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A
Tragedy & Triumph in the Theater of God:
A Reformed View of the Relationship of Faith,
Obedience and the Image of God
Thomas Harvey
fter the world had been created, man was placed in it as in a
theater, that he, beholding above him and beneath the
wonderful works of God, might reverently adore their Author.
Secondly, that all things were ordained for the use of man, that he,
being under deeper obligation, might devote and dedicate himself
entirely to obedience towards God. Thirdly, that he was endued
with understanding and reason, that being distinguished from brute
animals he might meditate on a better life, and might even tend
directly towards God, whose image he bore engraved on his own
person. Afterwards followed the fall of Adam, whereby he alienated
himself from God; whence it came to pass that he was deprived of
all rectitude. Thus Moses represents man as devoid of all good,
blinded in understanding, perverse in heart, vitiated in every part,
and under sentence of eternal death; but he soon adds the history
of his restorations where Christ shines forth with the benefit of
redemption. From this point he not only relates continuously the
singular Providence of God in governing and preserving the
Church, but also commends to us the true worship of God;
John Calvin. Commentary on Genesis 158
Any good story contains at least three parts. First, you
need characters whose traits and natural capability will shape
and be tested in the unfolding events. Next there must be
shared or disputed ends for which the key characters contend.
Finally you need an enticing plot where obstacles, conflicts,
158 Commentary on Genesis