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Why would God use a boy with cerebral palsy? That’s what 7 year-old Kyle West asked. Now 18, God has used Kyle in incredible ways, including on The Truth Project. Despite Kyle’s difficulties, God has a plan and purpose for his life and for yours. Watch Del's bonus teaching looking at the topic now or watch the full episode online now at Cross Examine's Facebook page www.facebook.com/CrossExamine.
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Dr. Del Tackett is the author, architect and teacher for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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The Christmas Seed
Posted on December 22, 2011
Filed Under God and Man, Theology | 22 Comments
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15
When God spoke the earth into existence, it was formless and void—a lump of clay, so to speak, ready for the Hands of the Craftsman to begin the creative work of fashioning a garden teeming with flourishing delights: birds and fish, animals and plants, things that flew and swam, wriggled and ran, or simply stuck their roots into the perfect soil and brought forth fruit and vegetables, nuts and berries, nectar and flowers and shade and…well, all kinds of beautiful and life-enhancing stuff. But more than all of this, each of these living things was given the privilege and responsibility to recreate themselves. Birds laid eggs that brought forth baby birds that would grow up to lay their own eggs; animals gave birth to baby animals that would grow up to give birth to their own babies; plants produced seed that would fall onto the soil and grow into mature plants that would, in turn, produce their own seeds.
This was the grand plan of God.
But, something happened…something bad, something evil. Now, the garden produced weeds and thistles and thorns. Rather than delight in life, the Evil delighted in death; rather than beauty, it loved the vile; rather than fruit, it bore poison. It is hard to imagine how instantly a garden filled with light could become so cold and so dark so very, very quickly. And it appeared as if there were no remedy, no fix, no hope to get it back to the way it was before the darkness descended…descended upon everything…everything.
That’s when God told us about the Christmas Seed.
He didn’t say much. In fact, it wasn’t a whole lot more than a hint, a clue, a mere glimmer of hope. But with God, whose power and might is infinite, a whisper of promise is as sure as it gets. If He said He was going to take care of it, then we didn’t need a lot of details.
Was it mysterious? Yes, but it carried the promise that God, through this Seed, was going to destroy the Evil that had turned the light off in the garden. And if that happened, then maybe, just maybe, God also planned on turning the light back on as well.
But for sure we knew that before this Seed came, there was going to be war, and the war was going to rage between the seed line of the Evil one and the seed line of the woman.
And boy, did it ever! Abraham was granted the understanding that the Seed was going to come through him. Later on, David was given the same promise. And the war to destroy that seed line was furious. It came from within and it came from without. There were times when it looked as if the Evil line had won. But it hadn’t. Even at the moment when the heart of the Seed stopped beating, when it appeared to all as if the Promise had died, death itself was insufficient to stand in the way of the plan of God to destroy the Evil one.
But why “the seed of the woman”? Isn’t this backwards? Isn’t it the seed of man that propagates the race? Certainly everywhere in Scripture where it speaks of human “seed” it is used of the man. Why such a strange element to this promise?
Well, hindsight is certainly better than the best glasses or binoculars or microscope. If all humanity was tainted with the “death” of Adam, then the Seed couldn’t come from the seed of man. But if He couldn’t come from the seed of man, how would it be possible for Him to come at all?
Ah! That is why He is the Christmas Seed!
That is why He had to be born of a virgin, born of God.
That is why Matthew and Luke, in their genealogies of Jesus, take care to make sure the reader understands that Jesus didn’t come through “man” but through a “woman”. Matthew begins with Abraham and repeats over and over again the phrase “the father of”…until he gets to Jesus. He does not say “…Joseph, the father of Jesus” which is how one would expect this genealogical treatise to conclude. No. Matthew takes a sharp turn and says “…Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called the Christ.” Luke traces Jesus’ lineage back to Adam, using the phrase “the son of” over and over again. But for Jesus, he states it this way “He (Jesus) was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph.”
The seed of the woman, not the seed of a man.
On Christmas, the mystery was no longer a mystery.
It wasn’t until years later, however, that God would move Paul to write these fascinating words, words that put a final bow on the promise made to Abraham 2000 years earlier and, I believe, connects to the mysterious promise made 2000 years before that in the garden:
“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ…Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.” Galatians 3:15-19
God made a promise to mankind that He would bring forth the Seed to destroy the Evil one and eventually restore all things. He protected that seed line from Eve to Mary. He protected it through the flood, with Noah. He protected it from Pharaoh and Ahab and Jezebel. He protected it from the Babylonians and the Assyrians. He protected it from Haman and Herod and Pontius Pilate. And then He protected it from the enemy’s final stand and snatched it from the clutches of death and the grave.
Oh, the wonder and grandeur of God who has given us a Savior, Christ the Lord!
Merry Christmas to you all.
Comments
22 Responses to “The Christmas Seed”
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Oh the wonder indeed, brother. Thank you for sharing your heart and hard work, Del. Blessings to you and your wife today as you prepare for Christmas in every way.
[Thank you, Craig...and to yours as well. Blessings! dt]
What awesome God we serve. Thank you so much for sharing the Truth. It is a wonderful and beautiful story of God’s love for us. God bless you and your family. Merry Christmas.
[He is, isn't He? Thanks, Vivien. Merry Christmas to you. dt]
Thank you, Del. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
[And to yours! dt]
Thank you, Del, for this inspirational message. It is the best explanation I have seen for the fall, and for the advent of Jesus Christ.
You are loved and appreciated by many people you are unaware of. Keep the faith.
[Thanks, Dave. Great encouragement. May the Lord raise up His people, bearing much fruit. Blessings to you and your family. dt]
Merry Christmas to you Del!
Thank you for continuing to take the time to share your thoughts and God-given wisdom on this blog. The Christmas story is one that should be told over and over again until the whole world hears how God’s Son became a man and paid the penalty for our sins.
Daniel
[Thanks, Daniel. It is the Greatest Story, no? Blessings to you. dt]
thank you for sharing the truth and your faithfulness to Christ… truly a blessing
your brother in Christ Joshua, Pensacola
[Thanks, Joshua. We're all on the is path together! Blessings! dt]
Thank you, Del, for this wonderful explanation on the Christmas Seed. How like our God to turn things around from what man expects and work His miracles as only He can do…yet again proving that He is the Great I AM!!! May the New Year find you and yours, as always, seeking Him.
[This has always been an amazing and awesome picture of God's grace and love and power and sovereignty and...well everything. Thanks and blessings to you and yours as well. dt]
God’s Word, the Bible is so amazingly written. …’enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed.” It just provides further testimony that there are indeed sides. “…Those on the side of truth listen to me…”, Jesus said as he stood before Pilate as written in the book of John. Then in Revelation Jesus said… ” I know your works, that thou are neither cold nor hot. So then I will spue thee out of my mouth”….
There are indeed sides just as those are in the middle trying to decide which side they will believe upon. Yet each must decide upon whom you will believe.
[It is one of the major threads that runs throughout the Scripture and why we must recognize that we are in the midst of this great Cosmic Battle between truth and lie...and why we must be light and salt and prepared to give a defense for the hope that is in us. Blessings, J.W. dt]
I AM NOW A TRUTH PROJECT LEADER.THANKS TO YOU.
[Wonderful! Thanks for joining the Truth Project team, Jim. Make sure you pray for each of you guests, love them and let them discuss...then watch for His hand to work. Blessings! dt]
You express the richness of our Lord and His message in brevity of words but like poetry, says volumes.
Thanks, and God bless you and your family. Gary, Arkansas
[God's Truth is simple and we don't need to make it complicated. Encouraging words. Thanks. All glory goes to Him! Blessings to you and yours this new year. dt]
Praises to the Lord on High! He was and is and will be forever. Thank you for such a wonderful Christmas message. Blessing to your family in the New Year.
[I pray it was of some benefit to you and your family. May His blessings be upon you this new year as well. Thanks, Rebecca! dt]
Wonderfully said! Thank you for sharing! The moment God created man…The plan of salvation was on their way. Pure and perfect love.
Merry Christmas to you!
Minette from Stockbridge, GA
[And actually in the mind and plan of God from all eternity past. When God created man, He knew the cost already. Amazing! Blessings to you, Minette. dt]
Del,
I am still a little confused about why the seed of the woman is purer than the seed of the man, since Eve ate the forbidden fruit and sinned first, THEN gave the fruit to Adam and he “did eat”. Looks to me like both are equally sinful and tainted, and Mary is as much a daughter of Eve as any woman. Can you (as usual) enlighten me on this?
[George, great question. I would encourage you to read Romans chapter 5, especially note verse 17: "...For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man...". Scripture clearly lays the propagation of the sinful nature within the seed of man. That doesn't make women sinless, for they, too, are born through the seed of man. In the case of Christ, however, He was not "born of man" but by the power of God in the virgin. Hope this is of some help to you. Blessings! dt]
Thank you, Dr Tackett, for a great piece which reminds us truly of the very gracious nature of the God we serve. In our search for truth, we often find it lying around in plain sight. Your thought here on the “seed” of the woman serves to underscore that Jesus was born of a woman (Gal 4:4) and that Mary truly conceived our Lord in conjunction with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31-35). I have encountered some Christians today who in their desire to hold to a doctrine of original sin have God placing a fully formed zygote into Mary making her nothing more than a surrogate. This would also make Jesus less than human. The ramifications of that would be staggering. Let us ever be searching for the Truth and let Him take us where ever He leads. Thanks, again, and blessings to you and your family in 2012.
[The reality of how God so carefully and sovereignly guided and protected this human line so that He might bring forth the Seed, Jesus, a true incarnation of God in human flesh, both God and man, has long been a marvel and cause of great awe in me. Thanks for your comments and may He bless you and yours this year. dt]
Thank you and Blessings during this Christmas season. You have once again made me feel as if I were Corum Deo, at the feet in a class before the face of God in thought and teaching. Looking to walking a straighter path to His Kingdom. Blessings my brother. Holding you up in Wyoming.
[Thanks, Frank. All the glory goes to Him. Thanks for your prayers. Please pray the Lord blesses our current efforts to get the Truth Encounter ready for filming this year. Blessings! dt]
I always am amazed and appreciate your application of God’s Word. I wish you and your family a very blessed New Year.Thanks for blessing me and countless others for His Glory!
[All the credit and glory goes to Him. Thanks, Robert...same to you and yours! dt]
Del, I’m thankful how you continually shine the light of God’s Word (Truth) wherever darkness lurks. This story is but another example of that…oh how blessed it is I am. 4 years after starting my first Truth Project I am about to begin another. There is so much to be thankful for and today I give thanks to you and all your hard work.
In Christ
[Thanks, Reno, and thanks for being a part of the Truth Project team. May the Lord deeply bless you and your group. Remember to pray for each guest! Blessings! dt]
Del, if I were a non-believer (which I was for much of my life) and I read this story, I think I would want to know more about this God you spoke of. How beautifully told. I can feel the love and joy of a promise kept for all of us. Thank you for your own love for God – it speaks every time you open your mouth or put a pen to paper. Thank you so much for your wonderful words and of course for TTP.
[One of the best encouraging comments ever! Thanks, Karen. May all that we do and say bring others to a desire to know Him. Blessings! dt]
Del,
George asked a great question:
“I am still a little confused about why the seed of the woman is purer than the seed of the man, since Eve ate the forbidden fruit and sinned first, THEN gave the fruit to Adam and he “did eat”. Looks to me like both are equally sinful and tainted, and Mary is as much a daughter of Eve as any woman. Can you (as usual) enlighten me on this?”
And you gave a great answer and explanation which is necessarily brief but still quite accurate:
Your quote from Romans 5:17… “…For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man…”. followed with your comment: “Scripture clearly lays the propagation of the sinful nature within the seed of man.”
There are two additional thoughts or considerations that I have been pondering for quite some time that I think are fully compatible with your line of thought on this subject:
1) From an Old Testament (legal) perspective, all instances of inheritance, whether of property and/or privilege are accomplished exclusively though the male side of the human equation. Even the side effects of sin seem to follow the “Fathers” by lineage as there are multiple mentions of how the punishment will follow the “… sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation …” (Exd 20:5, Num 14:8, Deu 5:9) Hence, for Christ to be born (legally) sinless, without the inherited curse of man, the male to male inheritance chain had to be legally broken. Likewise, on the positive side, from a human/legal/truth standpoint, the incarnate Christ has would also have full rights to His Father’s “inheritance” of Holiness, Sinlessness, and Perfection.
2) The concept of Adam’s “headship” of the first family also confers upon him a deep and abiding responsibility for everything that happened in the garden. Adam is seen as being a front and center witness while Satan tempts Eve with lies, half-truths, and false promises. Adam commits familial treason by not intervening before the skin of the fruit was first broken. The way I see it, Adam’s sinful inaction PRECEDED Eve’s sinful action! I believe that the Apostle Paul justifies and explains the role of a husband’s headship as emanating from the fact that Adam was “formed” before Eve (1 Timothy 2:13). And with the privilege of being created first came the role of leadership and therefore increased responsibility. Hence, this (I believe) is why Adam (and not Eve) is given full credit for the fall of mankind throughout Holy scripture. And it is only by the perfect obedience of the “Second Adam” found in Christ Jesus (the promised seed) that the transgression of the first Adam and all the sins of believers afterward are legally nullified. Paid in full on the Cross!
Please remember that these are but the musings of a sinful man and should be treated as such with great caution.
Always remember… Sola Scriptura!
Yours, In Christ
Dan H.
[Dan, thanks for your comments. The understanding of Adam being the "federal" head of mankind is critical to the discussion. Well said. I know there are many who believe that Adam was present when Eve was deceived, but I am not one of them. The Scripture doesn't place him there at the time, so it is inferred. It is often stated that Adam failed in his responsibilities, letting Eve fall to Satan's deception. If so, then Adam would have sinned before Eve. I don't believe the Scripture supports that. In 1 Tim 2:14, Paul says this: "And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner." But all of this only makes the "federal" headship more important. Even though Adam didn't sin first, it was his disobedience as the federal head to which the fall of the race is accounted, not to Eve. Blessings, Dan! dt]
Del–
This Christmas I got to babysit a two-month-old baby. I got to hold him on my lap and feed him while he looked into my eyes and I watched the Nativity movie for the first time.
I think it is really cool that God got born.
I was thinking about this in kind of the same frame of mind I had as a response to the Truth Project. The idea that, for example, psychology has some good ideas, and you can’t exactly throw out good figures just because liars will figure.
So I try to imagine, what if I was a Psych professor and I met Jesus of Nazareth. What would I ask him? What tests would I ask him to take? Well, I think I would find out he has a mind and a body just like any other human being.
What did I just say? That’s nuts! Jesus is not “just like a human being.” He did not put on humanity like an earth suit. He IS one of us! Not a honorary human being, or God in a mask. Not an action-movie alien. One of us.
So what makes him special? Probably that his spirit is actually God. But otherwise, he had to be normal, or else what was the point?
It really made sense to me, holding a baby. God got born. He didn’t come “humbly” or “quietly” or any of that romantical slush. He just got born, and cried, and nobody really noticed, except a few rednecks and some old guys in pinstripe suits from out of town.
But it’s like you said. It was huge. Still is, only we are the ones fighting the battle.
[Coby, what a great experience! I can remember something similar in my first Christmas after our first child was born. A true baby, a true human, yet He was God. I also remember thinking how awesome that was, but why did I minimize the equally, if not more awesome thing, that God would dwell within me? If it weren't for that, we wouldn't stand a chance in the battle. Oh, the depth and the riches of the love of God! Blessings, Coby! dt]
Merry Christmas in March, I just discovered your blog and the words above about Jesus the seed and think it will be very helpful to some people studying Genesis right now. Hope many get to read it. Thanks for standing for Truth in everyway that you are.
[Thanks, Cora! The awe of God becoming a man is just as real now as in December! Blessings. dt]
Dr. Tackett, I need guidance and am struggling with the Christmas Holiday. I recently researched the origins of Christmas as it was not originally about Jesus, but became about Jesus due to government, politics etc. I am confused and don’t want to hurt God if I celebrate this holiday. If it hurts him, then I won’t celebrate it. What is your take on this?
[There are both pagan and Christian roots in our celebration of Christmas. One could almost say the same about other holidays. The advent of Christ is an awesome event and I believe it honors Him when we celebrate it. The question is how do we celebrate? We can celebrate Easter in an unholy way. We can celebrate the Lord's supper in an unholy way. We can celebrate a day of Thanksgiving in an unholy way. But just because some do, or have twisted it today or in the past, doesn't mean we should then stop. I would simply offer this: whatever you do, do it in a way that honors the Lord. Blessings. dt]