Gen. 3:15 refers to the seed of the woman, not the seed of man. This could only refer to the coming of the Son of God through Mary (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; 9:6- 7; 11:1; Mt. 1; Lk. 1:31- 35; Jn. 1:14; Rom. 1:1- 3; 8:3; Gal. 3:16, 19; 4:4; Php. 2:5- 11; 1Tim. 3:16; 2Tim. 2:8; Heb. 1:1- 8; 2:9- 18; 1Jn. 4:1- 6; Rev. 5:5). The virgin birth is one of the most essential doctrines of the whole plan of God. Without faith in it and in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ one cannot be saved (1Cor. 15:1- 8; 1Jn. 4:1- 6).

What is important to note is that the enmity does not merely arise, it is specifically said to be set or appointed by God himself. The animosity we experience from unbelievers is sin, but it is divinely ordained hatred. God tells us here that he intends the wicked to hate the righteous. This is not the origin of ‘culture wars’ because the people of God are neither to create their own ‘culture’ nor are they to defend a conservative agenda for American (or European or English) culture. The world’s hatred of the church is not to be because the church represents morality. The world will hate Christians because we believe in Christ (John 3:19-20; 2 Cor. 2:15-16). There is a big difference between these two. The world is not to hate us because we are offensive in and of ourselves; the offense is in the gospel (1 Cor. 1:17-18, 21,23 ;cf. Rom 9:33; Gal 5:11). They hate us because we testify to the truth of Christ and they do not believe (1 Tim 1:13). It is true that our new life in Christ can convict them, Paul gets at this in Ephesians 5:3-21, but we have no business parading a self-righteous attitude in our rejection of homosexuality, divorce, abortion, etc. Our transformed minds are by grace, not our own wisdom, so we have no place to boast. At any rate, the point is that the course of history is according to God’s will, he is sovereign over all aspects of his creation, both before and after the fall.