Jesus Christ is God. Make no mistake about it. Christians who serve Jesus Christ are worshiping the Almighty. He was God before He came to earth to die for our sins; He is God now, and God the Father has lifted Him up above all that is in the earth, in heaven or in hell. Paul talks about Jesus Christ in Philippians 2, verses 6 through 8, and gives us some of the amazing characteristics of the Lord which we serve.
First, let’s look at verse 6.
Philippians 2:6 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”
This verse describes the form of Jesus Christ before he came to earth as a man. This verse describes two of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity: God the Father and Jesus Christ. The fact that Jesus was “in the form of God” tells me that when you saw Him you knew He was God. There was no question as to the Godship of Jesus Christ before He became a man. The second half of the verse mentions God the Father. Jesus Christ, being in the form of God, was not taking something that wasn’t due Him when He was “equal with God” (God the Father). Two two Persons, God the Father and Jesus Christ were both God.
Remember when we serve Jesus Christ exactly Who we are serving. We are serving God. When we pray to Jesus Christ, we are praying to God. We worship the Person Who has the power to heal all sickness and to answer our prayers.
In spite of all this, Jesus Christ voluntarily humbled Himself for us.
Philippians 2:7 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”
This verse speaks of when Jesus Christ came to earth for mankind. At first I misunderstood what this verse means when it says that He “made Himself of no reputation.” I thought it meant that He didn’t seek notoriety and self-gain. That is not what this phrase means. The phrase “of no reputation” is the English phrase where Paul used the Greek word kenoo; this Greek word means to make something empty, or to make something of no effect. This phrase tells us that Christ put aside His equality with God to become a man. He chose to no longer sit on a throne like God would; but as the verse continues it says He “took upon Him the form of a servant.”
In Heaven, Jesus Christ was in the form of God. On earth, He was in the form of a servant. God deserves to be served because He is God. We shouldn’t have to be told to serve God; we should serve God because of Who He Is. Even though Jesus Christ duly was equal with God the Father, He became a servant for us.
Who are we to act boastful and proud after what Jesus did for us? Being a Christian, and being like Christ, means humbling ourselves to each other and to God. It means serving one another as Christ served us, and serving Him.
Verse 8 further describes this incredible transformation which Jesus Christ did for us.
Philippians 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Perhaps it is unusual but the phrase “being found” struck me as unusual. It describes very well the transition of Jesus Christ from Heaven to earth. Jesus was God in heaven; then Jesus Christ was still God but in a different fashion (or form). Jesus Christ was God here on earth as much as He was in heaven. He didn’t humble Himself because He was a man. He humbled Himself because He was God in the form of a man. He knew He was God, and it was what God the Father had asked of Him.
I also found the phrase “became obedient” interesting. Who had the authority to command that Jesus Christ sacrifice Himself? No one except God the Father. When God the Father asked this of His Son, verse 8 says that Jesus was obedient. He did as the Father asked Him. When you study the Bible, you’ll find many things that God asks of you. If you are lost, God asks you to accept His Son’s sacrifice to have forgiveness of your sins. If you are a Christian, God asks that you give Him the glory and that you work for Him, not the devil. God says that His way is an easy path. In the same manner which Jesus obeyed God the Father, we ought to obey our Heavenly Father as well.
To learn more about Philippians 2, follow this link.
