agri.church

Philippians 2:6-11 is believed by many scholars to be one of the confessions of the early church (verses 5-7 are below). It was likely sung as a hymn.

(5)Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: (6)Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, (7)but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

I would often read this passage and think, “Jesus - although he was God - or in spite of the fact that he was God - made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” This made perfect sense from a human standpoint. Jesus is God. GOD! It wasn’t “normal” for him to be a servant.

But there is another way to read this passage: “Jesus - precisely because he was in very nature God…made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” As John Ortberg writes, “Jesus did not take on the “outward form” of a servant…he was not disguising who God is. He was revealing who God is.”

If this is true, then God’s desire for us as we model Jesus is not that we would play “dress up” - occassionaly playing the part of a servant - but we would become servants through and through. It would be our very nature.

It is helpful to keep this goal in front of us as we move into other disciplines in the coming weeks. God is not wanting to do a small remodel in us - patch a leaky roof or replace the carpet. God is looking to do an extreme rennovation. Some things are to be torn down. New wings are to be added on. Everything is to be made new.