Hope in the Seed
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Straight to the Cross
GUEST ARTICLE
Hope in the Seed
by Roger E. Dickson
When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he died
spiritually, for his sin separated him from God
(Romans 5:12). He was also separated from the tree
of life, and thus, took all humanity with him. All
of us now suffer the consequences of his sin in
that we all must physically die (1 Corinthians
15:20-22).
In the midst of this human tragedy, however, God
made a promise that a solution for sin would come
(Genesis 3:15). Throughout the Old Testament there
are hundreds of prophecies that foretold the
coming of the Messiah who would make atonement for
the sins of men. All of these prophecies were
concerning Jesus, who would die on the cross in
order to reconcile us to God. He also came to give
us a way to conquer that which all of us fear:
physical death (Hebrews 2:14).
God chose a man by the name of Abraham through
whom He would bring into the world the One who
would be the Savior of man-kind. God promised
Abraham, "And in you all the families of the earth
shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). From the time
this promise was made around 2000 B.C., God
continually reminded His people that there was a
"blessing" coming who would bear the iniquities of
the people (Isaiah 53). The promise was not only
to the descendants of Abraham, the Jews, but to
all families of the earth. It was God's promise to
humanity.
The Seed!
So, who was the blessing? Peter stated, "You are
sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which
God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And
in your seed all the families of the earth shall
be blessed!' To you first, God having raised up
His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in
turning away every one of you from your
iniquities" (Acts 3:25,26).
The Seed of Abraham that would bless all mankind
was Jesus. Paul wrote, "Now to Abraham and His
Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And
to seeds,' as to many, but as to one, 'And to your
Seed,' who is Christ" (Galatians 3:16). So the
Seed was Jesus Christ. This was the Seed of woman
whom God promised after Adam sinned, the One who
would crush the head of Satan (Genesis 3:15).
The Blessing!
Now, what was the blessing of Abraham that would
come from the Seed? The Bible answers, "And the
Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the
Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham
beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall
be blessed'" (Galatians 3:8). The Gospel in this
promise has reference to good news that would be
preached to all the world!
The Gospel was the good news of the Seed who would
take care of our sin problem in our relationship
with God. He would bring us to justification by
faith (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16). He would thus
reconcile us to God by His blood (Romans 5:10,11).
This is how Jesus blesses all those who believe in
Him and obey the commands of the Gospel. He is the
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world
(John 1:29).
Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol
42, pgs. 38-39.
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