DEC 11

Philippians 2:5-11
Memorise Philippians 2:8
"...made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant..."

Through the years, some theologians have used the passage Philippians 2:6-8 to teach the idea that the second person of the Godhead, at the time of the incarnation (when “the Word was made flesh –John 1:14) emptied Himself of deity. They mean to say that in His time on earth, Jesus was not fully divine. He gave up or lost some of the divine attributes. This is a heresy and an attack on the deity of Christ. The doctrine of the two natures of Christ maintains that Jesus was fully man (100% man) and fully God (100% God). His two natures were not combined or confused into some new nature. When Paul writes of Christ making Himself of no reputation (verse 7), these theologians argued that Christ emptied Himself of something. When Christ emptied Himself, He was pouring out His soul unto death for His people. He did this by taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men. Unlike Adam, the first man, who made an attempt to seize equality with God (Genesis 3:5), Jesus, the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), humbled Himself and obediently accepted the role of the bondservant. There was no change in His divine nature. While Jesus was on earth, He was equal with God the Father (John 10:28) and allowed others to call him “God” (John 20:30). He also accepted worship, even though He plainly taught that only God is worthy of worship (Matthew 8:2). Christ did not empty Himself of His deity. Rather, to His divinity we can say that He added humanity. For the first time, He was subject to such things as hunger, thirst, pain, disease and temptation (cf John 19:28). Christ was fully God and fully man for only then could He be the Saviour of the world – our salvation rests on this truth, a truth which we must vigorously defend.

Application: Dear teen, have you thought of how important it is that Christ is fully God and fully man? As fully divine, Christ is the spotless and sinless Saviour that can save sinners. Can any other name under heaven save us? Why not? As fully man, Christ is our representative to take our place and be our substitute on the cross and die in our place. Will God accept an angel dying for us? The great mystery of the Christian faith, that Jesus is both God and man is beyond our limited understanding. We stand amazed and in wonder and awe at this grand plan of redemption that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit devised from eternity past.

Thought: Christ was obedient unto death. Let me be obedient to God's truth.
Prayer: Gracious loving heavenly Father, let this truth burn in my heart to understand it, love it and defend it when false teachers teach it.