{"id":19508,"date":"2025-04-04T04:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/?p=19508"},"modified":"2025-04-03T22:21:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T02:21:53","slug":"the-deceitful-snake-in-genesis-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/article\/concise\/the-deceitful-snake-in-genesis-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Deceitful Snake in Genesis 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a>The serpent theme spans the entire Bible\u2014from the beginning <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>of Genesis to the end of Revelation.1<\/a><\/sup> Let\u2019s start with what the Bible teaches about the serpent at the story\u2019s beginning. Genesis 3 teaches at least twelve notable truths about the snake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a clarifying note about an aspect of this book\u2019s format: I quote the Bible a lot<\/em>. I do this for two reasons. First, it helps you engage directly with the Bible and not merely indirectly through what I say about the Bible. To help you connect specific God-breathed words with what I am arguing, I italicize portions of direct quotes. Second, it helps you realize, \u201cWow! The serpent theme is all over the Bible.\u201d It is a prominent theme at the Bible\u2019s bookends (the beginning of Genesis and end of Revelation) and in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snake Is Deceitful<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

Now the serpent was more crafty <\/em>than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. (Gen. 3:1)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The grand story does not begin with the deceitful snake in Genesis 3. It begins with God\u2019s creating the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1\u20132. The story begins with pure goodness. All is right with the world\u2014until the crafty villain enters the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In English, crafty <\/em>means cunning or deceitful. But crafty <\/em>in Genesis 3:1 translates a Hebrew word that is neutral on its own. It can be positive (e.g., Prov. 12:16\u2014prudent <\/em>as opposed to foolish) or negative (e.g., Job 5:12; 15:5). Here the word is initially ambiguous. But when you reread this story in light of the whole story, crafty <\/em>is an excellent translation. The serpent is the craftiest wild animal. His first strategy is not to devour but to deceive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snake Is a Beast That God Created<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made<\/em>. (Gen. 3:1)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

God created the snake, so the snake is not God\u2019s equal. God is un-created; the snake is created. Aseity is true only of God\u2014that is, only God exists from himself without depending on anything else for existence.2<\/a><\/sup> Like every other creature, the snake is not independent of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snake Deceives by Questioning God<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, \u201cYou may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.\u201d (Gen. 2:16\u201317)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

He [i.e., the snake] said to the woman, \u201cDid God actually say<\/em>, \u2018You shall not eat of any tree in the garden\u2019?\u201d And the woman said to the serpent, \u201cWe may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, \u2018You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.\u2019\u201d (Gen. 3:1\u20133)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The snake does not begin by directly contradicting <\/em>God. He begins by questioning <\/em>God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The snake craftily reframes the situation. Instead of emphasizing that Adam and Eve may eat from every tree except one, the snake asks whether they may eat from any <\/em>tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of rebuking the snake, the woman entertains the idea that God is not benevolent and trustworthy. Maybe God made up that rule to limit her pleasure. Her words \u201cneither shall you touch it\u201d may even embellish what God commanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snake Deceives by Contradicting God<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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But the serpent said to the woman, \u201cYou will not surely die<\/em>. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.\u201d (Gen. 3:4\u20135)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

After the snake questions <\/em>God, the snake intensifies his deceitful assault by contradicting <\/em>God. He lies and blasphemes God as having selfish motives. This serpent sounds like the devil: \u201cWhen he lies,\u201d explains Jesus, \u201che speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies\u201d (John 8:44).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, the woman\u2019s eyes will be opened, but not in a good way. She will know evil by becoming evil herself, and thus she will die spiritually. Little does she know in her innocence that this death will start the countdown to her physical death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snake Deceives by Tempting with Worldliness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

But the serpent said to the woman, \u201cYou will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.\u201d So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food<\/em>, and that it was a delight to the eyes<\/em>, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise <\/em>. . . (Gen. 3:4\u20136)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Worldliness is loving the world (see 1 John 2:15\u201317).3<\/a><\/sup> For us to \u201clove the world\u201d today (1 John 2:15) is to delight in the anti-God culture that permeates this fallen world, to take pleasure in worldly ways of thinking and acting, to take pleasure in what theologian John Frame calls \u201cthe bad part of culture.\u201d4<\/a><\/sup> Eve is the first human in history to love the world, and the snake deceives her by tempting her with worldliness\u2014much as Satan later tempts Jesus in the wilderness (see table 2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am not certain that the three phrases in 1 John 2:16 line up exactly with Genesis 3:6 and Luke 4 or that John has these parallels in mind. But the three phrases in 1 John 2:16 seem to line up at least roughly with Genesis 3:6 and Luke 4, so the parallel seems legitimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three phrases in 1 John 2:16 are broad and overlapping ways to describe \u201call that is in the world\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cThe desires of the flesh\u201d are whatever your body sinfully craves. A person may crave forbidden food (like Eve did) or excessive food and drink or immoral sex or pornography or security in an idolatrous relationship. Our fundamental problem is not what is \u201cout there\u201d but what is \u201cin here.\u201d It\u2019s not external but internal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cThe desires of the eyes\u201d are whatever you sinfully crave when you see it. Basically, this craving is coveting\u2014idolatrously wanting what you don\u2019t have.5<\/a><\/sup> My colleague Joe Rigney tells his sons that coveting is wanting something so bad that it makes you fussy. Eve idolatrously wanted what she didn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cPride of life\u201d is arrogance produced by your material possessions or accomplishments. Consequently, you may strut around like a peacock, proudly displaying your fashionable clothes or latest gadget or social status. Or you may not be a peacock, yet you still find your security in your raw talents or achievements or savings account. You are proudly independent; you don\u2019t need God. In this case, Eve arrogantly wanted to be independent of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Johannine scholar says of the three phrases in 1 John 2:16, \u201cTranslating this as \u2018sex, money, and power\u2019 may not miss the mark by much.\u201d6<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snake Deceives Eve to Rebel against God, and Adam Follows Eve<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate<\/em>, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate<\/em>. (Gen. 3:6)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the Lord God said to the woman, \u201cWhat is this that you have done?\u201d The woman said, \u201cThe serpent deceived me<\/em>, and I ate.\u201d (Gen. 3:13)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning<\/em>, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived <\/em>and became a transgressor. (1 Tim. 2:14)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

God commissioned his image bearers to rule over the beasts of the field (Gen. 1:26\u201327), but his image bearers committed treachery. Instead of obeying the King, they followed the snake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eve was not alone. Adam \u201cwas with her\u201d (Gen. 3:6). So when Adam ate, he rebelled against God not only by failing to obey what God commanded but also by failing to lead and protect his wife. \u201cAdam should have slain and thus judged the serpent in carrying out the mandate of Gen. 1:28 to \u2018rule and subdue,\u2019\u201d explains New Testament scholar G. K. Beale, but instead \u201cthe serpent ended up ruling over Adam and Eve by persuading them with deceptive words.\u201d7<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When God calls to \u201cthe man\u201d and asks, \u201cWhere are you [singular]?\u201d (Gen. 3:9), he directly addresses Adam\u2014not both Adam and Eve. Adam is primarily responsible because he is the head of the husband-wife relationship. Thus, later Scripture blames Adam for the fall into sin (Rom. 5:12\u201321; 1 Cor. 15:21\u201322).8<\/a><\/sup> He should have killed the dragon and rescued the girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Result of the Snake\u2019s Deceit, Adam\u2019s and Eve\u2019s Sins Separate Them from God<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God <\/em>among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, \u201cWhere are you?\u201d And he said, \u201cI heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.\u201d He said, \u201cWho told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?\u201d The man said, \u201cThe woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.\u201d Then the Lord God said to the woman, \u201cWhat is this that you have done?\u201d The woman said, \u201cThe serpent deceived me, and I ate.\u201d (Gen. 3:7\u201313)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Adam and Eve\u2019s nakedness symbolized their innocence (see Gen. 2:25), but after they sinned, they clothed themselves because they were no longer innocent (Gen. 3:6). They hid from God because they were ashamed to be in his presence (Gen. 3:8). God gives Adam and Eve the opportunity to confess their sins and take responsibility for them. But they justify themselves by making excuses: Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the snake (Gen. 3:12\u201313).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Result of the Snake\u2019s Deceit, God Curses the Snake and Promises a Snake Crusher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Lord God said to the serpent,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cBecause you have done this,
cursed are you <\/em>above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head<\/em>,
and you shall bruise his heel.\u201d (Gen. 3:14\u201315)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

God may have originally created the snake with legs and wings\u2014as in our popular picture of dragons. But because of the snake\u2019s deceit, God humiliated the snake by forcing it to slither on its belly in the dust. As a result, now we describe a snake as a reptile that is long, limbless, and without eyelids that moves over the ground on its belly with a flickering tongue, which makes the snake appear to be eating the dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God cursed not only the snake but also the snake\u2019s offspring. He cursed them with \u201cenmity\u201d (Gen. 3:15). The rest of the Bible\u2019s storyline traces the ongoing battle between the snake\u2019s offspring and the woman\u2019s offspring. The first seed of the serpent is Cain, who kills his brother Abel (Gen. 4:1\u201316). The serpent, Jesus explains, \u201cwas a murderer from the beginning\u201d (John 8:44), and Cain was the first human murderer. Humans are either children of God or children of the devil (Matt. 13:38\u201339; John 8:33, 44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:8\u201310).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of continuing through Abel, the seed of the woman continues through Seth: \u201cGod has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him\u201d (Gen. 4:25). That line continues through Noah (Gen. 6:9) and then through Abraham,9<\/a><\/sup> Isaac, Jacob, and Judah (Genesis 11\u201350) and eventually through David all the way to Jesus the Messiah and his followers.10<\/a><\/sup>1 The woman\u2019s offspring can refer to a group of people (the people of God collectively\u2014cf. Rom. 16:20) and to a particular person (the Messiah\u2014cf. Gal. 3:16).11<\/a><\/sup> Although the serpent will bruise the Messiah\u2019s heel (Jesus dies on a tree), Jesus is the ultimate seed of the woman who will mortally crush the serpent (cf. Gal. 3:16; Heb. 2:14\u201315; 1 John 3:8). \u201cBy going to the cross,\u201d explains New Testament scholar D. A. Carson, \u201cJesus will ultimately destroy this serpent, this devil, who holds people captive under sin, shame, and guilt. He will crush the serpent\u2019s head by taking their guilt and shame on himself.\u201d12<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Result of the Snake\u2019s Deceit, God Punishes Eve and Adam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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To the woman he said,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI will surely multiply your pain in<\/em>
childbearing<\/em>; in pain you shall bring forth
children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your<\/em>
husband<\/em>, but he shall rule over you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

And to Adam he said,

\u201cBecause you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
\u2018You shall not eat of it,\u2019
cursed is the ground because of you<\/em>;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.\u201d (Gen. 3:16\u201319)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

God punished Eve and Adam with pain. He punished the woman with pain in childbearing13<\/a><\/sup> and with pain in how she and her husband struggle to lead in a marriage relationship. Instead of gladly following her husband, the woman desires either to dominate him by usurping his leadership or to possessively cling to him by wanting him to be more for her than he can. And instead of responsibly exercising headship by lovingly leading his wife, the man selfishly fails to guide and protect his wife\u2014either by treating his wife in a harsh and domineering manner (Gen. 3:16) or by lazily abdicating primary leadership to his wife (Gen. 3:1\u20136).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By cursing the ground, God punished the man with pain in cultivating the ground. Adam sinfully ate forbidden food; consequently, it is now more difficult to grow food. God created the earth as abundantly productive, but now he has cursed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further, God punished mankind with mortality. As a result of physical death, humans return to the very ground over which the snake must now slither.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Result of the Snake\u2019s Deceit, God Clothes Adam and Eve with Garments of Skin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

. . . But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, \u201cWhere are you?\u201d And he said, \u201cI heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.\u201d He said, \u201cWho told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?\u201d . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

. . . And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them<\/em>. (Gen. 3:7, 9\u201311, 21)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Where did the garments of skin come from? God killed animals to cover the shame and guilt of their sin. This appears to anticipate animal sacrifice under the Mosaic law (cf. Leviticus 1\u20137) and ultimately the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus himself (cf. Rom. 3:21\u201326).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Result of the Snake\u2019s Deceit, God Banishes Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Then the Lord God said, \u201cBehold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever\u2014\u201d therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden <\/em>to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life<\/em>. (Gen. 3:22\u201324)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This part of the story connects to two major themes in the Bible\u2019s storyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Exile and exodus<\/em>.14<\/a><\/sup> God banishes sinful people from his special presence (exile), and he redeems his people from exile (exodus). Here are some highlights of this theme that begin in Genesis 3: God exiles Cain to the land of Nod (Genesis 4), delivers Noah from the flood (Genesis 6\u20139), exiles rebellious people after the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), brings Abraham out of Ur (Genesis 15), brings his people out of Egypt (Exodus 1\u201315), exiles the northern kingdom of Israel to Assyria (2 Kings 17) and the southern kingdom of Israel to Babylon (2 Kings 25), and delivers his people from exile in Assyria and Babylon back to the land. The climactic exile is Jesus\u2019s atoning death on the cross (Mark 15:34), and the climactic exodus is Jesus\u2019s resurrection. Now God\u2019s people have entered into rest (Hebrews 3\u20134) while living as holy pilgrims in exile in this world (1 Pet. 1:17; 2:9\u201311). In the ultimate exodus, God\u2019s people will forever enjoy God in the new heavens and new earth, and in the ultimate exile, God will forever banish his enemies from his presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Temple<\/em>.15<\/a><\/sup> The temple theme begins with the garden of Eden. When God creates the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1\u20132, the garden of Eden is his dwelling place. God\u2019s dwelling place is associated with heaven, and he \u201ccomes down\u201d to earth. The garden of Eden is the first temple, \u201cthe temple-garden,\u201d \u201ca divine sanctuary.\u201d16<\/a><\/sup> It\u2019s the place where humans meet with God. There are many parallels between the garden of Eden and the tabernacle\/temple. The Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and temple kept the ark of the covenant surrounded by two elaborate, gold cherubim. This room was God\u2019s throne room, and only the high priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year to make atonement for the people. When priests served in the Holy Place, the inner veil kept them from seeing into the Most Holy Place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God instructed the Israelites to skillfully weave cherubim into the inner veil (Ex. 26:31; cf. 36:35). The Most Holy Place parallels the garden of Eden. After God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden, \u201cHe drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life\u201d (Gen. 3:24). In a similar way, the cherubim woven into the inner veil symbolized that sinful humans could not enter this temple either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The temple theme climaxes in Jesus. Jesus, the God-man, \u201ctabernacles\u201d among humans. \u201cThe Word became flesh and dwelt [i.e., tabernacled] among us\u201d (John 1:14). His body is the temple (John 2:18\u201322). And when he died on the cross, the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place \u201cwas torn in two, from top to bottom\u201d (Matt. 27:51). Jesus\u2019s death makes it possible for people to go directly into God\u2019s presence (see Heb. 6:19\u201320; 10:19\u201322). The temple rituals and the Mosaic law-covenant are now obsolete. Jesus is our temple, our priest, our sacrifice.17<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the church is collectively God\u2019s temple (1 Cor. 3:16\u201317; 2 Cor. 6:14\u20137:1; Eph. 2:21\u201322; 1 Pet. 2:4\u201310). So is the individual Christian\u2019s body (1 Cor. 6:19\u201320). The ultimate temple is the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21). \u201cAnd I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb\u201d (Rev. 21:22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snake Is Satan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil [cf. Gen. 3:5]. The God of peace will soon crush Satan <\/em>under your feet. (Rom. 16:19\u201320)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I am afraid that as the serpent <\/em>deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon<\/em>, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. And the great dragon <\/em>was thrown down, that ancient serpent<\/em>, who is called the devil <\/em>and Satan<\/em>, the deceiver <\/em>of the whole world\u2014he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him \u201cThe accuser of our brothers <\/em>has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God The devil <\/em>has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!\u201d (Rev. 12:3, 9, 10, 12)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he seized the dragon<\/em>, that ancient serpent<\/em>, who is the devil<\/em> and Satan<\/em>, and bound him for a thousand years. (Rev. 20:2)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Many commentators on Genesis 3 highlight that the text does not explicitly identify the snake as Satan. Some concede that the New Testament identifies the snake as Satan yet are reluctant to interpret Genesis 3 in that way.18<\/a><\/sup> Some insist that the snake in Genesis 3 is not <\/em>Satan but instead embodies life, wisdom, and chaos.19<\/a><\/sup> But when we read Genesis 3 in light of the whole Bible, we must identify the snake as Satan.20<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible does not specify the precise way Satan and the snake in the garden of Eden relate, but Satan somehow used the physical body of a snake in Eden. He may have transformed himself into a snake-like creature, or he may have entered and influenced one of the existing snakes to accomplish his devious plan. Regardless of the precise means, the Bible presents the story of the talking snake as real history\u2014not as a myth or legend or fable (and the Bible presents Adam and Eve as really existing as the first human beings in history).21<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n



[Taken from The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer<\/em> by Andy Naselli, Copyright \u00a9 2020, pp. 33-47. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n




<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. A logical way to begin studying the serpent theme is to locate all the relevant Bible passages that use various terms for serpent. Laying out that data is a bit technical, so it\u2019s an appendix rather than a chapter: \u201cHow Often Does the Bible Explicitly Mention Serpents?\u201d If you are more academically inclined, read the appendix before you read chapter 1. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  2. Cf. John Webster, \u201cLife in and of Himself: Reflections on God\u2019s Aseity,\u201d in Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives<\/em>, ed. Bruce L. McCormack (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 107\u201324. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  3. Cf. Andrew David Naselli, \u201cDo Not Love the World: Breaking the Evil Enchantment of Worldliness (A Sermon on 1 John 2:15\u201317),\u201d The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology <\/em>22, no. 1 (2018): 111\u201325. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  4. John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life<\/em>, A Theology of Lordship (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2008), 866. Cf. Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview<\/em>, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005), 64: \u201cWorld <\/em>designates the totality of sin-infected creation. Wherever human sinfulness bends or twists or distorts God\u2019s good creation, there we find the \u2018world.\u2019\u201d \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  5. John Piper, Future Grace: The Purifying Power of the Promises of God<\/em>, in The Collected Works of John Piper<\/em>, ed. David Mathis and Justin Taylor, vol. 4 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 241: \u201cCovetousness is desiring something so much that you lose your contentment in God. <\/em>. . . Coveting is desiring anything other than God in a way that betrays a loss of contentment and satisfaction in him. Covetousness is a heart divided between two gods. So Paul calls it idolatry.\u201d Compare the last sentence of 1 John: \u201cLittle children, keep yourselves from idols\u201d (1 John 5:21). \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  6. D. Moody Smith, First, Second, and Third John<\/em>, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: John Knox, 1991), 66. Cf. John Piper, Living in the Light: Money, Sex, and Power; Making the Most of Three Dangerous Opportunities (Washington, DC: Good Book, 2016).<\/em> \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  7. G. K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 34\u201335. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  8. Cf. Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., \u201cMale-Female Equality and Male Headship: Genesis 1\u20133,\u201d in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism<\/em>, ed. John Piper and Wayne Grudem (Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1991), 107\u20138. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  9. See James M. Hamilton Jr., \u201cThe Seed of the Woman and the Blessing of Abraham,\u201d Tyndale Bulletin <\/em>58, no. 2 (2007): 253\u201373. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  10. See John L. Ronning, \u201cThe Curse on the Serpent (Genesis 3:15) in Biblical Theology and Hermeneutics\u201d (PhD diss., Westminster Theological Seminary, 1997); Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?<\/em>, New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology 9 (Nashville: B&H, 2010), esp. 129\u201345. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  11. See James M. Hamilton Jr., \u201cThe Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15,\u201d The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology <\/em>10, no. 2 (2006): 30\u201355; Jason S. DeRouchie and Jason C. Meyer, \u201cChrist or Family as the \u2018Seed\u2019 of Promise? An Evaluation of N. T. Wright on Galatians 3:16,\u201d The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology <\/em>14, no. 3 (2010): 36\u201348. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  12. D. A. Carson, The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God\u2019s Story <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2010), 37. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  13. See Jesse R. Scheumann, \u201cA Biblical Theology of Birth Pain and the Hope of the Messiah\u201d (ThM thesis, Bethlehem College & Seminary, 2014). Scheumann concludes: “As paradoxical as it sounds, birth pain is a redemptive judgment. Judgment is the dominant connotation of the imagery throughout Scripture. But birth pain is redemptive in that the Messiah would come through the line of promise, through birth pain (Gen 3:15\u201316; 35:16\u201319; 38:27\u201329; Mic 4:9\u201310; 5:2\u20133[1\u20132]; Song 8:5; 1 Chr 4:9; Rev 12:2), and he would bear the judgment in birthing the new covenant people (Isa 42:14; Isa 53:10\u201312; John 16:20\u201322; Acts 2:24), just as God writhed in birthing creation (Ps 90:2; Prov 8:24\u201325) and in birthing the old covenant people (Deut 32:18). (115)\u201d \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  14. Cf. Iain M. Duguid, \u201cExile,\u201d in New Dictionary of Biblical Theology<\/em>, ed. T. Desmond Alexander and Brian S. Rosner (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 475\u201378; Rikki E. Watts, \u201cExodus,\u201d in Alexander and Rosner, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology<\/em>, 478\u201387; Thomas Richard Wood, \u201cThe Regathering of the People of God: An Investigation into the New Testament\u2019s Appropriation of the Old Testament Prophecies concerning the Regathering of Israel\u201d (PhD diss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2006); Alastair J. Roberts and Andrew Wilson, Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption through Scripture <\/em>(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018). \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  15. See G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church\u2019s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God<\/em>, New Studies in Biblical Theology 17 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004); G. K. Beale and Mitchell Kim, God Dwells among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth <\/em>(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014). \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  16. T. Desmond Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem: An Introduction to Biblical Theology <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2008), 20\u201321. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  17. See Timothy Keller, King\u2019s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus <\/em>(New York: Dutton, 2011), 48. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  18. E.g., John H. Walton, Genesis<\/em>, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 210; Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2\u20133 and the Human Origins Debate <\/em>(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 128\u201339. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  19. E.g., Karen Randolph Joines, Serpent Symbolism in the Old Testament: A Linguistic, Archaeological, and Literary Study <\/em>(Haddonfield, NJ: Haddonfield, 1974), 16\u201341, esp. 26\u201327. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  20. Cf. Kenneth A. Mathews, Genesis 1\u201311:26<\/em>, New American Commentary 1A (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1996), 234\u201335. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  21. See James K. Hoffmeier, \u201cGenesis 1\u201311 as History and Theology,\u201d in Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither? Three Views on the Bible\u2019s Earliest Chapters<\/em>, ed. Charles Halton, Counterpoints (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 23\u201358 (also 98\u2013100, 140\u201349); Wayne Grudem, \u201cTheistic Evolution Undermines Twelve Creation Events and Several Crucial Christian Doctrines,\u201d in Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique<\/em>, ed. J. P. Moreland et al. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 783\u2013837; Vern S. Poythress, Interpreting Eden: A Guide to Faithfully Reading and Understanding Genesis 1\u20133 <\/em>(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019). \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Who is the serpent of the Garden of Eden? What does he do? What are his aims? More importantly, who will defeat him?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Who is the serpent of the Garden of Eden? What does he do? What are his aims? More importantly, who will defeat him?","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"A logical way to begin studying the serpent theme is to locate all the relevant Bible passages that use various terms for serpent. Laying out that data is a bit technical, so it\u2019s an appendix rather than a chapter: \u201cHow Often Does the Bible Explicitly Mention Serpents?\u201d If you are more academically inclined, read the appendix before you read chapter 1.\",\"id\":\"77c8d5da-4307-4997-8a45-2591ef29c7fb\"},{\"content\":\"Cf. John Webster, \u201cLife in and of Himself: Reflections on God\u2019s Aseity,\u201d in Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives<\/em>, ed. Bruce L. McCormack (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 107\u201324.\",\"id\":\"6e2622eb-db8c-45d4-8100-f33282aa269c\"},{\"content\":\"Cf. Andrew David Naselli, \u201cDo Not Love the World: Breaking the Evil Enchantment of Worldliness (A Sermon on 1 John 2:15\u201317),\u201d The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology <\/em>22, no. 1 (2018): 111\u201325.\",\"id\":\"77a889f9-9dd6-4a35-8ea3-36bf722c28f9\"},{\"content\":\"John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life<\/em>, A Theology of Lordship (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2008), 866. Cf. Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview<\/em>, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005), 64: \u201cWorld <\/em>designates the totality of sin-infected creation. Wherever human sinfulness bends or twists or distorts God\u2019s good creation, there we find the \u2018world.\u2019\u201d\",\"id\":\"daac5474-b4e6-4408-be6e-5b7b1fa06f88\"},{\"content\":\"John Piper, Future Grace: The Purifying Power of the Promises of God<\/em>, in The Collected Works of John Piper<\/em>, ed. David Mathis and Justin Taylor, vol. 4 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 241: \u201cCovetousness is desiring something so much that you lose your contentment in God. <\/em>. . . Coveting is desiring anything other than God in a way that betrays a loss of contentment and satisfaction in him. Covetousness is a heart divided between two gods. So Paul calls it idolatry.\u201d Compare the last sentence of 1 John: \u201cLittle children, keep yourselves from idols\u201d (1 John 5:21).\",\"id\":\"3c69e41d-26dc-4509-9fef-bae80670b8c4\"},{\"content\":\"D. Moody Smith, First, Second, and Third John<\/em>, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: John Knox, 1991), 66. Cf. John Piper, Living in the Light: Money, Sex, and Power; Making the Most of Three Dangerous Opportunities (Washington, DC: Good Book, 2016).<\/em>\",\"id\":\"20488f8c-fa96-4e81-a4c4-b1b83955a50d\"},{\"content\":\"G. K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 34\u201335.\",\"id\":\"7b9aa517-cdaa-4f2c-ac02-ed2337c31f74\"},{\"content\":\"Cf. Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., \u201cMale-Female Equality and Male Headship: Genesis 1\u20133,\u201d in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism<\/em>, ed. John Piper and Wayne Grudem (Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1991), 107\u20138.\",\"id\":\"a3cd7b0e-060f-487c-ab05-2a391669fbac\"},{\"content\":\"See James M. Hamilton Jr., \u201cThe Seed of the Woman and the Blessing of Abraham,\u201d Tyndale Bulletin <\/em>58, no. 2 (2007): 253\u201373.\",\"id\":\"66cf454e-cc14-4b75-942d-5f3c8ce33616\"},{\"content\":\"See John L. Ronning, \u201cThe Curse on the Serpent (Genesis 3:15) in Biblical Theology and Hermeneutics\u201d (PhD diss., Westminster Theological Seminary, 1997); Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?<\/em>, New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology 9 (Nashville: B&H, 2010), esp. 129\u201345.\",\"id\":\"8a532d6d-19d0-4134-9b1c-b96a00435696\"},{\"content\":\"See James M. Hamilton Jr., \u201cThe Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15,\u201d The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology <\/em>10, no. 2 (2006): 30\u201355; Jason S. DeRouchie and Jason C. Meyer, \u201cChrist or Family as the \u2018Seed\u2019 of Promise? An Evaluation of N. T. Wright on Galatians 3:16,\u201d The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology <\/em>14, no. 3 (2010): 36\u201348.\",\"id\":\"0fb8a282-c2e3-471c-9de4-0ad784415df5\"},{\"content\":\"D. A. Carson, The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God\u2019s Story <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2010), 37.\",\"id\":\"5c69f8e7-8c09-4419-8071-69d20c7ff3b6\"},{\"content\":\"See Jesse R. Scheumann, \u201cA Biblical Theology of Birth Pain and the Hope of the Messiah\u201d (ThM thesis, Bethlehem College & Seminary, 2014). Scheumann concludes: \\\"As paradoxical as it sounds, birth pain is a redemptive judgment. Judgment is the dominant connotation of the imagery throughout Scripture. But birth pain is redemptive in that the Messiah would come through the line of promise, through birth pain (Gen 3:15\u201316; 35:16\u201319; 38:27\u201329; Mic 4:9\u201310; 5:2\u20133[1\u20132]; Song 8:5; 1 Chr 4:9; Rev 12:2), and he would bear the judgment in birthing the new covenant people (Isa 42:14; Isa 53:10\u201312; John 16:20\u201322; Acts 2:24), just as God writhed in birthing creation (Ps 90:2; Prov 8:24\u201325) and in birthing the old covenant people (Deut 32:18). (115)\u201d\",\"id\":\"13d2deb4-2e98-48e1-b9f9-9b17ecc26441\"},{\"content\":\"Cf. Iain M. Duguid, \u201cExile,\u201d in New Dictionary of Biblical Theology<\/em>, ed. T. Desmond Alexander and Brian S. Rosner (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 475\u201378; Rikki E. Watts, \u201cExodus,\u201d in Alexander and Rosner, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology<\/em>, 478\u201387; Thomas Richard Wood, \u201cThe Regathering of the People of God: An Investigation into the New Testament\u2019s Appropriation of the Old Testament Prophecies concerning the Regathering of Israel\u201d (PhD diss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2006); Alastair J. Roberts and Andrew Wilson, Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption through Scripture <\/em>(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018).\",\"id\":\"b44194f9-d428-4584-897a-b35f27cea4f2\"},{\"content\":\"See G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church\u2019s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God<\/em>, New Studies in Biblical Theology 17 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004); G. K. Beale and Mitchell Kim, God Dwells among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth <\/em>(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014).\",\"id\":\"2f4cf73a-1096-4d12-be79-6ae9133daf38\"},{\"content\":\"T. Desmond Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem: An Introduction to Biblical Theology <\/em>(Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2008), 20\u201321.\",\"id\":\"da82204c-9823-48f2-8392-65efc6245bba\"},{\"content\":\"See Timothy Keller, King\u2019s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus <\/em>(New York: Dutton, 2011), 48.\",\"id\":\"3e631e37-6d09-4fe7-b1a4-d867251826e9\"},{\"content\":\"E.g., John H. Walton, Genesis<\/em>, NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 210; Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2\u20133 and the Human Origins Debate <\/em>(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 128\u201339.\",\"id\":\"d62ed1b1-8d28-4b2c-a55a-1df0c3aea919\"},{\"content\":\"E.g., Karen Randolph Joines, Serpent Symbolism in the Old Testament: A Linguistic, Archaeological, and Literary Study <\/em>(Haddonfield, NJ: Haddonfield, 1974), 16\u201341, esp. 26\u201327.\",\"id\":\"ba81417a-a2bd-446c-9df8-381d15c91137\"},{\"content\":\"Cf. Kenneth A. Mathews, Genesis 1\u201311:26<\/em>, New American Commentary 1A (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1996), 234\u201335.\",\"id\":\"5bcd9a9f-d801-4535-9383-68fbe7bc0668\"},{\"content\":\"See James K. Hoffmeier, \u201cGenesis 1\u201311 as History and Theology,\u201d in Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither? Three Views on the Bible\u2019s Earliest Chapters<\/em>, ed. Charles Halton, Counterpoints (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 23\u201358 (also 98\u2013100, 140\u201349); Wayne Grudem, \u201cTheistic Evolution Undermines Twelve Creation Events and Several Crucial Christian Doctrines,\u201d in Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique<\/em>, ed. J. P. Moreland et al. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 783\u2013837; Vern S. Poythress, Interpreting Eden: A Guide to Faithfully Reading and Understanding Genesis 1\u20133 <\/em>(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019).\",\"id\":\"38bc011d-bdb1-4fca-b8a1-1022483335a9\"}]","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1970,32,12,38],"tags":[766,600,217,823,553,1700,1067,740,1857,2052,474],"scripture-reference":[],"post_folder":[],"ppma_author":[63],"class_list":["post-19508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-april-2025","category-article","category-concise","category-theme","tag-adam","tag-adam-eve","tag-biblical-theology","tag-christ","tag-creation","tag-exile","tag-genesis","tag-redemption","tag-redemptive-history","tag-serpent","tag-sin"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Naselli-Serpent-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-01-13 11:07:49","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"authors":[{"term_id":63,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"andy-naselli","display_name":"Andy Naselli","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/2023-10-22-Naselli-profile3.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/2023-10-22-Naselli-profile3.jpeg"},"author_category":"","job_title":"","church_city_state":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","church_site":"","user_url":"","description":"Andrew David Naselli<\/b> (PhD, Bob Jones University; PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of systematic theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary<\/a> in Minneapolis and lead pastor of Christ the King Church<\/a> in the Stillwater area."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19508"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19574,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19508\/revisions\/19574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19508"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-reference","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-reference?post=19508"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=19508"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christoverall.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=19508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}