Saturday, April 13, 2019

The Path To Understanding Justification - Missing Segment.
The First Gospel and Eve's Hope




The First Gospel and the Hope of Eve


Many of us grew up with story of Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Eden as a true narrative, which it is, but without an emphasis on the First Gospel.
Genesis 3:14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The serpent was a beautiful creature used by Satan as an instrument to deceive Eve and bring down Adam. Even though snakes have retained this beauty, they represent evil so instinctively that people react in fear against even the most harmless varieties. We associate snakes with evil, and those who worship evil also venerate the snake.[1] This account shows that God provided a solution for the sinful nature of man.
The First Gospel is only the second half of Genesis 3:15, foretelling the ultimate clash at the crucifixion of Christ - when Satan bruised His heel and the Savior’s atoning death crushed the power of sin, death, and the devil.

Eve’s Hope

Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
[ending in Hebrew] - אֶת-יְהוָה
[ending in the Septuagint] - διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ - through the Lord.
The grammar of the Hebrew text shows “the Lord” in apposition to “a man,” as Luther noted, but others oppose this view – including Keil-Delitsch. The Hebrew text reads, literally, “I have given birth to a man, the Lord.”
The literal meaning from Hebrew is consistent with the Scriptural emphasis upon faith springing from the Promise, which is clearly stated in Genesis 15:6. The multitude would like everything lined up and clearly stated, fully explained. Experience has shown that nothing is ever enough, so we should treasure these gems which are semi-hidden, yet sparkle and shine to reflect the glory of the Savior’s gracious work and will.


[1] The most hideous representation of this association can be found in the enormous Pope Paul Vi Audience Hall in Vatican City, shaped like a serpent’s head, with a giant figure of Christ inside, looking very much like a serpent from a distance. The windows are the eyes of a serpent.


Enthusiasm and the Means of Grace are polar opposites, which is why the Church of Rome and the OJists speak of them but really despise these Instruments of Grace.