Born in the Likeness of Men

Philippians 2:4-11                               Born in the Likeness of Men

12/7/14            D. Marion Clark

Introduction

Last week we considered what the phrase “born under woman, born under the law” signified. In the context of the letter to the Galatians, it meant that we, who were held bondage under the law because of our sins, could only be redeemed by a Savior who lived in our flesh and lived under the law’s burdens. Because he did so, he freed us from our bondage to the law in terms of having to live up to it in order to be saved.

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul speaks of our Lord being “born in the likeness of men.” As in the Galatians passage, Paul is referring to Jesus’ incarnation, taking on our flesh. This time, however, he is not presenting what Jesus accomplished for us in the flesh, but what Jesus modeled for us by taking on flesh.

Text

Verses 3 and 4 present the exhortation that Paul is making to the Philippian believers.

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This is clear enough. The believers are to be humble. They are to care for the welfare of others without selfish motivation. This is standard Christian teaching, but why does Paul bring it up to the Philippian church? There are some incidents that indicate the church is struggling in this area. In 1:15, Paul mentions that there are some in the church who “preach Christ from envy and rivalry” with him. In 3:2 he speaks of those who bought into the teaching that Christians must follow the Jewish law. In 3:18 he references former members of the church who have walked away from the faith altogether. And in 4:2 he seeks the reconciliation of two women in the church.

The tone of Paul’s letter reveals his love for the people and for the church as a whole. Setting aside the law-keepers and the faithless who endanger the very faith of the believers, Paul commends their efforts to follow Christ. And yet, they are susceptible to having their feelings hurt due to pride. There are the preachers whose pride took a hit because Paul was treated with greater respect. Paul is now in prison, and they are taking the opportunity to win a name for themselves at his expense.

The two women, Euodia and Syntyche, well, what was going on? We are not told. Something has separated them, something that must not have been of great import, since Paul honors both of them for their work with him for the gospel. I think we can assume that someone said something that hurt the pride of the other and which was reciprocated. 

What Paul’s letter to the Philippians is about, then, is exhorting and motivating the church members to be unified in their gospel work. Paul expresses the key idea in 1:27:

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…

Note the terms of unity: “one spirit,” “one mind,” “side by side.” Unity in the church is essential to promoting the gospel and withstanding opposition. And yet, unity is difficult to achieve. We can be unified over what the gospel entails and unified over our mission to promote the gospel, but as the old expression puts it, “the devil is in the details.” There is more truth in that phrase than is intended, for the problem is not that the details are so complicated, but that the devil uses the details to create dissension, rivalry, hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and so on. The result is that instead of a church that is “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” the Philippian church was in danger of becoming a collection of rivals.

What was Paul’s antidote for a church that was dividing? Humility, a humility that was more than a simple attitude of not thinking too much of oneself. It was a humility that actually counted others as being more significant. That is a lot to swallow. It is one thing to say I am no better than anyone else; it is another to say that everyone else is better than I. Can such an attitude really be adopted? The model of our Lord shows that it can be done.

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

We move into the mystery of the incarnation. If we were using the text to explore the nature of the incarnation, I would take time to consider closely the meaning of several Greek words. If you have before you an NIV or King James Bible, you will note varying translations in verses 6 and 7. But our goal is to get at the lesson which Paul is teaching the Philippian believers, a lesson that Christ’s incarnation models. So, let’s move to the point where all of the translations are taking us.

First, though Christ Jesus was truly God, as the Second Person of the Godhead he was not so fixated on his status that he would not let it go in order to do his Father’s will. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34). “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). And he was willing to do anything to do his Father’s will, as verse 7 indicates.

 ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

For “emptied himself,” the King James Version has “made himself of no reputation,” and the NIV has “made himself nothing.” These two versions get closer to what Paul is expressing. As God the Son in glory, Christ is robed in majesty. He is the exalted King of kings, Lord of hosts. John’s description gives us a glimpse of what his divine nature is like:

I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵ his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength (Revelation 1:14-16).

God the Son puts aside his glory. He steps down as king and takes the form of a servant, as prophesied in Isaiah: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights” (Isaiah 42:1). That is one step of humility, but the Son goes further – he is “born in the likeness of men.” He who is fully divine and pure spirit becomes fully man with human flesh. He who is eternal submits himself to being conceived. He who is omnipresent (present everywhere) confines himself in a young mother’s womb. Such was the humility that he possessed. But there is more.

 ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

It is one thing for a king to step down from his throne to lead his army into battle against invaders. He is being a true servant for his kingdom. It is a further step for him to take on the same humble form of his common soldiers and endure the same conditions as they. It is beyond the way of any king to spare his soldiers and his people by yielding his life for them that they might be spared. This is the humbling work of the King of glory. Worshiped by the angels, he lived in poverty. Though there might be a few episodes of being honored, for the most part he was rejected by his own people who did not recognize him. The King took on the form of a lowly servant so that he might serve the very people he created and governed. The Eternal Glorious One took on the form of a lowly servant so that he might march to his ignoble death on a cross. He was born in the likeness of men so that he might die for men.

Lessons

This is one passage that states clearly its lesson. Christ’s example of humility is the same humility we are to possess toward one another.  Counting others as more significant, as better than ourselves, we are to possess a sacrificial humility and look out for their interests. This counting others as better is the essential element of the Christian form of humility. It distinguishes Christian humility from the common form that is accepted in the world. Most people recognize the virtue of humility by which they understand that a person should not think higher of himself than others. We are, after all, only human, and though we may have gifts that are superior, those gifts do not place us on a higher plane.

But Christian humility treats others as though they actually are better and that their interests are more important; for that is how Christ regarded us. God the Son is higher than we. He is infinitely more significant that we. His interests are far higher than our own, and yet he died for us. Who then among us is not deserving of our humble service? Christ died for his enemies; who then in the church body should we exclude from placing ahead of us?

Note that it is in the context of a church fellowship that Paul is teaching this lesson. And so I must ask, is there anyone in this church who has offended you, who has wounded your pride? Are there any divisions that keep the church from promoting the gospel together? Is the devil in the details of how the church functions?

Then here is the solution already stated: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (3-4). It is with such an attitude that real healing takes place, that real unity is achieved, that the body of Christ becomes like its Head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

But how can such an attitude be attained? Again, look to Christ Jesus. First, keep before you whom you are serving. You are told to count others better than yourself. You do that by understanding that the one you are serving, God. Jesus became a servant of God. Yes, he served others, but he did so as the servant of his Father. It was to his Father that he became obedient unto death. Our Lord Jesus Christ delighted in doing the will of his Father. You might find it hard to be humble before your brother or sister, but surely you can be humble before God and your Lord as you humbly serve others.

Like Christ, serve in humility for the good that it accomplishes. Jesus did not take on humility for humility’s sake. Humility is not a demeanor to wear; it is a positive attitude to bear in order to accomplish good. Christ accomplished our salvation through his humility. We are to promote the well-being of others and of the church through our humility. We are to promote the gospel of salvation through our humility.

And then, keep the end result before you – glory. Hebrews12:2 says of Jesus that, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Athletes will go through all sorts of pain, tedium, and even humility to attain the glory of a gold medal. Will we not humbly serve when we have a reward much greater than a medal awaiting us? Jesus received his reward, as the remainder of our passage makes clear.

⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Brothers and sisters, our Lord humbled himself even unto shameful death, but he did not remain under death. He rose, but he did not merely rise out of death; he ascended on high. But he did not merely return to his heavenly home; he returned, if possible, to even greater glory. It was his act accomplished in humility that led to his exaltation, as Revelation reveals:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12)

Our religion does not end in humility. Humility is but the bridge to glory, glory even for ourselves. Hear this promise from the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:6-7:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Whatever slight, whatever trial of humility you face is working to purify your faith so that it will result for you “praise and glory and honor” when Christ returns. In humility Christ was born in the likeness of men so that we might someday reflect the likeness of him. He released his grasp of glory that we might enter into glory. It is along the road of humility that he now leads us to this end. Will we not gladly follow?

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