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Creation is ordered or structured The very term ‘cosmos’ is based on this recognition of order

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Creation is ordered or structured The very term ‘cosmos’ is based on this recognition of order

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  1. 35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar -- the LORD of hosts is his name: 36 "If this fixed order departs from before me,” says the LORD, “then shall the descendants of Israel cease from being a nation before me for ever.“ Jeremiah 31:35-36 [RSV]

  2. 31"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? 32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? Job 38:31-33 [RSV]

  3. Creation is ordered or structured • The very term ‘cosmos’ is based on this recognition of order • It is ordered in accordance with God’s creational design

  4. Creation is ordered or structured • This is part of the ‘goodness’ of the created world • The presence and recognition of this order enables us to harness it for our good • Order is not a product of our minds

  5. Creation is ordered or structured • The whole of the non-human world displays signs of order and structure • The regularity of physical ‘laws’ • The ‘fine-tuning’ of the universe • The intricacies and sophistication of cells

  6. Creation is ordered or structured • Yet many are unwilling to acknowledge the same about humans

  7. Creation is ordered or structured • It has become commonplace to deny the reality of human nature • Existentialism • Darwinian Evolutionism • Transhumanism

  8. Creation is ordered or structured • Biblical teaching about human beings is at odds with contemporary views • We are different from the rest of the animal kingdom

  9. I know at last what distinguishes man from animals: financial worries. Romain Roland I had a linguistics professor who said that it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet. That may be. But I think there's another thing that separates us from animals. We aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners. Jeff Stilson

  10. Creation is ordered or structured • It is ‘good’ for us to live in accordance with our created purpose and design • We can discern this purpose and design through scripture • Ecclesiastes 12:13 (cf. Gen 1:26-27; 2:15)

  11. Creation is ordered or structured • It is ‘good’ for us to live in accordance with our created purpose and design • We can discern this purpose and design through careful reflection re human nature (Natural Law)

  12. What happens when something is exercised or used contrary to its nature and purpose? • Serious damage • Loss of dignity

  13. What happens when something is exercised or used contrary to its nature and purpose? • Serious injury or damage is a sign of misuse or disorder • Denial of our creaturely status and design results in damage, dysfunction, and dissatisfaction • Romans 1:18ff.

  14. Salvation involves the restoration of human life to its created intention and potential • God has not left us lost in our rebellion and destruction • God’s creational design impacts all aspects of our lives • Contra Dualistic-Deism

  15. Salvation involves the restoration of human life to its created intention and potential “Our calling is to bring the order of our life in God’s world, whether in the pulpit or in politics, in our halls of learning or in our marketplaces, into conformity with God’s good order for our life in this world.” [Gordon Spykman]

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