Christ in Genesis

~ Jesus Christ is the “Seed of the Woman” and More ~

The Bible is about Jesus Christ  ~  “Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27).

Jesus Christ is found throughout the book of Genesis. Some theologians have remarked that the primary purpose of Genesis is to introduce us to Jesus Christ. Consider a few of the many examples.

Creator   ~  We know an amazing Savior—who is found in the very first verse of the Bible. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (1:1). The word translated into English as “God” is a plural word—indicating the triune God.

Confirmation of Jesus Christ as the creator occurs later in the Bible, such as: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:15-18).

“In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” John 1:1-3).

Breath of Life  ~  “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (2:7).

Adam is a Picture of Christ  ~  “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” 1 Corinthians 15:21-22).  “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45).

Seed of the Woman  ~  “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (3:15). This has been called the proto-evangelism—the first mention in Scripture of a coming Savior.   

Abel’s Offering for Sin  ~  We learn many key things in this account (chapter 4) including that the offering must be of an innocent substitute and blood must be shed.

Interestingly enough, in the account of Cain and Abel we have representatives of all other religions and Christianity. Religions include the works of man whereas a relationship with Christ is all because of His grace. 

Notice also that Abel was the first shepherd in history and he died a violent death. 

Noah’s Ark  ~  Another picture of salvation. One of the many interesting aspects is that nothing was left up to Noah. God gave him clear instructions about all the details. Note also that the ark had one door—there was only one way in!  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). There was no fleet of arks—only one!

A major portion of Genesis (chapters 12-50) provides an account of four men: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Each foreshadows Christ and together they present a picture of the Good News of God’s salvation plan. Abraham pictures the sovereignty of God, Isaac God’s great grace, Jacob the justification which comes through faith, and Joseph our ultimate glorification because of God’s grace (c.f. Romans 8:29-30).

Isaac  ~ The account of Abraham offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice has many aspects of foreshadowing the death of Jesus Christ. Here are some examples: He was promised long before he was born. His name was given before he was born (17:19; Matthew 1:20-21). Abraham was confused when God told him about his future son (17:15-17, Matthew 1:19-20). Likewise Sarah was confused (18:10-14, Luke 1:30-31). Isaac’s birth involved a miracle.

Abraham is directed to sacrifice his only son (22:2, John 3:16). It involved a three-day journey during which time Isaac was as good as dead in Abraham’s mind—Christ was buried for three days. An important aspect here is that the entire process was between a father and his son. Isaac carried the wood (22:6, John 19:17-18). Notice that there was no conflict between father and son—Isaac was obedient and trusted his father to do what was right.

The account makes a sudden turn when a substitute lamb is offered in place of Isaac. Isaac was a sinner and an innocent lamb took his place and died on that altar. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is our substitute. 

Comment  ~  We have only touched the surface of Christ in Genesis. Much more could be said about each of the previous examples. We have not even touched upon Joseph who is one of the clearest types (foreshadows) of Jesus Christ in all of Scripture. 

additional comment:  While on earth Jesus Christ often quoted the Scriptures including all five books of Moses. He quoted Genesis 2:24 in Matthew 19:5 and in Mark 10:7-8; He quoted Genesis 1:27 in Mark 10:6.

The Apostle Paul told us the Scriptures present many shadows of things to come but the reality is found in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “JESUS CHRIST IN EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE” SERIES ~~~   

(1)  Approximately once a month ALN posts an overview of how Jesus Christ is seen in a specific book of the Bible.

(2)  In most cases these posts only scratch the surface regarding Jesus Christ in the particular book.

(3)  These posts will typically be in the same order as the books are found in the Bible.

(4)  These serial posts are in addition to our other ALN postings.

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~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW