CREATED FOR HOPE: REGENERATION

“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.” (Genesis 3:15 NKJV)

The generation of human life began with God making a man in His own image—molding him from the mud and breathing life into Adam.  Before the day was done, a woman was fashioned to perfectly complement him, as the Lord created Eve.  They were blessed of God and given an incredible purpose.  They were created for hope.

Then, the catastrophic choice was made one day.  The one forbidden fruit was sampled.  Their rebellion brought the curse.  Immediately generation surrendered to degeneration.  Decay and death supplanted life.  Hope was shattered.

But, into this darkness there burst a ray of light.  The serpent will have his head crushed.  The Seed of the woman—singular and particular—will do the job.  He is the Seed—Jesus the One and Only.  He would be the Seed of the woman—what an unusual expression!  Typically we would think of the seed as being of man, and the egg of a woman.  The miracle of the incarnation is implied here—that the Crusher of the serpent would be born without a human father, and indeed He was—Christ, the virgin born Son of God.  Satan’s demise, however, would not be without pain for Him—His heel bruised on Calvary—the agonies of the cross where the serpent’s deadly venom of sin would surge through the sinless One’s veins for the first and last time!

In this messianic prophecy hope is found.  No sooner than sin entered than a Savior was announced.  “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom.5:20b). That which the first Adam lost will be restored by the last Adam—for that is also the title of Jesus Christ, magnifying His founding of a new creation.  Consider Paul’s words:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.  But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.  And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned.  For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.  For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.  Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Romans 5:12-21)

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.  ‎However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.  ‎The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.  ‎And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

There is assured the reverse of the curse!  Hope will rise like a phoenix from the ashes!

Regeneration brings the hope of BEING LIKE JESUS.  The image of God, marred by sin is restored.  Having a new birth means that we are being shaped into the likeness of Christ.

There is also the settled hope of REIGNING WITH JESUS.  We were created for dominion, but allowed the usurper, Satan, to take authority over this fallen world—but, not absolutely.  Those who receive Jesus are assured they will reign with Jesus.  Christ will come and take dominion and His bride will be at His side.

Hope comes as we are UNITED IN JESUS.  We are reconciled to God and each other.  Sin built a barrier, but the Savior built a bridge!  The connection with God that was broken is re-established.  Not only that, the sin that separates us from each other is overcome.  Nowhere is this more demonstrable than in a Christian home, where a wife can submit in love to her husband’s leadership as the Son is equal with God and yet submissive to the Father, and a husband can sacrifice in love for his wife’s welfare as Christ did for the church.

Hope restores our productivity as we are FRUITFUL FOR JESUS.  We can reproduce “after our kind” and that is the spiritual progeny we bring into the world.  The seed of the Gospel produces the fruit of salvation by the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit works through believers that He indwells.  A new spiritual race of descendants from the last Adam is begotten.  Heaven will be populated with these saints!

You must be born again—that’s where hope is found.  If you are born of the first Adam only, you are still a sinner and under the curse—without God and without hope.  But, to receive Christ by faith and repentance is to be regenerate and born of the last Adam—spiritually—into God’s forever family.

Here is the promise:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.  Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Rev.21:1-5)