For the Church

How have hardships shaped your ministry? – John Marc Kohl

Ftc.co asks John Marc Kohl ‘How have hardships shaped your ministry?’.

Why Am I A Southern Baptist?

Editor’s note: Recently, Midwestern Seminary & Spurgeon College hosted a chapel panel discussion on the topic, “Why We are Southern Baptist.” This article by Jason Duesing expands upon his comments during the chapel session and is based on his course lectures and essays written over the last two decades. Watch the full panel here.

__________
By: Jason G. Duesing

Why am I a Southern Baptist?

This is one question I ask students taking the required Baptist history class I teach. I ask it because every generation of Baptist seminary students asks it, or will ask it, or needs to ask it, and I want them to know how I answer it and have arrived at my answer with cheerful conviction.

While it is true that there are many Protestant and Evangelical churches who are like-minded and share the same core convictions about doctrine and missions as the Baptists, for those preparing to serve and lead Baptist churches, my course is designed to help them understand, develop, and defend their convictions about the ecclesial tradition to which their church is connected.¹

A High View of a Low and Free Church

Like a coin with two sides, the Baptist tradition is a story that must be told in both history and theology. To look only at the historical development minimizes the theological foundation of important pre-Baptist influences. To look only at theological connections minimizes the actual events and people in history who referred to themselves as Baptist by name. As such, it is right to see the theological start of Baptist churches as rooted in the Protestant Reformation, even while the chronicling of churches named Baptist does not appear in history until a century later in England.²

Keeping both history and theology in view is what I call a “symphonious approach” to assessing movements in history.³ Just like with a symphony of music, history and theology represent diverse and complementary components; each play an overlapping part that, when examined together, produces a comprehensive piece. For example, while it is helpful to determine who were the first people in history to name something or start something, it is also necessary to understand what thoughts influenced their actions and how those thoughts fit into the development of those people and those around them.

In the same way, where it is helpful to examine why churches first adopted the practice of believer’s baptism—what they were thinking and how they made their theological argument—it is needed to understand who these people were, how they arrived at their conclusions, and the cultural circumstances that influenced their thinking and actions. A symphonious approach allows the movements of both history and theology to play together and presents both well-ordered history and well-reasoned theology without the distractions of prioritized chronology or doctrine separated from people and churches.

As my class tracks the symphony of both Baptist theology and history, I summarize the theological distinctives that grew throughout the history of the Baptist tradition this way:

(1) A people of the Bible who preach the gospel and have found it helpful to summarize what the Bible says about the Christian life in confessions of faith. (2) The practice of believer’s baptism by immersion as the entrance to a (3) believer’s church that is (4) free and separate from the state and thus advocates religious freedom for all in society while (5) seeking to share the gospel with all in society and to the ends of the earth in an intentional and organized Great Commission focus on evangelism and missions, all done through (6) biblical cooperation among churches.⁴

I like to condense all these distinctives into the two categories of church health and religious liberty, advocated by and from the Gospel. Or to put it another way, Baptists have a high view of a low and free church.

Why Baptists first became Baptist

Next in my class, I pair this understanding of what Baptists believe with how they developed those beliefs in history. The Baptist Tradition’s connection to the Reformation is like that of a tree to its roots. What connects later Baptist churches in England to 16th century doctrinal renewal in Europe is rooted in the Reformation’s recovery of the Gospel as expressed in the five solas: Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. Later Baptists demonstrate this connection through their confessions of faith, which sought to maintain connectivity both to the core doctrines of the Christian tradition, as well as those renewed during the Reformation. The doctrine of the church is where they branched from those roots, following the path started by the Anabaptists—a pre-Baptist wing of the Reformation who championed the separation of church and state as marked by the practice of believer’s baptism.⁵

The story of Baptist cooperation in England in the 17th century is one of survival. Rooted in the English Reformation, these early Baptists were the heirs of a renewal movement that was fueled by access to the Bible in English. This led them to pursue their convictions to form separate self-governed churches. Yet, this early movement was illegal, and their existence was threatened by the state Church of England that forbade participation in other worship services.

At this point in my class, I tell my students that I love evangelical Anglicans and the wider evangelical tradition. I’ve been helped theologically and in my own spiritual formation by the Puritans, C. S. Lewis, and J. I. Packer. In fact, as all believers who read the Bible in English are, in some sense, heirs of the English Reformation, it is my favorite era in church history to teach.6

Yet, though a friend of evangelical Anglicans, like the earliest Baptists, I do not hold to their doctrine of the church. As I grew up in the Episcopalian-Anglican church, I was asked years ago to write an essay in which I aimed to evaluate Anglican ecclesiology historically and theologically.⁷ Here are my conclusions:

First, even though Anglicanism is officially separate from Roman Catholicism politically and otherwise, there remains an inherent connection through their polity and specifically through their continued use of the hierarchical system of church leadership. As Anglican historian Diarmaid MacCulloch states, “[T]he story of Anglicanism, and the story of the discomfiture of Elizabeth’s first bishops, is the result of the fact that this tension between Catholic structure and Protestant theology was never resolved.”⁸ Without this connection there would not be the reoccurring talks of the Church of England returning to the “Mother Church.”⁹ A cousin once removed from Roman Catholicism, the Church of England still bears a family resemblance.

Second, in the history of the Church of England there are very few who attempt to make a biblical case for their offices of church leadership. Even if one appeals to the secondary nature of these doctrines, the New Testament is not silent about the matter and the biblical evidence leans strongly in favor of the argument that the terms for bishop and elder are used interchangeably.¹⁰

Third, while an appeal to Scripture is lacking, the overwhelming reliance upon tradition is the very thing that causes the complexity and confusion within the Anglican Communion when seeking to understand church leadership. The use of tradition is a helpful tool but in the end, remains a record of the activities and constructions of failed men and women. Tradition is needed and helpful, but it is not Scripture.¹¹

To tie everything together in my class, I underscore that the Baptist movement began in England as small groups of men and women met to establish themselves in churches, separated from the state Church of England, and then sought fellowship with other churches around common beliefs and practice. This early confessional cooperation grew out of, and centered around, the Reformation program of doctrinal renewal which led to the recovery of the biblical Gospel message. Baptists, then, first became Baptist following this pattern and emerged from the study of what they understood the Bible to say about the local church.

A Fleet Sailing Together

As these Baptist churches gained strength, they crossed to the New World and grew into a fleet of churches sailing together, united in doctrine and headed in Great Commission direction. By the start of the 19th century, Baptist churches determined that the primary reason for cooperating as a national denomination of churches was simple: global missions.

The picture of churches as ships sailing is fitting for understanding where one fits in relationship to Southern Baptist churches as it conveys, first, that they are not the only ships at sea. There are many churches, of course, but not all have set sail, and not all are headed in the direction of global evangelism. Thus, it is helpful for believers, and believers together in churches, to find partners who not only agree with their design and beliefs, but also with their shared trajectory. Not all churches aiming to fulfill the Great Commission are Baptist churches, and wherever possible Baptist churches can and should sail with those with whom they can unite in evangelism and missions. Likewise, as Baptist churches seek to start new churches to add to their fleet, they will find safe harbor and maximized mission when they work with other Baptist churches who not only are sailing in the same direction, but also are united on what kinds of churches they are seeking to fund and start together at the ends of the earth.

Second, the picture conveys that these ships do need to tend to their own vessels to maximize speed and stay on course. To stay afloat in the world for Gospel proclamation, Baptist churches have found the need to prioritize their own doctrinal and congregational health. These ships will, no doubt, encounter storms without and conflict within. A church who has lost its first love may also lose the Spirit’s enabling wind-power behind it. Baptist churches at sea need to minimize any hindrance that would pull them off course.

Third, this picture conveys that individuals can serve and live on one ship at a time. While circumstance may dictate the need for believers to change churches, for most the norm is continuing to serve on the ship where one is placed. When a sailor is counting on the buoyancy of his ship for his life and safe travel, he is far more likely to look after the health and heading of the ship. It is a picture of foolishness to see sailors lounging on the top deck complaining about their ship, or envying another ship nearby, when their own is languishing due to their lack of effort. Thus, Baptist churches are more likely to be strengthened, revitalized, and steered back on course when their members are focused on thankfulness for the ship on which they have been placed, the fleet in which they are a part, and using their gifts to help keep that ship, and fleet, on course.

Why I am a Southern Baptist

When I complete my lectures on Baptist church history in seminary classes, I end by reminding them that the Baptist cooperative fleet of ships is not alone. There are many other ships from other corners of the Christian tradition committed to the Gospel and sailing in a Great Commission direction. What I mean to acknowledge is that no one is required to be a Southern Baptist to be a faithful Christian.

So, then, why am I committed to the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention?

I remind the students that for me, as much as it is a matter of joyful conviction about what I understand as biblical ecclesiology, it is also a matter of personal stewardship and testimony. I share with them how God, in his kindness during my college years, called out and saved a spiritually lost, Christian-in-name-only-Episcopalian and placed me in a Baptist church sailing with other churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. On that ship, I was discipled, baptized, and loved by a genuine New Testament community of believers.

Over time, that church recognized God’s work in my life and sent me to seminary. They, along with thousands of other churches, gave sacrificially in cooperative effort to fund my theological education and, more than that, ensured that the seminary they funded maintained doctrinal integrity. Through that same inter-congregational cooperative work, I have visited the mission fields of the world and have seen and contributed to the work of these churches at the ends of the earth. Seeing the end goal of the Great Commission bearing fruit as the result of churches working together has long been what has made me thankful for the Southern Baptist ship on which I first set sail.

To be consistent with my students, I am honest about the sins, faults, and distractions that have beset this Convention of churches and hindered their progress at various points in history. However, I gladly tell them that the end goal is still worthy of pursuit and worth the effort to help all the ships of churches sail in that Great Commission direction. From small groups in 17th century England, Baptist churches have persevered to hold inter-congregational cooperation in doctrinal confession and missionary endeavor as a key distinctive. As I love to tell my students, this story is worthy of retelling to inspire ongoing renewal of Baptist churches of the present and future as they carry out the same mission.

In every sense, I hope my students see that I am like the earliest Baptists: thankful for where I have been placed and what I have received, now serving with joy in confessional cooperation, joining with others in Southern Baptist churches to reach the nations for Christ and for the glory of God.

Footnotes:
¹ For more on how these theological distinctives formed in history and an expanded version of this article see my chapter “Cooperation in Baptist Beginnings, 1609-1845” in A Unity of Purpose, Tony Wolfe and W. Madison Grace II, eds. (B&H, 2025).
² Baptist historians have long debated Baptist beginnings. For a survey of views see James M. Stayer, Werner Packull, and Klaus Deppermann, “From Monogenesis to Polygenesis: The Historical Discussion of Anabaptist Origins,” Mennonite Quarterly Review 49:2 (Apr 1975): 83-121; William H. Brackney, A Genetic History of Baptist Thought (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2004); Timothy George, “Dogma Beyond Anathema: Historical Theology in Service of the Church,” in Review and Expositor 84:4 (Fall 1987): 691-713.
³ Jason G. Duesing, “Pre-beginnings,” in John D. Massey, Mike Morris, and W. Madison Grace II, Make Disciples of All Nations: A History of Southern Baptist International Missions (Kregel Academic, 2021),37.
⁴ Jason G. Duesing, “Baptist Contributions to the Christian Tradition,” in Christopher W. Morgan, Matthew Y. Emerson, R. Lucas Stamps, eds., Baptists and the Christian Tradition (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2020), 339.
⁵ For more see my article, “Preaching Against the State: The Persecution of the Anabaptists as an Example for 21st Century Evangelicals,” 14:2 (2015):54-82.
⁶ A portion of this appreciation can be seen in this essay I wrote for Themelios that surveys 500 years of evangelical preaching in Oxford. “Beacons from the Spire: Evangelical Theology and History in Oxford’s University Church,” (2024).
⁷ See my chapter “A Wrinkle on Catholicism: The Anglican Understanding of Church Government,” in Thomas R. Schreiner and Benjamin L. Merkle, eds. Shepherding God’s Flock: Church Leadership in the New Testament and Beyond (Kregel, 2014).
⁸ Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Later Reformation in England, 1547-1603 (New York: Palgrave, 2001), 29.
⁹ Madeleine Teagan, “Historic Mass celebrated by papal nuncio at Anglican cathedral in rare event,” Catholic News Agency, July 9, 2025.
¹⁰ See Gregg R. Allison, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 260, and Benjamin L. Merkle, The Elder and Overseer: One Office in the Early Church (New York: Peter Lang, 2003).
¹¹ For more on the role of tradition see my chapter “Baptist Contributions to the Christian Tradition,” in Christopher W. Morgan, Matthew Y. Emerson, R. Lucas Stamps, eds., Baptist and the Christian Tradition (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2020).

Episode 331: Encouraging Your Pastor

By ddickerson / Sep 3

Pastor Appreciation Month is coming soon, and Jared and Ross want to get you in the right mindset to make a difference in your pastors’ hearts and minds. Why do pastors need so much encouragement anyway? And where should we start? The guys discuss the “double honor” ways of encouraging our churches’ shepherds.

What about ministry gives you joy? – Mark Vroegop

By emangalagiu / Sep 2

Ftc.co asks Mark Vroegop ‘What about ministry gives you joy?’.

What Does It Mean to Be Iconic?

By jwilson1 / Aug 28

What do you want your life to represent? This is an important question to ask on multiple levels. We all want to leave a legacy—to contribute something meaningful and enduring with our lives—and this existential desire prompts us toward clarity about what we hope that legacy will become. A more basic level of this question has to do with the way we want others to think about us.

It seems like everyone today is talking about “identity” and discovering Who am I? Discovering your identity helps you know what you want your life to represent. It gives you direction for decision-making and helps you find a like-minded community of people who share your values and purpose. But most of these conversations about identity overlook the foundation of who we are: our humanity. How in the world can we answer Who am I? if we never answer What am I? Understanding our identity as human beings is foundational for understanding our identity as individuals. That’s why I’ve written this book: I want to help you discover what it means that you are created in the image of God so you can live an iconic life that represents him faithfully in your world.

It’s easy to curate your social media profile to make yourself look however you want, even if it’s not an honest representation of who you really are. A selfie here, a collaboration there, and carefully selecting your likes can portray you to be whomever you want to be. You get to craft your own image. But that only changes people’s perception of you, not your actual identity. This is why so many of your peers look like they’re living their best lives even though they’re struggling with insecurity or loneliness or fear. They are so focused on how they appear that they don’t really know who they are.

The Bible tells us that God created people in his image. The Greek word that’s used for image in the New Testament is the word eikon, which is where we get the English word icon. People are living “icons” of God in this world. That leads us to a helpful and understandable way to think about what it means to be created in the image of God: We are iconic of God. We are living icons, pointing to the greater reality of who God is and what he’s like. This book will lead you through Scripture to explore and apply what that means for you and me.

In short, the question this book seeks to address is this: What does it mean to live as icons of Christ in this world?

What Is the Image of God Anyway?
The Bible teaches that God created people “in the image of God.” Genesis 1:26–27 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.’ . . . So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

One of the most foundational ways we bear God’s image is through the attributes we share with him. We are like God in many ways. God is the Creator, and so we create. God exists in eternal community within himself, and we crave community with one another. Chapter 8 will explore the “communicable attributes” in further detail. They are traits that every person shares, to some degree, with God: love, knowledge, wisdom, goodness, etc. In this way, we bear God’s image within our humanity, even though many take these traits for granted as evolutionary survival skills. In this regard, bearing God’s image means that every person is actually like God because he created us with some of his own attributes embedded into our human nature. This God-given dignity has led some to believe people are divine themselves, with no need for God at all. As ironic as that is, even this false view of humanity displays that the innate glory and honor God has given to his image-bearers is obvious to all, even those who may deny his existence. In this sense, we don’t simply bear God’s image—we are his image in this world.¹ This is an irremovable characteristic of what it means to be human.

The book of Genesis was originally written in Hebrew. Two Hebrew words in Genesis 1:26–27 point to two sides of the same truth about how and why God created humanity: tzelem, meaning “image” and demuth, meaning “likeness.” A tzelem was a physical representation that a king would set up to remind people about his power and authority (see Daniel 3:1). Being made in God’s image and likeness means men and women were created as God’s representatives to uniquely carry out his ongoing work in creation. Our very existence is a living reminder of God’s reign and glory and provision.

Every person bears the image of God. The “image of God” is both what we are and what we do. It’s embedded within what it means to be a human being. God created us to be and to bear his image in a way that lifts others’ eyes to behold his character and goodness in us. Sin has affected our ability to do this, but it hasn’t removed the God-given dignity he wove into our humanity. The worst sinner remains God’s tzelem in this world, in the sense that what they are is a living reminder of his divine nature and goodness in this world. Everyone bears God’s image, but sin has corrupted the way we bear it, so we seek our own glory and build our own kingdoms. Through the gospel, God’s image-bearers are forgiven of their sin and conformed into the image of God through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Christians bear God’s glory according to God’s good design in order that all creation would see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Why the Image of God Matters for You
Nearly every controversial issue in our culture today finds its resolution in the image of God. If the Bible’s message is true and God created humans in his image, then it radically transforms the way Christians approach issues like racism, gender and sexuality, abortion, mental health, injustice, disability, and euthanasia, among others. This biblical foundation shifts the conversation away from a matter of opinion and toward what human flourishing (for individuals and cultures to be healthy and full of joy) looks like according to our Creator’s good design. For example, racism is sinful and wrong because of the way it fundamentally undermines what it means to be a human being, not merely because of the harm it causes to individuals. The same principle applies to gender identity and abortion and a host of other issues. This isn’t an attempt to provide a simplistic answer to complicated issues. But without understanding the biblical message about men and women as image-bearers, we’re left without a firm foundation for these important issues.

Understanding the image of God is the missing link in the many conversations about identity. It’s like we’re trying to figure out our individual stories without realizing that we’re characters in a bigger story that’s being told. God’s story for humanity begins in creation, has important chapters throughout that helps us understand what’s gone wrong, and it gives us hope to endure because the story ends in glory. God created people to enjoy perfect intimacy with him and with one another as his image-bearers in this world.

Sin has twisted us so we’re divided—against God and one another—and tempts us to take the glory of God’s image and claim it as our own, trying to exert our power to establish our own kingdoms. But instead of giving up on us or abandoning us, God promised a Savior who came to restore the intimacy between God and people so that we would bear God’s image well and be restored into relationship with each other too. One day, sin and the corruption it has introduced into the world will be wiped away, and we will live for all eternity in God’s presence with perfect intimacy as his image-bearers. This is the bigger story that your identity fits into. Without it, you’re left on your own to define your own reality and to choose your own adventure. Although this might sound like freedom, this mindset confines you to a life that’s limited by your own wisdom, whereas embracing your God-given calling leads you into a life that is filled with God’s steadfast love.

It’s common to hear people talk about how iconic superstars like LeBron James or Taylor Swift represent the best in their respective fields. We, as God’s image-bearers, are living icons of God in this world. People are God’s living tzelem in his kingdom. We are living displays of God’s glory and reign in his creation. This is why God commanded Israel, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Exodus 20:4–5).² Israel didn’t need to create an image for God to remind them of his glory and presence because God had already placed his image among them!

It’s so common to talk about identity in terms of Who am I?, but I want to encourage you to consider the question of identity through the question What am I? Until we ask that question, we’ll continue to struggle to understand our identity. So many of the challenges we face today, as individuals and as a broader culture, flow from the reality that we’ve forgotten what it means to be a human being. The image of God doesn’t merely inform how we are to act and treat others; it’s an aspect of what we are as humans. As men and women who were created in God’s image, you and I have God-given dignity and value that has nothing to do with what we do. Our dignity and value isn’t determined by our GPA or resume; it’s built into us as icons of the living God who is King over creation. The way God created us as his image-bearers has a direct impact on our relationships.

Questions for Reflection

Have you ever thought about what it means for humans to be created in God’s image? What does that phrase mean to you?
What do we lose when we forget that we are created in God’s image? Why is this biblical message so important?
What does the author mean by “living an iconic life”? How does this flow from being created in God’s image?

Footnotes

¹For more on this emphasis, see Carmen Joy Imes, Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters (InterVarsity, 2023).

²A different Hebrew word is used in this passage for image because it’s a specific word for an idol (an image that you worship).

The Quiet Work of God

By Michaela Classen / Aug 27

The Hidden Movement Beneath Stillness

There was a season when my spiritual life felt suspended between routine and emptiness. I read my Bible faithfully, yet the words felt flat; I prayed, but my voice seemed swallowed by silence. The rhythms of grace remained, yet the fire of transformation felt distant.

Nothing was broken, and yet it seemed as if nothing was growing.

But in time, I began to see the stillness not as absence but as preparation. Beneath the quiet surface, a hidden work was unfolding. It is the work that only God perceives, the silent shaping of the soul.

This is how God often moves: slowly, patiently, invisibly, crafting growth while our eyes are elsewhere. Until, one day, we realize we have grown.

Scriptural Patterns of Patient Formation

The Bible is filled with stories of faithful waiting and unseen growth.

Moses shepherded sheep in Midian for decades before leading God’s people. David tended flocks in obscurity long before the throne. Ruth gleaned quietly in foreign fields before redemption found her. And Jesus Himself lived thirty years in hidden obedience before stepping into public ministry.

These are not mere backstories. They are the very foundation of God’s redemptive pattern—a divine preference for depth over speed.

Charles Spurgeon captured this well when he wrote, “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” The pace may be slow, but the promise remains sure.

Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like a seed growing silently (Mark 4:26–29), sprouting even when no one watches, blooming in God’s perfect timing. There is grace in this quiet process—growth we cannot force but only trust.

Fruitfulness Beyond Visibility

Perhaps you find yourself in such a season now. Where the disciplines of faith feel heavy. Where you show up to prayer and Scripture, wondering if your efforts mean anything.

Know this: You are not behind. You are not forgotten. You are being formed in ways that matter most.

God calls us to faithfulness, not flashiness. Paul speaks of transformation “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18)—a steady, sacred progression.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne reminds us, “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.” Often, this likeness is sewn in the quiet moments unseen by others.

Growth in Christ is rarely glamorous, but it is always good.

The Long View of Grace

The patient work of God in the hidden places points to a greater purpose: His glory and our good. Every quiet season, every moment of waiting, contributes to a story far larger than immediate circumstances.

As Philippians 1:6 assures, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.” The unseen shaping of character and faith is a testament to God’s steadfast love and power.

This truth invites us to trust not in fleeting feelings or rapid results, but in the eternal promises of the One who holds time and growth in His hands. The slow, steady work of grace is God’s faithful artistry, creating beauty for His glory and our deepest flourishing.

Episode 330: Raising Girls

By ddickerson / Aug 27

From two guys who grew up with only brothers comes a podcast on being daddies to only girls. On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the different seasons, challenges, and blessings of raising daughters.

How do you build consensus on a church team with disagreements? – Clint Pressley

By emangalagiu / Aug 26

Ftc.co asks Clint Pressley ‘How do you build consensus on a church team with disagreements?’.

Banished from Paradise

By jwilson1 / Aug 25

If Genesis 1 begins with a triumphant trumpet blast, then Genesis 3 begins with a more ominous overture. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”’?”
(Genesis 3:1).

Hang on, who is this fast-talking, lie-spitting snake?! Aren’t Adam and Eve supposed to have dominion of the beasts of the field? Aren’t they supposed to “work and keep” this garden by protecting it from harmful enemies like this?

We trust God’s wisdom in revealing precisely what he reveals and withholding precisely what he withholds. There’s so much we don’t know about the “how” and the “why” of Genesis 3. But there’s absolutely zero ambiguity about the “what.” The seed of doubt that the serpent plants in Eve’s mind blooms into a blasphemous weed that chokes out the bliss of human experience. In short, Adam and Eve sinned.

Sin. That’s one of those words that different people use in wildly different ways. When Person A talks about “sin,” they’re talking about a bug in the system, a snag in the fabric, something regrettable and unavoidable in an otherwise worthy whole. When Person B talks about sin, they’re talking about a terminal diagnosis, a bone-deep rebellion, a carried-on constitution that forever pits humanity against themselves and their Creator. Sin isn’t merely a defect that makes us imperfect; it’s a rebellion that dooms us—that breaks the fabric of who we are.

When the serpent urges Eve (and Adam) to sin, he’s not merely urging them to break their divinely mandated diet. He’s urging them to turn on their Lord, to try to take authority into their own hands and be gods. He’s urging them to upend God’s design for creation. Instead of having dominion over the animals, instead of working and keep the garden, Adam and Eve buy into the lie that they know better than God and that God doesn’t have their best interests at heart. This is cosmic rebellion.

Curses for Rebels

Once we understand what sin really is, the way God responds begins to make a bit more sense. He curses all the guilty parties. Let’s look at what he says, first to the serpent:

The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”

(Genesis 3:14–15)

That last verse reverberates throughout the entire Bible. Basically, it says, “One day your head’s gonna get crushed by a son of Eve.” But for now, let’s move on to God’s curses to Adam and Eve:

To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”

And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”

(Genesis 3:16–19)

The Crime, the Verdict, and the Sentencing

There’s a lot we could say here, but for now let’s observe three things: first the crime, then verdict, and then the sentencing. The crime is disobeying God’s Word (Genesis 3:17).

The verdict, of course, is guilty.

But what about the sentencing? Hopefully you noticed that God’s curses aren’t random or haphazard. God’s initial blessings now have an element of curse attached to them. Called to be fruitful and multiply, the woman is now sentenced to have her pain multiplied alongside her fruitfulness (3:16). Called to subdue the earth, the man is now sentenced to subdue an earth that fights back with thorns and thistles (3:18).

Is that it? No. Moses keeps going, and ends Genesis 3 with key information. The Lord’s sentencing concludes, “Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life” (3:23–24).

Once blessed, now banished. That’s the conflict at the center of this book—and it will take the rest of the Bible to fully and finally resolve it. We once dwelled in God’s presence naked and without shame. (Notice that in Genesis 3:21, God covers their shame with clothing. He didn’t have to do that. What mercy. He blesses the blasphemers.) We were safe at home with the Creator of the universe, so long as we continued to trust him and listen to his word.

And then our rebellion wrecked the world. It ruined our relationship with the Lord. It cut us off and he drove us out—rightly so! More than that, he placed a sword-wielding sentinel to guard the entrance to his presence. We cannot get back through our own efforts, and if we try—we’ll die. The wages of sin has always been death.

We were made to live alongside our Creator, to hear his footsteps as he walked beside us in the cool of the day, recognize his voice as he spoke to us. But Adam and Eve’s rebellion has changed everything. Their sin paved the way for our own. No matter how big or small they feel, our sins are the same crime as Adam and Eve’s in the garden. They are rebellion.

As a result, whatever sinlessness Adam and Eve enjoyed has never been ours. They once lived at home with God. Not us. We were born “alienated” from God (Colossians 1:21).

In other words, since Genesis 3, we’re all nomads—uprooted, trying to recapture the sense of home, seeking the fellowship and belonging we lost. Everything has changed.

Questions for Reflection

How do you see your sin in light of God’s holiness?
At what points of your life have you felt most separated from God? How was close fellowship with him restored?

When You Can’t Listen to the Sermon

By Michaela Classen / Aug 20

Attending church on Wednesday evenings is difficult for my family. Not because we don’t want to be there, but because we are busy. Busy with the day, with dance class, with dinner. And so we’ve let Wednesday night Bible study go by the wayside far too many times because of busyness.

Recently, however, we were determined to be there. And it was a blessing—but I found myself not able to listen to some of the lesson (and my wife, Shale, wasn’t really able to listen at all) because of the kids. Now, kids are kids. They were restless. When we weren’t having to quiet them down, Shale was having to take our youngest to the bathroom, or something else.

When that happens, what’s the point of even showing up? What purpose is there in going to church when you aren’t able to listen to the sermon or lesson? Why even bother?

Your Presence Is a Blessing | There have been moments when I am sitting in the pew before service begins and notice a family whom I haven’t seen in a while walking through the doors. Their mere presence is a blessing to see, because it shows they prioritize coming to church. The same applies to you. Simply showing up to church or a mid-week Bible study is going to bless others in attendance. They will be encouraged by seeing you show up even amid busyness, exhaustion, and frustration.
Focus on Fellowship | Even if you can’t focus on the sermon because of factors like caring for your kids, you can focus on fellowship before and after. Our children are generally good during Bible study, but every now and then they hinder us from truly getting much from the lesson. Therefore, we make the effort to stay for a little bit after the service to mingle with others (even if it means a later bedtime for everyone involved). We’re not perfect at this, but there’s deep value in simply talking with other Christians after service. Catch up with the person you haven’t spoken with in a while. Check in on the person you’re discipling. Invite someone over for dinner. Share your heart with someone.
Set an Example | If you have kids, they will notice what takes priority in your family’s life. Though you can’t get through the sermon or Bible study without taking care of them, they will see the example you’re setting and follow it in the future. It’s the little things here and there that children will notice and that will make an impact later in their lives.
Obey the Lord | Perhaps this is an obvious one, but it bears mentioning. We should still go to church even if we can’t listen to the sermon, because we must obey the Lord. It can be discouraging to attend service and not be able to listen because of various factors, certainly including your kids. This might cause you to feel like just not going. I’ve been there. But we can’t allow that feeling to become the norm; we can’t let that take hold in our hearts. Even if it’s hard, we must still go.
Bits and Pieces Matter | As distracted as we can be at times during a service, there will always be moments—even small ones—where we hear the preaching of God’s Word or perhaps are blessed by a particular song lyric during worship. God can take the tiniest information and use it to sanctify you. Don’t lose heart.
Encourage Your Pastor(s) | Your pastors will appreciate you showing up. They will be encouraged by your faithfulness to attend service even when you are too distracted with caring for your kids to listen. You’re there, and that means the world to your pastor. We need to remember ways to intentionally encourage our pastors—the ones keeping watch over our souls (Heb. 13:17)—and this is one of them.

If it seems like a waste of time to venture out to church when you are certain that distractions will hinder you from listening, don’t let that stop you. Satan wants nothing more than for you not to attend service. We have to make the point to go to church even when it’s hard, even if it feels like we’re getting nothing out of it. God is working amidst that.