Faith's Checkbook

brucesbiblepage

Jan 1

January 1
The Bible's First Promise
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
This is the first promise to the fallen man. It contains the whole gospel and the essence of the covenant
of grace. It has been in great measure fulfilled. The seed of the woman, even our Lord Jesus, was
bruised in His heel, and a terrible bruising it was. How terrible will be the final bruising of the serpent's
head! This was virtually done when Jesus took away sin, vanquished death, and broke the power of
Satan; but it awaits a still fuller accomplishment at our Lord's second advent and on the Day of
Judgment. To us the promise stands as a prophecy that we shall be afflicted by the powers of evil in
our lower nature, and thus bruised in our heel; but we shall triumph in Christ, who sets His foot on the
old serpent's head. Throughout this year we may have to learn the first part of this promise by
experience, through the temptations of the devil and the unkindness of the ungodly, who are his seed.
They may so bruise us that we may limp with our sore heel; but let us grasp the second part of the
text, and we shall not be dismayed. By faith let us rejoice that we shall still reign in Christ Jesus, the
woman's seed.