1. Apparatus SIL

The Apparatus SIL fonts were designed to provide most of the symbols needed to reproduce the textual apparatus found in major editions of Greek and Hebrew biblical texts. The font family consists of 4 weights: Regular, Italic, Bold and Bold Italic. It was designed for optimum clarity and compactness when printed at small point sizes.

2. League Gothic

This typeface is in the public domain. This font is a display sans-serif, available for free download and use in personal and commercial projects. Designed by The League Of Moveable Type.

3. Contra

This legible font family comes in 2 weights: Regular and Italic. It works best for headlines and in large sizes.

[via Smashing Magazine]

What fonts do you use most in church publications?

Why would I want to do that?

Good question. Mainly, I want to improve my writing skills. The discipline of writing regularly will help me. I also want to improve my communication skills. Tragically, it isn’t one of my strong suits; yet, I am eager to improve.

How will I improve?

By following a guide written by Darren Rowse entitled “31 Days to Build a Better Blog.” I purchased the ebook, but now I realize that you can obtain all of the information in the ebook for free on Darren’s website. I’m not doing this by myself; I’ll be joining with many others through the Christian Web Trends blog. I’m not very familiar with the author of that blog; in fact, the first post I read was about this challenge.

Day 1 – Create an “Elevator Pitch” for your blog

The first day’s assignment is to create an “elevator pitch” and I found it challenging. Mostly because this blog hasn’t really had any focus since it was started in January of 2007. In fact, it has even changed names. At the start it was entitled “Rediscover God’s Word” and did have a focus (blogging through the Bible), but that changed when I wanted to blog about more stuff – hence, the current name: Stuff I Like. So, here’s my new elevator pitch:

Here’s my short version (for the tagline in the site header):

musings on the Bible, ministry, and technology

And the long version (for the about page):

My name is Jack Lamb and I blog at “Stuff I Like”. My blog is a place for my thoughts on various things that I like. I am very passionate about knowing and worshiping my God so you will find posts on the Scripture, theology, and ministry. I also enjoy learning about and utilizing new technologies. You can follow me on Twitter for links and helpful quotes. There’s not alot of personal information here, but you can connect through Facebook if you’d like.

What do you think? Does this give you a clear idea of what to expect at my blog?

The answer to all of those questions, according to Scripture, is a resounding no! Far from being one of many options for the Christian, the church is the primary means through which God accomplishes His plan in the world. It is His instrument to evangelize the world and to sanctify those who are born into His family. Therefore God expects a commitment to the church from everyone who claims to know Him.

Key Verse:
1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

It’s the House of God

The phrase “house of God” indicates that the church is God’s dwelling place or immediate family. Both meanings are applied to the church in Scripture, and both provide profound testimony to its divine origin and significance.

The Church is God’s Dwelling Place – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; Revelation 1:12-13, 16, 20
If we want to be where God is, we need to be in His church, for that is where he dwells. And the way we relate to Him is largely dependent upon the way we relate to His church, for it is the house He has built with His own hands (1 Peter 2:5).

The Church is God’s Family – 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12
If Pastors and deacons need their households in order, how much more should God’s own household be in order! We need to be in His family if we want to consider Him our Father. With Paul’s words in mind, how could people call God their Father while refusing to be a part of His family? Yet that plain contradiction essentially describes the position of those who say they have faith and salvation apart from the church.

It’s the Church of the Living God

The church proceeded from God and belongs to God. He is the living God – the only true God; at all times, He is personally and actively involved in its operation and enterprises.

It’s the Pillar of Truth

Paul’s next descriptive name for the church—“pillar” –tells us that it actually holds up the truth. God’s truth doesn’t stand without the church. Of course, Jesus promised that His church will be a permanent institution (Matthew 16:18). Our relationship to God and His truth is in mortal danger if the church doesn’t occupy its intended place in our lives. To those who abandon the church, their faith has crumbled—because they have torn away the pillar that upholds the truth.

How does the church function as a pillar of truth?

• Revelation: God chose to reveal the truth of the New Testament in and through the church –Ephesians 3:8-11
• Preservation: God chose the church to recognize His words and preserve them for all generations
• Proclamation: God chose the church to proclaim the truth to the world—Matthew 28:18-20
• Administration: God chose the church to provide the structure and order He has devised for worship and growth—1 Timothy 3:15
• Protection: God chose the church to protect the truth from error—Romans 16:17; Titus 3:9-11; 2 John 9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:1-6; Matthew 18:15-18; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

It’s the Ground of the Truth

Think of this as the foundation that the pillar rests upon. Paul wanted Timothy to know that the church is the one institution that God has promised to preserve throughout all time (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 3:21).  God hasn’t given this promise to rescuing America from decline or parachurch ministries.

1. He knew he was called of God

Before you quickly move into a place of ministry, be sure God has called you and equipped you for the job. You may not think you can do it, and others may have their doubts; but if God calls you, have no fear: He will see you through.

2. He depended on prayer

The Book of Nehemiah starts and ends with prayer. And in between, Nehemiah oftens sends up quick prayers to heaven and asks for God’s help. “Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers,” said Phillips Brooks. “Pray for powers equal to your tasks.” One mark of true spiritual leaders is their honest acknowledgment of their own inadequacy and their humble trust in the power of God.

3. He had vision and saw the greatness of the work

No matter what God has called you to do, it’s a great work because it’s part of the building of His church; and that’s the greatest work in the world. If you lose the greatness of a vision, you will begin to cut corners in your work, stop making sacrifices, and start looking for something else to challenge you. Nehemiah realized that what he was doing was far bigger than simply repairing gates and rebuilding walls. He was serving the Lord God of heaven and getting the holy city ready for the coming of the Messiah!

4. He submitted to authority

The call of God is not an invitation to become independent and ignore authority. Nehemiah respected the king and submitted his plans to him for his approval before he went to Jerusalem. Even more, Nehemiah submitted to the authority of the Word of God. He invited Ezra to teach the Law to the people so that they too would obey the will of God. It is a basic rule of life that those who exercise authority must themselves be under authority. Nehemiah was a man who was dependable because he was accountable.

5. He was organized in his work

He planned his work and worked his plan, and God blessed him.

6. He was able to discern the tactics of the enemy

7. He worked hard

This is what Charles Spurgeon said to the ministerial students at his Pastors’ College in London: “Do not be afraid of hard work for Christ; a terrible reckoning awaits those who have an easy time in the ministry, but a great reward is in reserve for those who endure all things for the elect’s sake. You will not regret your poverty when Christ cometh and calleth His own servants to Him. It will be a sweet thing to have died at your post, not turning aside for wealth, or running from Dan to Beersheba to obtain a better salary, but stopping where your Lord bade you hold the fort” (An All Round Ministry, p. 197).

8. He lived an exemplary life

You have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. It is when people start to lead a double life that they get into trouble, for nobody can serve two masters. Hypocrisy leads to further deception, until the deceivers get caught in their own traps.

9. He sought to glorify God alone

I fear that the church today suffers from having too many celebrities and not enough servants. The praise too often goes to the workers and not to the Lord. Particularly at some religious conventions, there is so much praise given to men that the Lord is left out of the picture completely.

10. He had courage

There is no place for timidity in leadership. Once you know what God wants you to do, you must have the courage to step out and do it. You must be willing to take some risks and occasionally make some mistakes. You must be able to take criticism, be misunderstood, and even be slandered, without giving up.

11. He enlisted others to work

True leaders don’t try to do everything themselves. They not only enlist others, but they also create the kind of climate that enables others to become leaders as well. Real leaders aren’t afraid to surround themselves with people who can do some things better than they can. Leaders don’t feel intimidated by the excellence of others; in fact, they encourage it. Their job is to challenge others to do their best and help get the job done.

12. He was determined

Nehemiah was determined because the work he was doing was a great work and he was serving a great God. He was determined because the city was in great reproach, and he wanted it to bring great glory to God. He was determined because he was part of a great plan that God had for the world as He worked through the Jewish nation.

So, the next time you feel like quitting, remember Nehemiah and stay on the job until the work is finished to the glory of God.

Excerpted from:
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996), 148–159.

This is a good rule of interpretation to follow. With this in mind some have erroneously taught that various verses in Genesis suggest that Eve had children prior to the Genesis Fall and that people and entire cities existed before the children of Cain and Abel. Some have gone so far to say that some kind of Pre-Adamic race or previous earth-age existed before Adam that was destroyed because of sin and they actually call it a previous earth age. This reasoning is faulty. First, In Genesis 1:31 God said that all His creation (including the angelic world) was good. This could not be true if there was a previous Adamic race existing on earth prior to Adam’s creation that was deceived by Satan. Second, if God allowed death to occur before Adam, then God is the author of death.  The Bible says Adam (not God or Satan) is the author of death (I Cor. 15:21); therefore, no human race fell before Adam’s time.  Not until man deliberately rejected the known will of God did death make its first appearance on this planet (Romans 5:12). Third, and more importantly, the Bible clearly tells us that Adam was the first man that God created. Let the Bible speak for itself.

1 Corinthians 15:45

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Romans 5:12

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Adam was the first man, death came to the world through Adam, and in Adam all mankind has sinned. This is the clear revelation of Scripture. There was no previous race of people before Adam. The generations of man began with Adam (Gen. 5:1). To say that there were people existing on earth before Adam is a weird and wacky conclusion that has no Scriptural base. To say he was the first man after a prior race of millions of men would be severe eisegesis (reading into the Scriptures something that is not there).

But what about Adam and Eve bearing children before Cain and Abel? Is there any logic to this reasoning? Some claim that Genesis 3:16 alludes to the fact that Eve had previous children before Cain and Abel. Genesis 3:16 says, “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

The point is made this way. Since God told Eve that He would greatly multiply the woman’s sorrow and her conception in sorrow that there had to be children before the Fall and before Cain and Abel. This is because God said He was multiplying (Hebrew “rabah” – increasing greatly or exceedingly) the woman’s sorrow. You can’t multiply something that did not previously exist.

Several observations can be made about this faulty interpretation.

First, God gave the original command to replenish the earth with offspring back in Genesis 1:28. This verse is a summary of God’s original intent for mankind while He lived in a state of innocence. Naturally, since the Fall took place, God was now adding a new feature or dimension to His original intention and plan for child birth. The idea of multiplying has to do with changing God’s original intention (pain free child birth in a state of innocence) to another plan of childbirth that now involves pain and sorrow, due to the entrance of sin in the human race. It has nothing to do with making something worse than it was before. It’s understood that before Eve had children the curse came upon mankind. A logical and factual reading of the Bible places conception and childbirth after the Fall (Gen. 4:1-2). No one knows how long or short the state of innocence was for Adam and Eve. The Bible simply states that after the Fall children were born. We must allow the Bible to speak for itself on this matter.

Second, God in this statement was simply telling the woman that He would greatly multiply her suffering in general, and more particularly that of her childbearing. Her pains would exceed that of men and particularly during the period of childbearing. And all the ladies said, “Amen!” In a general way, women would experience greater suffering than men (multiplied suffering) and this would be seen when she brings forth children. The idea of multiplying may simply be a comparison between the woman’s suffering and the man’s level of suffering. The woman’s suffering would be greatly multiplied in comparison to the mans suffering, childbirth being a prime example. Her multiplied suffering over the man, especially in childbirth, is a constant reminder that a woman gave birth to sin in the human race and passes it on to all her children. Notice, she can be delivered from this curse to some degree by raising godly children, as indicated in 1 Tim. 2:15.

Third, to interpret the statement (“greatly multiply thy sorrow and conception”) as meaning that Eve would continue to bear children as she did before, but with greater pain, would suggest that there must have been pain in childbirth prior to the Genesis Fall. This is erroneous. The Bible clearly says that pain and death go together and were associated with the Fall (Gen. 3:14-19). They had no existence prior to the Fall. The Bible indicates that nature’s curse (“groaning and travailing in pain”) is a result of the Edenic curse, which came after Adam’s fall (see Romans 8:20-22).

Fourth, the understanding of Genesis 3:14-19 is that none of the curses mentioned by God occurred before the Fall. To say that they did occur prior to the Fall in some form or other is illogical. If pain occurred before the Fall in childbirth, to some degree, then to be honest with the text, you must also say that Adam and Eve faced the battle of the sexes to some degree before the Fall (Gen. 3:16), the ground was also cursed to some degree before the Fall (Gen. 3:17-18), man had to work vigorously to some degree before the Fall to make ends meet, and that death to some degree existed before the Fall (Gen. 3:19). Furthermore, sin must have then existed to some degree before the Fall. All of this is untrue (Rom. 5:12). Interpreting the phrase “multiplying thy sorrow” as a greater sorrow that previously existed opens up a can of interpretive worms. If you interpret one part of the curse as being greater in intensity and existing prior to the Fall, then you must interpret them all in the same way.

Fifth, to suggest that there were children born to Adam and Eve prior to the Fall means that there were sinless babies and children. This too is a faulty conclusion. David declared that children are born in sin (Psalm 51:5). The Bible never talks about a sinless race of people in some kind of prior earth age. To say that there was such a race is pure conjecture. The only race that existed was the one race that existed before the Genesis Flood (2 Pet. 3:6)

Sixth, the Scripture in a clear and understandable fashion suggests that Cain was the first son born to Eve (Gen. 4:1). Eve in this verse said that she had “gotten a man from the LORD” (not another man or the second, third, fourth, or tenth man). Let’s believe what the Bible simply states and says. Cain was the first son. There were no sons or children prior to Cain. Furthermore, Scripture speaks of the three sons of Adam and Eve (Cain, Abel, and Seth – see Gen. 4:25) – not the three hundred sons or children that lived before them.

Seventh, if there were other children born to Adam and Eve before Cain and Abel then why doesn’t Scripture (the final source of our authority) record this anywhere within its pages? Why would God hide this from us? What the Bible does tell us is that Adam and Eve were the first human parents of Cain and Abel. To make assumptions otherwise by reading human reasoning into texts causes us to huckster the intended meaning of the Bible (2 Cor. 2:17 – “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God”).

It is also suggested by some that there must have been people living before Cain because of the mention of people living in a city. But let’s read what the Bible actually says. What saith the Scripture (Rom. 4:3)?

Genesis 4:17

And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

The Bible says that Cain was the progenitor of the city as he tried to reverse the curse of wandering that God had placed on him. He brought the city into existence or the first civilization that perished in the judgment of the Genesis Flood. This civilization marked a civilization that wanted to exist apart from God.

Cain said in Genesis 4:14-15:

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

But God replied:

And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Some suggest that since there were people living on earth that could find Cain that there must have been a race of people or children born to Adam and Eve prior to Cain. But once again Scripture debunks this idea (1 Cor. 15:45). Adam was the first man. Cain was simply recognizing that as the earth became populated (Gen. 6:1) he would become a marked man and a moving target for causing such problems in the world. But God made sure that this would not be the case by protecting Cain with some mark or sign that would become a deterrent to others and keep them from killing him. The same mark that saved him was the lifelong sign of his shame. In any event, to claim by this statement (“every one that findeth me shall slay me”) that there was a race of people existing on earth before Cain, or that Adam and Eve had children prior to Cain, is to read into the Scriptures one’s own fantasies. Cain simply was recognizing that as the earth rapidly expands in population he would need God’s protection.

In conclusion, to use hypothetical reasoning with the statements that are presented in Genesis 3:16 and 4:15-17, without studying the context or entire Biblical record on creation, causes one to arrive at anti-Biblical conclusions. The natural reading of Genesis records accurate truth. So remember this old interpretive saying: The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things!

By Pastor Kelly Sensenig

True consecration to Christ simplifies life, for it leaves the management to HIM. It also unifies life, for it blends all our motives and activities in on all-controlling aim to please HIM. It purifies life, for it expels all that is disapproved by HIM. It amplifies life, for it gives the divine will spacious fulfillment through us to uplift HIM. And it glorifies life, for it makes us a blessing to others and a praise to HIM.Our entire consecration is that which our Lord Himself desires for us above all else – far more than our service, our money, our time, or even our prayers…There can be no substitute for this, simply because there is no equivalent. How incalculably important, also is our consecration to Christ when we think of the unsaved all around us, and of the low spiritual average among believers today, and of our Lord’s nearing return!

Are not all Christians thus consecrated? Not; far from it. But to they not all desire it? Yes, I think they all do. whey then are so few actually consecrated? It is because consecration, although in one sense a simple “handing over” followed by a simple “hands off”, is the hardest of all capitulations to the elf-centered ego in us. To give up this or that or the other sin is comparatively tolerable, but to give up self-management, self-motives, grudges, plans, and self-everything, is utterly unbearable to our hereditary Adam-nature, which is supported in its resistance by Satan and the world, and perhaps unintentionally by other Christians.

Oh, it is a super crisis of the soul, to give up your claim to every bit of merit, your desires for the present, and if necessary your plans for the future, your first claim on every penny you possess, your own ideas, your everything – not just for a year or a decade, but for ever! One of the most powerful deterrents is our fear of being misunderstood by loved ones, and the loneliness which may be thus occasioned. There is only one thing which can make this complete hand-over easy. It is to have such a trustful, grateful, adoring love for Jesus that all else seems “dross” compared with His dearness and excellency…It is the supreme test of our love.

Prelude to Judgment (Genesis 6:5-7)

“Only evil continually.” Now that is a perfect description of unredeemed men and women of any era—including our own. Human beings are not basically good. Because of the curse brought about by Adam’s sin (see Gen. 3 and Rom. 5), human beings are basically bad—completely sinful. How can I say such a thing? We can look around the world and see good things being attempted and noble tasks being achieved. But the problem is not simply with our attempts and our achievements. The problem is with our hearts. Until we come to bow the knee to Jesus Christ as King of the universe, our own agendas remain on the thrones of our hearts—we are without God in the world. And that means that even our best acts are godless acts. And for all the good that homeless shelters, cancer research, or AIDS orphanages will do on this earth, those efforts will not carry over to eternity unless they are done in the name of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To put it another way: if our hearts are godless, then even our most altruistic deeds are filthy rags because they are done by our own self-effort and not through the strength that God supplies. And that, even in the most loving and giving among us, leads to secret pride: “Look at what I achieved”; “Look at who we helped”; “Look at what mankind has accomplished.” And in that kind of thinking, subtle or unspoken as it may be, there is a robbery of the glory of God who made us and who alone gives us the ability to accomplish what is meaningful.

Some of us do “only evil continually” by blatantly rebelling against God. Others of us do “only evil continually” by failing to acknowledge God as the giver of every good and perfect gift—including the gifts we ourselves give to others. But both lifestyles are equally godless and, as we shall see, worthy of judgment.

Global Judgment

The water covered the entire earth: “And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.” Genesis 7:19

All people and animals not on the ark died: “And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.” Genesis 7:21-23

Arnold Murray doesn’t agree, but Peter does: “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” 1 Peter 3:20

Here’s a couple of great articles for more on the flood:
http://www.icr.org/article/842/ “Why Christians Should Believe in a Global Flood”

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/really-a-flood-and-ark

Man had been placed in the garden by God, and given a task (to tend it and to keep it)—and a prohibition—(Gen. 2:17). Man was created to rule over the animals. The Bible was written as a textbook for man—and like any textbook it does not expect the student to understand everything in the first few chapters. There are many questions left unanswered which are taken up at later times. The fact that a serpent speaks is exceedingly strange for the Bible is not Aesop’s Fables.

The Bible makes a very conscious distinction between man and animals. In the previous chapter it explained that Adam gave names to the animals. (Clearly the animals could not do that themselves!) A speaking serpent is incongruous against the background of the Creation account. Speaking animals would seem to belong to paganism which has no concept of creation. Yet it is only later that we learn that the serpent was an instrument of another power. In Genesis 3 all that is not immediately relevant is omitted. All we are told is that the character of the animal made it a particularly well-adapted instrument for the power that used it, and we learn that it was created by God a beast of the field. That is very important for there was an order of authority in the creation. That order was: man ruling over beast; man ruling over the creation.

Satan planned to interrupt that order—to take the lowliest of the beasts and make that beast rule over man. He wanted man to listen and to follow the lowliest of the beasts rather than for man to obey and follow God. He approached the woman first to induce her to lead her husband astray, and thus further disrupt the natural authority of man over woman.

The Temptation

We can learn a lot from this first encounter with Satan:

1. He wants to confuse us (3:1 “Yea, hath God said…”)

He does the same in our minds: “Maybe that verse doesn’t really mean what it looks as if it means. Maybe God doesn’t mean for us to take that literally. Maybe … Maybe … Maybe …” Satan’s strategy is to make us doubt the reliability and applicability of the clear teachings of Scripture. We must not believe him!

2. He wants to cloud the nature of God (3:1)

Of course God hadn’t said that! In fact, he said that Adam and Eve could eat from any tree of the garden—except the one (2:16–17)! But you see how Satan operates. He twists what God has said. And he takes one small restriction, placed upon us for our good, and makes God out to be a spoilsport. He says things like: “God is always trying to spoil your fun. What’s the matter with looking at a little soft porn? After all, you’re not hurting anyone.” Or, “Why does God care what you do with your money? Doesn’t he want you to enjoy life?” In the face of such lies, we must remember that our God is good, no matter how the devil paints him!

3. He wants to salve our consciences (3:4)

Sin isn’t that big a deal, the devil tells us. “OK, God said don’t eat from the tree. But come now, do you really think he’s going to kill you over this? Go ahead. You know he will forgive you.” Have you ever heard him talk like that? Don’t believe it. The devil is a liar; God hates sin, and “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

4. He wants sin to look good (3:5)

There was some element of truth to that statement. Adam and Eve, who had never before known evil, would surely know it now! But do you see what Satan was doing? He was convincing Eve that sin would actually enable liberation and self-actualization! And he is still telling the same lies: “Go ahead and separate from your wife. You’ll finally be free.’ “Go ahead and take out your frustration. You’ll feel much better.” “Go ahead and vent your anger towards God. It’s cathartic.” Lies, all lies! Sin will never make you free. Adam and Eve were promised liberation, but instead (3:7) they received shame. They were promised that they would become like God, but instead they found themselves (3:8–10) hiding from God.

Sin’s seductive promises always turn out to be a mirage! Those relationships we enter against the will of God leave scars that may never fully fade. Those extra trips to the buffet leave us miserable for the rest of the day and place some of us on operating tables. And what about the nicer car, the bigger TV, the latest gadgetry, and the younger wife? All those things grow old and outdated—leaving us just as empty as we were before. Selfishness and sin never keep their promises.

Their Shame

Instead of getting what Satan promised, the first sinners found themselves naked and ashamed. Instead of admitting their sin when confronted, they made excuses! Blame-shifting is a universal human disease. Ever since Adam and Eve, it has been part of our sinful human nature: “I know I sometimes lose my temper. But that is just the way God made me.” “I know I shouldn’t talk to my wife that way, but I’m under a lot of stress at work.” “I know I shouldn’t read these racy romance novels, but my husband isn’t exactly a knight in shining armor anymore.” But anytime we begin a sentence with “I know I shouldn’t … but,” we are on dangerous ground. We ought simply to stop with: “I know I shouldn’t.” God has made himself clearly seen in creation, in the human conscience, and, most of all, in his Word, so that we are “without excuse” (Rom. 1:20) when we sin against him.

Their curse & promised redemption (Genesis 3:15)

Sin would affect every aspect of their lives and our world. It ruins all that it touches. Death would now be a reality. Chapter 5 dramatically illustrates this by repetition of the phrase “…and he died.” But, one day a child of the woman would destroy the works of the devil forever. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” Galatians 3:13

sources:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v4/i3/fall.asp

Kurt Strassner, Opening Up Genesis (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009), 33–36.