Incarnation of Christ

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11

Our guest teacher for worship yesterday had some really interesting insights into this passage on the incarnation of Christ. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem: the Creator took on the flesh of His creation; the Eternal One bound Himself to time; the Omnipresent One wrapped Himself in a finite being; The Author of Life surrendered Himself to death; the Lord and Judge of the Universe submitted Himself to the scandalous torture and judgments of men; the sinless One took our sin upon Himself. For all this, God highly exalted Christ. But what was the mindset behind the incarnation? Why would Jesus give up the glories of heaven, and His power and authority as God to humble Himself in this manner? Jesus willingly became a servant and gave Himself as a ransom for many. So the Apostle Paul reminded the Philippian believers (as well as all believers) to have that same mindset. To follow Jesus' example, we are to love one another, humble ourselves, be obedient to the Lord's will, persevere in the life He has given us, and endure suffering as a disciple of Christ. Oftentimes, our suffering is a result of dying to ourselves and the things of this world. We should set our sight intensely on the glory beyond the suffering. Having a Christ-like mind is revolutionary to our views and goals of life, but we are not left to make this change on our own. God has given believers a divine resource in the person of the Holy Spirit. So as we celebrate Christmas, we must also focus on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross; Jesus was born to die for the sins of many.