The Beginning of the Gospel
Genesis 3:14–15 (NASB95)
14The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
After the fall, God addresses the serpent with swift judgment, not allowing any further words of deception. The serpent is cursed above all animals, condemned to a life of humiliation and defeat, forever crawling and eating dust. This is more than an explanation for why snakes slither on the ground. It is a vivid image of utter disgrace, reversing the serpent’s former craftiness and setting him apart as an enemy of humanity and of God’s purposes.
God goes on to declare that enmity will exist between the serpent and the woman, and between their respective offspring. Here, the narrative takes on a cosmic dimension: out of this first act of rebellion, two groups will emerge—those who belong to God and those who belong to the adversary. Their struggle is not a fleeting skirmish, but an ongoing war that marks all of human history. For Satan and those aligned with him, God’s words are bad news—there will be perpetual defeat and ultimate destruction. For those who belong to God, however, there is hope, because God promises that the offspring of the woman will one day strike a mortal blow to the serpent’s head.
This promise is not merely about the conflict between people and snakes. It is the first glimpse of the Gospel in Scripture, pointing forward to the coming of Jesus. Throughout the Bible, this “seed” of the woman is understood as both a collective—the people of God—and most fully as an individual, the Messiah. Jesus, born of a woman, would ultimately undo the works of the serpent, destroy Satan’s power, and bring redemption to all who trust in Him. Here, in the shadow of judgment, God plants the seed of hope—a prophecy that finds its fulfillment at the cross and in the resurrection of Christ.
The church lives in the reality of this ongoing spiritual conflict, but also in the assurance that victory belongs to Jesus and to those who are His. As believers, we must recognize that the division between the people of God and the forces of evil is real and that enmity with the world is part of the Christian journey. Yet, we do not fight from a place of fear or defeat. The Gospel began here, in Eden, with the promise that evil would not have the last word. Let us hold fast to this hope, stand firm in Christ’s victory, and share the good news that the serpent’s power has been broken through our Savior’s triumph.
More importantly, let us share the message of God’s love for humanity and the hope we have in Christ with those still separated from God. This is what we have been called to: Oppose the lies of the enemy by standing in TRUTH, participate in the MISSION of God, and help restore the human FAMILY to its original place.
Truth. Mission. Family. Let’s go!