Gospel Hope in Our Rebellion

“All of the havoc, sin, and death that comes from the result of the fall shall be no more. The coming offspring of the woman, Jesus Christ, will defeat the serpent for eternity.”

“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 3:15 (ESV)

At this point in the story of creation, Adam and Eve have rebelled and fallen into sin. They have hidden in shame from the Lord, their Creator, but God graciously comes after them. However, their sin is not without consequence. God is gracious and merciful, but He is still just. The wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23), and in Genesis 3:14-19 we hear God pronounce the curses against the serpent, Eve, and Adam. It is worth noting God addresses the serpent first, and He does not scold Adam and Eve for their sin. Yes, Adam and Eve willingly chose to disobey God’s commands. However, God is not unaware of the serpent’s role in the fall of mankind.

As God is cursing the serpent for his actions, we get a glimpse of the gospel for the first

time. Theologians refer to Genesis 3:15 as the protoevangelion. The first gospel. We have a

prophecy of one who is coming, born of the woman, who will defeat the serpent. The coming one will be wounded by the serpent, but it will not be a fatal wound. His heel will be bruised, but He will deal a crushing, fatal blow to the head of the serpent. It is then that the serpent will be defeated once and for all. All of the havoc, sin, and death that comes from the result of the fall shall be no more. The coming offspring of the woman, Jesus Christ, will defeat the serpent for eternity. Jesus’ heel will be bruised on the cross. While the pain of the cross was excruciating, it ultimately was not fatal. Jesus rose from the dead, and in His resurrection from the grace, crushed the head of the serpent.

The fall of mankind may not have been the first place you’d pick for a devotional. But in

this account we see the glorious hope of the gospel. We see a God who has always planned on our redemption, since the beginning of time. Jesus living a perfect life we could not live

ourselves, dying a death we deserved as our substitute, and rising from the dead so we may live forever in relationship with God was always God’s gracious plan for His chosen people. 

Rest in His sovereignty and the peace we have through Christ. As the apostle Paul wrote, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20).

Action Step:

• The gospel starts with creation, and the account of creation is found in Genesis 1 and 2. Read these two chapters and reflect on God as our Creator. Then read all of Genesis 3. Look for the gospel, and how God extends His hand of mercy and grace toward His rebellious children. The gospel ends with restoration, and the account of the new heavens and the new earth are found in Revelation 21 and 22. Read these two chapters, and reflect on the hope we have in the second coming of King Jesus.

Written by Michelle, mom of 1

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