On a Sunday evening at FaithWay Baptist Church, Missionary Bob Mach returned to open God’s Word with the congregation. After considering our complete commission in the morning Sunday school and our complete God from Psalm 145, the evening message turned to Philippians 2:5-11 to behold our complete Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Renewed Mind (verse 5)
The apostle Paul issues a command, not a suggestion. “Let this mind be in you” uses a present passive imperative in the Greek, meaning believers are to continually allow the mind of Christ to be formed in them. In a culture driven by feelings and emotional highs, Scripture calls us to something far steadier. Emotions follow obedient actions, not the other way round. When offence comes, forgiveness is not first a matter of feeling better; it is a matter of obeying Scripture with a renewed mind. Only then do right emotions follow. Paul urges the church to think the way Jesus thinks, and the verses that follow reveal exactly how the Saviour thought.
Jesus Christ is Completely God (verse 6)
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Here stands one of the clearest declarations of the deity of Christ in the New Testament. The word translated “robbery” appears nowhere else in Scripture this way, yet its meaning shines brightly: Jesus did not grasp at equality with God because He already possessed it by right. Satan tempted Adam with the lie that man could become “as gods”; that would have been robbery. For Jesus to declare equality with God is simple truth, because He is the eternal second Person of the Trinity, possessing the same essence, dignity, authority, and power as the Father. Every false religion diminishes Him, whether as mere prophet, enlightened teacher, or powerful sorcerer, but the Bible will not allow it. From John 1:1 to Colossians 1:16, from the lips of Peter, Paul, Daniel, and Stephen, the testimony rings clear: Jesus Christ is completely God.
Jesus is Completely Man (verse 7)
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. This verse begins the great kenosis, the self-emptying of the Son of God. He did not cease to be God; rather, while remaining fully divine, He voluntarily set aside the independent exercise of His divine privileges and took the form of a bondslave. The eternal Word who spoke galaxies into existence confined Himself to a human body conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin. No hint of impropriety marred the incarnation, yet God became man, subject to hunger, weariness, sorrow, and pain. The One who knew the worship of angels now walked dusty roads among sinners, the glory of heaven hidden behind a carpenter’s frame.
A Complete Sacrifice (verse 8)
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. From the cradle to the cross, perfect obedience marked every step. He submitted to His parents, fulfilled the law, washed disciples’ feet, and bore the insults of men with meekness. Yet the climax of His humility came at Calvary. The sinless Son willingly took the place of guilty sinners, enduring a death that was painful, shameful, and accursed. Crucifixion was reserved for slaves and rebels, but Jesus suffered it in our stead, made a curse for us that the righteousness of God might be satisfied and His mercy released toward all who believe. No partial payment, no temporary covering; His sacrifice was complete.
Jesus Christ is Completely Exalted (verse 9)
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. Because the Saviour perfectly finished the work the Godhead planned from eternity, the Father has now superlatively exalted the Son. The same hands that were nailed to a cross now hold all authority in heaven and earth. The name once reviled by men is now the name above every name, the name at which every knee should already bow and every tongue should already confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Though Isaiah and Paul foretell a day when every knee will bow, the grammar of Philippians 2 presses the point harder: this worship is already due. Every soul that repents and believes today adds fresh glory to the exalted Christ; every gospel witness that brings another sinner to bend the knee exalts Him again.
Missionary Bob closed with stories of men and women in Côte d’Ivoire whose lives testify to this truth: Céry Jules, Kwasi Jirikael, Temwe Boris, Sion Anne-Marie, and many more who heard the gospel, felt Holy Spirit conviction, bowed the knee in repentance, and confessed Jesus as Lord. Each one became another voice in the growing chorus that declares the worth of our complete Saviour.
May the church never grow weary of proclaiming the name that is above every name. Jesus Christ is completely God, completely man, offered a complete sacrifice, and is completely exalted. He deserves complete devotion from every heart and complete proclamation from every tongue until the day when what should already be happening finally happens universally, to the glory of God the Father.
Conclusion
Until that final day arrives, the privilege and responsibility belong to us. Renew your mind in the Scriptures. Behold your complete Saviour. Then go and tell someone else that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He might receive the honour due His name, today and for ever. Amen.
