Hinting at the Need for a Savior

Genesis 3:8-19

They didn’t intend for the lamp to break. It just happened. One day, Brother and Sister Bear were bored and decided to play soccer. Staying in the living room, they kicked the ball around and it went into the lamp, forcing various hijinks and efforts to lie to come into the story. This is the plot of The Berenstain Bears and the Truth. They broke the lamp. Of course, this nice kids’ storybook turned out a solid lesson on telling the truth and the value of super glue, which isn’t quite how things turned out when Adam and Eve first sinned.

It may seem odd to deliver an Easter message from the passage of the original sin, but that’s the point at which Jesus was first needed. As most casual followers assume, this is the point at which God begins to craft the plan of redemption that would be culminated on the cross. Over the next 7 weeks, we are going to explore the book of Genesis in the Bible to hear the whispers of Jesus from the beginning, which should help us see the cross isn’t just a response to sin, but the original plan laid out before creation.

Jesus Has Always Been Present

The first whispers of Jesus show up in the third verse of scripture—”And God said”. God used speech as the method of creation; I find this intriguing. God spoke and there was light. God spoke and the world was formed. There is something deeply meaningful in the booming voice of God echoing this message; spoken words that bring light, life, and love into existence. This is the voice of Jesus (Col. 1:16). The one who said “It is finished” (John 19:30) is the same one who said “Let there be light”. Jesus has been there since the start; the very beginning of our time and our story. Before light, before air, before sin, speaking the very image of God into humans (Gen. 1:26), Jesus was there. His voice proclaimed the message of God through beauty, creativity, and love.

The Gospel Has Always Been the Plan

Genesis 3 doesn’t paints something else. Humanity chooses ugliness, knowledge, and pride instead of God’s friendship. We rejected God and chose ourselves; falling prey to the lie of the enemy. This is original sin, the pivotal moment at which we broke the lamp and then, just like Brother Bear, chose to lie about it. Image-bearers of God, we started to look just like the enemy. We were broken and needed a solution. God was ready.

John’s beginning statement in his account introduces us to the “Word” of God. In Greek, the actual word used was “Logos”, the Logos of God. It doesn’t mean singular word, but a collective message. The “Word” that was God and was with God in the beginning was the totality of God’s message to us. His intention towards us – everything He has to say to us is His “Logos” (John 1:1,14). This Logos is the spoken Word of God, the One who Spoke, the One who became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is what God has to say to humanity. God’s response to sin is the same today as it was in Adam’s day: Jesus. This means that the plan of salvation; Jesus’ death and resurrection were part of that message back then, just like it is today. And it’s even there in God’s message to the serpent (Gen 3:15). The serpent will bite the offspring of man’s heel (the cross), but He will crush the serpent’s head (the resurrection). This is talking directly about Jesus.

You Have Always Been the Intended Recipient

Jesus wasn’t only present at the act of creation, but so was salvation itself. The serpent would gain an apparent victory in the bruising of Jesus’ heel, but God promised that Jesus would strike the fatal blow (the defeat of the cross by the resurrection). God’s plan of who, how, and when were all laid out from the very beginning and as we progress through this series of whispers about Jesus, we will see just how clearly God spoke redemption. Because He is Risen, you are here. Because He lives, you can be free, and because He planned this before Adam’s sin (2 Tim 1:9), you can rest assured that God is faithful to see salvation through to the end. Salvation through Jesus is God’s message to us! It is completely and only love and grace offered by the work of His own hand. Before creation you were thought of by God. And at the cross, you were there in His mind as He hung there, dripping from the countless wounds stricken all over His body.

Next Steps

Looking through Genesis, we will see numerous hints and whispers proclaiming salvation. God’s message and passion will be on full display, just like on that Sunday morning when Jesus got up and walked out of the grave. I hope that you will see the cross not as a defeat or even a reflexive response to sin, but as the original plan laid out before creation. God knew and communicated His plan ahead of time, proving His power, His might, and His message. How will you respond?

1. Explore more of God’s message by coming this series—Whispers of Jesus
2. Consider engaging with God in relationship through Jesus: 1) believe that what we learn in the scriptures is true and literally happened, and 2) that truth is enough to rest our hope on – this is how we place our trust in Jesus. Then pray and invite Him into your life.
3. Step into discipleship by learning more about God through Bible Study

Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs, and only once called his shot. Only once did he know what he’d do beforehand. God knew what He was doing and called His shot every step of the way. Seek that God!