Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, (6) who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (7) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (9) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) 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, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The letter to the Philippians was written by the apostle Paul. In our verses today Paul affirmed that Jesus eternally has been and is God. He did not cease to be God in any sense but added to His divine nature a true human nature. Jesus was without sin although His human body was subject to the results of the fall such as aging and death – in every visible way Jesus was completely human. Any teaching which diminishes or denies the deity of Jesus goes against the prophets and apostolic witness. Jesus Christ did not give up any of His divine attributes but limited them while on earth. To honor Jesus is to honor the Father. Because Jesus is God. God’s glory is the aim of His eternal purpose in Christ and if people are not willing to give glory to God in this life they will do so against their will for all eternity.

Christ laid aside His outward glory all for our sake. He completely submitted Himself to the will of the Father and the direction of the Spirit. . He redeemed us by His blood and called us to fellowship – His way is to become our way as Christians. We are to follow Him in the path of true humility and self denial and true obedience. The self is at the heart of relationship problems – we don’t need to build our self esteem but to grow in humility with Christ as our pattern. Christ was highly exalted: God raised Him from the dead and gave Him great glory to show acceptance of His death as satisfaction of the penalty for our sins. In Him the faithful also have obtained an inheritance. We shall see Him as He is and shall be like Him.

The crucified, risen and ascended Christ Jesus is in the place of supremacy over all creation. Ultimately the entire intelligent universe is called to acknowledge and worship Jesus Christ as Lord. This includes angels in heaven, spirits of the redeemed, obedient believers on earth, disobedient rebels on earth, demons and lost humanity in hell. Willingly and blessedly, unwillingly and painfully, all must bow and confess Christ Jesus as Lord. This passage does not teach that all the lost will be saved.