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You’re back! That’s a huge step! Today’s reading is about half as long, but it is one of the most important chapters in the Bible.

Did God Really Say?

As beautifully as yesterday’s passage ended, today’s passage begins with the greatest tragedy in all of history.

You will remember that yesterday we saw this pattern throughout Genesis 1: God said … it was so … it was good. In Genesis 3:1 we see the first time in human history that God’s word is called into question. It is essential that we understand that the root of Adam and Eve’s disobedience was not just a decision they made or an action they took. The root of their sin was unbelief. They did not believe that God’s word was either true or good.

Sin is:

  • Unbelief: We choose to believe that God’s word is neither good nor true.
  • Rebellion: Though we were made by God, we choose to rebel against his sovereign authority and instead choose self-sovereignty.
  • Pride: Sin is a denial of God’s assurance that if we turn from his word, we will surely die. Instead, we say, “On my own, I can live.”

Is This the End of the Story?

The fact is there is no reason for there to be a Genesis chapter 4. We already have the story. We have God the Creator, who is also a generous God. And we have mankind who rebels against the rightful King. Certainly, the King is right to judge his people. That’s the end of the story. There is no more scripture; there is no hope; there is no promise.

Unless …

The King is the one who must act next if there is to be any hope. There is nothing people can do on their own to remedy their desperate situation. And the King does act. That is the kind of King he is: true and good, sovereign and merciful. Right in the midst of the pronouncement of his judgment are these words:

he [the descendant of the woman] will bruise your [the enemy’s] head, and you shall bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15).

It’s just a hint at future promise. But it didn’t even need to be said unless God is a gracious God—unless he still has a sovereign design to bless his people and to rescue them from the enemy and the curse.

There is hope. God is a God of grace and promise. We will see this promise fulfilled in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.