Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by  becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:5-11)

Christianity Without Being Like Christ Is Not Christianity

Years ago a Christian by the name of Charles Thomas Studd said, “some want to live within the sound of a church or chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell.” Christian writer Nick Harrison then informs us:

The way C.T. Studd—[as he was better known]—implemented the above words, after his conversion at a Moody revival [in the late 1800’s] was first to excel at the British game of cricket. Next he helped found the Student Volunteer Movement which recruited college students to the mission field.

 Then at age 23, he sailed for China where he served with Hudson Taylor’s China Inland Mission. He gave away his considerable inherited wealth and lived a simple life with the Chinese and later [with] the East Indians. In his forties he fell seriously ill and stepped back from his work for four years, and then, against his doctor’s orders, he sailed for central Africa.

He worked there for another twenty years, until [he went home to be with Jesus]. C.T. Studd knew what God wanted him to do and he did it. We may not have such a dramatic calling (or [then again] we might!), but we all have as firm a calling as Studd did.

One thing we [do] know, from the example Jesus set for us: like C.T. Studd our work for Christ will include the well-being of people”

Harrison is quite right; a heart that belongs to Christ will long to bring Him glory by helping others. We turn now to Philippians, chapter 2 and verse 5. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter while under house arrest in Rome sometime around AD 61.

Shall we keep in mind as we read, that the more we grow in the Lord, the more we will become like Him. As a matter of fact, it is written of the Christian:

you have put off  the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:9-10)

 And Jesus Himself says to us — “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Now you’ll notice in verse 5 above:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

This is what we’re talking about; the more we grow in the Lord, the more we will become like Him. In fact that is exactly what this verse of Holy Scripture says we are to do, and it is also right in line with what the Master Himself said — whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do.

But what I’d like to focus on is found in the last two verses of our text. Do those Scriptures sound familiar? Here are verses 9 and 10 once again:

Therefore God has highly exalted him—[Christ Jesus]—and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is actually a quote of a passage of Scripture from the Book of Isaiah concerning Yahweh Elohim; only here it is applied to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. What Yahweh—the LORD God of Israel had said about Himself in the Old Testament—is now said of Christ Jesus.

The LORD Almighty tells us — I am God, and there is no other. And then Yahweh says — ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’ But wait; here in our text from Philippians 2—the very Jewish former Pharisee, the Apostle Paul, tells us something startling.

Under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit he writes concerning Jesus of Nazareth:

God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is [Yahweh] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

That the Apostle Paul is attributing Deity to Christ Jesus here is simply beyond question. Now keep in mind that the late Dr. Walter Martin has pointed out in his classic textbook The Kingdom of the Cults:

The American Banking Association has a training program that [illustrates a great way to protect against counterfeits]. Each year it sends hundreds of bank tellers to Washington in order to teach them to detect counterfeit money,…

It is most interesting that during the entire two-week training program, no teller touches counterfeit money. Only the original passes through his hands. The reason for this is that the American Banking Association is convinced that if a man is thoroughly familiar with the original, he will not be deceived by the counterfeit bill, no matter how much like the original it appears.

It is the contention of this writer that if the average Christian would become familiar once again with the great foundations of his faith, he would be able to detect those counterfeit elements so apparent in the cult systems, which set themselves apart from biblical Christianity…

Close familiarity with the genuine is the best protection against the counterfeit” (p.23).

The point becomes clear; the more familiar we are with Who Jesus really is; the less we will be able to be fooled by an impostor. As in the old style of joking: Knock Knock; “Who’s There?” Jesus. And the question then becomes: “Jesus Who? Which One?”

Scripture warns us there are counterfeits; so let us pray that we’ll be like Christ and know Christ.

See also:

WILL THE REAL JESUS PLEASE STAND UP?

NO BOUNDARIES IF YOU LOVE “JESUS”

DO WE BELIEVE IN THE SAME JESUS PHILIP CLAYTON?