Our hearts must take into account the mindset/attitude of Christ in order that we might correctly live out his humility. There are three principles to consider from Phil. 2:6-11. First, verses 6-7. "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
1. Christ-likeness embraces God-given roles. (vs. 6-7)
(Who though he was in the form of God,) In the greater biblical narrative we are informed that God is Triune and that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who participate in definite roles and relationships. Specifically, the Father stands in a position of authority and the Son stands in submission. It is this relational structure in which infinite love and joy has flourished from eternity past. And although Christ maintained infinite glory with his father he…
(…did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped) Hence, before the foundations of the world the Father, the Missio Dei, summons the Son and lovingly sends him (according to Ps. 2 and Eph 1) to purchase up a people from their sin. But this required Christ to give up his glory with the Father …
(…and made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men) Christ seeks a lowly mission to the point of robing himself in human flesh; being born to a young and inexperienced couple. He made himself completely vulnerable. He entered time and space and embraced all the limitations of man without giving up an ounce of his divinity.
Does this not astound you? That Christ, in his glory, would come… demonstrating complete submission to the Father in embracing his role. And consider this, God has created us in his image with relationship structures that stand to glorify the authority/submission structure in God. Consider marriage: God has given you a role. Consider the church: God has given you a role. Consider employment: God has given you a role.
Are you thwarting your God-given role due to a selfish sense of elitism or partiality? Do you sulk because you think you deserve a better job? Or Do you use your authority to demean your wife; perhaps it’s just by the nuance of your tone? Or have you embraced your God-given role recognizing that…As Bruce Ware mentions, that whether our role is one of authority or submission, it is just as God-like to correctly embrace a role of biblical authority as God-like it is to embrace a role of biblical submission…
Second, What does Christ-likeness look like? First it embraces its God-given role and second...
2. Christ-likeness embraces difficult tasks with simple obedience/faith. (vs. 8-11)"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Does this not beg the question, “Who was Christ obedient to?” Well obviously with a Trinitarian perspective we understand that to be the Father. Never do we see Christ losing focus of his purpose. Christ spent numerous nights in prayer seeking the will of his Father. In John 4, when Christ is speaking to the woman at the well his disciples had gone into the city to get food, and when they returned exhorting Christ to eat but he says “My meat/satisfaction/nourishment is to do the will of the Father.”. Simple obedience!
Furthermore in John 8 Christ mentions that he always does the will of the Father but then in the next couple verses speaks of liberty/freedom which is to say that Christ experienced perfect liberty in being enslaved to the purposes of his Father, …the purposes that would soon lead to suffering, to death and to a relational abandonment… as Christ cried out “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. Why can Christ be so sure of liberty being found in obedience to his Father? Because as verse 9 says, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord," Christ knew his Father’s love and trusted that his Father was seeking his good.
It is often times hard to obey and trust God when he gives you difficult tasks and circumstances. It is within those circumstances that we feel the urge to give up or take the reins of our life in our own hands doubting that God has good intentions.
But God really does have good thoughts toward you. It is why Paul encourages the Philippians to embrace their union with Christ by suffering for his sake (1:29). That is why he encourages them with the promise, “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (1:6) And is it why he establishes his testimony in chapter 3 by saying that he counts all things as dung for the sake of Christ and to share in Christ sufferings, becoming like Christ in his death, that by any means possible he might attain the resurrection. Paul’s concern is for sanctification to be taking place while holding firm to the hope of a future day of glorification.
Growing in sanctification, on the outset, in not a safe place to be. But knowing that God, through our union with Christ, loves and cares for me, and is seeking my good – there is no other place I would want to be.
So what does Christ-likeness look like? I.) it embraces its God-given roles 2.) it embraces difficult tasks with simple obedience and third…
3. Christ-likeness embraces greatness by deflecting the glory to God. (vs.11b) to the glory of God the Father.
The relationship of the Father and Son demonstrate the most wonderful acts of love. God the Father graciously gives the Son center stage in redemptive history and exalts the Son in his mission so that reverence, adoration, worship, respect, and honor is given to the Son but the Son turns around and loving points it all glory back to the Father. Just as 1 Cor. 15:28 says “When all things are subjected to him (the Son), then the Son will also subject himself to him(the father) who put all thing in subjection under him(the Son), that God (the Father)may be all in all.”
Greatness is not ours! As John Calvin mentioned, “our hearts are idol factories”. It is often times when God exalts us in our simple obedience that we become a repository of that exaltation for the sake self-worship rather than deferring that success or praise as a worshipful gift to God - the one who alone is worthy of it.
So what does Christ-likeness look like? I.) it embraces its God-given roles 2.) it embraces difficult tasks with simple obedience and third…
3. Christ-likeness embraces greatness by deflecting the glory to God. (vs.11b) to the glory of God the Father.
The relationship of the Father and Son demonstrate the most wonderful acts of love. God the Father graciously gives the Son center stage in redemptive history and exalts the Son in his mission so that reverence, adoration, worship, respect, and honor is given to the Son but the Son turns around and loving points it all glory back to the Father. Just as 1 Cor. 15:28 says “When all things are subjected to him (the Son), then the Son will also subject himself to him(the father) who put all thing in subjection under him(the Son), that God (the Father)may be all in all.”
Greatness is not ours! As John Calvin mentioned, “our hearts are idol factories”. It is often times when God exalts us in our simple obedience that we become a repository of that exaltation for the sake self-worship rather than deferring that success or praise as a worshipful gift to God - the one who alone is worthy of it.