Wednesday 14 September 2022
- Bible Book:
- Philippians
He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name. (vs 8-9)
Background
The account of Christ’s actions and subsequent exultation, and the way belief and action are linked, form the core of the early chapters of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. The demands to live in a certain way are a necessary obligation laid upon all Christians. We can claim to be ‘in Christ’ because of what Christ has done and not because of any action of our own. So, according to Paul, our faith and subsequent behaviour is the result of what Christ has done for us, not the cause of it. The American Christian band, Casting Crowns, have a lyric that runs:
“Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are.”( ‘Who Am I’ by Casting Crowns, 2003)
In Paul’s statement we find God revealed through what Christ has done. Having been told that Christ is ‘in the form of God’ we find our attention focused upon what Christ did. Christ reveals himself in gracious actions, in refusal to exploit his rights, in his self-emptying, in his humiliation and obedience – even to the point of death.
This is a passage of scripture that upsets our assumptions about what God is like. It has a radical effect on our understanding of what God expects from us. Those who confess Jesus as Lord should not be looking for status or power. They should not be acting from selfish ambition or conceit. Rather, they should be considering others before themselves, having the same mind that was in Christ.
As so often in Paul’s letters, his instructions about how to live ‘in Christ’ are general and imprecise. We are told to live in a manner ‘worthy of the Gospel’. Sometimes we might wish for more direct instruction. The vision that Paul presents before us though is more valuable than a set of rules. Christians in the modern world are faced with innumerable ethical dilemmas. We cannot expect to find ready made answers to modern-day dilemmas in the Bible. We can, however, be grateful that Paul takes us back to first principles – this is what God is like; this is what God has done for you; this is what God expects of you. From those first principles, we are then challenged to work out what it means for ourselves. We ask ourselves, what is the Christ-like thing for the Christian community, for ourselves as individual Christians, to be doing. How do we respond in obedience to what God has done?
To Ponder:
- Listen to the Casting Crowns song here and consider the lyrics. Which phrases or words stand out?
- How easy do you find it to work out what modern-day Christians should be doing by reading the Bible?
- What extra help would be useful in making the connection between the scriptures and the dilemmas that you face every day?