He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.

Ask any child in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School about this verse: “Who is he?” Quickly, 20 small hands will rise and ten tiny voices, too excited to wait to be called on, will shout out “JESUS!” It seems that before the teacher asks, the children already sense the answer.

Though, if you asked them another question: “What exactly is God doing here?” Now, that’s a tougher question. Still, one of the smallest children might still answer, “Jesus” (with less confidence). Of course, they are still right!

Think about it for a minute. Our first father, Adam, brought sin into the world (Romans 5:12). He brought pride, shame, guilt, pain, loss, death, and a severed relationship with our Creator. Because of his disobedience, we experience multiplied pain in childbirth, friction in marital power dynamics, cursed ground, thorns and thistles in our work, difficulty in providing for our families, and finally death. Yet, this list comes after God provides the most essential ingredient for our lives: hope.

God gives the first Gospel promise as if to say: “My son and daughter, you are cursed until you die. But there will be one who will come to conquer these curses, restore our relationship, and bring you back to Me.” God did not leave them (or us) on a note of despair—but with a message of Glorious Hope.

Many times in our lives, we utter, “I hope this or that happens.” Much of the time, when we say “hope,” we are wishing—unintentionally leave room for doubt. Friends, this first Gospel promise has no room for doubt.

God spoke the world into existence: light, water, sky, land, vegetation, stars, sun, moon, sea creatures, birds, and land animals; He spoke, it was so, and good. Finally, He spoke man into existence; He spoke, it was so, and it was very good. Now friends, with His promise, God speaks hope; it is so; it is very good.

Perhaps, many of you struggling with sin say to yourselves, “I hope that my sin, my most grievous sin, is forgiven.” It’s only human to utter that statement with the same quality as anything else—leaving room for doubt. To that, God speaks: “This is not so; this is not very good.” He spoke this hope. As sure as the universe was called into existence by a word, so is this sure hope.

Like Adam and Eve, we possess the same hope, and we look to the same place: the bloodied, rugged cross and an echoing, empty tomb. Like Adam and Eve, our hope is no longer in the conquering of curses, but upon that glorious return and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This gospel of Hope is so. This gospel of Hope is very good.

By Ryan Castillero, Bible League International Staff, United States