The First Promise of the Good News
This year as I read through the Bible, I will focus on God's promises to us. I will be reading in the Christian Standard Bible this year. I hope you will decide to read with me and see how many promises you can find on our journey. Then, when we find a promise, let's praise God, watch for Him to fulfill that promise for us and others, and then explain the promise to others whenever we can.
Our first promise is the first statement of the Good News or the Gospel. (Genesis 3:15) Yes, I know it is a little cryptic, but the meaning is clear. God had created Adam and Eve, placed them in a perfect garden with all they needed, given them a job, and told them to keep one rule. Well, it did not take long before the devil used the serpent to tempt Eve, and both her and Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Thus, sin entered the human race, and they died spiritually. God gave each one serious consequences for their sin, and then, He pronounced the Good News for them and for all who have come after them.
God put hostility between the woman and her offspring and the snake. I hope none of us will need to debate that point. It is very rare to find a woman or a man that is totally comfortable with snakes. Most of the time, our first urge is to kill the snake. That shows the built-in hostility. Then, God gives the cryptic Good News. The snake was used by Satan, and this half of the verse refers to him and Jesus, not the snake. The offspring of the woman is Jesus, who became a man by being born of a virgin. Jesus would grow up, die on the Cross, and deliver a fatal blow to the head of Satan, rendering him totally defeated for eternity. At the same time, Satan would strike the heel of Jesus which is a very painful injury. That refers to Jesus' terrible death on the Cross. The result of that encounter is that all of us can be saved by grace through faith in Jesus, because He defeated Satan for us, and He offers us that salvation as a free gift. That is fabulous Good News for all mankind! Isn't God good to reveal that to us from the very beginning of time on this earth!
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 4-6.
Our first promise is the first statement of the Good News or the Gospel. (Genesis 3:15) Yes, I know it is a little cryptic, but the meaning is clear. God had created Adam and Eve, placed them in a perfect garden with all they needed, given them a job, and told them to keep one rule. Well, it did not take long before the devil used the serpent to tempt Eve, and both her and Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Thus, sin entered the human race, and they died spiritually. God gave each one serious consequences for their sin, and then, He pronounced the Good News for them and for all who have come after them.
God put hostility between the woman and her offspring and the snake. I hope none of us will need to debate that point. It is very rare to find a woman or a man that is totally comfortable with snakes. Most of the time, our first urge is to kill the snake. That shows the built-in hostility. Then, God gives the cryptic Good News. The snake was used by Satan, and this half of the verse refers to him and Jesus, not the snake. The offspring of the woman is Jesus, who became a man by being born of a virgin. Jesus would grow up, die on the Cross, and deliver a fatal blow to the head of Satan, rendering him totally defeated for eternity. At the same time, Satan would strike the heel of Jesus which is a very painful injury. That refers to Jesus' terrible death on the Cross. The result of that encounter is that all of us can be saved by grace through faith in Jesus, because He defeated Satan for us, and He offers us that salvation as a free gift. That is fabulous Good News for all mankind! Isn't God good to reveal that to us from the very beginning of time on this earth!
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 4-6.