Topical Bible: Man: Created: Under Obligations to Obedience

◄ Man: Created: Under Obligations to Obedience ►

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Creation and Purpose

Man, as described in the Holy Scriptures, is a unique creation of God, made in His own image and likeness. Genesis 1:26-27 states, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." This passage underscores the divine intention for man to reflect God's character and to exercise dominion over creation, fulfilling a role of stewardship and responsibility.

Obligations to Obedience

From the outset, man was placed under specific obligations to obey God's commands. In the Garden of Eden, God provided Adam with a clear directive, as recorded in Genesis 2:16-17 : "And the LORD God commanded him, 'You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.'" This command highlights the principle of obedience as a fundamental aspect of man's relationship with God. The prohibition against eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil served as a test of man's willingness to submit to God's authority.

The Fall and Its Consequences

The narrative of the Fall in Genesis 3 illustrates the consequences of disobedience. When Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit, they violated God's command, resulting in spiritual death and separation from God. Romans 5:19 reflects on this event: "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." This verse contrasts Adam's disobedience with the redemptive obedience of Jesus Christ, emphasizing the gravity of man's initial failure to uphold his obligation to God.

Covenantal Framework

Throughout the biblical narrative, God's relationship with man is often framed within the context of covenants, which include stipulations for obedience. For instance, the Mosaic Covenant, given at Mount Sinai, contains laws and commandments that the Israelites were required to follow. Deuteronomy 11:1 states, "You shall therefore love the LORD your God and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments." This covenantal framework underscores the expectation of obedience as a response to God's gracious acts and as a means of maintaining a right relationship with Him.

New Testament Perspective

In the New Testament, the call to obedience is reiterated and expanded upon. Jesus Christ, in His teachings, emphasizes the importance of obeying God's commandments as an expression of love and faith. John 14:15 records Jesus saying, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." The apostle Paul further elaborates on this theme in Romans 6:16 : "Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?" Here, obedience is presented as a pathway to righteousness and life in Christ.

Conclusion

The biblical portrayal of man as created under obligations to obedience is a central theme that runs throughout Scripture. From the initial command in the Garden of Eden to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, the expectation of obedience is consistently linked to man's relationship with God, reflecting both the divine order and the moral responsibility bestowed upon humanity.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 2:16,17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Covenanting Adapted to the Moral Constitution of Man.
... These declarations imply that man was created at least ... that would have brought them
under obligation. ... Accordingly, man in his original condition, was, from his ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter vii covenanting adapted to.htm

The Original and the Actual Relation of Man to Law.
... As created, he was not compelled to summon his energies ... a spasmodic effort it costs
an unrenewed man even to ... curse involved in it, if they were under the same ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the original and the actual.htm

Introduction
... He has created us a new man' whose nature it is to ... you, for ye are not under the
law but under grace' (6 ... "This new revelation to the law has been created by the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the law and the saint/introduction.htm

"Therefore, Brethren, we are Debtors, not to the Flesh, to Live ...
... sin and misery, and to restore man to happiness ... for whose pleasure all were first
created, and who ... we are debtors," debtors indeed, under infinite obligations ...
/.../the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxxiii therefore brethren we.htm

Thou Shalt Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.
... the will of God who has thus created and ordained ... let us see whether you are the
man to oppose ... they should consider that they are under obligations of obedience ...
/.../luther/the large catechism/thou shalt honor thy father.htm

The Sinfulness of Original Sin.
... prove that every child of Adam is under condemnation, or ... But the instant they lost
their created endowment of ... Whatever a man's theory of the future life may be ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the sinfulness of original sin.htm

Obedience to Parents.
... this graded scale to the end for which we were created. ... you will be obliged to obey
a man of your ... of a citizen who imbibed in his childhood, under the paternal ...
/.../sainte-foi/serious hours of a young lady/chapter xix obedience to parents.htm

Appendix 2 the Case of Adam
... of the human race the first man acted. As then Adam was created with full and
unimpaired ... from the creature, and which the creature is under moral obligations ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the sovereignty of god/appendix 2 the case of.htm

Evans -- the Fall and Recovery of Man
... Man was created in the image of God ... wrath of God cometh upon the children of
disobedience." They are under the sentence ... Such is the condition of man as a sinner ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/evans the fall and.htm

The Impotence of the Law.
... When the Supreme Governor first placed man under the obligations and sovereignty
of law, He created him in His own image and likeness: endowing ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the impotence of the law.htm