1689 Creation

How of Creation

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century IV. Creation

In the beginning God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was pleased to create or make the world and all things in it, both visible and invisible, in a six-day period, and all very good.

Creation is product of Trinity

According to His pleasure

In 6 day period; all very good.

When we see how God created we see he is a God of purpose and pleasure

The Creation account also affirms to the goodness of the material world—body and spirit.

Psalm 135:6 ESV

Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

Why of Creation

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century IV. Creation

He did this to manifest the glory of His eternal power, wisdom and goodness

The goal of creation was to manifest his glory—not to fill a void

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century IV. Creation

After God had made all the other creatures, He created humanity. He made them male and female, with rational and immortal souls,5 thereby making them suited to that life lived unto God for which they were created. They were made in the image of God, being endowed with knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. They had the law of God written in their hearts7 and the power to fulfill it. Even so, they could still transgress the law, because they were left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject to change.

The main thing to draw our attention to (why) is that man is made in God’s image

3 explanations of what it means

—Rational View: rational ability sets us apart from animal kingdom

—Relational View: ability to have relationships

—Representative View: image bearers reflect God on earth “knowledge, righteousness, true holiness”

Image is central to our identity .

After the fall, image distorted, but not destroyed after the fall (Gen 5:1-3; 9:6; 1 Cor 11:7; Jas 3:9)

Jesus’s redeeming work restores the image (Col 3:10; Eph 4:24)

What of Creation

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century IV. Creation

In addition to the law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As long as they obeyed this command, they were happy in their communion with God and had dominion over the creatures.10

What is man’s role in bearing God’s image?

His role is to be a fully obedient son—to keep God’s law in

Note the emphasis on the moral law written on the heart

Romans 2:14–15 ESV

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

We also get the first “positive law”

Obedience leads to happiness and communion with God

Sum: God has created us for his glory to life in happy communion. Made in God’s image we have a moral duty to our Creator.

Sin is always a gross representation of what God has created us for.

For Life

Drawing on one word: happy. Are you happy?

All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves. —Blaise Pascal

God had a clear goal in creation. Our happiness grounded in our communion with him