The Pursuit: Jesus in Genesis – Episode 1

Professor Jared Kingsley launches a new devotional series entitled “Jesus in Genesis”, where he will walk us through the book of Genesis to help us see how the Messiah was promised and anticipated from the very beginning of Scripture. Today, he focuses in on Genesis 3:15, the verse commonly known as The Protoevangelium.

Knowing Christ

Who is Christ? Though seemingly a simple question, it is actually quite weighty when it comes to the pursuit of Christ. If you do not know who Jesus Christ is, how could you ever pursue Him? God’s Word is a treasure trove of truth about who Jesus is and what He has done, in both the Old and the New Testament.

Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 sets the trajectory of redemptive history, far before the events of the cross took place. To better understand the weight of this verse, it can be broken up into three segments.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman
The word “enmity” conveys deep hatred and hostility. The separation between Satan and Eve is dramatic; it is warfare. Through his deception of Eve, Satan has initiated war on God and His people.
And between your seed and her seed
The separation is not only between Satan and Eve, but between his people and her offspring. God is drawing a line in the sand between His people and Satan’s people. At this moment, when God is speaking, Eve does not have any children. This verse deals with the future. It is promising and anticipating that from Eve will come a remnant who will stand with God and against the serpent.
He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel
The verse shifts from talking about both Eve individually and God’s people as a whole, to talking about Christ specifically. From the remnant will come one individual, Christ, who is the hero. He will be victorious over evil, and His victory becomes His people’s victory. He will come as the Second Adam, fulfilling what Adam could not do.

The Protoevangelium

“Protoevangelium” means “the first gospel”, which is exactly what this verse is. We tend to view the gospel as only relative to ourselves, focusing on our salvation and what we have received. These things are great and true, but are the byproduct of the gospel. The gospel begins in Genesis 3:15, focusing on the hero and His victory. The Old Testament anticipated the Messiah immediately. He is the one we praise and pursue!

This blog post captures the essence of Professor Jared Kingsley’s series on Jesus and the Wells. You may click on the video above to hear more insightful details on Jesus throughout the Old Testament. Professor Kingsley is a professor of Hebrew and Old Testament for The Master’s University traditional on-campus program.