Sin and Grace
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. Genesis 3:15
Read Genesis 3:10-15
We are faced with a most pitiful scene; when the Lord begins to interrogate Adam and Eve about what had just happened to them, fingers are pointed, accusations are made and guilt is minimized. Do you recognize, also through this account, why you are called a child of Adam? If you are honest you will acknowledge your inclination to push away your responsibility and to blame others. That’s what sons of Adam do.
It is only a fruit of God’s grace when man no longer seeks to push the blame on others but rather blames himself. As a fruit of the Spirit, with David you will confess, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.” (Ps. 51:4)
When considering man’s first sin, do you see the great miracle here? While Adam and Eve were continually seeking to excuse and defend themselves, the Lord proclaimed the Gospel. He did this in a most unique way; He directed his attention to the serpent (Gen. 3:15). But when we listen carefully we also hear the mother promise. The marginal note calls this the first evangelical promise unto life.
Here, for the first time, Christ Jesus is introduced as the seed of the woman, the One who would bruise the head of the serpent and pay for man’s guilt. The woman, who was used by the devil to bring sin into man’s life, will be used by the Lord God to bring grace in the person of Jesus Christ. How incomprehensibly gracious, wise and mighty God truly is!
Thought: Appropriation of salvation also requires appropriation of one’s guilt.
Psalter 143:2, 3 (based on Psalm 51) Against Thee only have I sinned, Done evil in Thy sight; Lord, in Thy judgment Thou art just, And in Thy sentence right. Behold, in evil I was formed, And I was born in sin, But Thou wilt make me wise in heart, Thou seekest truth within. From all pollution make me clean, Yea whiter than the snow; O let my broken heart rejoice And gladness make me know; Blot out all my iniquities, And hide my sins from view; Create in me a spirit right, O God, my heart renew.