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“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name…"
Phil 2:5-9
As we approach Easter with all the reminders of the events of God's glorious gospel I have been struck again by how the death and resurrection of Jesus are not only the means of our salvation but also the supreme example of how we should live our lives in terms of our attitudes and actions.
Of course, Jesus’ death for our sins, and demonstration of God’s power in and through him as he rose from the tomb, are unique. He is the only Son of God who could have done this, and only by faith in the crucified and risen Christ can we be saved.
But many times in the New Testament, Jesus promises his followers that faithfulness to him and union with him will involve following his example. There will be a measure of sacrifice, and a Christ-like attitude must accompany it. So, Jesus said that his disciples must “deny themselves, take up their cross and follow” (Matt 16:24); that they should expect persecution “because of me” and rejoice in it (Matt 5:11); that they would “drink the cup I drink” (referring to future suffering, Mark 10:39).
A familiar passage showing the unique work of Christ and his example for us is Philippians 2:5-11. Many scholars believe this succinct and rich summary of Christ is perhaps a lyric from a hymn sung by the early church. It tells us of the humility of the Son of God in his incarnation, servanthood and humiliation on the cross; then, his exaltation to “the highest place…the name that is above every name”. This is a clear statement of the fully divine status of Jesus who was crucified.
And yet, Paul prefaces this hymn by saying to the Philippians,
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus”. The implication is, following on from the previous verses, that as believers in relationship with Christ, they have his mind as individuals, but it needs to be worked out and demonstrated in their relationships with one another. What is this “mind” of Jesus which we can share and develop into maturity? Clearly not necessarily dying on a cross; definitely not being exalted to the throne of God, receiving worship as Jesus does.
The key characteristic we are called to share, following Christ’s example, is humility, which is expressed here in four ways:
How do we do this? Only with the faith, the “assurance of things not seen” (Heb 11:1), that the Lord is working in us by his Spirit to fulfil his good purpose, and that just as he has raised us to new spiritual life with Christ now, so he will also reward us with an amazing exalted life with him in the future:
"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
Col 3:3-4
This is a useful reminder to me as I am so tempted to think that the path of sufferings now is somehow wrong and that I should be enjoying the rewards now. God’s timing is different to what we would prefer, but the fulfilment of his promise to us is guaranteed!
Bishop Andy Lines
Anglican Network in Europe
