Philippians 2:5-11
Key Verse: “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.” (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)
Do you have a favorite worship song or hymn? What about a Christmas carol? Many scholars believe that this section of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi was actually a well-known hymn that was sung by the early Christian church. Paul uses these words of this hymn to help us all understand the perfect example of Jesus Christ and His love that He demonstrated to us.
What do we learn about Jesus in the words of this hymn? First, we learn that Jesus is God Himself. Paul writes that Jesus was “in the form of God” and speaks of His “equality with God” (v.6). Think about that for a moment. The very nature of Jesus is God. The Sovereign One. The Holy One. The One who created all things out of nothing. The One who sustains our lives by His very word, and who rules over all. This is who Jesus is. He is God.
But here is where it gets even more amazing. Jesus, who has existed forever as God, took on human flesh. He “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” (v.6-7). That’s pretty incredible if you stop and think about it. The One who spoke everything into existence simply by His word chose to then enter into His creation. He took on human flesh. He became a helpless baby lying in the arms of His mother Mary. The shepherds who came and saw Him, the wise men from the east who came to offer Him gifts were bowing down before God Himself in human form.
Why did God do this? Why did Jesus choose to come as a baby born in Bethlehem? Paul tells us that Jesus, “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross” (v.8). The reason why Jesus came and took on human flesh was so that after leading a perfect and sinless life He would be crucified for us on the cross. He humbled himself so that He ultimately would suffer and die for us in our place.
“For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It was all about God’s selfless love toward us. He looked down upon our helpless estate and knew that the only way for us to be saved was for Jesus to come, to take on human form, and ultimately die for us on the Cross.
This is the incredible love of God toward us in Christ Jesus. This is why we celebrate Christmas. It is because Jesus loved us enough to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He came to save us!
Prayer: Jesus, I thank you for the incredible love you have shown toward me. You came as a helpless baby so that one day you would die for me on the cross. As I celebrate your birth, help me to remember what it was ultimately all about. Thank you for saving me! Amen.
