Author: Scott Heitshusen (Page 1 of 90)

Today’s topic is fairly easy.

We’ve had God’s requirement, the rebellion of Adam and Eve, and the ramifications that came from it. We’ve seen the need for repentance and today we see God’s answer.

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

It doesn’t end with judgment but with redemption.

All the way back in the garden of Eden God promised a Savior. A Redeemer. One who is going to remedy this colossal catastrophe. He promised an Offspring, a Descendant, His Chosen One who would be the Victor over our adversary, over our sin, over the fall.

There were judgments against Adam and Eve and indeed against all of Creation. But today we see His divine judgement against the Adversary; the one who tempted then and temps now; the one who rebelled before Adam and Eve; the one whose defeat God foretells in our Scripture today.

God would send a redeemer who would be descended from Adam and Eve, and He would defeat this Adversary. God wins. Through faith in this Redeemer – faith in Jesus – we win!

“Thank You, Lord, for loving us and the world so much that You sent a Redeemer to conquer sin, death, and the Devil, so that, through faith in Him, we too would have the victory and everlasting Life! In His name. Amen!”

Scriptures

• Genesis 3:14-15

Today presents us with an interesting situation.

We know throughout Scripture when there is sin there needs to be confession; where there is sin there needs to be repentance; where there is sin there should be a contriteness of heart.

I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Psalm 32:5

But when we look in Genesis in our journey “from Genesis to Jesus,” we find something missing that we would expect to be there: something important; something ingrained (and rightly so). We don’t find in this recorded account any confession by Adam and Eve of their sin. Plenty of blame, plenty of pointing their fingers, plenty of fear; but we don’t see repentance. Something so fundamental throughout Scripture. Such a central doctrine of what it means to be a believer, to be a follower of God, to be faithful in our Christian living.

And it is.

In Genesis we see Adam and Eve being forgiven without a previous reference to any confession; to any repentance. We go from blaming, to sentence and proclamation of due punishment, to God clothing them and forgiving them with the first sacrifice.

Does that give us leave not to repent? Does that mean that it’s not needed? Not necessary? Not important?

Absolutely not!

Just because that is not in this account does not mean that God is not very clear on the matter.

However, even here we see so many times to confusion on the matter. I’ve heard from countless people — Christians —who say you cannot be forgiven unless there is confession; unless there is repentance. This makes forgiveness a response of God based upon the works of man instead of on the mercy and grace of God alone. It is solely by God’s mercy that we are forgiven through faith in His Son, Jesus – promised all the way back in Genesis. Promised because of the unfaithfulness of Adam, Eve, and each of us. It is only by the grace of God and not by our works of repentance or confession that grants us favor – and that only through faith in Jesus and nothing else.

This doesn’t minimize repentance and the need for it. It gives the basis for why we do it; the basis for our desire for it. We see our need to repent and our want to repent because of God’s mercy and grace through Jesus, not in order to get God’s mercy and grace through Jesus. When we repent we are focused and reminded of our need for a Savior. We are in a state of humility before Him, who alone forgives and saves. We see our need and His fulfillment. We posture ourselves before Him with the realization that God’s grace is bigger than our sin. And all this through the promised Her made for a coming Messiah all the way back in the garden.

What a great God we have!

“Lord God, we praise and thank You for Your mercy and grace given to us before we even repent and confess, because of Your goodness through faith in Jesus. Hear the cries and the humbleness of our heart and our own confession, in our own true repentance, and grant us Your mercy and favor through Your Son who saves. In His name. Amen.”

Scriptures

• Genesis 3:11-13
• Psalm 32
• 1 John 1:8-10

There are always ramifications for our actions. Good or bad. Helpful or unhelpful. Godly or ungodly. Consequences for the decisions that we make.

Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Genesis 2:17

The consequences for Adam and Eve’s rebellion cannot be overstated. I’m not talking about the specific consequences for Adam and Eve (which are bad) but the ultimate ramification for all of creation. The fall of creation. “In the day that you eat… you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

Death. Destruction. Decay.

This would affect not just mankind but everything. There was one simple requirement and the rebellion that took place from that had the ramification of dying; of death.

It’s hard to grasp of implications more significant than that.

Of course there were other ramifications for Adam and for Eve. Unfavorable outcomes and consequences for the way that they and we live while on this Earth, but being expelled from the garden forever and going through decay, destruction, and ultimately death is the ultimate ramification for rebellion against God’s requirement. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That’s true not just for Adam and Eve’s rebellion, but for our own. We sin therefore we die. We rebel therefore we suffer the ramifications, just like them.

But thanks be to God that that’s not where things ended!

The ramifications are not permanent. Through faith in Jesus Christ, it’s not the end. Jesus conquered death. He conquered the ramifications of our rebellion. Through faith in Jesus, His victory over death becomes our victory. Death no longer has hold over us because it could not hold Him. The ramifications of the rebellion of our sin is death. But the ramifications of Jesus’ victory is life over death. Living over dying. A new creation over the destruction of the old.

Thanks be to God!

“Lord Jesus, thank You for having the victory over death. For destroying death. For overcoming the ramifications of our rebellion and sin so that we might live; so that we might have life in Your name. Eternally. With You. Thank You for overcoming everything for us. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Scriptures

• Genesis 2:17
• Genesis 3:7-13
• Genesis 3:16-24
• Romans 6:23