Philippians 2:5-11 — Featured Deep Dive
Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedien
— Philippians 2:5-11
Adopting the Family Resemblance
Verse 5: "Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus..." Paul begins with a directive that bridges his previous plea for unity with the magnificent theology that follows. In the WEBU, the phrase is rendered, "Have this in your mind." The Greek verb here (phroneite) implies more than just a fleeting thought or an intellectual opinion. It speaks to a settled disposition, a frame of mind, or a fundamental way of viewing the world. Paul is asking the Philippians to adopt a specific "mindset." In the ancient Roman world—and certainly in Philippi, which was a Roman colony—status was…
The View from the Heights
Verse 6: "...who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped..." To understand how far Christ descended, we must first understand where he started. Paul affirms that Jesus existed in the "form of God." The word used here for form is morphe. In our modern English, "form" can sometimes mean the outer shape or appearance of something, like a mannequin having the "form" of a human without the reality. But in the language Paul used, morphe refers to the essential nature or the true reality of a thing. When Paul says Jesus was in the morphe of God, he is…
The Great Pouring Out
Verse 7: "...but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men." Here we arrive at the great mystery often called the Kenosis, named after the Greek verb kenoō, meaning "to empty." What did it mean for the Lord of glory to "empty himself"? Throughout church history, this has been carefully defined to avoid error. It does not mean that Jesus ceased to be God. He did not pour out his divinity as if he were emptying a pitcher of water, leaving it dry. If he had ceased to be God, he could not have been the perfect mediator between God and humanity. Rather, he…
Down to the Very Bottom
Verse 8: "And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross." The descent continues. It was humble enough for God to become a man. But Jesus did not become a king-man, or a wealthy philosopher-man. He went lower. Paul says he "humbled himself." Humility here is an action, not just a feeling. It was a deliberate choice of downward mobility. And the extent of this humility is measured by his obedience. Obedience to whom? To the Father. We see this in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays, "Not my will, but yours be…
The Pivot of History
Verse 9: "Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name..." Verse 9 begins with "Therefore." This is the great pivot point of the hymn. Because Jesus was willing to go down, God the Father has intervened to lift him up. This establishes a fundamental law of the kingdom of heaven: Humility leads to exaltation. Jesus did not exalt himself; he waited for the Father to do it. The resurrection and ascension are God's "Amen" to the life and sacrifice of Jesus. They are the public vindication that this man, whom the world rejected, is the one God accepts.…
The Universal bended Knee
Verse 10: "...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth..." Paul is quoting here from the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 45:23, God declares, "To me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." By applying this passage to Jesus, Paul is making one of the highest claims of Christ's divinity in the entire Bible. He is saying that the honor due to the One True God of Israel is now due to Jesus of Nazareth. The scope of this authority is total. Paul lists three realms: 1. Those in heaven: The angels, the archangels, and…
The Final Confession
Verse 11: "...and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." The climax of the hymn is the universal confession: "Jesus Christ is Lord." The word "Lord" (Kyrios) was the Greek translation for the Hebrew YHWH. It was the title of authority. To confess this is to align oneself with reality. It is the earliest and most basic Christian creed. But notice the goal of all this. It is "to the glory of God the Father." Sometimes people worry that focusing too much on Jesus might somehow detract from the Father. Paul puts that fear to rest. You cannot…
Bringing It Home: The Path to True Greatness
How do we take this soaring theology and apply it to our Tuesday mornings and Friday nights? We must return to verse 5. All of this history—the pre-existence, the incarnation, the crucifixion, the exaltation—is the pattern for our own minds. 1. Redefining Ambition: In our careers and communities, we are often driven by the desire to be "somebody." We want the title, the credit, and the corner office. The mind of Christ invites us to a different ambition: the ambition to serve. This doesn't mean we shouldn't excel at our jobs, but our motivation shifts. We seek influence so we can wash feet,…