1689 4.3

4.3. Of Creation

Besides the Law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; which whilst they kept, they were happy in their Communion with God, and had dominion over the Creatures.

Proof texts

• Genesis 2:17 — [17] but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
• Genesis 1:26, 28 — [26] Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” [28] And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Genesis 2:17 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 2 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q9 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. WSC Q10 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q9 · WSC Q10 · WLC Q15 · WLC Q16 · WLC Q17 · WCF 4.1 · WCF 4.2 · HC Q26 · HC Q27 · HC Q28 · BC 3.1 · BC 3.2 · SD 4.1 · SD 4.2