earth, when occasion demanded, He exercised His divine attributes such as omniscience, omnipres ence, and omnipotence. As to the practical, Christ's humiliation was very real. He experienced it in a double manner. First of all in be coming man. He became man while He was still Cod. Here He was a servant while He was Lord of all. It is impossible for us to compre hend what this involved. How could any of us take up our abode in the smallest, lowliest creature known to man, such as an ant or a flea. Even at that it would be as nothing compared to the eternal Cod taking upon Him a body of such low humiliation. His abase ment also took the form of volun tary obedience. It involved the most shameful of deaths. They laughed Him to scorn. They stripped Him of His clothing. They put on Him a scarlet robe and a reed in His hand as a false scepter. They planted a crown of thorns upon His brow, and bowed before Him in mockery. Some blindfolded Him while a wretch stepped up and slapped His blessed face. Then in jest they taunted, "Tell us who was it who hit you?" Little did they realize that not only could He look through His blindfold, but also right down into their iniquitous hearts. Then, as the final crowning insult and ignoming, they dragged Him away and nailed Him to a cross. They were not even satis fied then! They teased Him further, "Come down from the cross, and then we will believe." Someone actually spit in His face. Exaltation of Christ In Philippians, however, His ex altation is proportional to His hu miliation (vrs. 9-11). Rarely do we
view this from the viewpoint of heaven. The price is paid and God has exalted His Son even to His right hand. Thus, Christ, in conde scending to the humility and shame of the cross, comes back to His great glory. He again assumes the Name that is above all others. Well did Isaiah declare, "His name shall be called wonderful, counsellor, the mighty Cod, the everlasting Father, the prince of peace!" Christ plummed the depths in order that we might scale the heights. Surely there can be no room for divisions or bickering. Obedience in All Things Considering the tremendous sac rifice of Christ, and the unspeak able depth and tenderness of His love, we are to serve our Saviour with joy and gladness. Philippians 2:12 reminds us that without pres ent salvation from sin we should have an eager, trembling anxiety to obey Cod in all things. The Chris tian life is not a passive thing. No tice verse 14 where Paul declares, "I press toward the mark of the high calling of Cod in Christ Je sus." We find similar quotations in Colossians 1:29 and II Peter 1:10. Cod has worked in salvation, for only He can do this, and we are to work it out. There is absolutely no thought here of working to ob tain salvation. We know it is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. Do not stop there! The 13th verse reminds us, "It is God who worketh in you." Salvation is a three fold matter. There is past for giveness of sins, present triumphant victory over sin, and future deliv- Page 21
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