Read: Genesis 3:1-15
"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.”
Genesis 3:15
Our hope is in Jesus. But why are we in any need of hope? Why is our situation and life so desperate and frail?
When my oldest son was a crawling baby boy, he loved to pull my books off bookshelves. This practice scared his mother and I because we were nervous he was going to get hurt. Additionally, it was annoying always having to put the books back where they belonged. I remember one occasion, Micah crawled to a bookshelf. As soon as he headed that way, I knew what he was up to. I told him sternly, “Micah, no! Leave those books alone!” Now he wasn’t talking yet, and we were not sure he even understood us, but by golly, he crawled right up to that bookshelf, sat at the base of the shelf on the floor, and just stared at the books. He made no movement toward the shelf. Then, hoping I had looked away, he slowly turned his head toward me, as he did so, his arms slowly started reaching for the books. That little fella knew! He somehow understood we didn’t want him to do that, and was looking to see if I was paying attention.
Now, who taught him to be mischievous like that? How did he learn such trickery? The short answer is: No one taught him! He didn’t learn disobedience; he was born with such inclinations. In fact, we all are. It all began in Genesis 3. There we read God placed His most valued and personal creation, humanity, in the Garden of Eden. He fellowshipped with Adam and Eve in a personal way. He communioned with them in a way distinct from all other created beings. However, that changed when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. God had given them strict instructions not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Deceived by the Serpent, Adam and Eve did that which they were forbidden to do. In an attempt to be like God, they disobeyed Him. As a result, every human being that followed them was born with a fallen, sinful nature. Such a condition puts us at odds with God. It makes us guilty before our Righteous Lord. Now, apart from any salvation, we will be condemned.
Why do we need hope? Why is Jesus our hope? He is God incarnate, come to save the world from its sins. Interestingly enough, the salvation of the Messiah was prophesied immediately following the fall of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3:15, we read the first Messianic prophecy in all of Scripture. It is Jesus Christ that crushed the head of the Serpent in His redemptive work. And all who repent and believe are saved from the fall and condemnation initiated by the great deceiver, Satan.
Jesus is our hope because He did what we could not do for ourselves. He is God incarnate because He came to set us free from sin and death.
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Prayer: Lord, thank you for coming so that we might be free from the sin that enslaved us from our mother’s womb. We praise you for your advent! We thank you for our salvation!