SATURDAY September 7, 2024

The Deity of Jesus Christ

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being....
Philippians 2:5-7 NLT

This passage is about the deity of Jesus Christ. He did not lose His deity when He humbled Himself to take human form. He literally “emptied self.” Again, He never lost His deity. Jesus is God. He came from eternity––from heavenly places to a lowly place––earth. Our Lord came in humility, to serve us and to die for us.

Jesus took upon Himself the form of a bondservant. In Mark 10:45, He expressed His Servanthood to Mankind: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” The Jews rejected Him as their Messiah. He knew this would happen, and that one day He would be betrayed and handed over to sinners. He was fully aware that they would spit on Him, whip Him, crucify Him––kill Him.

The Son of God knew He would feel agonizing pain, yet He willingly humbled Himself to die on the Cross for our sin. Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, humbled Himself, and then God exalted Him:

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

Consider the depth of Paul’s exhortation to us. As Christians, we are to have the same mind and attitude of Christ.

Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
~1 Timothy 3:16 NLT~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!