The True Story of Christmas. Pt. 2 Jesus Christ the Promised Seed of the Woman

The first promise of a redeemer from the seed of a woman

This is the first prophetic mention of a Divine Savior although there are other scriptures which teach us that this promise was made by God well before He created anything!

The Seed of the woman will crush the serpent!

Genesis 3:14-15 "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 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."    

Not only is this the very first time that we find a reference to a future savior, we will see that it is most unusual in one respect. Recall that by the time we get to Genesis 3:14-15 Adam and Eve have both sinned in that they ate fruit from one tree that God said not to eat. 

We previously studied what happened and saw that Adam and Eve experienced guilt and attempted to cover up their actions. 

They were afraid of God and hid from His presence as their formerly sweet communion with their Creator was severed. 

The Divine Promise is for a redeemer to be born of the seed of the woman who will ultimately crush the head of the serpent.

"Seed" in this text refers to the male seed of procreation that fertilizes his wife’s egg in her womb. That seed always originates from and comes out of the man and the woman supplies the egg to be fertilized by the seed. 

Nowhere in ancient near eastern literature is the term “seed of the woman” used. The term always is the seed of man.

The Bible also uses “seed” in the same sense with one exception---Genesis 3:15. This text teaches us that at some future date there was going to be born of the seed of a woman a victorious redeemer who would crush the devil. 

It was determined by a Divine Counsel in the Godhead that Christ would be born and have a physical body

Christ to be born as a man

Hebrews 10:5-10  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;   Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

The first text from Hebrews is a record of a conversation among the Godhead. Jesus Christ is ultimately the one who "cometh into the world." 

Sacrifices and offerings provided a temporary covering for sinners but could not take away the sins of the world. Therefore, the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, was born to do this great work of redemption. 

The phrase "a body thou hast prepared me" refers to the birth of Jesus Christ as that only seed of the woman who would conquer sin, death and the devil. Christ would perfectly do the will of the Father and fulfill all the law. 

Christ would then take away sin by His death on the cross. Christ is able to save and sanctify all who believe on His name because of His glorious resurrection.

Christ the mighty seed of the woman

Hebrews 2:9-16  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.   For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;   And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.  For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

The book of Hebrews also touches upon the promised seed of the woman, the Messiah. Here we find that because mankind is flesh and blood the seed of the woman must also be flesh and blood. 

• We find that Christ was humbled and made lower than the angels for the specific task of accomplishing our redemption.

• We find that Christ must taste death for all mankind because the wages of sin is death. 

• We find that Christ can save, grant sonship and sanctify those who put their trust in Him. 

• We find that Christ received much glory and honor because of all the people who will be saved by believing on Him. 

• We find that Christ through death would destroy the works of the devil and obliterate the power of death that he wielded! 

• We find that Christ can deliver all those who believe on His name for salvation. 

• We find that Christ is a sympathetic high priest full of mercy and abundantly able to reconcile sinners to God.

Christ the seed of the woman redeemed us from the curse of the law by His death

Galatians 3:13-16 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

The apostle Paul speaks to this very subject in his letter to the province of Galatia. He pointed out how Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by His death on the cross. The seed of the woman was to come through the line of Seth and Abraham. Paul makes it very clear there is one seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Points to Ponder.....

• God promised to send a redeemer born of the seed of a woman who would be all victorious over sin, death and the devil.

• God prepared a body for His Son who would be born as the fulfillment of the seed of the woman.

• Christ the seed of the woman would taste death in our place on the cross so that those who trust Him might live through Him.

Make no mistake. The truth about Christmas is fully rooted in the work and person of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

• Jesus was humbled (See Philippians 2) and made lower than the angels as he was born with a physical body. 

• Jesus perfectly fulfilled God's law and took the curse of sin out of the way. 

• Jesus had his heel bruised in His death on the cross but He crushed the head of the serpent at His resurrection. 

• Jesus died in our place and if you fully put your trust in Him and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall be saved. 

• Jesus can save us, sanctify us and present us to the Father as His children. 

In our next post we will see some more prophetic revelation concerning the birth of the Messiah that will put the glory of God on display. 

May the truth we are studying help us all to have a right, Biblical perspective about Christmas. 

Bob