Catechism Questions 13 and 14

Capital Students: Baptist Catechism Questions 13 and 14:

Question #13: What is the work of creation?

Answer: God executes His decrees in the works of creation and providence

Question #14: How did God create man?

Answer: God created man male and female, after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures

Question #13:

Statement of Doctrine or Application:

“If God did not create the earth, then why are we even here?”

Intro:

Statement of Proposition

As believers in Christ, we are to believe the word of God in its entirety. The backbone of our religion is built on the fact that God created the earth in six days. If we in one way or another doubt this our whole biblical outlook needs to be checked.

Other Texts that support

Genesis 1:1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Hebrews 11:3

3 By faith we understand that the [a]worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Exodus 20:11

11 For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Genesis 1:31

31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Why does this matter?

As true followers in Christ our presupposition is that the word of God is infallible or perfect. If we don’t take the word of God as perfect then we are automatically disqualified as Christians. If we don’t trust the first verse of this entire book then something is definitely wrong.

Main Point #1: The beginning of biblical worldview

Statement

“Creation Stresses the fact that God is the origin of all things, and all things belong to him and are subject to him.”

Prove

Creation is an act of the Triune God. We can’t think of it as just God the Father in creation.

The second and third persons of the trinity are not dependent powers, but independent authors together with the father

The Work is not divided among three persons, but the whole work, through the different aspects of each.

All things are at once out of the Father, Through the son, and in the Holy Spirit.

In all things of creation we see how the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit work in unisom. Let's look at Salvation: The Father calls us, through the son, in the Holy Spirit

Creation was not something that was necessary for God to do. God is self-sufficient and not dependent on his creatures in any way.

The World on the other hand is dependent, finite and temporal. The one can never change into the other.

We need to get out of our heads that God created us because he needs us. There is nothing special about us that God was like you know what I’m going to create these humans because they can do certain things that I can’t do. God does not need us in any way, but he does love his elect.

Flowers in Texts

(Father)

Psalm 96:5

5  For all the gods of the peoples are [a]idols, But Yahweh made the heavens.

(Son)

1 Corinthians 8:6

6 Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

(Holy Spirit)

Psalm 104:30

30  You send forth Your [a]Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground.

(God is not dependent)

Acts 17:25

25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;

(We are dependent)

Isaiah 42:5

5 Thus says the God, Yahweh, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its [a]offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it,

Illustration *****

Apply or Confront

We live in a world where we don’t want to be held accountable or dependent on anybody. I mean look around. Women don’t want to get married because then they have to be held accountable to someone else or are dependent on someone else i.e. the feminist movement. “I don't need no man.” People will literally do anything so they are not to be held to certain standards. As true followers (Elect) we are to realize that we are dependent on God, Accountable to God. It is only because of God’s love for us that we are even here to begin with. It wasn’t an accident of random particles that collided together.

Main Point #2: God’s Providence is always perfect

Statement

As fallen people we are always questioning things, stressed about life, money, relationships, the future, but God is always in control and everything that happens (Good and Bad) is to bring glory to God. God’s providence is perfect.

Prove

When we talk about providence we have to remember it isn’t just God at work it is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

But since it is because of Christ that we are able to have this relationship it would be a misinterpretation to ignore Jesus Christ in this equation.

God’s providence served also the purpose of bearing witness to God among the heathen.

In Matthew 6:25-34 the apostles are reminded of their creaturely relationship to God and in that aspect freed from anxiety about their earthly future.

The doctrine of providence tells us that the world and our lives are not ruled by chance or by fate, but by God

God always accomplishes his purpose, counsel, pleasure or will

As sinners we do resist God’s purposes

Matthew 23:37-39: “How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her wings, and you were unwilling.”

We learned in Romans last week about God hindering/preventing Paul from going to Rome. What was Paul’s response? Prayer, Submission. He wasn’t forcing anything because he knew that he would not be successful if it was not in God’s will.

Flowers in Texts

Psalm 75:6

6 For one’s rising up does not come from the east, nor from the west, And not from the [a]desert; 7 But God is the Judge; He puts down one and raises up another.

World leaders do not come into power due to their own knowledge, strength or chance; it is only through the providence of God that anything happens.

Ephesians 1:11

11 In [a]Him, we also [b]have been made an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Luke 1:52

52  He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.

Romans 1:20

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Illustration:--------------------

Apply to Their lives:

Pray that you to see the clarity in God’s answer

Be In God’s Word Daily

Be prepared to submit yourself to the Lord at all times

Question #14:

Statement of Doctrine or Application:

“God is perfect and made us perfectly in his image”

Intro:

Statement of Proposition

What is the root of the image issue that we face in today’s world? We see the fruit everywhere we turn. Men think they’re women, women think they can be animals, men in women's sports, people mulitaling their bodies etc. This right here is the one biggest disregard to the sovereign will of God. The Root of this issue is a total disregard and disbelief in God as the Creator and the fruit is what we are living through today.

Other texts that support

Isaiah 64:8

8 But now, O Yahweh, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And All of us are the work of Your hand.

Romans 9:21

21 Or does not the potter have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?

The fruit of the world today is the clay is telling the potter what he wants to be created as

Pointing the finger at God telling him that he got it wrong because my emotions dictate the world.

Why does this matter?

The secular worldview is based on “what I can do to glorify myself” As believers we can see that is not the case. We need to focus on what scripture says and submit to the laws and God and the word of God. That is the biblical worldview. If God made us in his image and we decide “ugh I don’t like that” What does that say to God? You’re not perfect and that is the farthest thing from the truth. Even if the entire world agrees on one thing and that goes against God everybody in the world is wrong and God is still right.

Main Point #1: We are made in the image of God

Statement

“Scripture asserts that man was created in the image and after the likeness of God”

Prove

Genesis 1:26-27

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [a]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

What is the biggest differentiation between us and a dog, let's say? Dog’s are not made in the image of God, but we are.

Exodus 20:13

13 “You shall not murder.”

Why shall we not murder? Because all humans are image bearers of God.

Each one of us is made by God for God’s glory. There are no mistakes when it comes to creation.

Flowers in Texts

The crowning point of creation, a living human, was made in God’s image to rule creation.

This in itself defined man’s unique relationship with God.

Man is a living being capable of embodying God’s communicable attributes.

What is man’s chief end? Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Do you consider it glorifying God if you say I hate the image in which you made me? And we ultimately see the result of this:

(The Root of this issue is impure hearts and lusts)

Romans 1:24-27

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for [a]a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed [b]forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is [c]unnatural,27 and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing [d]indecent acts and receiving in [e]their own persons the due penalty of their error.

Illustration

Apply or Confront

Main Point #2: God created men and women with distinct roles

Statement

“God created men and women equally, but with different responsibilities”

Prove

Genesis 3:16,18

16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain and [a]conception, In pain you will [b]bear children; Your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.” “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In [c]pain you will eat of it All the days of your life. 18  Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the [d]plants of the field, 19  By the sweat of your [e]face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground,

What is one role of a woman? Childbirth.

What is one role of a man? God cursed the object of man’s labor and made it reluctantly yield his food through hard work.

Flowers in Texts

Ephesians 5:22-28

22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church [a]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;

1 Peter 3:1-2

3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you[a] of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Ephesians 5:22-28 is one of my favorite passages in the NT. You have to dig deeper than the superficial review of this passage though.

Yes, I get it, wives are subject to their husbands and husbands are to sacrifice for their wives, but it goes much deeper than this.

First off, Let's start with the husbands. We are to lead our wives in the way that Jesus Christ leads his Church. It doesnt talk about wives follow their husbands blindly and do whatever they say, definitely not. It starts with the husband's lordship of his family and everything falls into place after that. The husband is to lead a life that is self sacrificial, a life that keeps his wife’s life pure.

In return, the wife is to be subject to the husband and if the husband were to not obey the word of God they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.

Illustration

Apply or Confront

Apply to their lives