Bearded Gospel Men of Christmas #3: Slapping Heretics & Crushing Snakes (Genesis 3:15)

I. Paradise Threatened (3:1-5)

14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Co 11:14.

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Re 12:9.

Satan is by nature such a wicked and poisonous spirit that he cannot tolerate anything that is good. It pains him that even an apple, a cherry, and the like grow. It causes him pain and grief that a single healthy person should live upon the.earth, and if God would not restrain him, he would hurl everything together in ruin. But to nothing is he a more bitter enemy than the dear Word; because while he can conceal himself under all creatures, the Word is the only agency that can disclose him and reveal to everyone how black he is. - Martin Luther

He excites Eve by speaking to her. He arouses her curiosity (1).

Then he makes her suspicious of God (1) “Did God actually say…”

Then he puts in her heart a three-fold doubt of God. He makes her doubt:

His goodness by reason of the restriction (1) (goodness is communicative done to others so basically Satan is questioning God’s communicative action toward his children. He asserting that God is demonstrating some sort of child abuse.)

His righteousness in the assurance that they won’t die (4) (righteousness is more individualistic in this sense. Satan is calling God a liar and thus is denying the fact that God is individually good. Hence, his communicative demonstration of his love is under attack as well as his individualistic righteousness.

His holiness in that they will be like God themselves (5). Satan is now accusing God of being jealous or insecure about his own uniqueness by denying Adam and Eve the fruit. Illustration: This is basically the whole evil master plan of Buddy aka Syndrome in Disney’s The Incredibles.

The success of this assault is based entirely on the dismantling of God’s Word. “Did God say…” If Satan can get Eve to question the validity of God’s Word, then there is no more prohibition. Eve, and then Adam will wander away from God’s provision and infect themselves with a new sensation- death.

His plan is simple but subtle. First he distorts the Word. Then, he gets Eve to doubt the Word. Lastly he has enough hold on her to deny the Word.

It was something serious to turn away from God and from His Word and to lend her ears to Satan. But what is something far more serious now happens: that Eve agrees with Satan when he charges God with lying and, as it were, strikes God in the face with his fists. . . . Let these events be a warning for us that we may learn what man is. For if this happened when nature was perfect, what do we think will happen to us now?- Martin Luther

II. Paradise Lost (3:6-13)

Eve is like putty in the hands of the snake (who apparently has something equivalent at this point). She misquotes God’s prohibition (3), emphasizes the negative, undermines the positive, and then underestimates the penalty (6).

“Nothing is more remarkable in the whole history of man’s moral life than the powerlessness of the devil to overcome us apart from our own assent and consent.” - H. Griffith Thomas

Adam and Eve chose autonomy over submission. They are completely responsible for their own destruction and downfall. Had they resisted they would have benefited from their union with God and his subsequent blessings for all eternity.

Satan wasn’t completely lying: now Adam and Eve had become like God in that they now have an awareness of sin. Their eyes are now opened to suffering, discontent, and evil. Innocence and fellowship have now been replaced by corruption and shame (7-8).

Illustration: an army going to deal with Jamestown rebellion.

Threefold punishment: guilt, condemnation, and separation

Guilt at their status they feebly tried to cover their shame (7) and then hid from the sound of the Lord (8).

Condemnation- their attempt to hide from God out of fear (10) and their lame excuses as they blame one another (11,12) fail miserably. In the end, they must stand before the Holy God.

God calls them to speak the truth but they show their allegiance to Satan by distorting the truth, accusing one another, and ultimately accuse God (11-13).

Separation- The chapter later shows that because of their guilt and shame, Adam and Eve must leave the garden, and subsequently their perfect union with God. But before that we get more than a glimpse of hope.

III. Paradise Found (3:14-15)

We see that God curses Satan (14) and forces him to a life of eating dust. Cursing is the opposite of blessing, Satan’s powers are broken, and dust is the ultimate symbol of humiliation.

The first message of divine redemption is in verse 15, where God graciously converts Eve's affections from Satan to Himself. There will now be two communities in the world; the offspring of Satan and the offspring of the woman. We see this immediately acted out in the hostility between Cain and Abel (Gen. 4) but the prophecy finds ultimate fulfillment in the second Adam, and the community with Him, over the forces of sin, death, and the devil.

45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1 Co 15:45

This community line of the woman will ultimately lead to King Jesus.

It is Jesus who comes to reverse the effect of this threefold curse:

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Ro 8:33–35.

There will be a battle at Golgotha: Satan will bruise Jesus. That means Jesus will suffer on the cross. But his suffering delivers a crushing blow to the head of the serpent. Jesus will crush Satan's power and as heroes in his covenant community, we are a part of that victory.

20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Ro 16:20.

How did Jesus do this?

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Ga 4:4–5.

The question of “where are you?” is still asked today. There are only two answers: in Adam or in Christ.