Born to Die
I was struck this morning by a thought as I listened eagerly on to a radio broadcast, and I jotted down few notes which I want to share. Philippians chapter 2, verses 6 and 7 take us back in time long before Christ was born in Bethlehem, to a slot of time in eternity past when our Lord was still with God (Remember John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God). Our passage in Philippians takes us to the times when God was devising our salvation. It goes like this: 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 to 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.
The thought that struck me as Chuck Swindel spoke this morning was the following. Our Lord willingly emptied himself of his independent use of his nature as God and took upon himself the form of the human nature. He became man. That is why during his ministry on earth he was always a servant of the Father, always dependent on him, always praying to him, and doing nothing of his own will, but always communicating with the Father and asking him for his will. Isn't this amazing.
Just a few verses before that we are asked to emulate our Lord in humility in Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ. Then the passage talks about the Lord emptying himself for our sake. See. We were all born to live, but Jesus was born to die. And to him alone belongs the title of LORD.
The thought culminates with these two beautiful verses 10 and 11: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Peace of the Lord be with you all.
