Abstract
The beatific vision concerns our eternal union with God, which is our greatest good. If God loves us, and so wills our good, why does he not actualise that union now, in our earthly lives, instead of waiting until the life to come? Answering this question addresses some of the most fundamental issues of divine providence and of divine action, in particular, how divine providence is compatible with human freedom, and how divine action is compatible with a law-governed creation. Building on previously published work, we develop an account of our knowledge of God that allows for divine providence to be compatible with human freedom and an account of God’s grace that allows for divine action to be compatible with a law-governed creation. We then bring these two accounts together to create a unified theory of God’s love for us, and God’s desire that we love him, too. This allows us to account for the so-called problem of divine hiddenness, as not so much a problem, but rather a feature, of God’s providential care for us and for how he manifests that care in his action in the world.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Divine Action and Providence |
| Editors | Oliver Crisp |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 11 Feb 2019 |