Theology & Worldview

The Master with a Servant’s Heart

In truth and divine reverence, we proclaim the multitude of God’s almighty names—the King of kings and the Lord of lords, our Holy Master, the Potter, the Author of our lives, the Maker of Heaven and earth, the Doorway to Heaven, the Great I Am who reigns above all, holding full authority along with the keys that sealed death and hades. Yet, even with all of these powerful names, God’s Word reveals Christ as the most humble man who ever walked upon this earth. As the season of Advent approaches us, we are captivated by the truest act of humility Christ performed on that First Christmas so long ago, living out the most beautiful example of true selflessness from birth to resurrection and beyond. 

Philippians 2:5-7 (NIV) says, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Christ, even as He was one with God, humbled Himself to take on human flesh. He submitted Himself to God’s will, even as He wept blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, crying out, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42, NIV). In these verses, God calls us to live each moment with the same mindset and attitude as Christ did, imitating His constant surrender to the Father regardless of the cost. 1 Peter 2:19-22 (NIV) reminds us that “it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God…To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps… When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” Again, these Scriptures reverberate the desire God has for our lives: to follow Him—not just to gain salvation, but to become more and more like Him each day, fully emulating His selfless and humble attitude, even through suffering. 

Hebrews 4:15 (NIV) says, “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.” Because He became fully man, Christ was tempted with everything humanity struggles with, yet He chose to not sin nor give into the temptation. Even when the devil himself attacked Jesus as He was weak after fasting for forty days and forty nights, Jesus did not bow down to Satan and give up His victory under the pressure. 

We know Christ to be blameless in all of His ways, and this is echoed all throughout Scripture. However, this is not so we can compare ourselves to Jesus’s perfect ways, which makes us frustrated when we slip up, but rather Christ’s example is presented and made known to us so that we have the perfect model to constantly strive toward. We are not going to get it right all the time, and Jesus understands because He walked in humanity’s shoes for over three decades. However, His unending grace is not an excuse to continue sinning. Romans 6:1-2 (NIV) exclaims, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that the grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?” Messing up is unavoidable; we are not perfect, and on this earth, Christ does not expect us to be. But, as Romans describes, God does not want us to continue living in a cycle of sin. He calls us to continually rise above the sin, to always strive for righteousness, and always fight against giving in and falling back down. All His grace does is reassure us that when the slip-up does occur by default of humanness, His grace will catch you and renew you with His garment of holiness. 

Philippians 2 continues with verses 9 through 11 to tell us, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” When Christ obeyed and yielded to the Lord’s commands, God raised Him up. Likewise, as 1 Peter 5:6 echoes, if we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord, He will lift us up; as 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, His power is made perfect in all of our weaknesses. 

Luke 9:58 tells us, “‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” The spotless Lamb of God did not belong here on this filthy earth, but He chose to humble Himself, abiding in and following the sovereign plan of the Father—the plan that would save the world and bring the most beautiful redemption to it. Jesus didn’t have to do anything for us, but He yielded to the cross because He loves us—beyond what we could ever fathom. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says that  “for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” He gave His life so we could have life everlasting if we believe in Him. But this divine humility didn’t just begin at the cross; it was in the manger too. Instead of letting His newborn body lie on a king’s bed, He chose a lowly stable with only a carpenter, a young woman, and a variety of animals to witness His birth; He deeply cared about even the ones in the low ranks of society. He truly is a King like no other. 

 

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