Genesis 3-4

Have you ever heard the term protoevangelium? It is a compound Greek word meaning “first gospel,” and it refers to God’s words in Genesis 3:15.

¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
    cursed are you above all livestock
    and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
    and dust you shall eat
    all the days of your life.
¹⁵ 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 3:14-15, ESV

Our reading today takes us through Genesis 3 and 4. We see temptation, disobedience, deception, murder…. We see sin. Mankind falls for the lies of the serpent, and things just continue to get worse from there. But we also see the protoevangelium, the glimmer of gospel within the downward spiral. This is the first time we see the promise of Jesus’ victory over sin, that as God in human form He would bruise the serpent’s head, and it’s still good news thousands of years later.