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Genesis 3; Philippians 2 – We Don’t Sing Praises to Eve
We Don’t Sing Praises to Eve
It is thought to be a first century hymn so beloved, challenging, and theologically expressive that Paul, via inspiration, included it in his epistle to the Philippians. It would be like us including the words of Amazing Grace in a letter or sermon today. But what I am writing here is turning that poem into something fallen and well-known for inglorious reasons.
For the actual, true reading of how we are to be like God, read Philippians 2:5-11. For this exercise and experiment, we are plugging in and substituting Genesis 3 into Philippians 2.
VERSE 1
The serpent said, “Have this attitude within yourselves. Make your own knowledge like that of God, even though you are already existing in the image of God, but don’t consider fuller equality with God as something not to be grasped. Instead empty yourself of the ignorance of good and evil, assuming you deserve the knowlege of God, taking on this form and likeness of deity.”
VERSE 2
“And when they had become as God,
they were ashamed and became obedient to the curse of death — even to death without the tree of life. For this reason God exiled them because they had not been given the name that is above every name.”
VERSE 3
“At the name of God every knee shall bow — in heaven and on earth and under the earth — and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – and should be listened to and not the serpent – to the glory of God the Father.”
The original song in Philippians says, “Have this mind” or “attitude” “which is in Christ Jesus”. The word (phroneo) for attitude means to have an opinion of oneself and then is applied to Jesus’s opinion of Himself. The first definition of phroneo is, “to have understanding, to be wise”. Isn’t that what Eve thought she would gain?
“The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (CSB’17 Genesis 3:6)
Eve took what wasn’t rightfully hers. Jesus refused to grasped and hold on to what was rightfully His.
Eve wanted equality with God on her terms. Jesus had equality and willingly gave it up on His terms.
Eve chose the tree of knowledge and got death while losing the tree of life. Jesus knowingly chose the tree of death which became a tree of life.
Eve fell from her state, Jesus was raised back to His place.
Our choices are to have the mind of Christ, or the mind of Eve. Eve chose the mind of the serpentine Satan. The right answer is found in knowing who we still sing praises to today. Jesus.
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