions and will wait to be
corrected by those more familiar with these concepts. I understand
sustenance-and-governance to be God "keeping the universe (with all of the
matter/energy and natural laws) in existence." And concurrence is God
"working through his created creatures to do his own work."
In reading previous posts, I must admit to being confused by claims that
SGC may be equivalent to TA. I would appreciate some clarification by
answering this question: Does the concept that "SGC (or SG and C; or S, G,
and C) is a form of TA" have any validity outside a framework that assumes
predestination, with God controlling *everything*?
Otherwise, it seems that "creatures running naturally wild" (doing
whatever they want, according to MIRM, with no TA) will not necessarily
accomplish what God wants. And I don't see where "SG with 100% MIRM"
differs from deism -- except that, with SG, God could "call it off" at any
time by simply removing the SG.
{ I seem to remember a post that described God being "involved in
everything that happens", and due to this there can be no distinction
between MIRM and TA; but in the Bible, TA is often clearly described (as a
concept that God *wants* us to understand, internalize, and believe), and
its importance is emphasized. }
Possibly "SGC and TA" will be the most hotly debated part of my post,
partly because we may be "talking past each other."
And there may be fundamental differences in our approaches to freedom
and the paradox of "predestination plus responsibility", and I'm sure we
won't get this figured out in the near future.
Anyway, I've given up (at least temporarily) on solving this paradox,
and have adopted a pragmatic "dual improvisational" approach to life; I
improvise each day (moment by moment), and if I follow God's will (as in
"God has a wonderful plan for your life") things will work out best, but
when I wander from God's "Plan A-1" for today, God improvises a "revised
Plan A-2" (and Plan A-3, and so on). All of this occurs in "real time as
perceived by me" and during all of this there is an appropriate use, by
God, of whatever TA is needed to make his plans work. There is some
control of my environment (both external and internal) by God and some
freedom for my own choices and the operation of free will.
This "dual improvisation" view isn't theologically defensible (but then,
I don't know if there is any satisfactory way to explain Romans 9) but at
least this view is consistent with the way that I (and maybe others?)
perceive my space/time choices, and it retains a sense of personal
responsibility for my own choices.
So does "SCG = TA" make any sense if this view (or something like it) is
assumed, or does "SCG = TA" only make sense with God controlling
*everything* (not just some things), or what?
Craig Rusbult