The First Prophecy of Christ

God’s Creation of man and his fellowship with God.

In Genesis 1:26-27, we are told that there is something very special about man as opposed to all of creation. The Bible says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Up until this point, God has created all of earth and the universe which includes

1. Earth and light.
2. Atmosphere of the earth.
3. Land, Ocean and vegetation.
4. Sun the moon and the stars.
5. Sea creatures and birds
6. Land animals and Man himself.

Thus, God has done a mighty work in creating the heavens and the earth. But then, in 1:26-27, we are told of the apex and pinnacle of creation when God created man and woman in His own image. Now there are two important question we should ask about this.

• What does it mean to be created in God’s image? I should preface my response to this question by acknowledging that:
  • The Bible says very little about this in terms of explanation, it simply affirms the fact of it, and...
  • there is some debate about this today.

Nevertheless, the image of God should never be thought of as a physical property in man. This refers to a spiritual property that we possess. Perhaps the best way to understand this is to say that the image of God in man is the intellectual, relational, moral and spiritual capacity that man has which enables him to relate to and commune with God.

• What is the significance of male and female? This is highly significant. For one thing, the image of God requires both male and female to adequately express the image of God in humanity. That being the case, this shows that there neither gender is superior to the other. Both are equal and should be treated as such.

So then, God created male and female in His image which gives them the ability to relate to Him.

So what does this mean for us? Having this capacity to know God and commune with Him suggests that we were created for a relationship to Him. We were created to know and Love our Creator. Thus, in our lives we should seek this with all that we are. When we do less than this, we fall short of what God originally intended for us.

• Augustine. “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee” (Conf. I. 1. 2.).

God’s Warning to avoid the Tree of Knowledge.

In 2:16-17, we see that God clearly warns man to avoid the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Bible says, “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Earlier, in 1:30, the Bible tells us that God gave all the things of earth for man to use. Then in 2:15-17, we see that there was only one limitation placed on man. He was forbidden to eat of the Tree of knowledge. The warning here was that if they chose to disobey God and eat of this tree, then death would come into the world. Thus, God warns man about this and commands him not to eat.

A Father who warns His child to avoid danger. In life it is obvious to all of us that we typically warn those we love about things that will be harmful to us.

Thus we see God’s command not to eat of this one particular tree.

God’s Curse and Consequences of the Fall.

In 2:17, and then 3:7-19, are told of the consequences of sin. There are at least four major results that we can note from the text. These include:

• Death. In 2:17, God warned man of death saying, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” As we know, Adam and Eve both partook of the fruit. Although this did not result in immediate death, we do know that 5:5 is in the Bible where it says, “All the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.” Ultimately death came to man as a result. But this death is much more than just a simple physical death. Ultimately, this was a complete death. This includes the physical ending of life as well as a spiritual separation from God.
• Guilt. In 3:7-10, we note Adam’s response to his situation and see how he now gains consciousness of his sin and tries to hide from God. The reason Adam hides is because he knows his guilt and can do nothing but hide. We experience the same thing when we commit sin and try to avoid the things of God because of a guilty conscious.
• Hostility. In 3:11-13, we also see that hostility and division came into the created order as a result of their sin. Whereas Adam and Eve had experienced nothing but peace and blessing up till this point in their relationship, sin has now entered the picture bringing tension, hostility, and division to mankind.
• Difficulty. In 3:16-19, we also see the results of sin for creation itself. Because of their sin, things like the following have come:
  • Pain in child birth (3:16)
  • The ground is cursed (3:17-natural evil)
  • Work becomes difficult (3:19)

Thus, as a result of their sin, grave consequences came upon all of mankind and all of the earth. The curse is evident in all the earth today.

Thus, we see that there were real genuine consequences for all of mankind as a result of Adam’s sin. When sin entered the picture, the scene of blessing and peace began to erode. In the end, man was left in a difficult situation.

God’s Provision for Man in the Seed of a Woman.

In 3:15, and 3:21, we see that the answer to this problem that we have is none other than Jesus Christ the Lord. Here in these verse, God gives a promise of victory and a foreshadowing of what this might look like.

• The Promise. In 3:15, God speaks to Satan and pronounces a curse upon him. In this curse on Satan, we find our hope. God says, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” What exactly is meant by this? Very simply, God intends to pronounce defeat on Satan by the offspring of a woman. In other words, a baby will be born who will crush and defeat Satan.
  • Isaiah 9:6. “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
  • The Foreshadowing. In 3:21, we also see a foreshadowing of the atonement. The Bible says, “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Here we see that animals were killed and sacrificed to serve as a covering for Adam and Eve. In the same way, Jesus Christ would come and offer His very life as a sacrifice as an atonement for our sin.

Thus, God’s cure for our sin problem is his very Son Jesus who came to this earth to die between two thieves and give his life as a ransom for many.

Joy to The World.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Thus, at Christmas we celebrate this one who was promised at the very outset of the Bible, Jesus Christ the Lord.