Monday Devotion - 6th July 2020
Scripture: Philippians 2:5-8
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
How do you motivate someone to do something?
There are many answers to that question. Ultimately it depends on what the ‘something’ is. Nevertheless, we may try to put a carrot at the end of the stick to encourage someone to complete a task. We may try to fill the person to the brim with self-confidence by telling them how great they are. Another method is to employ the fear factor.
But there is another method. Show the person an example of someone else completing the task. We use this method all the time. If it is the classroom or the sports pitch. The moment we see someone else complete the task we are usually immediately stimulated to give it a go.
And this is the same technique that Paul uses to invigorate the Philippians to his apostolic call to humility. But instead of sharing an example from his life or pointing to a person in history, he draws attention to the greatest demonstration of humility ever witnessed on earth.
The Supreme Example of Humility
These verses are simply majestic. They are outstanding and when properly understood will make you marvel at how glorious your saviour is. What we have in verses 5-8 is the supreme example of humility by none other than the Son of God; Jesus Christ.
Having spoken in the previous four verses of personal humility, Paul commands his audience to have the same mind of Jesus Christ (verse 5) and in the very next breath goes on to depict the humble example of Jesus set before the whole world.
The Son of God enjoyed glorious perfection in Heaven. Intimate fellowship with God the Father. Constant use of his divine privileges. Yet, he laid those blessings to the side and humbly took on human flesh two thousand years ago. That is what Paul means when he says in verse 6 that Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. He was willing to leave Heaven for a sin-cursed world, a world in which he created.
Then Paul uses a somewhat unusual phrase describing Christ’s act of becoming a man. He says in verse 7 that Jesus ‘emptied himself’. Now, this is where the historic controversy and debate begins. What does this mean? Did Jesus empty himself of his divinity? Was Jesus just a human whilst on earth? Many have suggested those answers and usually go on to say that this shows how much Jesus loves you, that he was willing to give up his divine status.
Take a moment and breathe.
I wonder if you have heard that before. I have for sure. And so have you. Actually more than that, I guarantee you have sung about it in church. The third verse of Charles Wesley’s well-known hymn ‘And Can It Be’ starts like this;
‘He left His Father’s throne above, So free, so infinite His grace; Emptied Himself of all but love’
Did Jesus empty himself of all but love? Did he really? It sounds great and spiritual and may make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside but it is very far from the truth.
What Paul means when he says Jesus emptied himself is not that Jesus was stripped of his status or identity as God. Instead, it was an emptying not by subtraction but by addition. The addition is that he took on human form. It can be a tricky concept to get your head around but it really is important to grasp.
If we get the identity of Jesus wrong then the implications are mammoth. An incorrect view of Jesus leads to a misguided view of his work on the cross and subsequently our salvation.
And that leads to our final point. The second part of Jesus’ supreme example of humility, that being his death on the cross (verse 8). The humility of Jesus was that far-reaching he was willing to sacrifice his very life on a Roman cross for you and I. He would hang naked, face the scorn of those he created and unjustly endure the most gruesome death known to man. This is the depth of Christ’s humility. The one who knew no sin became sin and at that moment counted the whole of humanity more significant than himself.
Paul in these few verses is pointing everyone who reads them to the ultimate example of humility. Dr Steven Lawson offers this fine summary;
‘No one ever humbled himself or herself more than the Lord Jesus Christ. No one ever started so high and no one ever descended so low. No one gave up so much as he did’
Marvel in the supreme humility of your beautiful saviour.