Deism or Theism?

February 9

When God created the heavens and the earth, He set in motion all of the systems that seemingly run on their own, the “invisible gears” of the universe like natural laws (gravity, thermodynamics, etc.), weather patterns, and beyond. Four times in Matthew 9, however, we see Jesus once again demonstrating His power over all things, including degenerative processes that entered through Adam’s Fall, such as sickness, disability, and death. (Genesis 3:16-19; Romans 5:12)

Deism teaches that God set the universe and all it encompasses in motion, but that He’s no longer involved in its systems, processes, etc. In this belief, God is essentially a divine watchmaker: He “created the watch and then wound the watch.” But now, He’s just “watching it run.”

Theism (the Judeo-Christian worldview), on the other hand, teaches that God, not only set the universe motion, but continues to be involved in all of its intricate workings, sometimes intervening or suspending the very laws and operations He created or even reversing degenerative processes for His glory. The Bible refers to all of these acts of God as “miracles.”

Application

Unfortunately, Christians often approach prayer from a Deistic view, rather than a Theistic one. A case in point is to look at how we pray about sickness. When we, a loved one, or a friend gets sick, do we ask God to give the doctors wisdom and to use surgical procedures/devices, and medicines to restore the person to health? Or do we ask God to step into the situation and heal the person who is sick? Do we ask for a miraculous, instantaneous healing? Do we expect a miracle and pray accordingly?

Many Christians approach situations like this with the presumption that God doesn’t perform miracles anymore. Therefore, we shouldn’t ask God to intervene. Others believe that God can do the miraculous, yet rarely does. So, we shouldn’t be so foolish as to expect Him to move.

Still, another group of Christians approach these situations with the idea that if we seek medical help from doctors, specialists, and medicines, then we’re showing a lack of faith. They say something to the effect of, “God wants every believer to be healthy. So, if you are sick and go to a doctor, you’re showing that your faith is weak.”

We’ll explore this further on September 10 when we read Acts 28. For now, though, let’s just say that the Bible teaches that God is not only involved but interested in all of these things we’ve been discussing. As such, He can use doctors, medicines, and medical procedures to accomplish His purposes of restoring health. And, as the God Who is there and the God Who intervenes, He is also the God Who still does miracles.

So, how then does He want us to handle sickness and disability? God wants us to pray, asking Him to step in and perform miracles. (James 5:13-16) God also wants us to be wise, though, not make bad choices that put Him to the test, and seek out the wisdom that He gives doctors and people who invent medicines and medical equipment. (Proverbs 11:14; Matthew 4:7)

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman