In this series, we have been looking at creeds, key truths that make up our faith, and the passages that support them. We have seen that creeds benefit us because they give us clarity about our faith and allow us to understand the foundations of what we believe. We have also seen that creeds are useful in telling others about Jesus, and for growing those that already believe.
Some of us may have memorised the Westminster Catechism when we were younger and might have struggled with it. Years later, perhaps you found that usefulness to it — that you were able to recall things memorised long ago.
That, I think is the strength in creeds. They are truths distilled from the large text that the Bible is, which we can sink into our memories and hearts for the time that we need them. It could be a conversation with a non-believer, or with a struggling brother or sister in Christ. It could just be for our own growth and sanctification too.
Today, we are looking at Christ’s humiliation and exaltation. The truths which we uncover today will challenge us, encourage us and cause us to worship too.
(A) The Humiliation of Christ: Voluntary, Selfless and Humble (Phil 2:3-8)
Paul speaks of “this mind” in Philippians 2:5. What does it refer to? Paul lays out what this mind is and is not clearly. Philippians 2:3-4 begins by showing us what “this mind” is not. It refers to doing nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit and instead, living in humility and counting others more significant than ourselves. It means not looking only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others.
From these verses, there is one clear way that the Philippians are to live and one way they are not to live. The Philippians are not to live like those in the world. The world does things out of selfish ambition and conceit and looks out for their own interests. Even when they look to the interests of others, it’s often after they’ve secured their own.
The Philippians are to be quite the opposite. They are to count others more significant than themselves and they are to look at the interests of others, rather than their own. Paul asks them to do this “in humility” which means they are to be humble and are to avoid seeking attention, praise and personal glory.
The way of thinking and living that we are introduced to here is striking. It is so unlike the way that the world operates. Today, so many of us are motivated by selfish ambition and struggle to live like how Paul describes here. People work hard so that they can build their reputation, bank accounts and social circles. People love to look out for our own interests and only look to the interests of others when they have secured their own. Even when we do good for others, we struggle to do it humbly.
So, the question is, why and how can one live as Paul described, to turn away from selfishness and pride and be a humble, loving and selfless person? That is addressed in the next verse.
How do we get “this mind”? Philippians 2:5 tells us two things. First, this is a mind that we received in Christ. We were given this mind. Second, that this is a mind that was also in Jesus, meaning that he was an example for us. The footnote in most Bibles would translate this as “which was also in Christ Jesus”.
This is therefore not a mind that is achieved with hard work and determination, or with rules and regulations. This is a mind that was in Jesus and which is obtained simply by looking at and understanding what he has done. Christ gave it to us and was also our example.
Many of us struggle to live this way. We are prone to be selfish and prone to count ourselves as more significant than others. We may struggle significantly with being selfish with my time, worshipping career and wanting to secure our own ends before we think about God and the people that God has placed around me.
The opening verses of our passage today remind us, that Christians are not meant to live selfish lives. We are to love others and be humble and the way we get there, is through Jesus who is the ultimate example of humility and also the motivation for us to be humble and loving. And it is not our striving that achieves it. We are to look to Christ, and we will see it in Philippians 2:6-8.
Philippians 2:6-8 is a special part of Scripture because Paul gives us an insight into the mind of Christ. Usually, when we are told about Jesus in the Bible, we are told what he did and why it was significant. Here, we have something special. We have an insight into the very mind of Christ. We are told his thoughts and we are told about his descent.
Jesus, though in the form of God, did not count equality with God as something to be grasped (Phil 2:6). This meant that he was in substance equal to God. He was divine, eternal and majestic. Yet, he did not view it as something to be grasped. It was something that he had but did not seek to hold tightly to. The footnote to v6 shows that this verse can be translated as “a thing to be held on to for advantage”. Jesus did not seek to hold on to his divinity and power and status for his own advantage.
Jesus also emptied himself by taking the form of a servant and was born in the likeness of men (Phil 2:7). Jesus emptied himself of the form that he shared with God and took the form of a servant. Jesus was the highest being in all of the universe and as we saw in Colossians 1 last week, He was the one by whom all was created. He preceded and had authority over it. Jesus was infinite and powerful and authoritative. Yet this mighty Jesus exchanged all the majesty and glory of being divine, to be lowly and weak, in the form of man. He became a man who needs to eat, drink, who grows tired and needs to sleep, who falls ill and ages. He came from heaven to this filthy earth.
He was found in human form and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:8). Here, we see that Christ goes even further than being born in weak human form. He humbled himself – showing that this was voluntary. We see further descent to obedience that encompasses death on a cross. Crucifixion was not only painful and a slow way to die, it also came with great shame and loneliness. Christ was willing to die in the cruellest, most barbaric way possible at the time. A means of execution that was reserved for serious criminals. An execution that was public and shameful.
Let’s pause here and really understand this. Christ, who had authority over the whole universe, through whom the whole universe was created, didn’t hold on tightly to that for his own advantage. Instead, he was willing to let go of his godly form and embrace a lowly, frail form. To become human. He gave up being eternal to age, he gave up being completely sufficient, to be dependent on others, to have to eat and drink. He gave up all power to become weak. He gave up invulnerability for frailty. And Christ goes even further to die in an embarrassing and painful way. This includes being spat on, publicly shamed, dying between two criminals (c.f. Matt 27:27-31, 37-44).
Paul is saying this is what humility looks like. Christ obeys the Father by humbling himself and taking on human form, descending and dying for us. Jesus did not look to his own interests, he looked to ours.
Here, Paul has shown us both our ultimate example and also the reason why we are to love others and care less about ourselves. In Jesus’ humiliation, we are saved. The verses here show us that it is not just about his humiliation in the death on the cross. Coming into the form of man, living and obeying in his earthly life all also constituted humiliation that Christ willingly endured. That is part of the extent of suffering and shame that he voluntarily went through.
What does this mean for us? First, understanding the full extent of Christ’s humiliation should cause us to worship and value him. Often, when we deal with humiliation, it’s because of a mistake we made. It is often deserved. Christ deserved none of the humiliation that came his way. He endured it all voluntarily so that he could bring an end of all our sin. This was a mighty act of selflessness and love that took place throughout the entire life of Christ and should cause us to worship and adore him.
Second, it means that for all of us who have ever felt wrongful humiliation, we have a Saviour who resonates. We do not have a Saviour who is far off and who lacks understanding. Instead, we have one who has felt deep humiliation himself and therefore understands. Further, Jesus has taken on the humiliation that we deserved for sin, so that before God, we don’t carry any more shame. Through the death of Jesus, we become children of God who are forgiven of all that brings us embarrassment before God.
At the heart of humiliation is pain that is felt when others think lowly of us. Its embarrassment and shame. The Bible doesn’t promise that we will be spared embarrassment and shame in the world, but it does promise us that through Jesus, in the eyes of the one who matters most, God Himself, we no longer carry shame and embarrassment.
Third, understanding Jesus’ humiliation should cause us to have the mind in Philippians 2:3-4. We may struggle deeply with selfish ambition. What people think of me matters, and I want to succeed and work hard at my career. I struggle to live my life for others. Philippians 2:3-4 tells us that we should live quite the opposite and Philippians 2:5 tells us that we get there through Jesus, who is our example and motivation. Jesus had equality with God, but didn’t hold on to it for his own advantage. He let it go for our gain. So, we too, don’t hold tightly to things for our own advantage. Christ emptied himself for us, so we learn to empty ourselves for others. Christ obeys God even to the point of death, so we learn to obey even when it is difficult too. Each and every one of us is the direct beneficiary of the selflessness of Jesus. We have experienced it and are therefore motivated to love others the same way.
Do you know those who are selfless? Do you wonder how they are able to live like this? Philippians 2 tells us that we don’t have to do better! We look to Jesus! IF we struggle with holding on to things for our advantage, we look to Him who did not count equality with God to be grasped. If we struggle with giving our time, energy, efforts, money for others, we look to Jesus who gave up far more and took the form of man. If we struggle to obey, we look to Jesus who walked to the cross.
(B) The Exaltation of Christ: Current and Future Vindication (Phil 2:9-11)
God does something in Philippians 2:9. The verse also opens with “therefore”, which connects it with the previous verses. God highly exalts Jesus and bestows on him the name that is above every name. This is a name that no other title in this world can compare. Paul is speaking to Jesus’ resurrection here, a sign that the Father accepted Jesus’ payment for sin.
But this is not all. In this final section, Paul shows us that things don’t end with the death of Jesus.Following this death, Jesus received the highest exaltation when God brought him back from the dead. This name is “Lord” in Philippians 2:11, the name of God in the Old Testament, the name of God Almighty, Yahweh.
This shows that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was accepted, he was a sufficient and a worthy sacrifice for our sins, and that he had won victory over death.This all happens because Jesus obeyed and suffered in Philippians 2:6-8 as seen in the word “therefore”.
The exaltation here comes because Jesus stepped down into the world, because Jesus endured shame and obeyed to the point of death on a cross. Jesus is exalted because he was humiliated so save us. God then takes this Jesus who has suffered much, and vindicates him.
This applies to us as well. Luke 14:11 sets out that those who humble themselves will be exalted. In the Christian life, exaltation doesn’t come to those who seek it. It comes to those who are humble and obedient, who lay aside, like Jesus did, their own interests, to embrace God’s ways. This shows us that the way to be a child who pleases God is through quiet obedience and selflessness. God is not like a boss that we need to write up a list of achievements for, He is not a parent that we are struggling to please. He is a God who sees all, and who vindicates and exalts those who trust and obey, even if they go unrecognised in the world. This is a great encouragement for us, for it means that God sees us when we serve and pay a cost and humble ourselves for Him. He too, will vindicate us in his own time. Do you feel underappreciated in service? Take heart! God sees and knows!
What a contrast to what is natural to us! We are not exalted by drawing attention to ourselves and striving to secure our needs and interests. On the contrary, it comes when we lay aside our interests and pour our lives into others.
In Philippians 2:10-11, God ordains that there will be a further, future exaltation of Christ. One day, every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord (Phil 2:10-11). Everyone will physically respond and honour Christ as Lord (“knee”) and will declare that Christ is Lord (“tongue”). We read that this also includes everyone, in heaven and on earth and even under the earth (Phil 2:10). This means that every angel, human being and even demon will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.
This is a picture of complete authority and victory. It means that those who love Jesus will bow willingly and declare joyfully, while those who rejected him will be forced to bow and forced to confess who Jesus is. Nobody is exempt from this.
The end of all this, is the glory of God the Father in Philippians 2:11. Why? Because all of the exaltation and bestowing of the name that is above every name is done by God. He is the primary actor in these verses and therefore receives the glory.
What does this mean for us? First, this challenges us to give Jesus the right place in our lives. We often think of Jesus as a Comforter and Friend, one that we can come to with our pain and sorrows and find healing. And that is true. But it is also true that Jesus is the exalted Lord. He is the one that has the name above all others.
Do we live like this is the case? Like Jesus is Lord? Do we sit under his word, ponder his teachings and love others like he told us to? The truth is that many of us don’t bow before Jesus the way that we should, in how we spend our time, money, thoughts and efforts.
Second, this gives us courage today and hope for tomorrow, to press on in telling people about Jesus and the fact that he is Lord. This can be hard sometimes. In popular culture, it doesn’t feel like Jesus in exalted. In fact, he is often mischaracterised and even joked about. When we speak with our friends about Jesus, they either uninterested, or think lowly of Jesus.
In our churches and small groups, attendance can be low and ministry events can often receive bad attendance when busy young adults are invited. It doesn’t feel like people are living like Jesus is Lord.
These verses show us that the final result doesn’t rest on us. In the end, God will ensure that everyone here on earth, above and below will all declare Jesus as Lord. This means that the victory is already won, the outcome is secure and we don’t have to fight for victory, we fight from victory. This should give us courage and confidence as we go about declaring who Jesus is.
As we close, which aspects of Christ’s humiliation stood out and how does this affect your worship or service? How does knowing that Jesus is exalted now and will be exalted in the future challenge or encourage you today?