Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.- Phillipians 2:5-11
This blew my mind all over again today. Unlike most of us today Jesus didn’t cling to a sense of entitlement but as in the words of Charles Wesleys hymn became “The incarnate Deity, Our God contracted to a span, Incomprehensibly made Man.” The infinite became finite taking on flesh and blood, in theological term ‘The Incarnation’ which literally means taking on flesh. Many other religions believe God is far removed from man with little understanding of what its like to be living in a fallen, messed up world. I’m glad to believe in a God who sympathises and understands our every struggle and not one who is separated, impersonal and aloof.
Jesus fully understands what its like to go through the highs, the lows and mundane aspects of human existence. He was willing to give up more than we can possibly imagine to become the doorway for our rescue. Only as both God and man could he pay the full price for our rebellion. The debt of our rebellion against a perfectly just and perfectly good and holy God is infinite, only payable by an infinite being, God himself. It is impossible for finite you and I no matter how many good deeds to work our way up to God, He comes down to us. As well as being fully God, Jesus also is (and has to be) fully man to be our substitution for the perfect lives we cannot lead and save us from the eternal death we justly deserve. As a friend of mine said on first hearing this “..Sounds like the best deal ever.” It really, really is.
By allowing Jesus in the driving seat of our lives, we will begin to emulate his humility in increasing measure, putting others before ourselves and nullifying the negative effects of pride. As we look around this Christmas it should be obvious how Christ’s humility quite literally will make the world of difference.
Filed under: Christianity, Mission, Theology | Tagged: Charles Wesley, Christ, christmas, God Contracted to a Span, God-Man, humility, Incarnate Deity, Incarnation, Jesus, Penal Substitution, Phillipians 2:5, Phillipians 2:5-11 | Leave a Comment »
