The Word

We have been using Graeme Goldsworthy's book According to Plan - The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible in our college Sunday School class the past few months. I would highly recommend it for use in any adult bible study. In Chapter Nine (9), the author points out the relationship between creation and God's Word. "Creation by God's word also has the effect of showing that God has chosen to relate to all things by his word. The truth cannot be over-emphasized. The supremacy of the word of God in the world goes back to creation. All creatures must bow to his word." Id. at 91. Thus, unlike Merlin waving his magic wand or flinging pixie dust into the air, God simply speaks and it is. Moreover, by the preaching of his Word we are also made new creatures. Goldsworthy states that ultimately the fall of man results from this lack of trust in God's Word. They eat of the tree because they don't believe God's warning, and perhaps even more importantly, they don't believe God really loves them. God can not be trusted. "The most important effect of this is that God is no longer accepted as self-evident Creator and Lord. His Word is no longer accepted as self-evident truth, but is reduced to the status of the word of the creature. Both God and his Word are seen as lesser authorities that must constantly be tested by higher authorities. . .The truth of any proposition would from this point onward [i.e., after the fall] be tested by what was in humans themselves. In this sense they became as God." Id. at 104. How quickly do we forget the Gospel and place our trust in ourselves. Forgive us for our unbelief.