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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 2, NUMBER 4, FEBRUARY 24, 2002 “HAVE THIS ATTITUDE
IN YOURSELVES”
One of the more beautiful passages of scripture is found in the second
chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
It is a passage that addresses relationships among Christians, tells us
what approach we should take in dealing with one another, and gives us the
ultimate example of that approach.
Philippians 2:1 – 4, says, “If therefore there is any
encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any
fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete
by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent
on one purpose. Do nothing from
selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard
one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own
personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” What Paul is calling for among all Christians is a humbleness of mind, a harmony of feelings and affections, an intelligent love. It is a call for all Christians to be joined together in one spirit, intent on one purpose. That one purpose he is calling for is humbleness of mind. How do we
express this humbleness of mind? By
recognizing the intrinsic value of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We express it by never forgetting that each one of us has been washed in
the blood of the Lamb, that Jesus died for each of us.
We express it through service. Indeed,
in verse 4, Paul exhorts us all to subordinate our own interests for the
interests of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The feelings, interests, needs and concerns of our brethren are to be put
above our own. But is such a
thing even possible? The answer to
that question is, “It most certainly is!”
Will it be easy? No, but we
do have the greatest of all examples to follow.
Let us look at verses 5 – 8. “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also
in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of
a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” What an
example! The Lord Jesus, before He
came to this earth, existed in the “form” of God.
The word is “morphe”, and it means “the very nature of “.
It does not refer to the mere external appearance – but to what really
is. All that deity is, Jesus was
before He came here. But we
are told that He “emptied Himself”. This
is so important to understand. We
are not told that Jesus emptied Himself “of” something.
We are told that He “emptied Himself”.
Here is an example of a time when the King James translation actually
expresses the idea better. It
renders the phrase as “made himself of no reputation”.
That is the idea. Again I
repeat, it is not correct to ask “What did Jesus empty himself of?”
That is not Paul’s point. The
phrase “emptied Himself” or “made Himself of no reputation” is a graphic
expression of the complete self-renunciation of Jesus.
It speaks of His incredible humility. Brethren, Jesus
took upon Him “the form of a bond-servant”.
Remember, that means the very nature of, not merely the external
appearance, but what really is. Jesus,
without divesting Himself of His deity, became a man.
Understand that He was a man, but He was also God.
What humility! What
selflessness! I think the fact that
Jesus took upon Him the “form of a bondservant” without relinquishing His
deity makes it all that more incredible. Verse 8 says of Jesus, “being found in appearance as a man”. This tells us how Jesus presented Himself to men and how men viewed Him. It was as man. Men saw Jesus as man, like themselves. They saw Him as man because He looked like man. He did not come to earth to live in all the glory and dignity of His Lordship. He did not appear to be Lord. He was not generally recognized as Lord when men looked at Him, but He was. Now the question is “Why?” Why did Jesus do all of this? To become “obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross.” Here is the
best way that I know of to explain this marvelous passage.
“Christ’s act of humiliation began with a choice to do God’s will
over his own will. Even though his
choice to become man had been made in heaven, he came from heaven to do the
Father’s will…As man he became obedient to God and served his
fellowman…But these words alone do not describe the Son’s humiliation.
He not only became obedient to God as man, but he also humbled himself at
his own expense, and was willing to go all the way in his obedience – unto
death. He was not obedient to death
itself, but unto death…It was no ordinary or usual death that Christ
suffered; it was a shameful and humiliating death.
It may be difficult for people in our time to understand the cruelty,
shame, and humiliation attached to death on a cross…” How could
humbleness of mind possibly be better illustrated than through the example of
Jesus? In what possible way could
one subordinate his own interests to the interest of others
more completely than Jesus did?
Therein lies the challenge of the passage for you and me. “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Greg
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