Dennis R. Wiles

First Baptist Arlington

September 14, 2025

Flourishing Together

First Baptist Arlington

2025 – 2030

2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)

FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone

September 7 – November 1, 2025

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

Genesis 2:18

What Happened?

Genesis 3

Theme for 2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ

Theme for Fall 2025: It is Not Good to be Alone

HUMAN FLOURISHING: One of the domains currently being researched in the Global Flourishing Study is Close Social Relationships

Flourishing Measure Questions

I am content with my friendships and relationships.

My relationships are as satisfying as I would want them to be.

PARADISE LOST: In Genesis 3, we read the account of how humanity’s fundamental relationship—our relationship with God—was damaged.

In Israel, while there was undoubtedly a recognition of the inherent nature of sin, the biggest problem of the Fall was not concentrated in the change in human nature or the heart condition but in the loss of access to the presence of God and the reduced ability to participate in the blessing.

-John H. Walton, NIV Application Commentary: Genesis

PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 provides the narrative that undergirds the Christian theological view regarding the pervasive effects of sin on all of humanity.

Three kinds of disorder, covering the greater part of human suffering, make their germinal appearance in this chapter . . . In personal relations . . . In the spiritual realm . . . and on the physical plane . . . This multiple disarray is, from one aspect, his punishment, pronounced by God; from another, it is the plain outcome of his anarchy. Leaderless, the choir of creation can only grind on in discord.

-Derek Kidner, Genesis

PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 recounts how sin leads to shame.

PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 recounts how sin leads to blame.

PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 recounts how sin leads to domination.

PARADISE LOST: Genesis 3 recounts how sin leads to separation.