Philippians (written)

Thursday, 5 January 2017

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, Philippians 2:9

“Therefore” is based upon the words of verses 5-8. Because of His work, setting aside His authority, power, and glory which resulted in His passion and death upon the cross for sinful man, “God also has highly exalted Him.” This is realized in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. He was found worthy, and thus death could not hold Him. He was raised by the power of God to an indestructible life, and He was raised further still to the place of all power and authority. The aorist verb translated as “highly exalted” refers to the documented facts concerning both the resurrection and ascension.

Along with this exaltation, it says that God has “given Him the name which is above every name.” Again, this is an aorist verb, and it thus also points to the resurrection and ascension. These two events prove that His work was sufficient and that He had faithfully carried out the work the Father had set forth for Him to accomplish. The exaltation and the proclamation of the name are the rewards for His meritorious deeds.

Scholars argue over what “the name” is. Some point to Revelation 19:13 which says, “ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” Some point back to the Old Testament, saying that He has been granted the name of the Lord, meaning “Jehovah” or “I AM” of the Old Testament. But both of these overlook the obvious. The name “Jesus” is stated directly after the word “name” in verse 10, and then it is repeated in verse 11. It is this name, Jesus, which is above every name.

Though it was given to Mary to name Him this before His birth, it was given in the sense of a prophecy –

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

Upon completion of His work, validated by the resurrection and bestowal of all authority and power, the name took on its full significance. He had saved His people from their sins. This is the name which is being referred to here. Other names and titles have their own significance, but it is by the name of JESUS that we see the full honor and glory of the Person who came to save humanity. It is this recognizable name that we honor Him for His work.

Life application: The name which is cherished and loved around the world, regardless of how it is pronounced in individual cultures, is the name which is above every name. In the English speaking world, we call Him JESUS. Let us carry that name with us with every step we take, and let us meditate on the Man who bears that name, contemplating the marvelous deeds which He has done for us.

Heavenly Father, there can be only one name which is above every name. You have spoken, and that name is Yeshua. It may be pronounced in a variety of ways around the world, but the meaning remains the same. He is our JESUS, our Salvation. He is our hope, our aim, our desire, and our Lord. May we take His name upon our lips and keep it in our hearts. With every step we take, may we meditate on the marvelous glory that surrounds our King. Great things have You done, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, 4 January 2017

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8

The division of this verse is not entirely certain. Some translations place the words “And being found in appearance as a man” as part of the previous verse –

“But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man. He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.” Douay Rheims

This is a point to be made aware of, but the substance of the message is not largely affected by the change. There is just a more abrupt nature to the introduction of the next sentence because of it. As for the words, “And being found in appearance as a man,” they are speaking of the fashion of Christ rather than His form. In other words, the previous verse spoke of His morphé (form) of a bondservant. This verse now speaks of His schéma (fashion) of appearance.

The schéma is that which is outward and visible. It “is used of Jesus’ earthly body. Christ incarnated into a genuine physical body, which was not an ‘exact match with typical humanity’ because His body was never touched or tainted by sin (even original sin)” (HELPS Word Studies). This fashion of body was one specifically referred to 700 years earlier by Isaiah –

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.” Isaiah 53:2

The humanity of Jesus was not one of marvelous physical looks. He was not an impressive figure in size or in musculature. He was not formed with great height, or exceptionally broad shoulders. He was just a common looking person that, when passed by on the street, would draw nobody’s attention to Him. This simple and unadorned fashion of Christ was what we saw in Him as a Man. And, in this plain appearance “He humbled Himself and became obedient.”

The Deity of Christ, which bore all the fashion and glory of the infinite Creator God, and which held all the power of the universe and beyond, was set aside. He took on a lowly fashion and form, and He submitted to the will of His Father and to the law which He had written, binding Himself to it in a state of human limitation. The idea of His humility here is not the same as that of His emptying Himself noted in the previous verse. Rather it is a definition of that emptying. The word is tapeinoó. It indicates a complete and absolute reliance on another. He so humbled Himself that He was left completely open and exposed to the will of Another, trusting in the God and not Himself. This is reflected in His words of John 6:38 –

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

The author of Hebrews picks up on this aspect of Christ as well, noting His obedience to the will of the Father. This obedience, reflected in His humility, is then explained in its most magnificent sense by the words, “to the point of death.” Christ was born in order to die. The death would be an atoning death for the sin of the world. This is seen in Revelation 13:8. However, His atoning death is not the focus here. Rather, His obedience is what is highlighted, even to the point of death. Thus, it sets a pattern for those who would follow Him (“Let this mind be in you…” – verse 5).

But there is yet more to Paul’s words. Christ was obedient to the point of death, but as he highlights, “…even the death of the cross.” The Law of Moses said –

“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, ²³ his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.” Deuteronomy 21:22, 23

Christ died on a tree and Paul explains the magnitude of this in Galatians 3:13 –

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’)…”

Christ’s death on the cross was, to the people of Israel, a point of shame. This is reflected again in the words of Hebrews 12:2 which specifically notes this. Further, in the Greek of this verse, there is no article in front of “cross.” It says “even cross death.” The utterly shameful nature of the death is brought forth in Paul’s choice of words. It shows the enormity of the level of obedience and humility which Christ endured for us. This… this is what Paul asks us to have in our minds. It is what he asks for us to emulate.

Life application: How willing are you to be obedient to the word of God? Christ went to an extreme that we cannot even comprehend. Let us endeavor to follow Him, even to the point of the highest shame before our fellow man.

Lord God, Jesus Christ was brought to the point of highest shame according to the Law of Moses in His being hung on a tree for our sins. The cross-death which He endured was for the sake of His people. How can we refuse obedience to Your word when such an example has been set before us? Are we better than the One who fashioned us? Help us to be obedient, just as we have been shown by His amazing example. Grant us to have this mind of Christ that nothing will hinder our walk with You. Amen.

Tuesday, 3 January 2017

…but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:7

Paul continues with his astonishing description of what Christ did in the Incarnation, beginning with “but.” He is making a contrast to the words of the previous verse –

“…who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God…”

In contrast to that, He “made Himself of no reputation.” Scholars generally agree that this translation is lacking. The word is kenóō , and it means “properly, to empty out, render void; (passive) be emptied – hence, without recognition, perceived as valueless” (HELPES Word Studies).

Christ emptied Himself of His divine glory by taking on a different outward appearance. Being God, He never stopped being God, but the divine nature was obscured in order for us to be able to perceive Him as only a Man. When the sun is obscured by the clouds, it does not stop being the sun. If a laser beam is hidden within a chamber, the laser beam doesn’t cease to exist. In like manner, the presentation of Christ’s glory was cloaked away, or emptied from view, so that we could only see a different form. As Vincent’s Word Studies states it, “He was not unable to assert equality with God. He was able not to assert it.”

In this state, He took on a different form by “taking on the form of a bondservant.” These words are set in contrast to “being in the form of God” of the previous verse. Christ, who bore all of the divine glory of God for all of eternity, stripped Himself of this glory in order to take “the form of a bondservant.”

The idea here is that He became the lowliest of all humanity, performing the functions of one who is below all others in the social strata. This is not, as some scholars state, that He became a servant of God. A servant of God can be any position in any realm. The high priest of Israel could be called a servant of God. The Archangel Michael is a servant of God. And so on. However, Christ took on the form of a bondservant of men. He humbled himself to the point that He was dependent on “certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, ³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance” (Luke 8:2, 3)

In other words, He made Himself dependent on even the females of Israel to support Him. He, who knew the infinite glory of God, revealed that glory to us in the most humble and lowly manner of all, and He pursued this state throughout His earthly ministry. He didn’t start at the bottom and work His way to the top. If He had done this, His example would have been that we should do what it takes to succeed in business. He didn’t start as a private and work up to being a general, showing us that we should take on military challenges. Rather, He came as a Servant, He lived out this life as a Servant, and He continued this way to the end, dying on a cross for us; serving us with the very blood of His earthly existence.

Paul finishes this verse with, “…and coming in the likeness of men.” Care needs to be used when considering these words. In Romans 8:3, it says that Christ was sent “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” There was a likeness to us, but it is clear that He was without sin, as is seen in Hebrews 4:15. Thus, to be “in the likeness of men” shows a similarity, but yet a contrast. Though He was in the likeness of men, He never stopped being fully God. Thus, the magnitude of the Incarnation is seen and understood. God, infinitely glorious and majestic, united with human flesh, obscuring His glory. He came in the likeness of men and took on the form of a servant in this state.

Again, Vincent’s Word Studies, carefully explains this state –

“Humanly He was like men, but regarded with reference to His whole self, He was not identical with man, because there was an element of His personality which did not dwell in them – equality with God. Hence the statement of His human manifestation is necessarily limited by this fact, and is confined to likeness and does not extend to identity. ‘To affirm likeness is at once to assert similarity and to deny sameness’ (Dickson).”

John personally beheld this marvel and he wrote about it for us to consider –

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— ² the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we declare to you.” 1 John 1:1-3

Life application: In considering today’s verse, we can then know what it means to be “Christ-like.” Regardless of our earthly station – whether we are born into nobility or into poverty, whether we are wealthy or we are poor, we are to be servants of others. We are to set aside ourselves and become like those around us in order to serve them. The “pope” from time to time has a foot-washing ceremony for migrants or other lowly groups of people. It is a time of photos and applause. But the “pope” doesn’t obscure his “popiness.” He comes out in full pomp in order to impress the masses. This is the polar opposite of what Christ did. He so obscured His glory, that it was completely unknown and unseen to those around Him. This is how we are to be to those around us. Let our servanthood be true servanthood, so that when others find out who we truly are, they are all the more grateful for our Christ-like attitude.

Lord God Almighty, when Christ Jesus came and walked among us, nobody knew His true identity. Even unto the last night before His cross, they still did not realize the true nature of the Man. Are we that willing to set aside whatever station we possess and to tend to our fellow man on his level? What good is it to wash another’s feet when we bear garments of majesty, showing that we are better than those whose feet we wash? Help us to look at those around us with the eyes of Christ, and the heart of true servants. To Your glory alone, O God. Amen.

Monday, 2 January 2017

…who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, Philippians 2:6

When considered, the words of this verse are as important to handle properly as any found in Scripture. And yet, unless a complete denial already exists of who Jesus really is, the main view of what is being said is still perfectly obvious, even despite lesser disputes concerning the verse’s wording. The word “who” is speaking of Christ Jesus of verse 5 –

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God…”

Thus, the next words are essential to understanding the true nature of Christ Jesus. He, “being in the form of God” is a phase which is critical to grasp. The word “form” is one found only in Mark 16:12 and here in verses 2:6 & 2:7. It is morphḗ, and it means “form (outward expression) that embodies essential (inner) substance so that the form is in complete harmony with the inner essence” (HELPS Word Studies).

Thus, without any other words before or after to assist us, we can see that Christ Jesus is, in fact, in the “form” of God. It doesn’t say that He is in the form of angels, or man, or any other created thing. His true nature is that of God. Further, the word “being” in the Greek carries the more emphatic position. There is a “stress on the reality of existence. Hence it calls attention to the essential being of Christ, corresponding to the idea embodied in the name Jehovah” (Charles Ellicott).

In other words, Paul is carefully constructing the Greek to demonstrate that I AM THAT I AM of Exodus 3:14, is the same “being” that is revealed in Jesus Christ. He is the incarnation of the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament; something made obvious in hundreds of other ways in Scripture.

Thus, “being in the form of God” means that His essence is that of Jehovah God; His eternal and essential being is being spoken of. He possessed this before His incarnation, and He then took upon the form of Man, Jesus, upon His incarnation. To understand this, we can go to the other use of morphḗ in Mark 16 –

“After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.” Mark 16:12

In Mark, He was in one form, and then He appeared in another form. For what Paul is saying, Christ Jesus was in the form of Jehovah God, and then He appeared as a Man. But this is not unheard of, even in Scripture itself. The Old Testament reveals quite a few times where the LORD Jehovah was seen in the morphḗ, or form, of a Man. It is seen when He appeared to Abraham, to Joshua, to Gideon, to the parents of Samson, and elsewhere. Therefore, this is neither a stretch, nor are Paul’s words without abundant textual support.

The “form” that He possessed was all of the glory of God, radiant, resplendent, and refulgent. This is the true essence, or “form,” of Christ Jesus. And yet, He “did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.” The word translated as “robbery” is harpagmos. It is only found here in the Bible, and it indicates either the act of seizing a thing, or the thing seized. In the case of Paul’s words, it is certainly speaking of the thing seized. Vincent’s Word Studies explains the meaning of what Paul is conveying to us –

“…we understand Paul to say that Christ, being, before His incarnation, in the form of God, did not regard His divine equality as a prize which was to be grasped at and retained at all hazards, but, on the contrary, laid aside the form of God, and took upon Himself the nature of man. The emphasis in the passage is upon Christ’s humiliation. The fact of His equality with God is stated as a background, in order to throw the circumstances of His incarnation into stronger relief. Hence the peculiar form of Paul’s statement Christ’s great object was to identify Himself with humanity; not to appear to men as divine but as human. Had He come into the world emphasizing His equality with God, the world would have been amazed, but not saved He did not grasp at this. The rather He counted humanity His prize, and so laid aside the conditions of His preexistent state, and became man.”

This verse does not argue against His Deity; rather, it argues for it in the very strongest sense of all. It is an explanation of the marvel of the Incarnation. Christ Jesus set aside His Deity, precious as it is, in order to reveal God to us in a manner which we could understand and relate to. It is the highest expression of God’s love for mankind that could possibly be conceived of.

Life application: Jesus Christ is fully God. Jesus Christ is fully Man. Think on the magnitude of that today.

Lord God, You possessed all of the riches of the glory of heaven. You are eternal, unchanging, without pain or anguish or any limitation. You are all-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful. And yet, in the Incarnation, these were all set aside in the Person of Christ Jesus. Just as Jehovah walked up to Abraham in the Old Testament, Christ Jesus walked up to the people of Israel in the New. You have revealed Yourself to us in a form that we can relate to, and so we can see the full extent of Your love for the people of the world. How great must be that love that you would do this for us! All praise to the Name above all names. All praise to Christ Jesus. Amen.

Sunday, 1 January 2017

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Philippians 2:5

Paul just said to his audience (and thus to us!) “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” With that as a springboard for one of the most profound statements to be penned in the entire Bible, he now says, “Let this mind be in you…” In other words, what he will say follows naturally after the previous verse which dealt with “the interest of others,” and so it will explain what that means in a particular way.

The word translated as “let mind be” is phronéō. It literally means, “the midriff or diaphragm; the parts around the heart.” From that it indicates to “regulate (moderate) from within, as inner-perspective (insight) shows itself in corresponding, outward behavior… [it] “essentially equates to personal opinion fleshing itself out in action…” (HELPS Word Studies).

Paul is asking us to think on what he will say, and then to have that thought turn into actual behavior which is in line with that thought. Understanding this, he then explains what “mind” we are to have in us. It is one “which was also in Christ Jesus.” The mind of Christ Jesus, and which then was reflected in His outward behavior, is what we are to have in us. If we can contemplate and then act on what we will be told, we will be truly faithful and obedient followers of Jesus Christ.

The words ahead, and which include this introduction, are known as the kenotic hymn. They are marvelous words which reveal the very glory of what God has done through the Person and work of Jesus Christ. It is this which Paul now implores us to consider and emulate.

Life application: We cannot emulate that which we don’t know about. But God has revealed to us His will in Scripture. Let us never tire of coming to this fount of wisdom, and let us apply its truths to our lives.

Lord God, it is hard to imagine the depth of the love which prompted You to come and reside among us, instructing us, allowing us to see Your glory, and allowing us to exercise our will against You in the most horrifying way. And yet, instead of wrath, You poured out mercy. For all who will simply come and receive the Gift. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.