Being Like Christ — Philippians 2.5-11

Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus. As He said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Christ did not please himself, but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” To this you have been called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps.

As He already existed in the form of God, He did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. As He said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” You heard him say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father because the Father is greater than I.” For this reason, the Jews were seeking even more to kill Him because He was not only breaking the Sabbath but was also calling God His own Father, thereby making Himself equal to God. The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human, are making yourself God.” In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing clearly the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Jesus emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and to deal with sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. As it is written about the Son of Man, He is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt. He had to become like His brothers and sisters in every respect so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. He was crucified in weakness but lives by the power of God.

Being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. No one took His life from Him, but He laid it down of His own accord. He had authority to lay it down, and He had authority to take it up again. He received this charge from the Father. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. Just as through the one man’s disobedience, the many were made sinners, so through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Therefore, look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name. The Lord God said, “See, my servant shall be exalted and lifted up and shall be very high because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” For this reason, the Father loves the Son, because He laid down His life to take it up again. To Him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and His kingship is one that shall never be destroyed. God put this power to work in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has become much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs. We do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. Jesus told the disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” Through Him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. In John’s revelation, the apostle heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made Him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. To this end Christ died and lives again, so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.