The Way Of Eve Or The Way Of Jesus ?

The Journal of Biblical Accuracy http://www.jba.gr/

Article • The way of Eve or the way of Jesus?

Please feel free to copy and forward this article

The way of Eve or the way of Jesus? I was reading Genesis 3-6 recently and I went to the Study Bible I use (The Companion Bible, Kregel Publications) to read the notes it has. It was the passage of Eve, searching, looking and finally eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that drew my attention: Genesis 3:6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her; and he ate” My Study Bible connected the above verse with I John 2 where in verses 15-16 we read: I John 2:15-16 “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world” “The lust of the flesh” …… “the woman saw that the tree was GOOD FOR FOOD” “The lust of the eyes” …….. “that it was pleasant to the EYES” “the pride of life” …….. “a tree to be desired to make one WISE” Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life …. pleasant to the flesh, pleasant to the eyes, to become wise… That is what the first human beings followed. And this is the very thing that we must not do. Sin breaks our fellowship with God and nobody should, like Eve, be deceived to think that he can have it both ways. As Galatians 6:7-8 says, referring to Christians:

Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows THAT he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption: but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life” The epistle was written “unto the churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2). It is Christians that are called to “not be deceived”. Yes, Christians can be deceived! We Christians, as the text warns, if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption! The same devil that deceived Eve, is active today and has the same purpose: to deceive us. I Corinthians 11:3 tells us: II Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” “As the serpent deceived Eve….”. As the devil did with Eve so also he tries to do with us. Eve followed her senses. She saw, she thought, she acted. It seemed logical and wise but it was the greatest tragedy. What do we do today? Do we follow whatever seems pleasant to the eyes or what feels good? Whatever the world, the many do? Whatever seems wise according to the world’s standards? Or do we follow the wisdom that is of God, that comes from above and which in the eyes of the world is foolishness? I Corinthians 3:18-20 tells us: I Corinthians 3:18-20 “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness. And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile” There is only one true wisdom: the wisdom that comes from God. Eve knew the word of God but she was overpowered by what she saw and thought. It is not her

example that we must follow but the example of somebody else, also sinless, that came thousands of years after Eve and was tempted by the same enemy. Jesus Christ, our example, was as Hebrews 4:15 says “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” This is the example that we must follow. Philippians 2:5-11 “LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself and BECAME OBEDIENT TO THE POINT OF DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS. Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those in earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Tassos Kioulachoglou