God Formed Man

Paul now moves us on from consideration of how a person is saved or justified through faith. There are many other things about our life after justification. Yet in moving on, of what must we not lose sight? What does Paul have in mind when he says we now have peace? What is the broader sense of this word? What does it mean that we now stand in grace? How is it that we have come to be in such a position? Can someone cease to stand in grace? What is Paul talking about when he speaks of the glory of God in which we hope? (52 min)

IIn this lesson we continue to consider Paul's warning to the Roman Christians about the dangers of false teachers disrupting the unity of the fellowship and causing individuals to falter in their walk with Christ. What are the three tools or flags which the scriptures give us for detecting when someone is a false teacher? What do false teachers look like, according to Jesus? Is it possible for a false teacher to produce good fruit in the church? How does Paul's concern here differ from his concern in chapters fourteen and fifteen about people with different teachings? What are some characteristics of the manner in which false teachers go about their destructive work? What is one way to detect what the outcome of a teaching will be before it even begins to take root? If the Roman church was doing as well as everyone, including Paul, had heard, why was Paul so concerned? What was Paul confident that God would do if the Roman believers heeded his admonition? (59 min)

Joseph, seeing his brothers have returned with Benjamin, now puts into action his carefully measured plan. How does the house steward play into this, and what does he think of it? A dominant motif of the narrative is what Joseph knows and what his brothers don't know. What lesson can we learn from this? When the brothers are brought to Joseph's house, they are filled with dread. What is it they fear, and why are the apparently thinking so much about their donkeys? What is the unexpected word his brothers hear when finally at the threshold of their long festering dread? How is this a picture to us of our God? (48 min)

In this lesson we back away a bit from our passage in order to make sure we can see the whole forest, rather than only the trees. What is a protasis and an apodisis? How is that important in understanding this passage? What are the three ways in which Paul illustrates the difference between Christ and Adam? Many people understand that Paul teaches that Adam is a "type" of Christ. However, two chief questions remain: How is Adam a type of Christ? And why is it important that Adam is a type of Christ? Who are the two all important characters in Paul's grand panoply of human history? Who is missing from Paul's grand story, and why is that significant? How do Paul's remarks about the coming of the Law tie in to His point about Adam as a type of Christ? (58 min)

After his desperate prayer to God for protection from his brother, Esau, Jacob sets about to prepare for meeting Esau. Was Jacob acting in faith or not? Why the massive present he assembled for his brother? Why did he stress to his servants to tell Esau that he was coming right behind them? Why does the narrator seem to stress that it is night? How must Esau have responded upon this constant arrival of Jacob's present? What was important to happen before Jacob could encounter God as he does in the following passage?

The unfolding story of the birth of Jacob's sons continues. But Rachel is jealous of her sister, Leah, and Leah is jealous of her sister, Rachel. What are the results of discontentment and jealousy? What exactly is jealousy? How can we distinguish legitimate yearnings from discontentment? With whom are are really struggling when we struggle with others? What could Rachel have done for Leah? Is it reasonable to expect her to do that? What can we learn from this confusing and difficult story?

After two years of having been forgotten by the chief cupbearer, at the age of 30 Joseph's situation suddenly takes a radical turn for the better. Over the past thirteen years, what things has Joseph been learning that will serve him well in his future? What is the most important quality has God been building into Joseph's life during these difficult years? What obvious symbolism do we note in Pharaoh's dream.? Who were these "magicians" upon whom Pharaoh called for an interpretation? What was their training and skill? Why is their inability to interpret Pharaoh's dream significant? How was Joseph's ability to distinguish between the dreams of the two officials important? (59 min.)

In this lesson we are introduced to Paul's letter to the believers in Rome, or the Epistle to the Romans. We consider how we should think about this book and our ability to understand it. We learn about the importance of Romans to Christian belief. We contemplate the history of the church in Rome, and how that history has a bearing on the things Paul writes to them. We discuss the purposes of Paul's letter and the question of the theme or themes of Romans. Finally we considered the stories of four men in church and what happened in their lives as they encountered the book of Romans. In conclusion, we asked how we can ensure that our own lives are impacted by this book as we launch our study. (61 min)

Hagar, who has grown up worshipping the gods of Egypt, encounters the Living God of Abram. How will she respond when she discovers that He has always had His eye upon her?

The first “toledot” of Genesis. The difference between the first two chapters of Genesis. How the world used to be. How did we get into the human predicament? The two components in the creation of man. When God created Paradise. When God brought Adam to the Garden.