In verse 6, we learned that Christ is the eternal God of the universe, who set aside His eternal rights, to accomplish His eternal purpose - that He be glorified by His creation through the lives of redeemed men and women who walked in intimate love relationship with Him.
Verse 7 says Jesus was “made in human likeness” to reveal Himself to us and to also reveal how our lives were designed to be lived.
In verse 8, Paul says Jesus did what we could not do for ourselves. Once He was “found in appearance as a man,” He set about taking care of the sins of the world. This required two things of Him.
1. He lived a sinless life -
“he humbled himself and became obedient to death”
“He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death.” - Philippians 2:8 (NET)
The magnitude of our Lord’s humility is measured by the extent to which He was obedient - all the way to death. The term “obedient” means “to adhere to or follow the desires of another,” in this case the Father. Jesus Christ, the one and only of the Father, God in human flesh, lived His life here on earth in perfect submission to the will of the Father. In so doing, not only did Jesus reveal to a lost world how they could live; but He revealed to His followers how we should live.
"Jesus lived a sinless life, so that in our lives we might sin less." - Anonymous
“Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.” - Hebrews 4:14b-15 (NLT)
How did Jesus overcome sin and live a perfect, sinless life?
A. He was faithful to commune with the Father.
“Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.” - Luke 5:16 (CEV) (Mark 1:35; Matthew 14:23)
Jesus overcame the negative influence of the world through the positive influence of His relationship with the Father.
B. He was faithful to the commands of the Father.
“I do as the Father has commanded me.” - John 14:31 (ESV)
Jesus avoided the wrong things by choosing to do the right things.
C. He was faithful to cooperate with the Father.
Jesus looked daily to see what the Father was calling Him to cooperate with Him in and did so. He was led by the Father in all He did and said.
“I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.” - John 5:19-20 (The Message)
Jesus tuned in to the daily call of the Father, and tuned out the daily call of the world.
D. He was faithful to the commission of the Father.
In Matthew 4:1-11, we read of how Satan tempted Jesus to bypass the cross. But He overcame by maintaining His focus on the mission the Father called Him to fulfill and the eventual blessings that would result.
“Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.” - Hebrews 12:2 (The Message)
We are born sinners by nature and by live sinfully by choice. Jesus was sinless by virtue of His birth and by virtue of His obedience. Because Jesus was without sin, He was uniquely qualified to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sin on behalf of the entire human race. A suitable substitute is one who is not guilty, for if one is guilty, the punishment they take on is their own, not some one else’s.
Christ offered Himself, as the sinless One, for the sinful ones.
“I gave Him a crown of thorns, He gave me a crown of righteousness. I gave Him a cross to carry, He gave me His yoke which is easy, His burden which is light. I gave Him nails through His hands, He gave me safely into His Father’s hands from which no power can pluck me. I gave Him a mock title, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ He gave me a new name and made me a king and a priest to God. I gave Him no covering, stripping His clothes from Him, He gave me a garment of salvation. I gave Him vinegar to drink, He gave me Living Water. I crucified and slew Him on a tree, He gave me eternal life. It was my sinfulness that put Him there. It is His
sinlessness that puts me here.” - Derick Bingham
“For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.” - Hebrews 9:14b (NLT)
2. He died a sacrificial death - “even death on a cross”
The word “even” emphasizes the shame and cruelty of death by way of the cross. In his article on The Death of Jesus, found in the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Joel B. Green, says, “Among the torturous penalties noted in the literature of antiquity, crucifixion was particularly heinous. The act itself damaged no vital organs, nor did it result in excessive bleeding. Hence, death came slowly, sometimes after several days, through shock or a painful process of asphyxiation as the muscles used in breathing suffered increasing fatigue. Often, as a further disgrace, the person was denied burial and the body was left on the cross to serve as a carrion for the birds or to rot. Crucifixion was quintessentially a public affair. Naked and affixed to a stake, cross or tree, the victim was subjected to savage ridicule by frequent passersby, while the general populace was given a grim reminder of the fate of those who assert themselves against the authority of the state.”
This raises a question. Why did Jesus die on a cross? Well, just as earthly authorities had a message in mind when they nailed criminals to a cross, God the Father had a message in mind when His plan for the rescue of the human race called for Jesus to die on a cross. The fact that Jesus died on a cross in paying the price for our sin tells us that:
A. He took on our guilt -
Crucifixion was a means of execution for those who were guilty. Now, as we have already mentioned, Jesus was sinless and perfect in every way. Thus, His sacrifice was one that would satisfy the righteousness and holy standard of God. But He took on our guilt as He offered
Himself in our place, thus satisfying the justice of God, which demands that punishment must be meted out to those who are guilty.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21a (NKJV)
B. He took on our shame - The shame associated with being guilty was assumed by our Savior when He hung on the cross.
C. He took on our burden - The burden of the guilty is that they must bear their punishment. Jesus took our punishment. He bore our burden, so that we would not have to.
D. He took on our curse - The Jews viewed death on a cross as a sure sign that the individual so crucified was accursed by God.
Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 21:23 when he tells us: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” - Galatians 3:13 (NIV)
Conclusion: As we reflect on the price God has paid through Jesus Christ on the cross, we might conclude by thinking about all His sacrifice has made possible for you and me. With this being the Christmas season, we might even think of the cross as being God’s Christmas tree, under which are found various gifts made possible by the price that was paid at Calvary.
“Was He scourged? It was that ‘through His stripes we might be healed.’ Was He condemned, though innocent? It was that we might be acquitted though guilty. Did He wear a crown of thorns? It was that we might wear the crown of glory. Was He stripped of His clothing? It was that we might be clothed in everlasting righteousness. Was He mocked and reviled? It was that we might be honored and blessed. Was He reckoned a malefactor, and numbered among transgressors? It was that we might be reckoned innocent, and justified from all sin. Was He declared unable to save Himself? It was that He might be able to save others to the uttermost. Did He die at last, and that the most painful and disgraceful of deaths? It was that we might live for evermore, and be exalted to the highest glory.” - J.C. Ryle
