Bulletin Articles
Genesis and the Cross
The Old Testament as a whole focuses on the cross. The cross is the culmination of what the Old Testament was pointing to with respect to the Messiah. I read elsewhere this easily remembered terminology: the cross is planned, pictured, and prophesied in the Old Testament. While this can be shown throughout the Old Testament, we wish to focus briefly on how this is so in Genesis as the foundation to the rest of the Scriptures.
The Cross is Planned
From “before the foundation of the world,” the redeeming work of Christ was known (1 Peter 1:18-20). God had a plan from the beginning, and this is seen in Genesis. When sin entered the world, the plan was put into effect. The curses on the serpent, Adam, and Eve show the serious consequences of sin. Yet, God did not simply punish without leaving hope. Genesis 3:15 is a hinge passage; God was putting the plan into effect. The first eleven chapters of Genesis show the downward spiral of sin to emphasize that we need God if we will ever be free from the tyranny of sin’s consequences. From Genesis 12, it is clear that God is narrowing the focus of the seed promise. Through Abraham’s seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. The rest of the story is a demonstration of God’s plan being carried out.
The Cross is Pictured
There are various events and situations that foreshadow the cross. These are like providing small snapshots of what is to come in Christ. The type/antitype relationship is significant. While we need to be careful not to overstate a case or try to find comparisons in every detail of an event, clearly there are types in Genesis that foreshadow the cross. Here are a couple of examples:
1. God clothed Adam and Eve with garments of skin after they sinned. An animal’s blood was shed so that it could become a covering for the shame of their nakedness. As sin brings shame and spiritual nakedness, we need the shedding of Christ’s blood as a covering (forgiveness). Only God can provide for this. On our own, we may try to supply an inadequate covering, but God is able to fully provide what we need so that our sins may be forgiven.
2. The offering of Isaac in Genesis 22. Abraham is told to take his “only son” (indicating the unique status of Isaac) and offer him as burnt offering. Does this sound familiar? A loving father painfully offering his only son as a sacrifice? Hebrews 11:17-19 also informs us that this foreshadows the resurrection, also. Abraham’s response to Isaac was quite insightful: “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering” (Gen. 22:8). Herein is a clear picture of the cross.
God’s plan is in full swing in Genesis. This plan is being slowly revealed by means of the various pictures (types) that would find ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
The Cross is Prophesied
God’s most explicit form of communication is direct prophecy (including both commands and future predictions). God Himself utters the first verbal prophecy regarding the cross, where He was indicating a culminating battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The seed of woman (Christ) would receive a heel bruise (non-fatal), while the serpent would receive the fatal head bruise (as his works are destroyed). God was foretelling the cross and its effects.
When God spoke to Abraham, He gave another direct prophecy concerning the seed: “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). The land and nation promises were given to facilitate the seed promise. The rest of Genesis and the Old Testament show how this was going to be fulfilled. But how is this prophecy about the cross?
Peter’s sermon in Acts 3 references this promise. He shows how all the prophets “announced these days” of the Messiah (vs. 24). He continues: “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways” (vv. 25-26). The seed is Christ (cf. Gal. 3:16), and His sacrifice resulted in the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. The blessing offered is forgiveness, being turned away from wickedness. This is, of course, what the cross is about. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…” (Eph. 1:7). Give God the glory for carefully bringing about the fulfillment of these great promises!
Genesis thus puts together the framework for understanding our salvation. The cross is an integral part of Genesis by means of God’s planning, picturing, and prophesying. As we read Genesis, let’s do so Christologically. See Christ in the pages of the book.
