"OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH"

"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." Philippians 2: 5-8

I. "He Humbled Himself"

Writing by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, the Apostle Paul has given us in this passage, the great kenosis statement of Scripture, concerning the deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, and describing that sacrificial act by which "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." The Greek word which our King James Bible so perfectly translates with the phrase "he humbled himself" communicates the idea of relinquishment, or the abandonment of rights and privileges, as Christ left his glory in Heaven to endure the hardships of human existence and suffer the brutal, gut-wrenching agonies of the cross of Calvary. Certainly, "he humbled himself" would describe and define that act most perfectly. Some theologians, however, dissatisfied with the King James translation, have rendered the word with the concept of "self-emptying." This then has led to the teaching that Christ "emptied himself of all but love," laying aside his deity and becoming a mere man during his physical incarnation. This false doctrine has become known as "kenoticism." Of course Christ never forsook his deity. He was, as our King James Bible rightly states, "God manifest in the flesh." In spite of later efforts to corrupt and erase this doctrine, the biblical truth of the hypostatic union, the perfect harmony of Christ's two natures, has been preserved in the Greek Textus Receptus, our beloved King James Version and other translations from the Majority or Byzantine text.

II. Head and Heart

But while the content of this passage is of the highest doctrinal nature, we must not forget that the Holy Ghost inspired it with an imperative sense. The doctrinal description, so perfectly rendered, serves at the same time to issue a commandment. The imperative issued is that we are to have the same mind that Christ demonstrated.

In reference to this word "mind," we must recognize that "mind" is not synonymous with "brain" or "intellect." It is not such so much academic as it is behavioral. It indicates the tendencies of our thoughts, whether they be thoughts of the head, or thoughts of the heart. It emphasizes the thoughtlife that the believer is expected by God to maintain. The Holy Ghost then commands us to maintain a thought-life of an obedient nature, and that obedience is to be of the highest quality, an obedience that follows to the furthest extent. There must be no reservations in our thoughts about obeying the Lord. We are to be "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

III. Hesitant Husks

And here we fall so very short. We are satisfied with our lifestyles because we carry a King James Bible, have a certain haircut, maintain certain dress standards, or maintain certain outward regulations. Mind you, these elements are not to be neglected by any means. But this alone does not reflect the mind of Christ! The mind of Christ will naturally include these factors, but the mind of Christ goes beyond them! The mind of Christ is "obedient unto death." The mind of Christ obeys not just in these easy commandments, but in the hard ones as well, in the ones that bring us grief, pain, and suffering. The mind of Christ takes up its cross and follows the Saviour. The mind of Christ goes "unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach." And this is exactly what we will not do as American Christians, living the Western lifestyle of comfort and ease. We do not mind obeying in the simple things, but when God calls upon us to pursue the imitation of Christ in the adoption of a sacrificial lifestyle, in the abandonment of popularity and friends and carnal, sensual pleasures, we draw the line. It's too much for us to miss our favorite television program, that we may spend a good quality hour in the Word of God. It's too much for us to miss the sporting event that we may be shut up unto God for a lengthy season of "effectual, fervent prayer." It's too much for us to forsake worldly friends and carnal Christians who shake their fists in God's face and indulge in a life of rebellion against God. And in this we see the true measure of our obedience. We are obedient in some areas. But we are not "obedient unto death." The heartbeat of holiness keeps rhythm to the thought-life of Jesus Christ. It goes all the way way "with him," "through the garden" and "through the judgment," to the grinning leer of Golgotha, though the way be rough, and our steps painful. But until we our minds have reached this yielded state that the Holy Ghost describes in this passage, our Christianity will be a mere husk. We must "go with him, with him, all the way."