Origins 07 – Salvation
Origins 07 - Salvation
Hope from Despair
Genesis 3 is the most tragic chapter in the Bible’s story. But, at this moment of catastrophe, we see something of God’s surprises. He offers hope. He tells us that someone will come into the world to save people from sin and to break the back of the great serpent’s kingdom. At the moment when all hope is gone, God steps in and starts a new day, inspires the possibilities. From Genesis 3, we learn two important truths about God’s plan to save humanity.
From this one prophecy in Genesis 3:15, we are given a road map to know the direction and destination of the entire Bible’s story. From this chapter we also see that God will provide a covering for our shame. Don’t hide from the Lord. If you have made a mess, let the Lord cover your shame and sin.
First … More Consequences
Before seeing these two truths, there are a number of other consequences of sin that result from sin. They are … (Genesis 1:14-19)
- The serpent was cursed to crawl
- The woman experienced increased pain when giving birth
- The woman would have a higher level of antagonism in the marriage as she would now be under the man’s leadership.
- The ground was cursed
- The man would have to work hard to make a living, until he returned to dust.
- The man and the woman were banished from the Garden so they would not live forever in the sinful condition (Genesis 3:22-24).
This sixth point is important. It sets up the condition that the world will only be temporary. Man will not live forever in this present body, this present sinful condition and the world itself will not always remain in its cursed condition. We know that the world will eventually end.
The Story of Salvation Begins
The Messiah is Coming
So what is this story of salvation that begins in Genesis 3? First, it is found in Genesis 3:15, in the words spoken by the Lord to the Serpent. This is what the Lord says.
And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.
Here we read that someone will come into the world in the future. This person will be a male descendant of Eve. This person will crush the head of the devil and in so doing, he will be wounded. We live many years after the Garden story and so we know that this person was the Messiah and that he suffered and died to crush Satan’s kingdom and redeem us. This also points to the return of the Messiah in power to ultimately defeat Satan.
This clarifies a number of questions about the Bible. For example, we now can see that the Bible is going to tell the story of this person who would come. We see that the Bible is not a random collection of stories. Instead, it is purposeful, developmental and all pointing to the arrival of this person, the Messiah.
It explains why there are genealogies in the Bible. They trace the family tree of this person the Messiah.
It explains why the nation of Israel exists, why the law exists and why the prophets made so many predictions about the Messiah. All of this points to a book with a message of a Messiah who would come to earth to save humanity.
Sacrifice is Needed to Cover Humanity’s Shame
Genesis 3:21 tells us,
And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
In this one verse we see a few truths.
First, God must take care of man’s sin problem. Remember in Genesis 3:7, the Adam and Eve made fig leaves for themselves to cover themselves. The felt shame for what they had done and tried to cover up their shameful feelings. In this verse we read that the Lord made clothes to cover them. He provided. He covered. He covered their shame. How beautiful. God does not want people to be exposed and ashamed of their sin. If we confess, he quickly forgives and wants to not let our shame overpower us and do us in.
Second, we see that animal skins were used as clothing. This means that an animal needed to be killed to create the covering for sin. Please understand, I am not reading too much into this verse. In Genesis 4, we will read that humanity was aware of sacrificing animals to to the Lord God and that these sacrifices were for sin, to appease God. Here we see animals sacrificed.
Third, while animal sacrifices cover shame, they do not remove shame. Those who followed the law needed to offer sacrifices, again and again. Their sacrifices covered sin, but they could not take away sin. It reads this way in Hebrews 10:11-14,
Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
Jesus does more than cover our sins and cover our shame. He removes our sin and so, removes our shame. How marvelous!
Blessings,
Rich
