Often young people, and older folks as well, have someone they really look up to, and admire. They try to emulate them, trying to be like them if they can. This might be a sports hero, a TV or movie star, or some other well-known personality. For Christians, Paul tells us there is One that we should try to be like, and that is the Lord Jesus. There are many virtues of His that we could model for ourselves in our life. In our Scripture passage for today Paul brings out two that he said we should strive for - humility and obedience. Let’s look into our verses today from Philippians.
As Paul begins, he tells the Philippian believers that there should be unity and love between themselves (vs. 1-4). Paul urges them, and us today, to have the same values and goals as believers. There should be no one thinking they are better than anyone else, and instead, each one looking out for the needs and care of the others. Rather than being ambitious and conceited, be humble and look out for the other person. As believers we should care for the problems of others as if they were our own problems. Focus on others more than ourselves, as being self-absorbed leads to selfishness.
As Paul continues on in this passage, he gives us the perfect example that we should be following in our life, that of Jesus Christ (vs. 5-11). Jesus is the ultimate example of selfless humility. He set aside His rights and position in order to be obedient to the Father, become man and a servant. At the Incarnation, the pre-existent Son of God assumed a human body and human nature without ceasing to be God. When Jesus became a human being, He did not give up His deity. He has eternally been God. Jesus always existed with God, and is equal with God, because He is God (John 1:1; Colossians 1:15-19). Though Jesus had all of the rights, privileges, and honors of deity, His attitude was not to cling to those things, or His position, but to be willing to give them up for a season (vs. 6-7).
Jesus became man in order to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for mankind. He chose to lower Himself to come to earth to save our souls. Jesus died a horrible death for our sins (vs. 8). He submitted to dying, not just a normal death, but by being crucified like a criminal, which is one of the most torturous deaths ever devised.
Because of His obedience, God glorified Jesus. Jesus was raised from the dead and returned to His original position, seated at the Father’s right hand (vs. 9-11). He is at this position today, interceding for us as our Great High Priest. The entire universe is called to worship Jesus Christ as Lord. All of the angels, the souls of the redeemed, believers on earth, the unsaved and rebellious souls in hell, all will one day acknowledge, willingly or unwillingly, that Jesus Christ is Lord. At the Last Judgment, even those condemned will recognize Jesus’ authority. Mankind can choose to willingly acknowledge Him now, or be forced to later. Everyone, willingly or unwillingly, will one day bow to the supreme authority, power, and dominion of the Name of Jesus.
Because of all that Jesus has done for us, we have a serious responsibility to actively seek and submit to God (vs. 12-13). When Paul speaks of “working out your own salvation” in verse 12, he is not speaking of a salvation by works. He is telling us believers to actively pursue the process of sanctification, of becoming more and more like Jesus. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us, and He’ll get us where He needs us to be in His timing. In the meanwhile, we are to give careful attention to our actions and behavior, making sure that we represent the One who saved us, with honor and humility.
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