“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.”
(Philippians 2:8-9)
This passage presents the Lord Jesus Christ in the full scope of His mediatorial work, tracing the line from His deepest humiliation to His highest exaltation.
He was “found in fashion as a man,” not because He ceased to be God, nor because His divine dignity was diminished, but because He willingly took upon Himself the form of a servant. And this obedience extended through intense, unspeakable suffering to the cursed death of the cross. The Spirit presses this point because it reveals both the depth of Christ’s love and the seriousness of sin that required such obedience.
This obedience unto death is the ground of the Church’s redemption. Scripture does not hesitate to say that the Church was purchased with the blood of God (Acts 20:28), nor that God laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16). These truths rest on the reality that the Person of Christ subsists in two natures. The obedience rendered was human obedience, yet the worth of that obedience is infinite because He is God. The humiliation did not deny His divinity; it displayed it through obedience.
Moreover, the exaltation that follows is the public vindication of the incarnate Son. What was spoken of Jehovah in the Old Testament is applied directly to Christ. Every knee must bow. Every tongue must confess. This exaltation fully confirm that the Son who humbled Himself is the same Son who reigns eternally. His mediatorial reign serves the purpose of redemption, protection, and final restoration, and when that purpose is complete, He hands the kingdom to the Father, without ceasing to reign as God.[1]
As God-Man-Mediator-King, Christ reigns by delegated authority from the Father. He rules as Vicegerent until all His enemies are put under His feet, until judgment is complete, and the disorder introduced by sin is finally resolved. When His work is finished, He resigns that delegated authority as a faithful servant who has completed all that was entrusted to Him. Then God shall be all in all, not by the exclusion of the Son, but by the perfect display of the unified reign of the Triune God.
Contemplations:
- Facing Christ’s humiliation honestly. I am forced to admit how often I admire Christ’s glory while avoiding His humiliation. I want the exalted name without lingering at the cross. Yet this passage moves me to sit with His obedience, to see how far He went for my salvation, something I resist because it exposes the depth of my sin more than I like to admit.
- My resistance to obedience. When I consider Christ’s obedience unto death, I see how shallow my own obedience often is. I obey when it is convenient, when it costs little, when my pride isn’t disturbed. And yet Christ obeyed when it meant shame, suffering, and silence before His accusers.
- Confessing my small view of sin. Christ did not die because sin was manageable. He died because sin required death. When I minimize sin, excuse it, or treat it lightly, I insult the obedience of Christ. I confess that I often speak of grace without trembling at what it cost. This contemplation forces me to reckon with how my casual attitude toward sin contradicts the seriousness of Christ’s cross.
- Learning to bow before the exalted Christ. I confess that there are areas of my life where I still resist Christ’s authority. I sing of His exaltation while quietly guarding my own control. Every knee will bow, including mine. But I need grace to submit fully to the Christ who humbled Himself for me now as well.
Prayer (Confession)
Holy and righteous Father, I come before You humbled and exposed by the obedience of Your Son. I confess that I have often spoken of Christ’s cross with familiarity rather than reverence. I have known the language of redemption while failing to feel the weight of my sin that made His obedience necessary. I confess that I am slow to bow, slow to obey, and quick to protect my pride.
I confess that I have questioned Your wisdom in small ways, resisting Your commands when they go against my comfort. I see in Christ’s obedience a mirror held up to my disobedience. He did not argue. He did not delay. He did not negotiate terms. He obeyed unto death, even the death of the cross.
Forgive me for taking advantage of grace while neglecting repentance. Forgive me for minimizing sin that required such a costly obedience. Forgive me for speaking of Christ’s humility while excusing my own self-importance. I confess that I have sometimes treated Christ as an example to admire rather than a Lord to obey.
Cleanse my heart from this divided loyalty. Teach me to see my sin as You see it, as rebellion that required the blood of the God-Man to atone. Break down my pride, my resistance, and my tendency to justify myself. Grant me a softened heart that responds to Christ’s obedience with repentance and gratitude.
I confess also that I fear humiliation more than I fear disobedience. I avoid the cost of faithfulness and the shame that may come with obedience. Yet Christ embraced shame to bring me glory.
Father, I look to the exalted Christ as assurance that obedience matters. Receive my confession for the sake of Your Son, whose obedience was perfect where mine has failed. Shape my life by His pattern, that I may walk humbly before You.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Philippians 2:8-9:
Heb. 12:2; John 10:18; Acts 8:33; Rom. 5:19
[1] Joseph Bellamy, Sermons upon the Following Subjects, Viz. The Divinity of Jesus Christ. The Millennium, Early American Imprints, 1639-1800; No. 8081 (Boston: Printed and sold by Edes and Gill; and by S. Kneeland, in Queen-Street, 1758), 25–29.
