Slides from David Hanson's talk at WYSOCS Open day. The talk is summarised from a series of talks.

1. (Some) Reformational
Basics
David R Hanson MA FRCS (WYSOCS) Open Day 2012

2. Existence is response
• Creation is always no more
than response to God‟s word
• it couldn‟t exist apart from
that word.

3. “all the way down”
• We humans, and all the rest, are
material creatures “all the
way down”
• that‟s how the Word supports
us.
• Holiness too goes “all the way
down” .

4. “all the way down”
• But creation is a spiritual reality
too, “all the way down”.
• The Spirit of God was busy long
before humans showed up.
• Since all creation‟s response is
to God, it is therefore spiritual.

5. Faithful
• Creation is made, upheld and
directed by God‟s faithful,
covenantal (not „absolute‟)
sovereignty.
• God is committed (given) to his
creation…
• a “covenant between me and all
life on earth” (Gen.9:17)

6. Established by decree
• An “unbreakable” covenant with
day and night and the fixed
laws of heaven and earth”
(Jer.33:25)
• “You established the earth and
it endures. Your laws endure
to this day for all things serve
you” (Ps 119: 90,91.)

7. By Word of Mouth (Ps. 147)
• “determines”; “calls” v.4
• “covers”; “supplies”; “makes” v.8
• “provides” v.9
• “sends command”; “word runs swiftly” v.15
• “spreads”; “scatters” v.16
• “hurls down” v.17
• “sends word and melts”; “stirs up… and
waters flow” vs.19
• “revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and
decrees to Israel” vs.19

8. - a law-order
• Creation is articulated, not
„floppy‟.
• Its skeleton or scaffolding is a
law-order, spoken by God
• and specified in multiple ways
to hold for creatures.

9. God‟s law words
• hold for all created things
• penetrate all creation
• a scaffold for existence & action
• like staves on an orchestral
score
• awaiting action / performance
• a dynamic order

10. School
• Education / learning is life-long
• Every part of it is there to
sustain our “spiritual” answer
to God‟s Word
• History, Physics and French are
some of the faces of God‟s
Word

11. What‟s Scripture for?
• It tells the story of Creation, its
predicament in human sin
and its glorious future
• Of God‟s coming in human form
to redeem and rule it
• Of the human calling to open up
its mysteries & make all its
forces serviceable to Him