"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 3:15, ESV)

Newton’s Third Law states that for every action, there is an equal an opposite reaction. We see this law work itself out in many facets of life: skipping rocks on the surface of water creates ripples, burning casserole in an oven causes smoke, and committing sin results in consequences. Such was the case with Adam and Eve (and such is the case still today with all humanity).

When Satan slithered onto the scene in the Garden of Eden he had but one purpose and that was to rob God of His glory. Adam believed the crafty serpent’s lies and disobeyed God’s command. In doing so, Adam earned devastating consequences for himself. Sin, the attitude and action of disobeying God, must be dealt with. God in His supreme holiness simply cannot turn a blind eye to sin or merely sweep it under the rug. Adam and Eve would be banned from the Garden, forced to work more exhaustively, endure physical pain, and have severed relationships. This is the great curse caused by sin.

Still, God offers hope in the midst of tragedy. Tucked away in this verse is the promise of salvation. Genesis 3:15 points to the hope we can have in knowing that God will use the seed (offspring) of Eve to bruise, yes destroy even, the head of Satan. Our great adversary will be annihilated. Romans 5:12-21 help us to see that Jesus Christ is the curse-breaker, the One who undoes the great cosmic catastrophe ushered in by Adam and Eve. We may have inherited death (sin’s great consequence) from our forefather Adam, however we can inherit true life through the Christ.

This promise of salvation was made by the Father in Genesis and came to fruition with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And now, by grace through faith, people still have their lives resurrected and restored from the consequence, the curse of the sin. Rejoice in the hope offered only in Christ.