The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Philippians 2:5b-7,
"... have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."
In his reader's relationships with one another, Paul desired to see them take a cue from the humility of Jesus Christ in valuing others better than themselves that they would look to the interests of others. He pointed to the example of Jesus Christ. He says Jesus Christ, as God, did not cling to all that accompanied his deity, but set it aside, in a startling act of humility, he became a man and died a sacrificial death to pay the penalty for all mankind's sins. If our Lord was willing to do such a thing, certainly we could humble ourselves a bit to look out for the interests of others. Solid reasoning.
Paul claims here that Jesus Christ is God. John, likewise, makes an interesting observation about Jesus. As someone who spent several years with him and was in his inner circle, John knew a thing or two about Jesus. He says, "... he [Jesus Christ] was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:18. In John 10:30 Jesus told the Jews, "I and the Father are one." The Jews clearly understood what Jesus was saying as they threatened to stone Jesus. They told him, "'We are not stoning you for any good work,' they replied, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'" John 10:33.
In speaking of the Jewish patriarchs Paul says, "Theirs [the people of Israel] are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah [Jesus Christ], who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Romans 9:5.
In the book of Hebrews the writer says, "In these last days he [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:2-3. Jesus is the creative agent within the Trinity.
When Jesus met with his disciples following his resurrection, he reached out to Thomas, a doubter, by showing him his wounds. Thomas exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:28.
In his letter to the Philippian church Paul went on to observe, due to the humility and sacrifice Jesus made of himself, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." This exalted position held by Jesus Christ is reminiscent of his exaltation as given in Isaiah 52:13 where the prophecy is given of the sacrifice Jesus Christ would make 700 years later, "See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted." At Isaiah's commissioning as a prophet he observed "the Lord" on his throne and described him in this same exact manner, "I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple." Isaiah 6:1. The "Lord Almighty" Isaiah saw was the Son of God, the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ on his throne in heaven!
Throughout the Scriptures Jesus Christ is presented to us as the second member of the Trinity, God the Son. He is fully God and when be became man he became fully God and fully man at the same time. This is a foundational tenant of orthodox Christianity taught us throughout the Scriptures. In order to inherit eternal life, this truth is a reality we must embrace in faith, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Jesus Christ, our "lifted up and highly exalted" Savior: God the Son!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
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