Regarding Scriptural statements about Jesus humanity, Hendriksen enumerates the following list: (1) He came into the world through natural means, i.e., birth (Luke 2:7), but men did not understand the virgin birth; (2) He grew up like other boys (Luke 1:80; 2:52); (3) He learned a trade like other young men (Mark 6:3); (4) He was hungry, thirsty, weary, and slept like other people (Matt 4:2; John 4:6; Mark 4:38); (5) He got angry like others, though often for other reasons (Mark 3:5), and (6) he died like others, though his death was vicarious. But soon you discover that there are people, even in your own church, who are not entirely sympathetic with your newfound Calvinism. Pauwels BG. I suggest you read the story for yourself, in its entirety, but Ill hit the highlights. 2005;23(5): doi:10.1521/jscp.23.5.620.50753, Van Tongeren DR, Davis DE, Hook JN, Witvliet C vanOyen. 117 Roy W. Hoover, The Harpagmos Enigma: A Philological Solution, HTR 64 (1971): 118, as quoted in Silva, Philippians, 118. To say that he was existing in the essential metaphysical form of God is tantamount to saying that he possessed the nature of God. David understood something of this when he wrote. There was a danger that the church could end up comprising a lot of minorities, but Paul desired for them instead to be one Christ-centred majority. Is your understanding of humility Biblically correct? 45:23 I solemnly make this oath, what I say is true and reliable: Surely every knee will bow to me, every tongue will solemnly affirm, 45:24 they will say about me, Yes, the LORD is a powerful deliverer. All who are angry at him will cower before him. This psalm instructs us to proclaim the greatness of God to every nation. Third, Paul draws attention to the fellowship of the Spirit. The word fellowship carries the idea of communion. Then God will regard us and give us the grace we need to make true progress in our Christian lives. This is one of the most interesting comments in all of Scripture and one that has precipitated an enormous amount of discussion over the centuries. He never sought his own way. Philippians 2:5-11 is the most important passage in the book from a theological as well as practical point of view and exercises a controlling and shaping influence on material which has come before and that which will follow in the letter. They doubtless fancied a temporal kingdom of the Messiah, in which places would be bestowed. (Poole) They dreamt of a distribution of honours and offices, a worldly monarchy, like the kingdoms of the earth. (Trapp) 2. In particular, Isaiah 45:22-25 reads as follows: 45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earths remote regions! Scripture taken from the New King James Version, unless otherwise specified. The early preaching of the church recognized that Christ was exalted to the status of Lord (Acts 2:33, 36) and upon the basis of his universal Lordship offered the gospel to all men (Acts 10:34-36). In a very communist society, individuals embed a survivor of the fittest mindset, in which the stronger and better reach the top, so people are forced to develop a lookout for your own viewpoint. You will no doubt appreciate the fact that, if this kind of selfless conduct characterised our lives as believers, we would be very different from the world. The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Exhortation To Humility Text: Phil 2:1-4. 1:5), not a priest like his father and his grandfather. First, trust in the Lord with your whole heart. God has chosen to love us, sinners deserving of His wrath, and reconcile us to Himself. The mission of the church is to tell the world that the Lord reigns. This is the divine order and cannot be changed. This is most likely because humility offers the opportunity to become less self-involved and more attuned with the feelings of others. Joel B. 2000;19(1):7082. That is why Paul says in 2:5 the attitude of the Philippians should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Greg lives in Calgary Alberta, Canada with his wife and 4 kids. Humility: What Can It Do for You? | Psychology Today Thus, Christs lordship is viewed as universal and eternal. In Your Precious name, Amen. The church at Philippi was a wonderful church, which did not have many of the internal problems witnessed in other churches. A Short Story of Great Humility in 500 Words - Dave Anderson You cannot claim to be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind if you are your own little minority, pulling away from the Body. It can mean to pour out120 and this better fits the context. God also requires action and zeal in our lives. This makes it difficult to understand the need for humility not just in how we engage with each other, but in how we view the world. WebA great exhortation to follow Christ's example of humility. Lets assume that your whole outlook on life is changed as you come to terms with the doctrines of grace as taught in the New Testament. She is a health writer and researcher passionate about the mind-body connection, and holds a Master's degree in psychology. Greg is currently serving as Project Director for the knowingGod.org. And yet what was His approach to life? Instead, He took on the form of a servant, and came in the likeness of men. The Epistles of Clement Rev. Let us take the gospel seriously and thus selflessly and humbly respond to the Spirits motivation in our lives. Thus the way that Jesus expressed this emptying or pouring out was by taking the form of a servant and by looking like other men. This is an attitude that must be avoided. 10-11). When our church was first constituted, the doctrinal statementembedded in the constitutionwas very narrow, even sectarian, on issues in which there should have been more liberty. WebHumility Gods Path to True Greatness Philippians 2:1-11 Introduction Michael Phelps has set 39 world records and his 8 gold medals in the Beijing Olympics are more than anyone has previously won in a single Olympics. He says that though he existed in the This was Gods plan, both for him, as well as the Philippians. J Relig Health. In light of the charge to remain a unified majority rather than a group of factious minorities, Paul now gives a necessary injunction concerning the manner of the Philippians. There is no little debate over the meaning of the expression form of God (en morphe theou) in this sentence. The problem with all these theories is that they have no basis in the text and are, therefore, suspect. This may be because they do not fully understand the concept or have yet to learn what it means to be humble. But, it is the name given to Jesus which is the issue here. The words speak to the incarnation and humiliation of Christ, for which He was ultimately exalted (vv. And yet that is precisely the type of life to which Paul was calling the Philippians: counter-cultural. 35. We are now ready to examine it in some detail. He also writes: For do I now persuade men, or God? The context of the quotation from Isaiah is taken up with the uniqueness of YHWH in contrast to lifeless idols (45:14 he has no peer; there is no other God). The only way to have unity worthy of the biblical name is to have the constraint of a Christ-centred motivation. Fourth, Paul was others-centered and lived his Christian life seeking to serve others for their progress and joy in the faith (1:25). We are not to be rich and satisfied in ourselves. Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings! Commentators who limit the statement: those who are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, to spirits and demonic powers, have failed to realize, among other things, that it is people who were giving the Philippians a difficult time, not spirits per se. If we will experience and guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we must realise what we have experienced in the gospel. Yes, we are all individuals, with our own personalities and gifts, but no individual in the local church ought ever to stand aloof from the rest of the Body. Unity in the church is a beautiful experience. As a result some commentators have supplied the verb think, since this is the verb in the first clause. In short, the apostle is warning the believers in Philippi against an arrogant, sectarian spirit. Paul begins this wonderful hymn about Christs humility and exaltation with a powerful note about his deity and pre-existence. Thus, our most recent proposed constitution reads in the same place: The church believes in the visible, personal and final return of Jesus Christ, the bodily resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the final judgement of the just and the unjust, and the final consummation of all things into the present glorious kingdom of Jesus Christ.. Tangney JP. Humility: Theoretical perspectives, empirical findings and directions for future research. 1. The Bible writers essentially had to invent new terminology to describe this Christlike quality. Threatened egotism, narcissism, self-esteem, and direct and displaced aggression: does self-love or self-hate lead to violence?. In these two verses Paul commands the Philippians to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vanity, but in humility regard others as better than themselves. If we have been seeking our own interests, we need to repent and seek the interests of others. Quite the reverse, for it actually reveals the divine glory since the Father has planned that this should be so.132. 2 Cor 5:16) for he went through all the phases of life that normal human beings go through. It is the language of worship not the carefully guarded comments we find in Romans 8, for example. Instead, the emphasis here is the biblical truth that, though we are many, we are one body in Christ. We sometimes say that a person has a face that only their mother could love. The mention of equality with God (isa theo) in the next phrase further indicates that in the expression form of God we are dealing with Christs deity. Both of them put the interests of the Philippians ahead of themselves. Or do I seek to please men? University of Illinois Press.2010;47(4):321-336. I found it interesting in my studies to note that, until the writing of the New Testament, there was no mainstream word in the Greek language that described humility. Holding people to high regard and consideration does not mean you must allow them to walk all over you. Paul is not questioning their salvation: as noted, we might legitimately render the word if as since. He assumes that the Philippians had experienced the blessings of v. 1. What is Humility? The first verse says what to do and not do. There, as noted above, Paul had appealed to his readers to be united in the gospel, and in light of their unity in this regard, he now challenged them to be likeminded. Focusing on the feelings of others sometimes helps you get out of yourself more. In fact, the apostle does not address any major internal problem in the church, though there is in the letter to the Philippians certainly a subtle hint at something of a problem with division. Self-Deprecation: Harmless Habit or Unhealthy Behavior? WebGet help now! If we are of this same humble mindset, forsaking our own reputation and honor in order to be obedient to Gods word and will, we will be able to make unbelievable progress in our Christian lives! 13. The Exhortation to Imitate Good Examples (Philippians 3:17-21) 130 See Fee, Philippians, 224-25; cf. 122 Hendriksen, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, 110. Fourth, Phil 2:9-11 speaks about the exaltation of Christ after his suffering. Concerning the genre of the passage, there are those who argue that it is an early Christian hymn and that it has certain affinities with other (apparently) hymnic material in the NT (cf. Over time, we have come to see the error of defining issues so tightly which are not defined that clearly in Scripture. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved. If you're able to be happy for others and their accomplishments and not be consumed by jealousy or self-pity, this can help your develop more positive relationships. The same verb is used in the Greek OT to refer to YHWHs exalted status above all other gods (Ps 96:9; Dan 3:52; 54, 57-58).127 The past tense of the verb (i.e., exalted) is meant to take in the resurrection and exaltation in one grand sweep, though the emphasis lies on the latter. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. First, recall that Paul does not refer to himself as an apostle in 1:1, but as a servant. He also includes Timothy under this title. In essence, he charges them to avoid one manner and to embrace another: Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Gods Word tells us that, as Christians, we are to submit to one another in lowliness of mind. The act itself damaged no vital organs, nor did it result in excessive bleeding. That name is Lord (kurios) and it is at that name that all will bow and confess. The fact that the exaltation came after the suffering should not be missed or glossed over. In this section Paul will give the command for the Philippians to imitate the example of Christ himself. Thus, after addressing the church as a unified whole (1:1-2), praying for them to this end (1:3-11), giving his own life as a model (1:12-26; cf. Let me illustrate by means of one example. To be sure the gospel is a triumphant message and one taken up with victory, but the complete victory over sin and suffering must await heaven (3:20-21). Similar ideologies are present in what both children and adults watch and listen to. Theoretical perspectives, empirical findings and directions for future research. Most of these are short topical sermon outlines, but some are expository. As he moves into chapter 2, he begins addressing more specifically the subtle problem that existed within the church. I can share on a personal level that this is precisely the understanding that our own church has grown in over time. Researchers discovered that for those with a moderate amount of humility, as opposed to lower levels, humility acts as a moderator that helps facilitate positive psychological functioning for those who consider themselves religious or spiritual. Concerning the doctrine of last things, our founding constitution read: The church believes in the personal, premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He will soon rapture His church and that He will return to earth after the tribulation period to rule and reign. That is a pretty narrow statement: effectively, no one could join the membership of the church if they were not a dispensational premillennialist. Peter told the young would-be leaders of the church to humble themselves under Gods mighty hand, and that God would exalt them in due time (1 Peter 5:7). Exhortation in the Bible? Definition and Meaning