In the previous message we studied the first fall of man, considering its cause, process, and result. We have seen how dreadful was the cause, how awful was the process, and how terrible was the result. Thank God that Genesis 3 does not stop here! Genesis 3 not only unveils the cause, process, and result of man's first fall, but also reveals the way God used to deal with this fall. His way is the way of salvation, and the message or the word regarding His way is the gospel. We are preaching the gospel to all who read this message. The first occurrence of gospel preaching in the entire universe is recorded in chapter three of Genesis. Do not think that Genesis 3 is a negative chapter; it is very positive. Although this chapter begins with the evil one, the subtle, crafty serpent, this serpent opened the way for the seed of the woman to come in. This is wonderful!
Who is the seed of the woman? Jesus. Jesus was born of a woman, not of a man. The so-called higher critics, who attacked the book of Genesis and Revelation, also claimed that Jesus was not born of a virgin, alleging that He was born of Joseph, the carpenter. Such an assertion is the greatest blasphemy against the Lord Jesus. The Lord was not the son of that carpenter who later became the husband of the virgin Mary, of which virgin Jesus was born. Thus, Jesus was not the seed of any man; He was the seed of a woman, a virgin, as prophesied in Isaiah (7:14), fulfilled in Matthew (1:23), and confirmed by Paul (Gal. 4:4). In Galatians 4:4 Paul says that Christ was born of a woman. Therefore, Jesus was not the seed of man. He was the seed of a woman, born to fulfill the promise given by God as the gospel in Genesis 3:15. The first fall of man opened the way for the seed of woman to come in. This is the gospel.
Now we need to consider God's way of dealing with the first fall of man. God did not judge man. Immediately after the fall both Adam and Eve realized that they were not very good. They condemned themselves, hid themselves, and used fig leaves to cover themselves (Gen. 3:7-8). Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God. They knew that they had violated God's prohibition against eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and that the result of their transgression was to be death. Therefore, they hid themselves from the Lord's presence, awaiting the sentence of death. However, God came in, not to declare the sentence of death, but to preach the gospel. God did not pronounce the sentence of death; He sounded the voice of the gospel.