Swindoll Study Bible and Searching the Scriptures - Flipbook - Page 16
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P hilippians 2 : 9
Christlike Humility
PHILIPPIANS 2:3-11
I WOU LD B E HAR D-PR ES S ED TO FIND ANY section of Scripture more convicting than
this one. Here we read of Jesus’ humble attitude that should shape our view of ourselves
and others. It should so transform our thinking that it inhabits all our actions. What difference can humility make? If you’re humble, you stop acting out of selfishness. You curb any
conceited habits. You begin to regard others as more important than yourself—really. When
you see a need in the life of another, you regard it as greater than a need in your own.
Humility of mind cultivates that kind of thinking. It makes you deliberately and consistently
look out for others.
I like Eugene Peterson’s rendering of this passage in The Message. It reads, “Don’t
push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and
help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own
How could we
advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand”
(Phil. 2:3-4). Talk about an idea to get across in the family! Kids,
even think of
parents, relatives, even friends and coworkers and b
osses—we’re
being conceited
all in this thing together!
when we realize
Selfishness is characteristic of our times. Everything is about
we owe the very
me and mine. So how do we stop being so selfish? How do we
check our tendency toward conceit? How can we begin considering
breath we draw
others as more important? Philippians 2:5 offers the answer: “You
to Jesus Christ?
must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” What was that
attitude? Paul goes on to explain it: Jesus existed in the highest of all esteemed positions,
but when it came time for the Incarnation—for Him to become human—He did not demand
to keep His exalted position. He did not hang on to the glories of heaven. He voluntarily set
aside the independent use of His divine attributes and became human.
Take note of the fact that neither here nor anywhere else in Scripture does it say
Christ emptied Himself of His deity. His divine nature is permanent and undiluted, always.
Consider this: He who remained above and beyond the power of all created things willfully chose to set aside the divine independence He had enjoyed throughout eternity past.
He who created gravity willfully chose to come under the law of gravity. Christ could have
continued His divine existence without ever experiencing hunger or death, but He willingly
came to the world He had formed, to become a servant, to live as a man, and to die a cruel,
humiliating death on a Roman cross. There was no boasting or cry of “I’m above this!”
To light the spark and begin to desire to lay down our own rights and privileges and lift
up the rights of others, we must understand the concept of the Cross. Having an attitude of
humility requires we understand we are only able to stand before God because of the price
Jesus has paid. We draw each breath only as God gives it to us, only because of His abundant grace. How could we even think of being conceited when we realize we owe the very
breath we draw to Jesus Christ?