Form and Function

1 Timothy 2:8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; 9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

I spent just about my entire pre-pastoral career involved in electronics design of one sort or another, most of it involving audio engineering and sound reinforcement.

There is a saying in design which has a lot to do with efficiency, and that saying is: “Form follows function.”

The reason ‘form follows function’ is because you are trying to be as efficient as possible in the design realm, both to save cost and to increase function. To build a product with the most features at the lowest cost is how you compete. You don’t have a lot of extraneous stuff in there.

So, you can look at a well-designed product and begin to determine what its true function is designed to be by observing its form.

God designed the universe and everything in it. His design is amazing, wonderful, staggering in scope, and brilliantly conceived…far beyond our ability to comprehend. How smart we must be to even begin to comprehend His power and wonder as revealed in His creation. (And we like to think of ourselves being VERY smart.)

Just as the products we design demonstrate their intended function by their form, (think of the hammer, for example,) God has demonstrated His concept of how we are to function by His design of us.

The problem is we strive to take what He has designed and use it for purposes which are not intended, and then blame God for poor results. We see modern society blaming “Christians” for their narrow-mindedness about social and cultural function while watching society fail in just about every way. Who really is to blame for the consequences of breaking with God’s clearly indicated purpose for our lives? Are we making things better when we think ourselves smarter than God – and begin to go against the rules of His creation – or make up our own rules along the way?

If I desire to know the proper use of any product, I need to consult the owner’s manual.  

 -  Pastor Bill