Episode 331 - "Have the mind of Christ in you" - Philippians 2:4-11

Philippians 2:4–11

[4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] 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, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)

If I knew I was going to be stranded on a desert island with only a small selection of Scripture to read and meditate upon, this would be one of my top picks for what I’d want to have. Why? The first reason is that it is so encouraging to reflect upon Christ’s selfless act toward humanity. The second is that it offers a clear directive and application toward followers of Jesus. Let’s break this down.

Paul encouraged the Christians at Philippi to be unified in mind and spirit. This requires mutual humility and a consensus of priorities. Now, in verse 4, he tells them not to look only for their own needs but also for the needs of others. It makes me wonder if Paul was reflecting upon the time prior to his conversion when he was persecuting Christians. In Acts, Luke informed his reader that the early Christians were selling possessions and taking care of those in need. (Acts 2:44-47) Perhaps that made an impact on Paul, especially after the LORD appeared to him and he was cared for by the very people he had been persecuting. (Acts 9:10-25)

Paul instructed the Philippians to think like Christ. Jesus’ actions revealed his humility and love for humanity. Notice in verse 6 he writes, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philip. 2:6-7) There are two common errors that people make when interpreting this passage. Some people have used this to suggest that Jesus removed or left his deity in heaven when he took on flesh. This is NOT what the text is saying. What Paul is saying by writing that Christ “emptied himself” is that he emptied himself from his position in heaven with the Father. He did not abandon his deity when he took on human flesh. The apostle John tells us in John 1:14 that “the Word became flesh and dwelt (lit. tabernacled) among us.” If Jesus left his deity in heaven when he “became flesh,” then there was no glory of God in this tabernacle of human flesh. When Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding ceremony recorded in John 2, John writes this is when Jesus first “manifested his glory.” (John 2:11) Clearly, Jesus retained all of his deity when he entered into our world.

The second common error is made with the phrase “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” This does NOT suggest that at some point he was less than God. Again, Paul is speaking of his position with the Father in his eternal past. Jesus chose to leave that position and enter into his own creation for our good. He was and is always God and cannot forfeit that. It really speaks of his complete willingness to leave the glory of Heaven with the Father, where he deserved to be, to humble himself and enter into his own creation for our benefit.

Christ didn’t need to humble himself like that. We needed Christ to become flesh and later have that flesh crucified so that in his death, he took the sin of the world upon himself and then to conquer death to show that he can and will conquer our death and give us immortal bodies in the resurrection.

What amazing humility to leave his position in heaven and take on the flesh that he created! But he didn’t stop with that. He became a servant to his own creatures. Even though he was God, he took on human form. The most scandalous part of his selfless act of humbling himself, however, was that he “became obedient to death.” (v. 8). What? The One who created life took on human flesh and then submitted to death?

Notice that as Paul continues, his description of Jesus’ act of humbling himself intensifies. The giver of life became obedient to death, even death on a cross. The cross was a shameful and often slow agonizing method of causing the subject to suffocate to death.

What Paul is telling his readers is that they, and by extension we, need to have that same kind of mindset toward the needs of others. We need to act with love and compassion toward others without great concern for our own needs and desires.

Wow! That is a challenge.