Creation Ordinances

1Introducing: An Ordinance

• Name some ordinances you know:
  • Believers are to observe two important ordinances with their church family.

2Ordinance: Definition

• As Believers, the ordinance of God would be referred to as His .
• Name some typical things that Believers would consider to fit in this category:
  • God’s ordinances reach far deeper into the life of man than he realizes.

3God’s Four Creation Ordinances

• Obedience to the Creator is rendered by His creation beginning together.
• Not biological .
• Not “emotion”.
• An act of the , not out-of-control.
• Monogamous marriages are an act of the will.
• The moral of God is that His creature would enter into a human-divine cooperative in the process of filling the earth. (Covenant)
• Marriage is the only framework where this human-divine cooperative may occur.
• “A man shall , , and become .”
• This command is not presented as an option under Creation Ordinance.
• “Alternate lifestyles” is a contradiction under Creation Ordinance – there is no room for alternates to occur.
• This Ordinance is the closest thing given to humankind to mirror the .
• 1+1+1=1 (Trinity)
• 1+1=1 (Marriage)
• There is no more upon one person than the other – they have become one person – equal.
• This “value” also mirrors the .
• Both Image-Bearers find their value, not in each other, but in the Image.
• Human understanding of this kind of relationship was God ordained.
• Human relationships are God’s plan.
• Humankind did not have to any part of creation to understand his relationship with other Image-Bearers.
• God Himself – not creation, best defines unity.
• Unity is best celebrated in the physical union of humankind – this represents the of the relationship.
• Geographical .
• Humankind is responsible to “ ” the .
• Note the great distress of God over the breaking of this one ordinance: .

• Question: What was the great crime?

• Question: What was the punishment?

• Question: How did this punishment serve the will of the Creator?

• Have and the earth.
• Humankind is responsible to nature.
• His toil was his personal upon the garden that God had given to him.
• The Image-Bearer was to develop what was already perfect.
• The Image-Bearer entered into a human-divine cooperative in order to complete God’s full intention for the earth.
• His enjoyment was to be found in what the Image had provided for him.
• He was to , write about, sing about, , and in this great gift of creation.
• His work in the garden would the
• glory of God into the realm of humanity.
• Creation
• This day was set apart as Adam’s first day of life!
• This day was declared as in the life of the Image-Bearer.
• This day was NOT - .
• The was made for man, not the other way around. Mark 2:27
  • This day is universal to all Image-Bearers (Regenerate & Unregenerate).
  • The point of the :
  • All other nations would toil and labor, but God’s blessings lay with those who rested on this day.
  • Sabbath Rest does not necessarily mean not to ! (Remember the third Ordinance?)
  • Does not mean to all activity.
  • Keep the Sabbath central by doing a different “ ” of activity.
  • We need not go anywhere else,
  • We need not sample any fabrication of this world,
  • To experience all this life has to offer.

4Genesis: Creation Ordinances

5(God’s Purposes for Humankind)

• Bad news for “couch-potatoes” – What will heaven be like?

• Question
• Understand

• Was the garden in which Adam lived perfect?

• Why did Adam have to the ?
• Interesting
• Note

• What does this great importance placed on the creation around us tell us about how we should treat this world?

• Interesting
• Note
• As His Image-Bearers, we represent God through physical means.

• As His Church, how do we best represent Christ?

• (Both physical means)
• Interesting
• Note
• Man’s mind, will, emotions, behavior, pleasure…
• All that defines humankind is wrapped up in God’s Creation Ordinances.
• God’s commands provide us with all that we need to fully experience His gift of Life.