“The Lord God said to the serpent, […] ‘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)
The Lord God created a beautiful world. Alongside countless different kinds of animals, this world was inhabited by two people, created in the image of God Himself. All of it was “very good.”
Then God’s adversary, Satan—disguised as a serpent—entered the world. He tempted the humans to rebel against their Creator. They no longer lived in the light of God, but allowed themselves to be drawn into the domain of darkness.
Yet the Lord God did not simply allow His good world to be taken from Him. The earth became a battleground. A descendant of Eve would defeat the serpent in a fierce struggle. We are not given any further details in Genesis 3. But as the Bible unfolds, more and more is made clear about this “offspring.” To overcome the serpent, he would need superhuman strength. Moreover, he himself could not be under Satan’s power—as every human being sadly is because of their sinful nature. The only one who could take on this battle was God Himself. He came to earth to defeat Satan. He became human in order to free humanity from the grip of sin and evil.
This story almost sounds like a fairy tale. Yet it is the reality of our world. Does it feel that way to you too?