And the 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 shall you go, And dust shall you eat All the days of your life; And 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.” Genesis 3:14, 15 (New American Standard Bible)
Easter is upon us. This time of the year always leaves me in awe as I consider the unfathomable depth of God’s love for us and His finished work of redemption culminating in the glorious resurrection of Christ from the dead.
The original sin Adam and Eve committed became hereditary to every human born of man and woman. Many people read today’s verses and begin to criticize God for not having stopped the choice of the man and woman. However the wonder of it all is as He pronounced the curse upon Creation He added an escape clause. God would not leave the human race forever with no way back to Him but prophesied there would be a Messiah who would one day crush the power of that Old Serpent, the devil, and open a way back to fellowship with Him.
When someone says to me “Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin when He knew before He created them they would fail?” my answer is “I believe the more important question is why He made Himself the suffering sacrifice to redeem us back to fellowship with Him after they did. Why didn’t He wipe the slate clean and start over again? That would have been the easier thing to do.” While God did know when He created mankind they would quickly fail He also knew before the foundation of the world that to make it right He would offer His only Son as the final and full penalty for sin through the cross (Revelation 13:8). On Easter Sunday we celebrate the central core of the Christian experience; the bodily resurrection of Christ from the grave. In raising Himself from the dead (John 2:19) He fully finished the work of Genesis 3:15 destroying the ability of the Great Serpent to stop God’s full plan of redemption. God the Father has not only redeemed us but made us heirs to Him. (Romans 8:17). That depth of love cannot be fully comprehended but gives hope that He will never leave us or forsake us. While sin managed to slither into the world creating great catastrophe Christ, the cross and its consummation crushed the serpent’s head giving us a way back to to full fellowship with God. The serpent brought fear and bondage to the entire human race. Then God’s Son stepped down among us liberating us from the power of Satan. Now it is the serpent that is afraid.
Ken
www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com
The original sin Adam and Eve committed became hereditary to every human born of man and woman. Many people read today’s verses and begin to criticize God for not having stopped the choice of the man and woman. However the wonder of it all is as He pronounced the curse upon Creation He added an escape clause. God would not leave the human race forever with no way back to Him but prophesied there would be a Messiah who would one day crush the power of that Old Serpent, the devil, and open a way back to fellowship with Him.
When someone says to me “Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin when He knew before He created them they would fail?” my answer is “I believe the more important question is why He made Himself the suffering sacrifice to redeem us back to fellowship with Him after they did. Why didn’t He wipe the slate clean and start over again? That would have been the easier thing to do.” While God did know when He created mankind they would quickly fail He also knew before the foundation of the world that to make it right He would offer His only Son as the final and full penalty for sin through the cross (Revelation 13:8). On Easter Sunday we celebrate the central core of the Christian experience; the bodily resurrection of Christ from the grave. In raising Himself from the dead (John 2:19) He fully finished the work of Genesis 3:15 destroying the ability of the Great Serpent to stop God’s full plan of redemption. God the Father has not only redeemed us but made us heirs to Him. (Romans 8:17). That depth of love cannot be fully comprehended but gives hope that He will never leave us or forsake us. While sin managed to slither into the world creating great catastrophe Christ, the cross and its consummation crushed the serpent’s head giving us a way back to to full fellowship with God. The serpent brought fear and bondage to the entire human race. Then God’s Son stepped down among us liberating us from the power of Satan. Now it is the serpent that is afraid.
Ken
www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com
