The Seed of the Woman!

“And enmity I put between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; He doth bruise thee — the head, and thou dost bruise him — the heel.” Genesis 3:15

Seed does Not necessarily refer to an element of the body, but as in Seed that is the fruit of. Elizabeth says to Mary, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Luke 1:42 That is the Fruit that came forth from Mary’s womb. And also Paul calls those who have the faith of Abraham his seed, that is they are his children. “Therefore it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, for the promise to be sure to all the seed, not only to that of the Law, but also to that of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us of all—” Romans 4:16 So seed here is referring to include those who are born of faith in believing the word of God.

So when God in Genesis said, “the Seed of the woman,” He was referring to the Child that was to be born of the woman but not of the man. Since it is the man who carries the seed, Jesus Christ was born of Mary but not of Joseph. That is in Jesus’ case the Word itself was the Seed, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14 [A.w] teaches how the seed is planted in the ground and from the richness of the ground it brings forth the fruit. And it is by faith the word of God is received, so Elizabeth says to Mary, “And blessed is the one having believed that there will be a fulfilment to the things spoken to her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45 And as it was Eve’s failure of faith that opened the way for sin into this world, it is also through the faith of Mary the means of redemption that came to mankind. It is Mary’s faith that was the ground for the Word to become flesh. “Let it be unto me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

Now it is very important for us to bear in mind, both Adam and Eve were of fallen sinful flesh, as such Jesus Christ cannot take His flesh from either of them. At the fall God cursed both Adam [the seed] as well as the very ground. “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake;” Genesis 3:17 Eve represents the ground, being the mother of all living. So a seed planted in the ground will always bring forth a cursed fruit. Therefore Jesus Christ was born of the faith of Mary and the Word of God by the Holy Spirit. 

[Jp] Teaches the sinless perfection of Christ in these three categories; In His body there was No Sin, “And you know that He appeared, so that He might take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.” 1 John 3:5 He did No Sin, “Who committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.” Who being reviled did not retaliate; suffering did not threaten, but He gave Himself over to Him judging justly.” 1 Peter 2:22-23 And in His knowledge there is No Sin, “He made the One not having known sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

We, however being the seed of Adam and Eve are born of sinful flesh. That is the consequence of Adam’s sin was passed on in his seed to all his descendants of the flesh. Therefore a person born of a man and a woman will have the nature of Sin in their flesh with [no exceptions]. And Paul identifying through the Law the presence of the indwelling sin in his flesh says, “Now if that which I do not want, this I do, I consent to the Law, that it is good. And in that case I am no longer doing it, but the sin dwelling in me.” Romans 7:16-17 And he elaborates on this point by highlighting the conflict that raged in him and says, “I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and making me captive to the law of sin being in my members.” [vs. 23] And the consequence of being in such a state is, we ALL will act according to the enticement of sin in our body and as a result we will have a condemned, guilt ridden evil conscience. 

So Paul laboured in Romans 7 to show us how our Soul was held in captivity to our sinful flesh. However we are still solely responsible for our deeds. Isaiah says, “For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” Isaiah 7:16 So neither Adam nor Eve can pass to us the guilt of their sin. As such our blood, which represents our soul, was corrupted by the actions we ourselves have done under the influence of Sin in our flesh. And everyone is judged for sins they have committed because the life of all flesh is in the blood. [Leviticus 17:11] Therefore when we speak of the blood we are speaking of bearing the guilt of our deeds. “The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20  

And Paul in Ephesians summarised our fallen state as, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and sins— in which once you walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience… doing the things willed of the flesh and of its thoughts” Ephesians 2:1-3 In these statements Paul showed how we in body, deed and mind were given to sin, that is to the influences of the wicked one. He expresses the presence of sin in our body as “the will of the flesh.” Our deeds of sin as “doing the things willed of the flesh.” And finally the manner of our thinking, which is conformity as, “walking according to the age of the world.” And it is from this state of corruption the Lord saves us. 

The Soul: “He Committed No Sin.”

“The Lord has laid on Him the inequity of our deeds.” Isaiah 53:6

Hebrews says of the Lord Jesus Christ whose soul was untainted by sin, “For consider fully the One having endured such great hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you shall not grow weary, fainting in your souls. Not yet have you resisted unto blood, struggling against sin.” Hebrews 12:3-4 That is, the Lord’s soul had to bear with the assaults of sinful mankind to the point of His blood being shed, which Isaiah expresses as, “Because He has done no violence [sin] nor was any deceit in His mouth.” Isaiah 53:9 That is because He did not retaliate acting according to the ways of the world He was able to make His Soul an offering for sins. “When You make His Soul an offering for Sin, He shall see His seed.” Isaiah 53:10 Isaiah expressed the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ from the point of the soul. His soul that had to endure and did not react in kind, “the labour of His soul.” His soul that paid the price that He gave unto death to make intercession for the transgressors. “He poured out His soul unto death.” Isaiah 53:12 

The interchangeability of soul and blood is illustrated in the new testament. Paul expresses the same sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ from the point of view of shedding His blood. In Hebrews he writes, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our conscience from dead works, in order to serve the living God!” Hebrews 9:14 That is, for our hearts are cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ from evil conscience so as to no longer have consciousness of sins that is to be free from guilt, shame and condemnation. [Hebrews 10:2] So that we no longer make any more offerings for sins and rest content in Christ’s finished work. That is because the blood of Jesus Christ was poured out to cleanse our conscience of our own sins, we have the boldness to come before God as ones who are blameless before Him. “We should draw near with a sincere heart, in full assurance of faith, our hearts having been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our body having been washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22 

Paul in his letter to the Colossians identifying the deeds of the soul from the nature of sin that was in our flesh and says, “And you being dead in the trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.” Colossians 2:13 Trespass meaning our own sinful deeds and “uncircumcision of flesh” referring to the body dead in sin into which we were born. 

The last point is that the blood of the Lord speaks of our eternal redemption. “Therefore much more, having been justified now by His blood, we will be saved by Him from wrath!” Romans 5:9 Paul here expresses the everlasting aspect of the blood from the point of view of wrath, that is of the everlasting judgement to come. So the blood of the Lord accounts for the [Sins] of our eternal souls. 

“​​In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:7

The Body: “In Him There is No Sin.” 

 “O wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of this body of death? Thanks be then to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself indeed with my mind serve God’s Law; but with the flesh, the Law of sin.”  Romans 7:24-25

Now there is no shedding of the blood without the body being broken. Flesh and blood are a complete unit and cannot be separated nevertheless each has specific significance. So the purpose here is to illustrate what is specifically represented in the suffering of the body of the Lord. And it is in regards to this factor Paul lamented saying, “Who will deliver me out of this body of death?” Our natural body which is subject to sickness and temptations of sin will come to an end. So there is an aspect of reigning in this life which the body of the Lord Jesus Christ accounts for.

“Surely our sicknesses He hath borne, And our pains — He hath carried them, And we — we have esteemed Him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. And He is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace [is] on Him, And by His bruise there is healing to us.” Isaiah 53:4-5 [YLT]

Paul addressing the suffering of the body of the Lord says, “For if, being enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved in His life!” Romans 5:10 The death of the Lord was against Sin which is the root cause. “For that which He died, He died to sin once for all; but that which He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:10 That is the Lord in His own body has borne our Sickness and Sin and brought it to an end in His death on the cross. “God, having sent His Son in likeness of sin of flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” Romans 8:3 Hebrews also says, “He has been revealed once in the consummation of the ages for the putting away of Sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Hebrews 9:26 So that we may be that much more saved by His life, that is we may be able to reign in this life in righteousness through grace free from sickness and sin in Him. “How much more will those receiving the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!” Romans 5:17 

“Always carrying around the death of Jesus in our body, [that is death to Sin] so that the life of Jesus also should be manifested in our body. [fruit of righteousness]”  2 Corinthians 4:10  

Peter, also addressing the point of sin and sickness in the body of the Lord, writes, “Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, [we] having been dead to sins, we might live to righteousness. “By whose scourge marks you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 Peter uses the plural form because he is speaking of the Lord bearing the punishment due in the Law. The Law came to identify Sin, as such the knowledge of the Law brought with it the consequence of its curse. “Cursed is everyone who does not continue all things having been written in the book of the Law, to do them.” Galatians 3:10 So Christ died to Sin and He also had to die bearing the consequence of the curse of the Law. Because the Law through knowledge demanded accountability for transgression committed under its covenant, that is for imputed sin(s) through which sin was multiplied. So Isaiah also says, “By the transgression of My people He is plagued.” Isaiah 53:8 

“If his sons forsake My Law And do not walk in My judgments, If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments, Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.” Psalms 89:30-33 

So the demands of the Law had to also be exacted on the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had to bear the blows, the scourging and stripes. As such He bore the judgement of the curse of the Law in His body on the tree. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—” Galatians 3:13 And because Christ has fully borne the punishment due against imputed Sin in the Law, He has set the Law aside in death. So Hebrews says, “He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, death having taken place for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant.” Hebrews 9:15 Meaning God will never punish anyone according to the Law any more. The Law is made null and void in death, because Sin is put away in death. The Law came so Sin may abound so the Law owes its existence to Sin. So Christ in Putting away Sin by the sacrifice of Himself, He also as a direct outcome annulled the Law. “We have been released from the Law, having died to that which we were bound.” Romans 7:6 

Nevertheless imputed or not Christ died bearing the Sin of the world. ​​“Behold the Lamb of God, the One taking away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 So both are essentially the same, since ALL are under the law of sin and death, that reigned in the body. “For as many as have sinned without the Law also will perish without the Law; and as many as have sinned in the Law will be judged by the Law.” Romans 2:12 Therefore His death meant the Law cannot judge any more, nor can Sin have dominion any more. That we may live this life in righteousness by the power of God. “​​I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 

Therefore because we have died with Him on the cross, sin no longer has any right to be in our body. “That our old man was crucified with Him, so that the body of sin might be annulled, that we are no longer enslaved to sin. For the one having died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6:6-7 The body of the Lord on the cross, has saved us from Sin that once dwelt in our body through Adam, and from all the consequences of the Law. “Now those of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24 Which in Colossians is expressed as circumcision, as mentioned above to show Sin was present in us from birth and it also gives a visual impression of forever casting away of dead flesh. “In whom also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in the removal of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism.” Colossians 2:11-12 Therefore the body in which sin once had authority is put to rest once and for all in death and burial with Christ through baptism.

“Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death indeed in the flesh, but having been made alive in the spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18

And Isaiah also encapsulates what is obtained through the body of the Lord as, “The chastisement of our [PEACE] [is] on Him, And by His bruise there is [HEALING] to us.” Isaiah addressed sickness in healing and he addressed sin in peace. That is peace with God, through good conscience toward Him that is in being set free from the evil conscience that once came to dwell in us through the fall of Adam and Eve.

“The baptism now saving you, not a putting away of the filth of flesh, but the demand of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 3:21

The Mind: “He Knew No Sin.” 

“​​And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, for you to prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

Paul, describing our conformity to Sin that entered and ruled in the world, said, “Once you walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air.” This is a state of mind which we once shared to be of one accord with the world, and the proof of it was, “Who having known the righteous judgement of God, that those doing such things are worthy of death, not only are practising them, but are also approving of those practising them.” Romans 1:32 That is we approve each other to a state of course we all agree to be acceptable to us according to the atmosphere the spirit of the power of the air has set. This is the common element of blindness that constantly works in the world and it serves to approve and excuse sin in each other’s lives. Even to the point of denying God, which we encourage, provoke, mock and abuse each other into conformity with this ideology. 

“But if indeed our gospel is concealed, it is concealed to those who are perishing, in whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so as for not to beam forth the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Even though Paul here is speaking of unbelievers, however the working of the enemy against the mind is clearly portrayed, may it be to blind or mislead. [2 Timothy 2:23-26] In Romans 7 Paul showed how we through the Law may approve the things that are good in mind yet fall victim to the law of sin in our members. We can also see through the Law the effect an atmosphere had in the history of Israel. Whenever a king disregarded God and had gone astray into idolatry the land almost always followed suit. And the people conforming and approving one another fail deep into sin to the neglect of the truth of God. So our mind that was once shaped by this world according to the state of our generation needs to be renewed through the knowledge of the truth of God. 

The first evidence of this change of mind is manifested in our disposition toward God. Paul describing our new state says, “Not only so, but also we are rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Rom 5:11 The change he is describing is from a state of enmity which we once had with God, “The mind of the flesh is hostility toward God; for it is not subject to the Law of God, for not even can it be.” Romans 8:7 But now we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because we now have the mind of Christ, “​​For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit, life and peace.” Roman 8:6 This change of disposition gives us a natural hunger for the word of God as a new born baby craves milk. And it is the knowledge of the kingdom of God we grow to know which now shapes our conduct. “You may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk worthily of the Lord: pleasing in all, bringing forth fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10 So our mind is being renewed to be conformed to the kingdom of God through His word.

“Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, having been fully equipped toward every good work.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17 

The kingdom of God is represented in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And God has purposed, “Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” Romans 8:29 And the Scriptures provide us with a description of Him whom we are to resemble. Since the Spirit only works by grace through faith, our knowledge of these spiritual truths are indispensable to our growth. Paul writes,  “And we all having been unveiled in face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 That is the Spirit of God shapes us into the image of Him we have come to know in the word.

 “He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:11

So our minds are renewed away from the knowledge of sin, to the knowledge of His righteousness. And through the knowledge of Him we are able to cast off our former way of life, “If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him just as the truth is in Jesus. You are to have put off, concerning the former way of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to its desires of deceit, and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to have put on the new man.” Ephesians 4:21-24 So we do not conform ourselves to the standard and means and ways of the world but to the truth of God revealed in His word.

“Until we all may attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a complete man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:13

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