HUMILITY PERSONIFIED?
Philippians 2:5-11
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Humility is to be a chief mark of Christians because it is the mark of Jesus Christ. There is no greater expression of selflessness than Jesus because there was no greater sacrifice than His. Paul is challenging us to express humility by showing us characteristics of humility in the Person of Christ. Several things should be noted:
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Humility is a disposition. This means that humility, before it is ever an act, it is an affection and inclination of the mind (will and the heart). Many think that being humble is simply how respond to events and situations that promote pride but the truth is deeper than that. None can ever respond in a way that they are not, first, possessed by. Thus humility is not chiefly my response, but an expression – a consequence – of who I am. Jesus was not humble because of His actions, rather, we are told that He – in His Person, was “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
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We can only possess this disposition of humility when we sit, regularly, under the steady, powerful and clear exposition of the word of the gospel of Christ being continually reminded that the source of spiritual life and vitality of the mind (the affections and will) is ours only “in Christ Jesus” (v5).
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Humility is a choice. Notice how Paul commands us to “have this mind” (disposition) of humility which is in Christ (v5) and then precedes to illustrate how Jesus demonstrated humility. Jesus was not simply gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29), but He chose humility when He had every right to choose otherwise. Humility is a choice.
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Though, from all eternity, He was of the same essence (form) of God He made the choice to become man. Paul identifies Jesus becoming man as Him emptying Himself (v7). This does not mean, as some wrongly assert, that Jesus emptied Himself of His deity (His Godness). If this were the case His sacrifice would have been meaningless. If Jesus emptied Himself of His deity He would have been a mere mortal – a mere man – when He died on the cross; but the death of a man for men could never be an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.
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While it is true that a man had to die for men since it was man who sinned (Genesis 3:1-7) more than this needed to happen. God had to also be satisfied by the death of a man since all sin is against God. The eternal truth is this: only God could ever satisfy God! This is why Jesus, suspended on the cross, had to be both, fully God and fully man in order for His death to fulfill God’s demands of righteousness (this he accomplished because He ws fully God) and satisfy the payment for man’s sin (this He accomplished because He was fully man).
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Here, however, is what Jesus’s emptying Himself actually means: While He could have remained fully in the form of God He chose to take on the form of a servant and the likeness of men (v7). Amazing! He chose to walk this earth as a man, though He was God, in order to identify with us, experiencing our pain and suffering so that His life He would bear the burdens of our sins.
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Have you made this choice lately? Have you chosen to humble yourself and not think about what is best for you but willingly identify with the pains of another for their help and holiness? Jesus could have remained fully God, exclusively, but He chose humility and took on the the form of man. We can remain fully to ourselves but we must remember that we will only imitate Christ when we choose humility.
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That humility is a choice is also noted in the fact that Jesus, while enduring the pains of bearing our sin, could have exercised the full expression of His deity and canceled out the schemes of men to crucify Him but He chose otherwise. He chose to humble Himself and taste the death of the cross, for us (v8)! Are you willing to choose humility when that choice means crucifixion? Dying to self so that others might experience help, blessing or life?
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A final thought regarding humility is this: Humility always precedes exaltation. In other words, the example of our Lord shows us that humiliation comes before exaltation. This is the design of God for Jesus and for us! That is why Paul begins verse 9 with the word “Therefore,” showing the what he is about to say (v9-11) is the result of what he previously said (vv5-8).
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It was only after Jesus chose to be humble, chose to become man and chose to receive the cross for us, that God exalted Christ. His choosing to be humble is the reason why all men will one day be made to humble themselves before Him and confess Him as Lord to the glory of God. Though some, today, are choosing to do otherwise, one day they will be humbled and bow!
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That is humility: The Person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we struggle with humility it is only because we struggle with his Lordship in our hearts and over our lives and are still choosing live as if our life is ours alone to control. If we struggle with humility it is because we have revised God’s design for our good, thinking that we can have the crown (exaltation) without the cross (humiliation). Christ’s example proves otherwise.
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#humiliationb4exaltation
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Choose that pattern today! ​
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Pastor Sherard