What Is True Greatness? | Philippians 2:1-11
Today’s Episode: What Is True Greatness?
Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11
Series: Philippians: The Unshakable Joy of Life in Christ
What if true greatness looks like serving others? In this episode of Timeless Truth, Pastor Jim continues our series, Philippians: The Unshakable Joy of Life in Christ, exploring the “Hymn of Christ” in Philippians 2:1-11. We see the ultimate example of humility as Jesus emptied Himself for our sake, teaching us that greatness leads through sacrificial service.
Pastor Jim’s Show Notes:
Scholars widely agree that Philippians 2:6–11 was an early Christian hymn—sometimes called the Christ Hymn or, it’s Latin title: Carmen Christi. This hymn gives us a window into the central beliefs of the early church—this was a community captivated by both the divinity and humanity of Christ, stunned by His love and sacrificial death, filled with hope at His exaltation.
Adopting the mind of Christ rewires our hearts and transforms our relationships. Humility becomes a gateway to peace, purpose, and a joy that cannot be shaken by negative circumstances.
The radical humility of Jesus was a testimony of the great love of God for sinners like us. In laying down His life, Jesus was putting us first.
What a contrast to the way many human beings live their lives in our own time, where relationships are transactional, and their main concern is what they get out of each relationship vs what they can give to the other person.
The Gospel calls us to become Christ-centered and others-centered.
“Being a big deal is a burden. Humility, in contrast, means you don’t interpret everything in relation to yourself, and you don’t need to. It is the death of the narrow, suffocating filter of self-referentiality.”
Gavin Ortlund, Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness
Christians are those who imitate and reflect Jesus closely; again, they become “little Christs”.
1. What claims does Paul make about Jesus?
Vv. 6-11 Jesus was/is God. The NT use of morphē in Philippians 2 is one of the most profound and carefully chosen words in all of early Christology, encapsulating the paradox and the mystery of the Incarnation of Christ: the one person who was truly divine and became truly human, adding without subtracting, revealing God in the form of a human being and a servant.
As we sometimes explain it: God the Father planned salvation. God the Son accomplished salvation, and God the Spirit applies salvation.
“In Jesus we find infinite majesty yet complete humility, perfect justice yet boundless grace, absolute sovereignty yet utter submission, all-sufficiency in himself yet entire trust and dependence on God”
Tim Keller, King’s Cross
2. Why do these claims about Jesus matter to us today?
Because not only is Jesus God, and not only did Jesus become our perfect example of Christian living, but this makes Jesus the only one actually qualified to be our Savior and Lord.
Additionally, the fact that God became a human person says something about the Christian view of the material world. In the biblical view, matter is not evil, “matter matters”!
Apart from the Gospel, in all other worldviews, we find conflict between the physical and the spiritual. Without the Gospel, we will live for one and minimize the other.
But within the biblical worldview, because of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, because He was both fully divine and fully human, we can hold both together; we can live fully integrated lives!
3. How should we respond to what we read here in Philippians 2?
Believe Jesus. Bow before Jesus. Confess Jesus. Imitate Jesus. Become like Jesus. Live for the glory of Jesus.
The 18th-century English clergyman and composer who wrote the well-known hymn “Amazing Grace”, John Newton, put it this way:
“I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our master.”
John Newton
Arrogance isn’t attractive on anyone; especially religious people who claim to know the truth and that they desire to walk in the ways of God. Humility is the beginning of unshakable joy.
