Genesis 3:15 - "Christ, The Seed of the Woman"

Genesis 3:15

"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."

In this single sentence, spoken by God Himself in the aftermath of Adam's fall, the entire Gospel is announced. What appears at first to be a word of judgment is, in fact, a declaration of victory. Genesis 3:15 is not merely the first prophecy of Scripture; it is the first promise of redemption. Here, in the garden, before Adam utters a word of repentance and before Eve offers a plea, God speaks Grace.

The LORD addresses Satan first. This is crucial. The Gospel does not begin with man seeking God, but with God confronting His enemy and proclaiming what He will do. “I will put enmity,” the LORD says. Fallen man is not naturally hostile to Satan; he is Satan’s willing ally. Enmity toward sin, toward falsehood, toward the serpent himself, is not by the initiative of the fallen sinner. It is the gift of God, for those that He purposed to save, even before time.

At the heart of this promise stands a mysterious Figure: “her seed.” Scripture deliberately departs from ordinary language. "Seed" belongs to the man, yet here Redemption comes through the woman. From the very beginning, God points forward to a birth unlike any other—a Savior not conceived by human will, but brought forth in the fullness of the time by God's Sovereign Will, Purpose, and Power. This promise later unfolds clearly: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Christ enters the world untouched by Adam’s corruption, yet fully clothed in true Humanity, given the Body prepared by God (Hebrews 10:5).

The promise declares both suffering and triumph. The serpent will bruise the Heel of the Seed. Christ would not redeem by avoiding pain, but by enduring it. The bruising of the Heel speaks of real agony—temptation, betrayal, crucifixion, death. Yet a bruised Heel is not a crushed head. The wound inflicted by Satan is temporary; the defeat inflicted by Christ is final. At the cross, what appeared to be Satan’s greatest victory became his ultimate ruin (Hebrews 2:14).

Jesus Himself proclaimed this moment: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31). In His death, Christ disarmed every accusation, satisfied divine justice, and broke Satan’s claim over His people. As Scripture declares, “Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).

What God promised in the garden, He preserved throughout history. The Seed was protected through Seth when Abel was slain. It was preserved through Noah when the world was judged. It was narrowed through Abraham, clarified through Judah, established through David, and finally brought forth through Mary. Scripture insists on this precision: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made… and to thy seed, which is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Redemption has always been in the LORD Jesus Christ and singularly and Sovereignly guarded.

And this victory is not merely Christ’s alone—it is shared with His people. United to Him, believers stand on conquered ground. Paul assures the church, “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20). The enemy still rages, but his power is broken. He may bruise, yet he cannot destroy; he may accuse, but he cannot condemn.

Genesis 3:15 teaches us that God was never surprised or taken aback by the fall. Redemption was not an afterthought. Before the serpent spoke his lie, God had already determined the Truth. From the garden to the cross, and from the cross to glory, the Father’s purpose has remained unchanged—to glorify His Son through the redemption of His people. The Gospel did not begin in Bethlehem. It was purposed from before time, and first revealed in Eden. And it began with a promise that cannot fail: the Seed has come, the head is crushed, and the victory is eternal.

This scripture, then, is the first Declaration of the Gospel in all of God's inspired Word. The first Gospel promise, spoken by the LORD Himself in the midst of judgment, reveals Sovereign Grace in Christ. Here, God declares the enmity He Alone established, the Seed He Alone provided, and the victory He Alone obtained for His elect. The sinner contributes nothing but ruin; Salvation flows entirely from God's Purpose, Will, and Power to save through the LORD Jesus Christ. The serpent’s head is bruised, not by man, but by Christ crucified, Who Himself was bruised for the iniquities of His elect (Isaiah 53:5). This promise unfolds God’s eternal Covenant of Grace, assuring His elect that redemption rests not in their obedience, but in the finished triumph of the promised Seed.