What does it mean that God is a God of order?

Response

The Bible teaches that God is a God of order indirectly. We come to understand that God is a God of order by the absence of disorder: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” «For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. », (1 Corinthians 14:33). This verse is part of a rebuke to the Corinthian church. Their worship services were disorderly, chaotic, and even offensive to visiting unbelievers «If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? », (1 Corinthians 14:23). The book of 1 Corinthians serves as a guide for proper conduct in the worship of God. Paul emphasizes the need for order in church services based on the premise that God Himself is a God of order, not chaos.

Order signifies a methodical and logical arrangement of objects, duties, or individuals. A room in order has been cleaned and everything is in its rightful place. God’s creation is characterized by order. He meticulously created everything over six days, establishing the world as we know it (Genesis 1:31;Exodus 20:11;Exodus 31:17). He designed the sun, moon, and stars to govern time and seasons (Genesis 1:14-18;Psalm 104:19), and these celestial bodies operate with precise regularity.

Living organisms also exemplify God’s orderliness. The heart propels blood through organs specifically created to receive it.The brain fires thousands of messages per second to regulate pain, temperature, respiration, and thought. Additionally, a million other chemical and physical reactions take place simultaneously within the body. If one factor were awry, the organism could not live, defend itself, or thrive. The more science discovers about creation, the more we learn about God’s miraculous order.

God is a God of order within His own Person. Although no human being can fully comprehend the tri-unity of the Lord God Almighty, we see orderliness in the three Persons of the Trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, yet they function in complete harmony (Matthew 28:19;John 14:26;John 15:26). Within God Himself is completeness. He needs nothing. He is complete love, complete joy, complete justice, and complete mercy. There exists no division, no conflict, no competition, and no need for change within the Godhead (Malachi 3:6;Numbers 23:19). Our God is within Himself a God of complete order.

God’s creation of time is another indication of His orderliness. God exists outside of time as we know it, but He created time as a way for earth to mark changes. Time is orderly, sequential, and does not vary based on anything mankind can control. Time keeps us orderly. Rich or poor, young or old, we all have the same number of hours in a day. The sun will rise and set on schedule no matter what may be happening on earth. Because God is a God of order, He keeps everything in motion as He first designed. It is His orderly hand that holds the world in place (Hebrews 1:3;Colossians 1:17).

Because God is a God of order, He deals with us in orderly ways. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world at just the right time «but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son» (Galatians 4:4).Illness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, », (Galatians 4:4). He prefaced the arrival of Jesus with nearly 1,500 years of a sacrificial pattern designed to teach people about holiness and repentance «and he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them upon the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he hath committed, and it shall be forgiven him.», (Leviticus 4:35). Through the Hebrew nation, He gave His law and showed us what was required to approach a holy God (Exodus 19:12;Leviticus 17:11). By the time Jesus came, the Jewish people were well-schooled in the sacrificial system and understood their need for a Messiah to make them right with God (Zechariah 9:9;Hebrews 9:22-23). God did not spring the idea of a Savior on the world. He spent centuries patiently preparing the world in an orderly fashion (Mark 14:49;John 3:16-18;5:39).

Since God is a God of order, we should be, too. We were created to think in orderly ways, reason, judge, and consider all aspects of a matter. God invites us to “come, let us reason together” «Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. », (Isaiah 1:18). God enjoys our communion.

with Him, our inquiries, our exploration of His Word, and our readiness to allow Him to bring structure to our disordered thoughts. The more we resemble Him, the more organized our lives will be since He is a God of order.