Friday, September 4, 2009
Thinking Like Jesus
(Philippians 2:5-8)
Jesus Christ stands unequalled as the premier example of genuine humility. And His example is to be our template—His “mind” is to find reproduction in His followers (5). Several elements of the “mind” of Christ demand our attention:
First, He was somebody. Paul states that Jesus “thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (6). That’s an astounding statement! For such thinking to be legitimate, Jesus Christ had to be God. Think about it: Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, Creator of the universe, Sovereign of eternity. He was somebody! If anyone had the right to have His way, Jesus did! He had legitimate rights and, to an infinitely lesser extent, so do we.
Secondly, however, He voluntarily chose to deny Himself His rights and reputation (7). He came as servant, not a Sovereign. He fully identified with humanity by becoming a man. He cloaked His God-ness in the “likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3), thus minimizing His “reputation” as God. And all this He did as a matter of obedience (8)!
The ultimate result of Christ’s humility was self-sacrifice, death on the cross. Why such an agonizing process? Jesus willingly suffered in order to be a sacrifice for our sins and an example of humility, service, and sacrifice—a picture of pristine love. Calvary, then, is the best picture of love—the best depiction of the heartbeat of God Himself. Calvary is the very best illustration of John’s words, “God is love” (I John 4:8).
