TUESDAY, Oct. 1st. Phil. 2:10, 11. Paul here tells us the reason why God gave to Jesus the name that is above every name', viz., “ in order that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God -the Father.” Bowing in Jesus’ name indicates not merely that all should worship God through Him (though that is true, John 14:6), but indicates worship paid to Jesus Him self (cf. Ps. 63:4; Heb. 1 :6). This phrase, “ every knee should bow” (and the phrase “ every tongue confess” ) is taken from Isa. 45:23, where it is used of Jehovah, and it is a clear assertion of the oneness of Jesus and Jehovah. The knees that shall bow are in heaven, earth and Hades, and every one of them (cf. Rev. 5:13). Even the lost angels and lost men, who will not bow now, will have to do so some day, though there will be no saving power in the bowing of the knee or the confession of the tongue, made at that time. The most blatant infidel and even Satan himself will bow unto Jesus. Praise God! “ And every tongue” shall “ con fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The force of the word translated “ Lord” is in this connection absolute Lord, “ Lord of all” (cf. Acts 10:36; Ps. 24:10), and is clearly a Divine title. The title Lord is used all through the Old Testament of Jehovah and the New Testament writers do not hesitate to take other things also that are spoken of Jehovah in the O. T. and apply them to Jesus in N. T. (e. g. cf. John 12:38-41 with Isa. 6:1-10). But this worshipping of Jesus will be “ to the glory of God the Father.” All glorifying of Jesus glor ifies God the Father (John 5:23; 13: 31, 32; 17:1). But all true worship must finally terminate in God the Father (Heb. 7:25; John 14:6). While Jesus is a proper object of worship, He is also the medium through Whom we get to the ultimate source of Deity, God the Father. Chrysostom has a passage that throws great light on this verse. He says: “ A mighty proof is it of the
Father’s powèr, and goodness, and wis dom, that He hath begotten such a Son, a Son nowise inferior in goodness and in wisdom. . . . When I say that the Son is not inferior in Essence to the Father, but equal, and of the same Essence, in this I also adore the Lord God, and His power, and goodness, and wisdom, that He revealed to us Another, begotten of Himself, like to Him in all things, Fatherhood alone excepted.’’ ,.; WEDNESDAY, Oct. 2nd. Phil 2:12. The thought of the greatness of the self-sacrifice of Christ Jesus and of the consequent exaltation of Jesus to be Lord over all, leads to thè exhortation found in vs. 12-18, to a life of earnest ness, reverence, utter self-distrust, coupled with absolute trust in the inworking God, self-forgetfulness, blamelessness, fruitfulness and joyful ness. Paul begins this comprehensive exhortation with a tender form of address, “ My beloved” (cf. ch. 4:1; 1 Cor. 10:4; 15:58; 2 Cor. 7 :1). Paul was a man of very loving and affection ate disposition. Sometimes we think of him as a stern, severe, cold man, but his epistles show him to have been any thing but that. He refers to their unfailing obedience in the past, “ Ye have always obeyed” : (or, “ Ye did always obey” ). He could not say that of all the churches. He then goes on to urge them to “ not as in my presence only (i. e., under the influence of his personal presence with them), but now much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” / “ Your own” is very emphatic. The thought is not that they are to work out their own salvation as contrasted with God working it out for them (indeed Paul goes on immediately to say “ It is God which wnrketh in you to will and to work” ). The context clearly shows that the thought of Paul is that they are to work out their bwn salvation and not to depend on him to work it out for them. He casts them upon God rather than upon himself. This explains the words “Now much more in my absence.” There is noth ing that young Christians need more to be taught today than to stand in direct relations to God and to work out
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