I was intrigued this week, in reading a wonderful commentary by Sinclair Ferguson on the book of Philippians, to see his claim that Jesus is "Adam in reverse". He outlines his case this way, comparing Philippians 2:5-8 with Romans 5:12-21 and John 13:3-5:
1. That Jesus, being in the form of God but not grasping after that glory, reminds us of how Adam, also made in the likeness of God, was a grasping man.
2. Jesus emptied himself, making himself a servant, while Adam refused to serve God.
3. Jesus was obedient unto death: a death brought about by Adam's disobedience.
The first thing that struck me in this comparison is how much I feel like Adam when I read this. No big surprise, I guess, for someone who has held the doctrine of total depravity for almost 30 years. Yet we can bask so long in the place of favor with the Lord that we forget the reasons we have to be humble. This is a good reminder.
The second thing that happens as I reflect on these truths is worship. What a contrast between what that first Adam, and I, his daughter, have been, and what Christ was by grace for me and all like me. As Ferguson says, "No wonder such theology produced poetry!"
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