“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15
Before God gets into the details of Adam and Eve’s punishment, He speaks these words to the serpent. Imagine the scene: God, Adam, Eve, and the serpent all together; Eve burdened by shame, trembling, waiting her turn to receive judgment. But before God gives her the bad news, He gives the good news: one day, her offspring (seed) will set things right and heal the cycle of destruction she helped to create.
Theologians call this promise the proto evangelion (meaning, ‘the first gospel’). The rest of the Bible is really the story of how God fulfills this promise. The narrative is played out: God calls Abraham, delivers the Hebrews from slavery, enters into a covenant relationship with them, reveals His will through the law, proves faithful when they disobey Him chronically. The climax comes when Jesus (‘the seed’ according to Galatians 3:15) steps on the scene — God incarnate — loving perfectly, dying sacrificially and rising miraculously to “crush” the serpent’s head and redeem humanity. What an amazing story of redemptive love!
And the narrative continued. You were written into the story: your birth, your upbringing, all the ways God broke through your wall of rebellion, and the moment you entrusted your life to Jesus.
And the story isn’t over yet! There is another climax (and a party in heaven) every time someone chooses to follow Jesus. There’s a unique way God wants to use you to tell others the story of Jesus, the redeemer.
Jesus, thank You so much for redeeming me. You’re the author and finisher of my faith. You gave Your blood to bring me back to You. You’ve made me Your child and filled me with Your Spirit. Please help me share this story of redemptive love with people who don’t know You yet. Amen.
Take Action
Think back on the circumstances God used to bring you to faith in Christ. Express thanks to Him. Then pray for someone who needs to hear the gospel. Ask God for an opportunity to help him or her move one step closer to Jesus this week.
How could you begin to share Christ more intentionally this week?