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So, God essentially gave us the keys to His brand–spanking–new creation, and what do we do with it?

We wrap it around a tree — the one there in the middle of the Garden.

It was bright and shiny and new, and we wreck it before we get to the end of the street.

So, what now? Is there any hope? Can the damage be repaired? If so, to what extent? How?

If we read The Story as a story, all these questions emerge implicitly in the unfolding events.

In the day Adam and Eve sinned, death came, just as God said it would. But even with all that was lost in Genesis 3, the magnitude of death’s impact is not fully manifested. Chapters 4-11 of Genesis capture the larger aftermath of this disaster.

It would be worth your while to read through these chapters.

What other manifestations of death appear in these chapters?

Of course, as Christians, we know the Story doesn’t end there. We know there is Hope. But that is the Sunday School answer. What does it mean?

How would you characterize the essence of that Hope? Is it simply that we can receive forgiveness? If so, how?

Are there any other dimensions to it?

What is our role in the rest of the Story?

We’re headed here next.

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©Copyright Garth Oliver