A. Introduction.
1. This article is very brief, and contains no definite statement of doctrine. For this reason, it is undoubtedly intended to serve as an introduction to all the articles concerning the doctrine of Christ.
2. This article also follows the infralapsarian emphasis and approach, and speaks of the work of God after the fall.
3. It discusses the promise which God made to our first parents and which is contained in Genesis 3:15. This is, however a very beautiful approach to the doctrine of Christ.
B. The article may be outlined as follows:
1. God saw that man had thrown himself into temporal and eternal death, and made himself wholly miserable.
2. God was pleased to comfort him, when he trembling fled from His presence.
a. This comfort is a revelation of the grace, admirable wisdom and goodness of God.
1) It is grace in that God had no obligation to come to man outside of His own purpose.
2) It is wisdom because it was in this way that God had intended and actually reveal Christ.
3) It was goodness because the salvation of Adam and the seed of the woman was the evidence of God’s eternal goodness which He bestows upon His people.
b. This comfort consisted in a promise of a Son.
1) This Son would be born of the woman.
2) He would bruise the head of the serpent.
3) He would make Adam and all the elect happy.
C. It is well that we look at this promise a little more closely.
1. If we study the passage referred to, Gen. 3:8-15, then we learn that it is true as the creed expresses it that “God… was pleased to seek and comfort him, when he trembling fled from his presence.”
a. The Lord calls Adam forth from his hiding place.
b. He insists that Adam himself explain what happened to cause them to flee away.
c. He temporarily allows Adam to lead Him to the woman, who in turn leads Him to the serpent. This already showed how deeply they had fallen, for they attempt to cast the blame on God for what they had done.
d. The serpent is immediately cursed as the instrument of the devil. This serves as an introduction to the promise.
2. Of the promise in general we may notice,
a. It is spoken directly to the serpent, although in the audience of our parents who undoubtedly also understood its implications.
b. It is a promise which contains all the truth of the Word of God in germinal form. All subsequent revelation till Christ and including Christ is only a further development of this Word of God.
3. The specific elements of this promise are:
a. A sharp enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.
1) The seed of the woman is Christ primarily, and in Him all the elect born naturally from the woman but by faith from Christ. The seed of the serpent is the whole devil’s brood of reprobate who manifest themselves in all time, but especially in the man of sin-the Antichrist.
2) This enmity reaches its culmination on the cross of Christ, but is evident in the agelong struggle between the elect and reprobate through all of time. Enmity against God reveals itself in constant hatred of the church, and repeated attempts to destroy the church from off the earth. The church, on the other hand, fights its battle with the weapons of faith to maintain its calling and place in the world as representatives of Christ and His kingdom.
3) The reprobate are called the brood of the serpent because their father is the devil spiritually; his image they bear; his deeds they do; his bidding they obey.
b. This constant strife results in the bruising of the heel of the seed of the woman, but the bruising of the head of the seed of the serpent.
1) The heel of the seed of the woman is bruised when Christ is maltreated at the hands of the representatives of the devil and final crucified on the cross of Calvary. And this bruising goes on when the elect in Christ suffer in this world all manner of persecution and hatred until finally they are killed for the sake of their confession.
2) The head of the serpent is bruised also on the cross when Christ gains victory over sin, death, and all the powers of hell through His perfect sacrifice. The seed of the woman receives a little and insignificant bruise in the heel; but the power of the serpent and his brood is completely crushed, for his head is bruised so that his power is gone.
3) The paradox of this struggle, but at the same time its transcendent glory is that although the heel of the woman is bruised, this bruising itself always constitutes its victory. So it was on the cross. At the moment when the devil thought that he had succeeded, and when his cohorts were ready to shout in glee, it became evident that Christ, by His death had finished all His work and had gained the victory over them all. And so when the world is ready to compliment itself on a job well done, for they kill the elect and destroy the church, then they are defeated; for the faithful of God go through death to their reward, and Christ returns to make all things new and cast His enemies into hell.
4) Thus while the struggle rages relentlessly in this life, we need never fear; the victory is ours. Christ has gained the victory; we are in Him by faith; and faith is the victory that overcomes the world!