Hands On

Deism was a belief popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. There were more than a few of America's founding fathers that were deists. Theism is the idea of a God who is there, so to speak. Deism is the idea that God set it all in motion and then just stepped back. So both views include God, except deism removes Him one step from our lives. Deism isn't so prevalent anymore, but I think most of us are practical deists. Sure, we acknowledge God, but, for the most part, we see ourselves as on our own and pray at times for God to intervene, to step in and act when we aren't able to handle things. Practical deism. Not biblical theism.

The biblical perspective of God and His creation is one of a "hands on" relationship. We imagine that the world runs on physical laws and such -- physics, gravity, forces, etc. -- but Scripture offers a different notion. speaking of Christ, we read,

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Col 1:15-17)

"In Him all things hold together." Along the same lines, Paul told the Athenians, "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) Our living, our moving, our very being is completely and constantly maintained by Him. No deism there.

There is another critical "hands on" aspect of Christ. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." (John 10:27-29) We are often concerned about salvation. Where does it come from? How do we get it? Can we lose it? Can we have assurance? In this little conversation, Jesus answers some of that without equivocation. Jesus's sheep follow Him; He gives them eternal life. That's where salvation comes from. He gives it. Can you lose it? He says, "They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand." No, you can't. But it's not because of you. It's because He is "hands on" here. We don't know we will be saved because we are confident in our ability to maintain our salvation. We know we will be saved because of Whose hands we are in. He holds us.

Existence itself is a product of Christ's constant touch. He alone originated us and He alone holds us together. It is a moment-by-moment act, an ongoing, continuous work of Christ that we exist at all. It is the absolute opposite of a "get it started and step away" deism. Beyond that, salvation is a product of Christ's work and is maintained for us in another moment-by-moment act, keeping us safely in His hands where none, not even ourselves, can remove us. Again, this is not deism. I think we put way too much trust in our own power and will to get us from point A to point B. God's Word indicates that we exist by His constant hand and we are saved by His constant hand. That's a hands-on God. And it's the God I need to trust.