Sociology: The Divine Imprint

This post is part 7 of a 12 part series about The Truth Project, an in-depth Christian Worldview experience led by Del Tackett and published by Focus on the Family.

Dr. Del Tackett introduces his tour of sociology with a collection of verses that point to a divine order in creation. Psalm 19:1 reminds us, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Job 12:7-8 tells us “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you.” In these verses, we are reminded that God has revealed his glory within creation. And part of that glory relates to his order. 

God’s Order in Creation

Pointing to the chicken, Tackett tells us that a chicken egg can tell us about how God has architected the universe, even to the details of a chicken egg. 

• Three main parts: Shell, yolk, albumen (egg white)
• Shell is porous: 10,000 pores (O2 in; CO2 out)
• Four vessels: 2 attach to the yolk for food; 2 attach to the outer membrane to breathe.
• Chick metabolizes the yolk: gives off CO2 & H2O vapor through the vessels to the shell
• 19th day: chick needs more air: uses “egg-tooth” on beck to peck hole in air sack at end of egg for 6 hrs of air; enough to break hole in shell for more O2. 

Just like God has created an orderly chicken egg, we also find an orderly universe. God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). He created the world in such a way to demonstrate his order and balance throughout the world. Here are a few of the systems that exhibit a divinely imprinted order:

• the atom
• cellular system
• skeletal system
• circulatory system
• photosynthesis
• coral reefs
• metamorphosis
• pollination
• water cycle
• lunar tides
• solar system

The Social Order

God’s order in creation can also be demonstrated in social structures. Though it may not seem like social structures are inherently designed, they are. The Bible tells us about these various structures which include: family, church, the relationship between God & Man, community, state, and labor. 

These social structures did not just happen. They were created to reflect the image of God in some way. But before Tackett reviewed the social structures, he pointed back to God’s nature in the Trinity.

The Trinity: God’s Nature

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) explained God’s nature in the Trinity in the following way:  

“In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, (1John 5:7; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14): the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, (John 1:14; John 1:18); the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son, (John 15:26; Galatians 4:6).”

This doctrine of God as three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in one essence (Godhead) is the classical understanding of the Trinity. There is a diversity in God (three-ness) and a unity in him at the same time (one-ness). That is why theologians call God a “Trinity”. God displays a type of “tri-unity” in the Bible. 

Tri-Unity in Social Structures

God has also stamped his imprint upon the social structures he created. In the family, he also integrated a type of tri-unity. The tri-unity in the family is the husband, wife, and children. Just as God the Son submits to God the Father, so also the wife submits to the husband. Just as the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, so also children proceed from both the husband and wife. There may be a diversity of persons in the family (hustand, wife, children), but there is a unity of essence (family). It is a tri-unity. This also reflects the God who made the first family in the Garden (Genesis 1:26-28).

In addition, God also stamped an imprint of his nature on the church. In the church, there is another tri-unity we find. We see Christ, the leaders, and the people as being three entities, but unified in purpose in the church. The first similar relationship is explicit: Christ and the church are compared to the husband and wife. Paul wrote about the husband and wife when he said, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:32). So it’s obvious there is at least some similarity in the Trinity we find in the church: the Father and Son are similar to husband and wife. See Ephesians 5:28-32 for more details.

Application: The Importance of Family 

The family and church are the only two social spheres Tackett covered in depth in his overview on sociology, but they are important ones. For instance, the family is the foundation of our culture. When the family disintegrates, individual children are crushed and affected for the rest of their life. Families are the backbone of our civilization. But when marriages are strong and children are properly trained and loved, society goes well. The destruction of the family is one of the major problems in America today that affects the rest of our culture.

Featured photo by Larry Crayton on Unsplash.