Second causation

[chuckd]

I'm discussing how God made all things to my children and find myself distinguishing between things God made in nature (trees, animals, themselves, etc.) and things man made (buildings, roads, etc.). "Man made this house, but God made man."

I feel like I'm missing something because the same argument could be made for the trees. "A tree dropped its seed to make this tree, but God made the original tree."

I know God ordained the building be built and man built it (by second cause?), but can the same be said for the tree and seed?

 

[timfost]

God creates from nothing. Man builds from what God creates.

 

[TylerRay]

I'm discussing how God made all things to my children and find myself distinguishing between things God made in nature (trees, animals, themselves, etc.) and things man made (buildings, roads, etc.). "Man made this house, but God made man."

I feel like I'm missing something because the same argument could be made for the trees. "A tree dropped its seed to make this tree, but God made the original tree."

I know God ordained the building be built and man built it (by second cause?), but can the same be said for the tree and seed?

Yes, in both cases, we have secondary causation. What makes them different is that in the case of the man and house, the will of a personal being is a part of the second cause.