When life gets tough, we need to remember that pain and hardship can be explained by the debacle in Eden. But the story doesn’t end there, though many people act as if it does. We have to wrestle with the serpent’s question every day: Is God really good? We don’t deal with temptations about eating from the wrong tree, at least not literally. But the temptation to doubt God replays again and again in our daily lives. We ask God whether He is holding out on us or not, whether He’s looking out for us or we’re left to look out for ourselves. #Brendonnaicker #theologyschool #joburgchurch #londoncitychurch

God shapes our story for His purposes. We don’t know how He does that, but it’s extremely comforting because we all, to some degree, have dysfunctional families. If God can speak into the chaos of the patriarchal family through their enormous dysfunction—we read of rape and retribution and hostile rivalries— and by bringing meaningful design, just as He spoke into the chaos of Genesis and brought forth a world teeming with life and beauty, He can speak into our lives with the same purpose and the same result. #brendonnaicker #londoncitychurch #theologyschool #joburgchurch #dysfunctionalfamily

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”—is a foundational issue for all people of faith. #brendonnaicker #londoncitychurch #theologyschool #joburgchurch

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil has given us heavy doses of independence; that’s always a by-product of having confidence in our own knowledge. Carried away as wanderers and estranged from God, we subject ourselves to His opposition, not because He opposes us, but because He opposes the direction we have taken. #londoncitychurch #brendonnaicker #theologyschurch -#joburgchurch

Opens with the account of the origin and meaning of human life. Then, shows how humanity willfully sinned, Genesis sets out the Lord’s plan for the reconciliation and salvation of fallen humanity. Under this plan, God would gradually reveal himself and, through a chosen people, progressively prepare mankind for Christ, His Gospel, and the Church, which are prefigured in this history. #brendonnaicker #londoncitychurch #theologyschool #joburgchurch

We often struggle to believe God is good when we are suffering. We only know how to look at our own circumstances and determine that something must have gone away either with God’s plan or with his promises. Reading the Genesis narrative reminds us that God keeps all of his promises to us, even though we may walk some through some rocky ground before we get there. #londoncitychurch #brendonnaicker #joburgchurch #theologyschool

Very little is known about Melchizedek other than the fact he was the priest-king of Salem (Jerusalem). Some have claimed that he was a theophany, others believe, a literal human being, an angel, or the pre-incarnate Christ and in rabbinical literature said to be from the lineage of Shem.

#brendonnaicker #londoncitychurch #theologyschool #joburgchurch #melchizedek

The Bible portrays Jesus Christ as both God and man. Jesus Christ was different to man as in that He had a supernatural conception as affirmed in Luke 1:35. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He was the sinless Son of God. Jesus assumed an impersonal human nature. His personality was His divine and eternal personality, His two natures being united in one undivided and indivisible person. The human nature was received into the person of the logos. #godman #brendonnaicker #Theologyschool #joburgchurch #Londoncitychurch

It is only Jesus Christ who is sinless and was manifested to take away sins. Therefore “Jesus knew no sin” - He did no sin, and in Him there was no sin. #brendonnaicker #Theologyschool #sinlessness #londoncitychurch #joburgchurch

The Jews were so close to God yet so far from knowing Him, they worshipped the right God but sadly in their minds and hearts they were devoted to another. Many today are in similar predicaments, some have all Word and claim to know God but knowledge can’t replace relationship. #brendonnaicker #theologyschool #joburgchurch #londoncitychurch #joburgchurch