continued:
The Humility of the Incarnate Christ (v. 8)
And yet the Son’s humility did not stop at taking on a human nature. We go on to observe the humility of the incarnate Christ: “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (
Phil. 2:8). The divine Son became not just a man, but an obedient man. From all eternity, the Son was equal to the Father in glory, majesty, and authority. In His incarnation, however, He began to relate to the Father in terms of authority and submission (e.g.,
John 5:30;
6:38). The Master had become the slave. The Lord who rightfully issues commands subjected Himself to obeying commands. And that is not all. He was not only obedient, but obedient to the point of death. The Author of Life humbly submitted to death. The One without sin humbly submitted to sin’s curse. The One who has life within Himself (
John 1:4;
5:26)—who gives life to whomever He wishes (
John 5:21)—humbly released His grip on His own human life in submission to the Father and in love for those whom His Father has given Him. Here is humility shining like the sun in its full strength.
We rightly sing, “Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou, My God, shouldst die for me?” And yet there are greater depths to plumb before the humiliation of the Son of God reaches rock bottom. He was not just man, not just obedient, and not just obedient unto death. The holy Son of God, the Lord of glory, “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” The horrors of the cross scarcely need describing. One commentator said, “The cross displayed the lowest depths of human depravity and cruelty. It exhibited the most brutal form of sadistic torture and execution ever invented by malicious human minds.”51 In crucifixion, metal spikes were driven through the victim’s wrists and feet, and he was left to hang naked and exposed, sometimes for days. Because the body would be pulled down by gravity, the weight of a victim’s own body would press against his lungs, and the hyperextension of the lungs and chest muscles made it difficult to breathe. Victims would gasp for air by pulling themselves up, but when they would do that the wounds in their wrists and feet would tear at the stakes that pierced them, and the flesh of their backs—usually torn open from flogging—would grate against the jagged wood.
This was the purpose for the kenosis. Man had sinned against God, and so man was required to make atonement for sin, but he was absolutely powerless to do so. Only God can atone for sin, and yet only man’s sacrifice would be accepted on behalf of man. So, in the marvelous wisdom of God, God became man to reconcile man to God: “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. . . . Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining. Riccard
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hope this helps !!!
What is it, exactly, that you're attempting to contribute to the furtherance of the discussion of this op?
Why is it my posts were picked, their actual content ignored, and non sequitur posted?
