Dr Paul Allen

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...

English: Job's Sons and Daughters Overwhelmed by Satan, by William Blake. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Satan is a source of adversity: Satan. In one sense he is ultimately behind all adversity. He is directly responsible for Adam and Eve’s being led astray and, therefore, for the calamity that followed. However, his involvement in adversity extends far beyond his activity in the Garden of Eden . He is alive and active today. Several biblical accounts illustrate Satan’s role in adversity. The clearest example is the story of Job. Those who attribute all adversity to sin of some kind or a lack of faith have a difficult time with this narrative. They attribute Job’s problems to his pride or the sin of his children. But the writer puts those theories to rest in the first verse of the book. There was a man in the land of Uz , whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God , and turning away from evil.  Job 1:1 , emphasis Later in the same chapter God Himsel...

Unbelievers constantly assert that the Bible says that Cain went into the land of Nod and took to himself a wife. What the Bible does say is that “Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden . And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch” ( Genesis 4:16–17). What the Bible means by “knew” in such connection anyone can discover for himself by taking his concordance and looking it up. He will discover that the word used in this connotation does not mean to get acquainted with, but is connected with the procreation of the species (see Genesis 4:1; Judges 11:39; 1 Samuel 1:19; Matthew 1:25 ). Cain doubtless had his wife before going to the land of Nod and took her there with him. But who was she, and where did he get her? In Genesis 5:3–4 we learn that Adam in his long life of 930 years begat many sons and daughters. There can be but little doubt that Cain married one of those numerous daughters. But someone will say, ...

Hebrews 11 is often called the "Hall of Faith" or the "Faith Hall of Fame." In this noted Bible chapter, the writer of the  book of Hebrews  introduces an impressive list of heroic figures from the Old Testament --remarkable men and women whose stories stand out to encourage and challenge our  faith . Some of these heroes of faith are well-known Bible personalities, while others remain anonymous. Take a tour through the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith: The sacrifice of Cain and Abel (circa 1800).  Getty Images •   Abel - First Martyr in the Bible The first person listed in the Hall of Faith is Abel: Hebrews 11:4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel's offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.   (NLT) Abel was the second son of  Adam  and  Eve . He was th...