First Gospel
“And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
It is notable that the first giving of the Gospel was spoken to Satan, but in the hearing of Adam and Eve. It is also notable that the first Gospel was given immediately after the first sin. God, in His mercy, did not leave mankind for a moment without a means of salvation.
The Lord God said to the serpent... 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)
The word translated “offspring” is zera and elsewhere always refers to the offspring of the father. So, who could be the offspring of the woman? The strong implication is that this will be a man who does not have an earthly father, but does have an earthly mother. We therefore assume that this is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, Jesus. Also in the Old Testament, whenever there is a direct appearance of God, we assume that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of the Second Person of the Trinity. Therefore, this announcement of the Gospel in Genesis 3:15 is possibly the Son of God prophesying His own coming as a man, stating that He will bruise or crush the head of the serpent.
Did Adam and Eve believe this Gospel? I think it is possible that they did. But whether or not Adam and Eve believed, the fact remains that God provided the way of salvation right from the beginning, as soon as sin had entered the world.
Prayer: We know, Lord God, that without You we can do nothing to save ourselves. Thank You that You came to die for our sins, to be crushed in our place, that we might be set free from the bondage of sin forever. Amen.
Author: Paul F. Taylor
Ref: Taylor, P.F. (2009), Cain and Abel: Worship and Sacrifice, (Toutle, WA: J6D Publications), pp. 8-11.
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