was the Word . . . and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." In Colossians 1:15 Paul speaks of Christ who is the image of the invisible God. The authoritative book of Hebrews tells us that Cod has now spoken to us through "His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things" (Hebrews 1:1-3). Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus Christ cannot be understood on the basis of His earthly life alone. While He was a man He was also God. Notice the text, "who being in the form of God" (vs. 6). In English the word "form" is gener ally associated with the outward shape of an object. But we also have another connotation which we use. As an example, we may ask a friend, "Are you in good form today?" In this case we are not inquiring as to their physical proportions, but rather how they feel. The question relates to things which cannot be detected on the surface. When applied to our Sav iour "form" meant that Jesus Christ possessed inwardly and He dis played outwardly the very nature of Cod Himself. This is a tremen dous thing! There is also the description "equal." Now notice it there in verse six, "who being in the form of Cod thought it not robbery to be equal..." It is an interesting word. From the Greek we get our term "isometric," "isosoles," and "iso mer." It means to have the same form or the same measure. Paul is saying under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ is God's equal in every possible way, both within and without. When we speak about the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are not talk ing about the same kind of divin-
said, "Come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He loves you, my friend, and wants you to come into His presence to find peace, joy and life eternal. What a glori ous picture we have here in Phil- ippians 2:5-11 of the Lord Jesus Christ in the full measure and scope of His love and ministry. CHRIST AS EXAMPLE Without question, one of the most majestic and penetrating de scriptions of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be found in Philippians 2:5- 11. Notice the analysis of our Sav iour, "Who being in the form of Cod, thought it not robbery to be equal with Cod." Phillips translates the verse, "Let Christ be your ex ample as to what your attitude toward life ought to be. For He who had always been Cod by nature did not cling to His pre rogative as Cod's equal." The Re deemer has always had complete equality with God. In His incarna tion and in His virgin birth, Jesus Christ brought Cod down where people could understand the Al mighty. There are many people today who will admit the existence of Jesus Christ, acknowledging His example and agreeing that He was a great leader and philosopher. Yet, they have never experienced the reality of Him in their own lives. What we need is to see Him in the proper perspective, moving aside all the years of human his tory so that we may catch a glimpse of Him as He was before He came into this world. He coexisted with God the Father. He never had a beginning. The New Testament writers frequently point this out. John declared, "In the beginning
Page 30
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker