There is always hope, and there will always be hope. Even in the darkest moments of our lives or the history of the world when there seems to be nothing to hope in, nor anything to trust – we as disciples of Jesus are still people who have hope and who bring hope. Christmas falls on what is the (literal) darkest day of the Year for the people of the Northern Hemisphere. The early church in the Western world put Christmas in the depth of December not because it was historically close to the birth of Jesus but because of the Symbolism that in the darkest of nights, there will be hope that always shines and a hope that will change the world. This Advent season, we look to that eternal hope; that Even in humanity’s darkest moments, Genesis 3 shows us God speaks a word of hope – pointing to Jesus as the ultimate Redeemer.
Introduction (Looking for Hope in a Hopeless World)
Nothing perfect stays that way. Nor does success last; it might be as simple as Man Utd’s dominance in the Premier League ended with Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, illustrating how even success fades.. Or we could be talking about how a once great and vibrant city faced economic collapse as Industries moved across the world to cheaper lands. Cities in the American Rust Belt, or some of the great old Ports in the UK like Belfast. Where jobs abounded, and people moved from all over to get a slice of the fortune growing, and with every new business, there seemed to be more hope for a better future. That was until key industries dried up or technology meant the world had moved on. Nothing perfect ever stays that way, and often, when things begin to decline, decline gets normal.
You might even be thinking about a personal situation you have been in so long that it feels normal. Nothing perfect ever stays that way because we live in a broken world. Human relationships break down, what culture once considered good will soon be regarded as outdated, the societies that we live in and their stability that bring us peace seem to slowly break down as people long for something different without knowing what they are looking for; decay sets in as sin abounds. The world war rudely interrupted the peace and hopefulness of the 1930s. Today, we live in a world that claims to value all life, yet we have just seen laws passed that talk about giving people the choice to shorten death rather than trying to focus on ways that show the beauty of life. We live in a world where even the best things are fleeting. It can be hard to grasp hope as a concept, never mind it as reality. Yet in a broken world, there is always a longing for hope, whether in the American presidential elections where candidates seem to appear like Messiahs every four years or the promised benefits of the latest technology or advancement in AI. We live in a broken world where people survive with hopeful longing, even if they do not believe it will be fulfilled.
These glimpses of brokenness in our world reflect a deeper truth rooted in the story of humanity itself—a truth first revealed in Genesis 3, where perfection was shattered, and sin began its reign. We have seen what beauty and perfection look like at the beginning of all things, as the writer of Genesis outlines God’s overflowing love in the world’s creation. Where order is brought from Chaos, and beauty is raised from darkness and the soil. Where time and time again, the refrain “Good” echoes in our ears as God puts his master plan of creation in place. Not because he needed to create the world, nor that he needed us in the world, but simply because such is the generous-loving-perfect heart of God that he wanted all of creation to experience his goodness. Thus, the Lord made the world, and at the centre point of his creation was the pinnacle of his creation – humankind. Of Which nothing else was said, “Let us make humankind in our image.” In the goodness of the created world, there was something more profound, something that reflected God. This reflects why the Chuch values human life from the womb to the tomb, which is why the church mourns the debates in the UK parliament. Life matters because all human life reflects the image of God, and all human life has worth until the Lord ordains its last breath. In the creation narrative, absolute Goodness and perfection abound until our passage today. Initially, it was perfect until humankind started to get bored with perfection and listen to something other than God. Soon, all that was perfect was no more as sin entered the world, and the devastation of the fall affected every part of God’s creation. Yet, despite the devastation in the moments after Eden, the goodness of God still shines through as God offers an assurance of Hope – A redeemer will one day restore what has been lost.
1. The Tragedy of the Fall (3:1-5)
The Genesis narrative is the beautiful, poetic and accurate picture of how God brought the world into existence. Genesis One helps us see the establishment of order, function, and nature out of chaos through God’s spoken word. Chapter One is the blessing of creation, whereas Chapter Two shows how blessing will come through creation to the world: The Garden and soil will provide food to eat, and humankind will bear offspring through union in love – Eve. Everything seems perfect as the world settles into its new Rythems, and Adam and Eve get on with ruling with God and on behalf of God. It is what we might call Shalom; God’s peace is experienced as his creation enjoys dwelling with him in fullness. Everything seems to be perfect in bliss, that is, until the reader turns to chapter 3, where human disobedience complicates and corrupts the creation that God has made. Sin enters the world, detesting the blessing that Creation was to be.
The Snake who Brings death
I often think that the Snake gets an unfair telling regarding how we read this narrative. A narrative that has shaped how humanity has seen it throughout history or even used it in stories and narratives told. For the first time in this story, the author of Genesis introduces a voice other than God’s, Adam and Eve’s. A voice that is given the prescription of being spoken from “the shrewdest of all the wild animals that the Lord God made. There is no introduction here, nor is there any identification about whom the Snake is or might be working on behalf of.
When you remember that Genesis is a poetic Jewish work of truth, you remember something of the aim. When the Israelites thought of snakes, they would have already had in their mind specific ideas. In the ancient Middle East, the Snake was considered to have some sort of mystical wisdom as an embodied evil, demonic and hostile creature. In Egyptian Mythology, the snake was often used to represent some of the most powerful gods and their enemies, and it would become the Symbol for some of the most powerful Pharaohs. Think about Adapa, the Egyptian God of the underworld, who was presented as a serpent in shape and the embodiment of evil. The serpent has no great introduction here because, in the minds of the original reader, its role would have already been apparent. Next, the authors describe it as árum, which the NIV translates as Crafty, the NLT as Shrewdest, and the MSG as clever. A fitting image that helps us to understand the role of the snake at this moment as working against God’s description, but not one that should be read in either a positive or negative sense. It is a neutral description of the snake and has been used throughout the OT as something to aspire to (rather than being naive). Indeed, the shrewdness of the snake contrasts the nakedness (árummim) of Men and women before (2:25).
This contrast between the snake’s árum (shrewdness) and Adam and Eve’s árummim (nakedness) is striking. The shrewdness of the snake is a neutral trait, something that could be used for good or ill, and it’s a trait the Bible sometimes commends—think of Jesus saying to be “as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Yet here, that shrewdness becomes the vehicle for rebellion against God. The serpent’s cunning stands in direct contrast to the innocence and openness of Adam and Eve before the fall, and the wordplay in the Hebrew underlines this sharp turn. What was open and innocent becomes hidden and deceptive.
The serpent needs no dramatic introduction here because the original readers would instinctively grasp its role. In their minds, the snake wasn’t just another creature but carried symbolic weight as an agent of danger, mystery, and often outright hostility. It’s not that the serpent is mighty in itself—it’s not a god or a being to be feared like in Egyptian mythology, where snakes were often symbols of divine power or chaos. Instead, its subtlety lies in its ability to twist God’s truth and sow doubt in the hearts of humanity.
The Struggles of the Human Heart
This moment introduces us to the heart of temptation: distorting what is good into something destructive. The serpent’s cunning isn’t inherently evil, but it becomes devastating when directed against God’s purposes. For the Israelites, this account wasn’t just a story of what happened but a reminder of the fragility of innocence and the ever-present danger of turning good gifts—like wisdom or even curiosity—against the Creator. A fragility is captured in the actions of Adam and Eve, who have dwelt in perfection and union with God yet began to doubt his goodness at the first chance that came their way. The serpent asks a question in such a way that gets Eve to express the commands of God in her own words: “Did God say….?”
A question which causes Eve to think outlet and to think through all that God had instructed her and Adam: that they could eat from any treat in the Garden, that was any tree except the one in the middle, because to eat from it would bring death. This is a truth to which the Serpent responds in a way that suggests that God did not mean it. Instead, Yahweh only spoke such things to dissuade them from gaining all the incredible, powerful benefits the tree would bring them. The snake’s deception was not to blatantly contradict God’s word or twist in such an obvious way. Instead, it casts doubt on the starkness of what God had said! “You will not certainly die” The specific takes God’s word as it was, and rather than questioning it, questions the motive and the meaning. Yes, the LORD said that, but did he mean it?
What was the Plan then is Still Now!
Interestingly, the enemy’s strategy has not changed in our developed world. No one opposed to God ever says to his people – God did not say that. Instead, they tell us that interruptions have changed meaning, or if God was indeed a God of love, he would allow us to decide what is Good rather than loving to show us what is good. The deception was in question of motive, not the use of words, and as Adam and Eve felt for it, it had devastating effects. Catastrophic consequences are the effects that we still feel today.
As sin entered the world, Shalom was broken, humanity was separated from God, Shame became the norm, evil cracked the very foundation of the world, and death would become our end without help from beyond us. The sin’s deception led to humanity’s disobedience, and the consequences were devastating. Thus, we end up with the most potent images of Judgement. As the lust for power entered into the eyes of Adam and Eve, they took that which God had forbade them for. Their eyes were opened, but not how they thought they would be. Chapter 2 finished with the image of Adam and Eve’s nakedness and not being ashamed. Chapter three bookmarks the devastating effects of the rebellion of Adam and Eve with the bookmark of their shame in their current disposition.
The Effects of Sin We Still Face Today
Sin corrupted the Created order and brought shame into the hearts of each of humanity; shame that each of us has been trying to shake every since as we look to create things to fill the God-shaped hole that sin carved into our very core. Shame is now woven into the human experience. From Eden onward, we’ve been trying to cover it up—whether with fig leaves or modern-day equivalents like achievements, relationships, or possessions. We mask our imperfections by pretending they are imperfections and trying to convince ourselves and others that we’re okay. Yet no matter how much we try to patch things up, deep down, we know something is fundamentally broken. The coverings never quite fit; they always fall short. And so, shame lingers, like an ache we can’t quite soothe.
This brokenness (should) leaves us longing for redemption. It’s a longing that we might not fully understand but feel in the depths of our being—a yearning for things to be made right again. We see it in our pursuit of meaning, our cries for justice, and the hope we place in everything from politics to technology. We chase after anything that might fill the void left by the broken Shalom. But Genesis 3 makes one painfully clear: we can’t fix this ourselves. No amount of effort, progress, or self-repair will undo the damage.
Our only hope lies outside ourselves in the promise of a Redeemer who will step into the mess, crush the serpent, and restore what sin has destroyed. That hope of redemption is the thread that runs through the entire story of Scripture, ultimately leading us to Jesus, who came to undo the curse and bring us back to God.
2. The Consequences of Sin (3:8-13)
The effects of sin never waste time. The next section of the passage immediately shows the development of Adam & Eve’s choices and pursuit of power for the sake of trust in God. The effects that Adam and Eve feel in their inner life and how they see the world are then seen externally as nature is destroyed to cover them, and death enters the world to keep them. Sin and its effects devastate everything immediately and permanently. Sin begins to affect immediately, as Eve looks upon a tree God forbade with good intentions and sees through a new lens. Sin continues to devastate as the heart’s desires take over, and Eve and Adam seek the wisdom the tree offers. It is too late as the effects of Sin are felt, and the promise of wisdom dissipates. Fig leaves could not cover all that they had done together.
What Once Was Will Be No More
The narrator paints the most relaxing and intimate of Scenes as, for one last time, we see how personal Adam & Eve’s relationship with God was – even though they have been devastated by trusting in something other than the God who made them and sustains their garden. The day has passed, and as the sun sets and the evening breeze blows gently around the garden, God walks among his people in intimacy. Yet, all is not as it was; something is different, and the author wants us to feel that difference as he writes and paints a picture of the primary and most divesting effect of sin – separation from God and shame before him. Where a moment before God walked with Adam and Eve in openness, now they hide from him and seek to create distance. As God asks, “Where are you?” It is not because he cannot see or know what has unfolded. It is not that he cannot find them, for he is the Lord of Lords; instead, God displays the effects of sin – distance – in his search and call. It was the first effect of sin and remained its most devastating as we have been separated from dwelling with our creator.
In the search for God, Adam cries out not with repentance but as an excuse, a justification: “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” The couple have been transformed, yet not for their good. Instead, they have been transformed in how they see themselves and their approach to God. It is a divesting confrontation where God is met by sin for the first time in the world he created. Yet, he is not shocked because he knows that enabling man to dwell with God eternally would require God to do something that no person ever could. Thus, even here, as God confronts sin for the first time in the world, responding to the excuse of Adam with the question of how they know such things, then responding to the excuses that Adam and Eve fling his way we something of the way God will work in the world always – Grace. How? Because as he confronts sin and the mistake of Adam and Eve, he invites confession from them and accountability for them. Nor does the Lord allow Adam or Eve to pass on Blame to another; each has made their choice, and both must bear their consequences, yet because our God is all good and caring, he will not leave them to carry such weight alone.
Adam and Eve: An Example of Us Today
In a few moments, Adam and Eve were shown how we wrestle with sin today. We make excuses, blame other people, and lessen the evil in our hearts or that we have done. We all feel the effects of sin in our lives and our world, yet every day, we do what these two have done here and say – It was his fault; it was their fault. Or perhaps worse, we try to convince ourselves of the lies of this world that tell us that what God has said is evil is good and that what God says is good is evil. We think we can look inward for our identity or purpose rather than only to God. Sin disordered the world, and in the world, it leads to disordered love as we turn good things into God’s things and try to distance ourselves from the One we need. This is a devastating yet beautiful moment as God shows the Grace that he will show properly through history in his first dealing with sin. Why? Because Grace was not the after plan, mercy was always the plan.
The curse on the serpent reveals the devastating consequences of sin—not just for Adam and Eve, but for all creation. The whole world will bear the effects of their choice until the Day God restores that which is broken. Yet, God shows them Grace as he spares them from immediate judgment. Their choices will have consequences, but they will be spared the worst. Yet, God’s words to the serpent make clear that sin disrupts everything: the relationship between us and Him and each other, as well as the goodness of the created world. The ripples of sin through the world and human history are catastrophic. The serpent is cursed to crawl, Eve will experience pain in childbirth and tension in her relationship with Adam, and Adam will toil in a world where work becomes frustrating, and the ground resists his efforts. Creation itself groans under the weight of sin and is still groaning today. And us? Well, once given dominion over the earth, humanity finds itself in a world that pushes back.
Look Around and See the World
We don’t have to look far to see the effects of sin today:
- Broken families, where trust has been eroded.
- Injustice, where the mighty crush the weak.
- Suffering, where sickness, death, and despair seem unchecked.
- Selfishness, where we are more concerned about amassing too much than helping those in need.
- Identity, where we get lost in the maze of our inwardness in search of what is beyond us.
Sin has destroyed everything. It makes us mistrust God, turn against one another, and exploit the very creation we were meant to steward. The result is a world out of balance, where decay becomes the norm, hope seems like a foreign concept, and every Government budgets to fix the problems of the last. Five years later, the situation appears to be worse. And it leaves us longing—aching—for something better.
But even here, amid judgment, we see a slither of grace. God doesn’t abandon Adam and Eve to the weight of their sin or leave creation without hope. Thankfully, from the moment Sin enters the world, God begins His work of redemption, even as the consequences unfold. This isn’t a moment where God comes up with a Plan B; this is the unfolding of Plan A—a plan that has always centred on grace and mercy. Even amid brokenness, God shows us that He hasn’t finished with His world. He hasn’t finished with us. He will deal with sin, restore what has been lost, and bring us back to Himself. And so, in the devastation of sin’s consequences, the seed of hope is planted, pointing us toward the Redeemer who will make all things new.
3. The Promise of Redemption (3:15)
What is the Gospel? Good news! Specifically, I want to share the good news of God’s redemptive work in the world for the sake of the world. The Gospel is light in the heavy darkness of this world broken by sin. This is what Christmas is all about; the baby, born in the darkness of night in a manger, illuminates this eternal light for all to see and experience. An everlasting light that begins to shine brighter, but it is not new. Instead, it is a light flickering from the beginning, a light we start seeing now. A light that is our reason for looking at this passage in this Advent season. Why? Because this passage alone helps us understand the cause of sin and its devastating effects, we get a glimpse of the Gospel for the first time. A hint of God’s illusion of God’s Mercy in his plan for redemption. He will not let sin reign; its end is set from its moment of entering the world. Theologians call Genesis 3:15 the protoevangelium, or in modern English – the first gospel. It is not a different Gospel; instead, it is the first revelation of the Goodness of God’s plan to bring redemption into the world.
There is Hope in Judgement
God spoke of hostility between the women and the Serpent—a sign of the battle that had begun and would rage until the final day. Whether we see it or not, a struggle between good and evil is still raging. As the agent of one opposed to God, the serpent brought sin into the world, but it would not be the serpent who would have the final say. Yes, they led Adam and Eve into deception and the destruction of sin, but God knew it would come and when it would come. Thus, in a moment where the enemy thought they had a victory and led the pinnacle of God’s creation away from him, we see signs already of what the almighty and all-powerful God had always intended to do: use the folly of humanity and the destruction of sin to show the beauty of Grace and the wonder of life with him. The serpent thought destruction would reign as Chaos ran through God’s creation. Yet, God intended this evil moment to be used for ultimate good. The serpent’s deception allowed God’s great plan of redemption to unfold, a plan that would show fuller the wonder of who God is and what it means to live for him and display more greatly his power, majesty, sovereignty and Glory to the world and in the world. Where is this gospel hint? God looks at the serpent and declares that the woman’s seed will crush the serpent’s head. Remember that this is the God for whom speaking is acting. God spoke creation into existence, and now it exists, so when God says something – it will happen.. It is not a threat nor a hope; instead, it is the edge of the Shadow of redemption that is being cast from Calvary and beyond Calvary.
The Seed that birthed on Calvary
Who is this seed? Jesus! The infant born in obscurity in the manger would be the one who would right the wrong of Eden, and more Wonderfully, the snake would not see it coming. On the Tree of Calvary, God the Father would set right the wrong that he has been wrought on the Tree in Eden. The separation would be undone as the serpent’s head was crushed, more beautifully, all while the serpent thought he had had another victory, even as his head was crushed and his evil undone. From the choice of one before a tree, sin and death entered the world: By the choice of another on the tree, sin would be destroyed, the enemy defeated, death would die, separation would be undone, and Grace would be released as God’s redemption plan was fulfilled in his most incredible display of Glory and power. In short, from disobedience came sin and death for all: by His obedience came life and restoration! In Jesus, God’s redemption plan is fulfilled in the most breathtaking display of glory and power.
This is the faithfulness of our God—offering hope even amid judgment, shining light into the deepest darkness. He has always been faithful to His promises, and the fulfilment of Genesis 3:15 in Jesus is proof of that. So, as we look to Christ this Advent season, let us trust in this promise. He is our ultimate hope, our Redeemer who stepped into the mess of our sin to make all things new. In Him, we see the steadfast love of God, a love that will never fail and invites us to live in hope even as we wait for the day when all will be fully restored.
Conclusion (The Promise is Realised)
Christmas is a busy season for the entire world, a busyness that the enemy might use to distract all from the real reason for the season. Advent is a spiritual discipline and something to make ourselves conscious of, which helps us fight against that. Why? Because it is a season of waiting and preparation, as we use our Lord’s first coming to prepare ourselves for his second coming. It is a time to reflect upon the reality of the world we live in as we away a better time to come when sin will be destroyed, and Creation restored to its Eden bliss. It is a time to see the extraordinary hope offered through God’s promise of Redemption in the judgement cast upon the sin of rebellion in Genesis three. No matter how devastating it has been, God’s grace, mercy and redemption are more. He is working for His glory and our good. This passage speaks to the tragic consequences of sin and the fall rippling throughout the world, yet even in that sad picture of despair, we are given hope beyond hope as God points to the redeemer to come. A promise that points us forward to Jesus through Calvary. This is the promise of Hope that Scripture offers, and hope begins in Bethlehem, who was the seed that would crush the head of the serpent, restoring what was lost and reconciling us to God.
As we continue our Journey through this Advent season, perhaps each of us might reflect on our own need for redemption on our own need for redemption and the hope that can only be found in Christ. It is time to stop trying to do it on our strength and come to Jesus, lay down our weakness, and embrace the life we were made for. His truth is our pleasure; his peace is ours forever if we look to him. In a world broken by sin, Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness, the fulfilment of God’s faithful promise. Let us prepare our hearts to rediscover the joy and wonder of this hope and to fix our eyes on Him, the ultimate reason for Christmas. This Advent, come and discover hope in Jesus.
Atr Irwin 