Dr Paul Allen

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces ( Genesis 15:17). It is not our own faithfulness that guarantees the covenant between God and us. Rather, it is His faithfulness that is the foundation of our walk of faith. We can trust Him because He is entirely trustworthy. When God made His promises to Abram, Abram asked God to assure him that He would keep those promises: “O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” (v. 8). God’s affirmation came in a dream during which Abram was instructed to cut certain animals in half. After he had done this, God repeated His promises. Then God, in the form of a smoking fire pot and blazing torch, passed between the pieces of the animals. What did this mean? It meant that God was making a covenant with Abram. Among the ancient Hebrews , when a covenant was made, it was not done the way we do it today. Covenants were not written; they were

English: The exterior of the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum in Kentucky (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Reading Ted Cabal’s book leans toward an old-earth view, but that’s not the point of his book. His point is that the rhetoric we use to defend our view matters. For example, we should not call the age of the earth a “ gospel issue .” Cabal argues calmly, thoughtfully, and charitably. He explains that professing evangelicals engage evolution today in four different ways (and a popular group is associated with each): young earth creationism ( Answers in Genesis ) old earth creationism ( Reasons to Believe ) evolutionary creationism ( BioLogos ) anti-evolution without theology ( Intelligent Design , e.g.,  Discovery Institute ) A forthcoming debate-book  for Zondervan’s Counterpoints series features these four views: Young Earth Creationism : Ken Ham (Answers in Genesis) Old Earth (Progressive) Creationism: Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe) Evolutionary Creation: De

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553): Adam and Eve. Beech wood, 1533. Bode-Museum, Berlin (Erworben 1830, Königliche Schlösser, Gemäldegalerie Kat. 567) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) God ’s goal in all of His creative and redemptive work is to bring glory to Himself (Isa 43:7; cf. Eph 1:6, 12, 14). This is expressed in His creation mandate to Adam and Eve , in which He commissions man, as those uniquely made in His image, to rule over the earth in righteousness (Gen  1:28 ). Man is to bring glory to God by their manifesting His presence as His vice-regent throughout all creation. But immediately Adam and Eve fail in their commission. The serpent deceives Eve, Adam eats of the forbidden tree, and in that moment the human race is catapulted into spiritual death and damnation (Gen 3:1–7). The Seed of the Woman And just as immediately, God graciously promises that He will send the seed of the woman to crush the head of the serpent and undo the damage of man’s curse into sin