The Fall
The First Gospel
God continued, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between her offspring and yours. He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel."
– iBIBLE Chapter 2
Scripture reference: Genesis 3:15
From the dust, his belly now scraping the ground, the cursed serpent listens to the rest of God’s condemnation.“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between her offspring and yours.”
We see that the serpent and all like him would forever be detested by humankind. While many people do have a fear of snakes, God is saying something with a much deeper spiritual meaning.
With this turn of phrase, God establishes two groups that will exist in the world: one will be offspring of the serpent, those who exist in opposition to the Lord and His work, and the other will come from the woman by whom the promised Rescuer would be born.These two groups would forever beat odds
We can see this tension throughout the Scriptures. Think of the countless tribes that war against the people of Israel. Think of the more specific instance of David and Goliath. David, a representative of the people of theLord—the offspring of the woman—is at war with Goliath, the evil one who attempts to conquer and kill God’s people. (You can read the whole story in1 Samuel 17).
God gives Adam and Eve a promise as they stood next to the serpent, witnessing his condemnation. The Lord says to the serpent, “He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel.” This is the very first proclamation of the Gospel that we see in Scripture. The offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, and the serpent would bruise his heel.
In this moment Adam and Eve received something better than a do-over, something more merciful than a second chance. There, in the garden, theFather committed the perfect life of His Son to recover their freedom and to defeat fear and death. Before they ever left the garden, the path was laid for their return to Him.
Wars, animosity, murder, and all kinds of evil will exist in the world between these two groups, but the promise holds true: the offspring of the woman would win. We see this countless times throughout Scripture that God delivers His people from the hand of the enemy. Think of David slinging his stone and crushing the head of Goliath. This account serves as a reminder
of God’s promise that would be fulfilled in Christ.
In the midst of Genesis 3, God declared a message of hope that has echoed throughout human history. We live on this side of the cross and we can see what Adam and Eve could not. The serpent did bruise the heel ofEve's offspring—a lethal blow on the cross. But that wasn't the end. The promise in the garden was fulfilled.
On the cross, Jesus wins. He “crushes the head” of Satan. He defeats the evil one, but it comes at a cost. Jesus experiences great suffering, anxiety so profound that he sweats blood, the scourges of His people, rejection, and ultimately death.
But the strike of Satan, the “bruising of Jesus’s heel,” is not the end. Even when the world went dark, the disciples wept, and the curtain of the temple tore in two, even when it seemed like there was no hope, death could not hold Jesus. By Jesus’s resurrection, He defeated death and the evil one forever.
[T]hanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord JesusChrist. —1 Corinthians 15:57 [ESV]
Just as the serpent in Genesis is cast down to the dust, Satan will be cast down forever—and all evil with him.
Our Response
There is now no power left in death. Instead, it becomes our pathway to eternal life if we believe in Jesus. The author of Hebrews explains:
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, [Jesus] himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to life long slavery. —Hebrews 2:14
So, trust in the Lord and be encouraged. Jesus has already won, and He wants to share that victory with you. Not only will He give you eternal life simply by trusting in Him, He will also continue His work in this world through you, as we await His second coming:
For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. — Romans16:19–20a
With this turn of phrase, God establishes two groups that will exist in the world: one will be offspring of the serpent, those who exist in opposition to the Lord and His work, and the other will come from the woman by whom the promisedRescuer would be born.
We see this countless times throughout Scripture that Goddelivers His people from the hand of the enemy.
A Prayer for This Week
Dear Father in Heaven, by ourselves, we would face the end of our lives without hope, but You have been gracious in giving us our Savior Jesus.Thank You for Your promise of Satan’s defeat. Even from the very beginning, You have had a plan to save Your people. It is incredible to see, as Your Word testifies, the promise of a Savior come to fruition over so many years. Help us to always trust Your promises, as You are steadfast and Your promises are true. Give us faith to always trust in You. In Jesus’s name, we pray, Amen.