"As Christians": Meditation for October 26-November 1

Philippians 2:1–11 (GW)

This is the Word of God. May the Spirit of Truth give us wisdom and insight to receive what has been conveyed through His Word by His Inspiration.
Who or what can separate us from the Love of God?!

2:1–2
¹So then, as Christians, do you have any encouragement? Do you have any comfort from love? Do you have any spiritual relationships? Do you have any sympathy and compassion?
²Then fill me with joy by having the same attitude and the same love, living in harmony, and keeping one purpose in mind.

Paul opens the second chapter of his letter to the Philippians by asking a series of conditional questions relating to the believers' lives, and by outlining the fruit of the Spirit that should be borne by the followers of Jesus Christ. He prefaces his questions with a suppositional phrase, "As Christians", intending to ask, if you are Christians, then is the following true of you?

He asks:

• “Do you have any encouragement?
• Do you have any comfort from love?
• Do you have any spiritual relationships?
• Do you have any sympathy and compassion?”

• Are you encouraged because you are the followers of Jesus Christ?
• Is the love of Christ generating real and meaningful comfort in your life?
• Is your faith in Christ building spiritually well-founded and credible relationships nurtured by a genuine and solid fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
• Is the sympathy and compassion of Jesus Christ making your heart more sympathetic and compassionate?

With care but firmness, Paul reminded the Philippians that if the above Christian traits are evident in their individual lives, then the Power of the Gospel, and, the work and fruit of the Holy Spirit should be apparent in the life of the Church of Jesus Christ. Appealing to their transformed conscience, Paul pleaded with them to fill his heart with joy, prove him right, and affirm his ministry by the evidence of a practical transformation in their redeemed lives. He asked them to fulfill his joy by coming together with the singleness of mind and purpose, making their redeemed individuality the building block of their unity as the Body of Christ.

2:3–4
³Don’t act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves.
⁴Don’t be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.

The change cultivated in the sinner’s heart by God’s redemption certainly includes the manner in which a redeemed life should be lived in the world without being of the world. So Paul urges us to live in humility, selflessness, and service to others, a contrary demeanor to the ways of the world. Paul unequivocally exhorts us to rid ourselves of selfishness and condescension, a "holier than thou" attitude of patronizing superiority! Having been redeemed by the same Lord, chosen by the same Father, and sealed by the same Spirit, we are strictly admonished to accept each other as the saints of God in Jesus Christ.

Having tasted the love of God, we should consider the needs and interests of others as the reason, goal, and objective of our service. Instead of poisoning our relationships with condescension, we are exhorted to think of others as better than ourselves and treat them with respect and compassion. The essence of Paul’s instruction is that, as Christians, our own faith must be nurtured and should, therefore, reflect a practical transformation in the life of the Church of Jesus Christ, portraying our love and obedience to Him through unity, singleness of mind and purpose, and observable Christian conduct and service.

2:5-8
⁵Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
⁶Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality.
⁷Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance.
⁸He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross.

Paul was well aware that his instructions cannot be observed by mere human effort. Neither his exhortation nor his encouragement can be carried out by the mortal will of human endeavor. He promptly pointed to Jesus Christ Who is the only perfect and unblemished example for all believers.

Jesus is the model for the Christian's life. Having placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we can learn His ways by studying His life as recorded in the Scriptures. Even though all power and authority belongs to Him, Jesus Christ was unreservedly and uncompromisingly obedient to His Father.

He came to serve and not to be served. He was compassionate and encouraging in His ministry. He was neither conceited nor self-seeking. Such an attitude of life and service was what Paul wanted the Philippians and all believers to understand and have.

Even though Jesus Christ is God the Son, He did not use His deity to avoid His mission as the Lamb of God. He did not take advantage of His sameness with God to question His appointment to be clothed in flesh and live among sinful men. He did not turn away from serving His Father in unreserved love and absolute obedience as a human being, without compromising His deity as God.

• Jesus Christ, left the splendor of heaven and came to earth to serve His Father’s will!
• Jesus Christ, set aside His rightful position as God and clothed Himself with flesh, dwelling among men, fulfilling righteousness, and satisfying the requirements of the Law!
• Jesus Christ the Master became servant!
• Jesus Christ, the eternal, transcendent God, took on the form and appearance of mortal man!
• Jesus Christ, the Creator, was born of a human mother whom He created!
• Jesus Christ, Who is the Master submitted Himself to a position of servitude in order to fulfill the will of His Father!

Jesus’ humbleness was not simply an aspect of His demeanor. Rather, His humbleness was the expression of His willingness to leave heaven and come to earth for the sake of His Father's Will toward lost sinners. His obedience was not reflected by the tasks He performed, His miracles, or His teachings. Rather, Jesus’ obedience was absolute and unrestrained. It is measured by the extent to which He was obedient to His Father, even to His death on the Cross.

Jesus’ death at Golgotha was not the ordinary end of a human life. Rather, it was the sacrifice for sin by the One Who did not sin. It was an undeserved death, but one which was accepted willingly and obediently. In His obedience to His Father’s will, Jesus submitted Himself to the full force of God’s wrath, accepting the punishment that sinful man deserved. It was the most extreme form of humbleness and obedience in which the guiltless was treated as guilty in order that the guilty might be made free from guilt.

2:9–11
⁹This is why God has given him an exceptional honor—the name honored above all other names
¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will kneel
¹¹and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

God the Father openly declared that Jesus Christ is His Son in Whom He is pleased. John the Baptizer as well as Peter, John, and James were privileged to witness this divine declaration. The Father is pleased with the Son because He is the only man Who lived on earth a perfectly righteous life without sin. The Father is pleased because Jesus Christ obeyed His Father’s will to the bitter end.

The Father exalted His Son above everything in heaven and on earth. Even though Jesus Christ is God, the Father gave the man Jesus Christ, (the Lord's anointed,) the Name that is above all names by which salvation is granted. Redeemed or condemned, everyone will recognize and confess the power and glory that is inherent in the Name Jesus Christ. Everyone will acknowledge His majesty and bow down before His authority, glory, and power. While the redeemed will rejoice in His presence and worship the Lord of lords, the condemned will bow down at this holy Name in awesome fear and trembling.