December 2,
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel,” Genesis 3:15.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created in the image of God. That does not mean that they looked like God. God is a Spirit, a being without a body. The evangelist John wrote, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him,” John 1:18. We do not see God, but we see the evidence that He exists through His works and wonders in creation and in the work of our redemption.
Then what was the image of God? Adam and Eve were created holy; they were sinless; they were two perfect people. God placed them in the Garden of Eden, in which He made the trees to grow, and He said to Adam, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,” Genesis 2:16-17.
It was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that the devil used to tempt Eve. The devil came in the form of a serpent, and said, “’You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate,” Genesis 3:4-6.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God; they sinned. Adam’s children were born in his image – sinful, not in the image of God. You and I were born in Adam’s image – sinful. If that were the end of the story, indeed, it would be the saddest story ever told, and we would have no hope for eternal life in heaven.
However, God came into the picture again and promised to send a Savior. That promise is given in the words, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel.” The Seed of the woman was the virgin-born Son of Mary, Jesus, whom God sent to bruise the serpent’s head – that is, to conquer the devil and destroy his power. However, in the process, He would be bitten; He would suffer and die. It took place on Calvary’s cross. The Son of God and Son of Man paid the price for our redemption. From that cross came the dying Savior’s plea, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do,” Luke 23:34. Jesus prayed for those gathered on Calvary’s holy hill and also for you and me; we were there when they crucified our Lord! Genesis 3:15 contains the first Gospel promise, the promise that God would send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to redeem us. Thank God!
We pray: O gracious, loving God, I thank you for Your many Gospel promises preserved for us in Holy Scripture. I thank You for the fulfillment of those many promises through Jesus Christ, Your Son and my Savior. Move me in this Advent season to share this glorious Gospel message with others! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.