By: Lori Wilhite, Pastor
Paul paints an incredible picture of the mind of Christ when we open the book of Philippians. But Paul doesn’t just want us to admire this from afar; he wants us to enter in and emulate the mindset of Christ.
In your relationships with one another, 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. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8, NIV)!
The Bible says that Jesus made Himself nothing. A more common way to translate that would be that “He emptied Himself.” Jesus didn’t empty Himself of His deity, His divine attributes, or His equality with God. He was still fully God. But He did empty Himself into the form of a servant, taking on the form of a servant. The original language Paul uses here isn’t saying Jesus is making an exchange of His divinity for His humanity, but adding humanity to His already existing divinity.
And He did that humbly.
- He humbled Himself when He gave up the privileges of Heaven to walk on earth.
- He humbled Himself when He set aside the riches of Heaven to be born into poverty.
- He humbled Himself when He didn’t appear as a victorious warrior but as a vulnerable baby.
- He humbled Himself when He didn’t rub elbows with the wealthy and powerful but chose to be friends with people the religious leaders called “notorious sinners.”
- He humbled Himself when He felt hunger, thirst, weakness, and weariness.
- He humbled Himself when He lived in obedience to God the Father and under submission to the Holy Spirit.
- He humbled Himself in the face of shame, mocking, and public humiliation.
- He humbled Himself when He endured an excruciatingly painful death on a cross.
So the question becomes: Are we willing to humble ourselves before God and humble ourselves with others? Humility is the mindset of Christ, and it leads to unity in our relationships with one another. So let’s have the same mindset as Jesus.