THE SUPREMACY OF CHRIST (Part 6).
Philippians 2:5-11. Verses 5-8 read:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Supremacy does not come cheap; there is a price to pay for its attainment. For Jesus, supremacy came by a disciplined and sacrificial life. He had to align his life with divine standards for earthly living and the standards for the conquest of satanic forces. Going forward, we want to consider the attitude by which Jesus attained his supremacy. He had to uphold godly standards to make it.
In today’s text, Apostle Paul calls on believers to adopt the mindset by which Jesus operated during his earthly life and ministry. The Saviour had a victorious mentality. His actions reflected his mindset as listed below:
- He did not engage in a competitive spirit. Even though he was equally God as the Father, he did not consider that status anything to compete over. This is what made it possible for him to condescend to the level of men. Thus, he rid himself of the reputation associated with divinity to identify with humanity. Yes, the Creator took on the status of one of his creations.
- As a man, he took the position of a servant or slave. He had no will of his own, except the will of God the Father. He dedicated his life to serving the will of God on earth. This is why, at the most critical moment, he could say to the Father, “Not my will, but thy will be done.”
- In the discharge of his service, two virtues stood out, namely, humility and obedience. In his humility, he was absolutely subject to God as the governing authority of his life and God’s word as the governing law of his life. In his obedience, he willingly did the bidding of the Lord. Even the shameful death of the cross could not deter him from fulfilling God’s will.
So great was the price Christ paid. It called for absolute condescension to attain supremacy. The journey unto supremacy required a movement from divinity to humanity to slavery to humility and obedience to the shameful death on the cross, which was reserved for hardened criminals. By this condescension, the requirements of supremacy as far as earthly life was concerned were fulfilled. This was what paved the way for his superiority among men.
SHALOM 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏