Genesis 3:15. 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.
I love hero movies. Avengers. Batman. Spiderman. Even if you don’t love comic book heroes, you probably love a movie about a hero. Everyone does. Why? Because deep inside we all know that we need a hero. We need someone to come and rescue us from evil, from danger, and even from ourselves.
Genesis 3:15 is God’s promise of that hero.
When the worst thing in human history happened what was God’s response? When evil, chaos, and corruption invaded creation through Adam and Eve’s sinful choice, what did God do? He gave us what theologians call the protoevangelium. Or the “first gospel.” He promised us that he wouldn’t just let us die. He promised that he would pursue us and save us. That he would destroy evil and death even at great cost to himself.
Genesis 3:15 is God’s first promise of Jesus Christ.
In the garden, on that fateful day when sin entered the world, God did not promise to send an angel to rescue us. Nor did he simply snap his fingers and destroy the serpent instantly. None of that would do. Humanity must be rescued by a human. Our hero must be one of us. Why? Because our sin debt will require a substitute. Someone to take our place. And only a human could substitute for humanity. Only a human could pay for human sin. Only an image bearer could restore the image of God in us.
But this verse still leaves us with a couple of questions. First, how could a human defeat evil when evil is now woven into the very souls of all humanity? And second, how can a human forgive a sin that was committed against God himself? Adam and Eve’s sin was an offense against God. So only God can forgive Adam and Eve. And your sin is an offense against God. So only God can forgive you. You see forgiveness only works when the offended party agrees to sacrificially pay the penalty or debt of the offender. Our common rebellion with Adam and Eve leaves us owing God our very lives. Therefore, only God is powerful and pure enough to conquer sin and death, and only God could forgive humanity’s debt by paying for it himself. Anything else would be unjust. Anything else would be impossible.
Here’s what we’re left with – only a human can pay our sin debt, and only God can pay our sin debt. This is the hero we need. A hero that is not only human, but divine. We need a God-man to restore our human nature by sharing with us his divine nature. And that is exactly the hero God sent to us – himself.
Galatians 4:4-5. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
“To live is Christ” means humanity’s son-ship is restored. Our debt is paid. Our sin forgiven. Our hero has done it. In allowing himself to be bruised for us, he has bruised forever the head of the evil one. The fatal blow has been dealt. And as our serpent-enemy faces certain death, we the sons and daughters of God face certain life. Life forever with our hero, Jesus.
You
Do you believe that you need a hero today and every day?
You in Christ
Christ’s victory over the life stealing serpent is your victory over him too. How can you celebrate your co-victory with Christ today?
Christ in you
If the hero lives in you what does that mean for you today?
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Playlist: Christ Our Hero.
Click Here to listen to this playlist on Spotify!
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To Live is Christ 