Message Two Taking Christ as Pattern

THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians

Message Two
Taking Christ as Pattern

Scripture Reading: Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 3:4; Heb. 1:3; 13:21; Rom. 8:34, 10; 1 Cor. 6:17; 2 Cor. 3:17

I. In order to experience Christ and live Christ, we must know Him as our pattern and take Him as our pattern—Phil. 2:5-11:

A. In 2:5-11 Paul presents Christ as the pattern; we need to have this pattern infused into us.

B. The pattern of the Christian life is the God-man Savior who emptied Himself and humbled Himself and who has been exalted and glorified by God—vv. 6-9:

1. Although the Lord was equal with God, He did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped and retained; He emptied Himself, laying aside what He possessed—the form of God—vv. 6-7a.

2. In His incarnation the Lord did not alter His divine nature; He changed only His outward expression from the form of God to the form of a slave—John. 1:1, 14.

3. The Lord became “in the likeness of men”—vv. 7b-8a:

a. The form of God implies the inward reality of Christ’s deity; the likeness of men denotes the outward appearance of His humanity—Rom. 8:3.

b. He appeared to men as a man outwardly, but as God he had the reality of deity inwardly—Col. 2:9.

c. Christ entered into the condition of humanity, and He was found in fashion as a man—Heb. 2:14.

4. Christ humbled Himself by becoming obedient even unto death—the death of a cross—Phil. 2:8b:

a. Humbling Himself was a further step in emptying Himself—v. 8.

b. Christ’s self-humbling manifested His self-emptying.

c. The death of a cross was the climax of Christ’s humiliation—Heb. 12:2.

5. The Lord humbled Himself to the uttermost, but God exalted Him to the highest peak and bestowed on Him “the name which is above every name”—Phil. 2:9:

a. God has exalted Jesus, a real man, to be the Lord of all—Acts 2:32-33; 5:31.

b. This exaltation of Christ was the manifestation of resurrection power.

c. The highest name in the universe, the greatest name, is the name of Jesus—Eph. 1:21:

(1) The name is the expression of the sum total of what the Lord Jesus is in His person and work—Phil. 2:10.

(2) In the name of Jesus means in the sphere and element of all that the Lord is—v. 10.

d. The result of our confessing that Jesus is Lord is that God the Father is glorified; this is the great end of all that Christ is and has done in His person and work—Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Cor. 15:24-28.

C. The principle of this pattern is that someone with the highest life and position would be willing to live in a lowly way—Phil. 2:5-11.

II. Christ as our pattern is not only objective but also subjective and experiential—vv. 5, 12-13:

A. The One who set up the pattern and who Himself is the pattern is now operating within us as the indwelling God—v. 13.

B. The principle of Christ as the inward pattern for our living is that even if we have the highest standard or the highest position, we should not grasp it—vv. 6-7.

C. We need to be partners with Christ in His human living, especially in His emptying and humbling Himself and in His not grasping equality with God as a treasure—vv. 6-7.

D. The Christ who is our pattern is now the life within us—Col. 3:4:

1. We have a life in us that is a self-emptying and self-humbling life; this life never grasps at something as a treasure but is always willing to lay aside position and title—1 Cor. 15:9.

2. We have Christ crucified as our pattern, and this pattern is the crucified life within us—Gal. 2:20:

a. The steps of Christ’s humiliation in Philippians 2:5-8 are all aspects of the crucified life lived out in a full way—Phil. 2:5-8.

b. When we live Christ, we live the One who is the pattern of a crucified life—1:21a.

3. Taking the crucified life as our pattern opens the gate of resurrection and brings us into the power of resurrection—3:10:

a. By living a crucified life, we can experience the power of resurrection which exalted Christ to the highest peak in the universe—Eph. 1:19-22.

b. The highest life on earth is a crucified life; whenever we live a crucified life, God will bring us into resurrection.

4. Christ should be exalted not only objectively in the universe but also subjectively in our daily life—Phil. 2:9:

a. Christ is exalted in us as we take Him as the crucified life to be the pattern of our daily life.

b. The bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the power that exalts Christ—1:19.

III. If we would take Christ as our pattern, we need to take Christ’s mind as our mind—2:5:

A. Paul not only took Christ as his living and expression outwardly but also took the mind of Christ as his mind inwardly—1:8.

B. For the mind of Christ to be in us means that this mind is something living; actually, the mind of Christ is Christ Himself, for the person of Christ is manifested in His mind—2:5.

C. We need to open ourselves and let “this mind” be in us—v. 5:

1. This refers to the considering in verse 3 and to the regarding in verse 4—vv. 3, 4.

2. This kind of thinking was in Christ when He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and humbled Himself, being found in fashion as a man—vv. 7-8.

3. To have such a mind requires us to be one with Christ in His inward parts—1:8.

Ministry Excerpts:

KNOWING CHRIST AS OUR PATTERN IF WE WOULD
EXPERIENCE HIM AND LIVE HIM

Philippians is a book on the experience of Christ. If we would experience Christ and live Him, we must know Him as our pattern. In 2:5-11 Paul presents Christ as our pattern. We need to be deeply impressed with this pattern and even have it infused into us.

Christ is wonderful; He truly is all-inclusive. From the book of Colossians we have seen that Christ is both all-inclusive and universally extensive. This all-inclusive Christ is nothing less than God. But even though He is equal with God, He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men” (v. 7). He did not regard His equality with God as a thing to grasp. Rather, He laid aside this equality and emptied Himself. This does not mean, however, that Christ was no longer God. It simply means that He put aside His outward expression of God. Although He subsisted in the form of God, He took on the form of a slave and became in the likeness of men and in the fashion of a man. As a result, He had the appearance of a man instead of the expression of God. On the one hand, having the form of God, Christ emptied Himself. On the other hand, being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross. As the Savior, Christ has both divinity and humanity. He both emptied Himself and humbled Himself. Thus, according to verses 6 through 8, we may speak of the self-emptying and self-humbling Christ.

Philippians 2:9 says, “Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.” This verse indicates that God came in to exalt Christ. For Christ to be exalted means not only that He was uplifted to the third heaven from the lower parts of the earth; it also means that in a glorious way He was brought back with His human nature to the form of God. Before His incarnation, Christ did not have the human nature. But through incarnation He took on humanity. Then He brought this human nature to the cross, shedding His blood for our redemption. After His resurrection, He was uplifted to the heavens and with His human nature was brought back to the form of God in glory. Now He is our pattern. The pattern of the Christian life is the God-man Savior who emptied Himself and humbled Himself and who was exalted and glorified by God. (Life-study of Philippians, msg. 43)

Not Regarding Equality with God a Thing to be Grasped

Verse 6 says, “Who subsisting in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.” The Greek word rendered subsisting denotes existing from the beginning. It implies the Lord’s eternal preexistence. The word form refers to the expression, not the fashion, of God’s being (Heb. 1:3). It is identified with the essence and nature of God’s Person and thus expresses His essence and nature. This refers to Christ’s deity.

In verse 6 Paul tells us that Christ did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. Although the Lord was equal with God, He did not consider this equality a treasure to be grasped and retained. Rather, He laid aside the form of God, not the nature of God, and emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave.

Emptying Himself, Taking the Form of a Slave, and Becoming in the Likeness of Men

Verse 7 goes on to say that Christ “emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men.” When Christ emptied Himself, He laid aside what He possessed—the form of God. The word form in verse 7 is the same word as used for the form of God in verse 6. In His incarnation, the Lord did not alter His divine nature, but only His outward expression of the form of God to that of a slave. This was not a change of essence; it was a change of state.

The word becoming indicates entering into a new state. According to verse 7, Christ became in the “likeness of men.” The form of God implies the inward reality of Christ’s deity; the likeness of men denotes the outward appearance of His humanity. He appeared outwardly to men as a man, but inwardly He had the reality of deity.

Humbling Himself and Becoming Obedient unto the Death of the Cross

Verse 8 continues, “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross.” When Christ became in the likeness of men, entering into the condition of humanity, He was found in fashion as a man by men. The word fashion implies the outward guise, the semblance. What Christ looked like in His humanity was found by men to be in fashion as a man.

Being found in fashion as a man, Christ humbled Himself. First He emptied Himself by putting aside the form, the outward expression, of His deity and becoming in the likeness of men. Then He humbled Himself by becoming obedient even unto death. Christ was God with the expression of God. Although He was equal with God, He put aside this equality and emptied Himself by taking the likeness of men. This indicates that He became a man through incarnation. Then, being found in the appearance of a man, He humbled Himself. This means that when He was a man, He did not insist on anything. Rather, He humbled Himself to the point of dying on the cross. This is Christ as our pattern.

Humbling Himself was a further step in emptying Himself. Christ’s self-humbling manifests His self-emptying. The death of the cross was the climax of Christ’s humiliation. To the Jews this was a curse (Deut. 21:22-23). To the Gentiles it was a death sentence imposed upon malefactors and slaves (Matt. 27:16-17, 20-23). Hence, it was a shameful thing (Heb. 12:2).

The Lord’s humiliation involves seven steps: emptying Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men, humbling Himself, becoming obedient, being obedient even unto death, and being obedient unto the death of the cross. (Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347)

God Highly Exalting Him and Bestowing on Him the Name
Which Is above Every Name

Philippians 2:9 says, “Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.” The Lord humbled Himself to the uttermost, but God exalted Him to the highest peak. The name referred to in this verse is the name of Jesus, as indicated in the following verse. From the time of the Lord’s ascension, there has never been a name on this earth above the name of Jesus. God has exalted Jesus, a real man, to be the Lord of all. Therefore, it is altogether right for us to call, “O Lord Jesus.” We need to confess the Lord’s name openly. What a glory it is to worship the Lord by calling on His name! Actually, in the New Testament we are not told to worship Christ, but there is the clear indication that we are to call on the Lord’s name.

When Paul was Saul of Tarsus, he received authority from the chief priests to bind those who called on the name of Jesus. Today we are opposed for calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. But the more we are opposed and attacked, the more we should call on His name. By His exaltation, the Lord has been given a name which is above every name. There has never been a name in history higher than the name of the Lord Jesus. The highest name in the universe, the greatest name, is the name of Jesus.

In verses 10 and 11 Paul goes on to say, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” The name is the expression of the sum total of what the Lord Jesus is in His Person and work. The words in the name mean in the sphere and element of all the Lord is. It is in this way we worship the Lord and pray to Him.

In verse 10 we see three levels of the universe: heaven, earth, and under the earth. Those who are in heaven are angels, those who are on earth are men, and those who are under the earth are the dead. The day is coming when those on every level will bow their knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord is to call on the Lord (Rom. 10:9-10, 12-13). The Lord Jesus as a man was made the Lord in His ascension by God (Acts 2:36). Thus, every tongue should confess that He is Lord. This confession is to the glory of God the Father. The Greek word rendered to means “resulting in.” Our confessing that Jesus is Lord results in the glory of God the Father. This is the great end of all that Christ is and has done in His Person and work (1 Cor. 15:24-28). (Life-study of Philippians, msg. 11)

The Principle of Christ as a Pattern to Us

Christ as our pattern, our living example. The principle of this pattern is that someone with the highest life and position would be willing to live in a humble way. Christ has the highest life, the life of God, and He has the highest position, which is equality with God, yet He would not grasp that. Rather, He temporarily set it aside (vv. 5-8). To have grasped His equality with God would not have been wrong. Although He had the human nature, it would have been right for Him to take the standing of God. However, He would not grasp that. He put aside His position of equality with God, and He lived in the most humble and lowly way. This is the principle of Christ as the pattern.

We all have to learn this. If today by the sovereignty of God we have a high position and much wealth, we have to lower ourselves. We must lower our position and standard in our living according to the example of Christ. It is not wrong to grasp our position and say that it is something that God has given us to enjoy, but if we do this, we are not taking Christ as our person and pattern. The pattern given to us by Christ is that one has a life in the highest position, yet he is willing to live a life in the lowliest way. We all must learn to lower our position and standard. We may be millionaires, but we should be willing to lower our standard of living and use our substance for the glory of God and the benefit of others. This is the example of Christ, and this is the principle of Christ as a pattern to us who take Him as our life.

If we say that we take Christ as our life and yet do not take Him as our pattern, there is something wrong. In the past I have seen a number of good brothers and sisters in high positions, such as bank managers and university professors, who did love the Lord. Yet to my realization, some of them were not willing to humble themselves and take a lower position. On the one hand, they have the right to enjoy their position; to grasp one’s position is not robbery. However, Christ for the glory of God and for our benefit emptied and humbled Himself to live not as God but as a slave. He truly had the position of God, being equal with God, yet He humbled Himself to live as a slave.

The principle of Christ as the pattern for our living is that even if we have the highest standard, the highest position, we should not grasp it. We should put that aside and lower our standard. As long as we can live on the earth, that is good enough. We should save the rest of what we have for the glory of God and the benefit of others. If we would not do this, if we would keep our standard and grasp our position, we will waste what God has given us. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 2, “A General Sketch of the New Testament in the Light of Christ and the Church (Part 2—Romans through Philemon)”, ch. 18)

CHRIST AS OUR PATTERN BEING NOT ONLY OBJECTIVE
BUT ALSO SUBJECTIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL

The pattern Paul presents in 2:5-8 is not only objective but also subjective. We must ask where this Christ is who is our pattern. Is He in heaven, or is He in us? Verse 9 indicates clearly that God has highly exalted Christ. Thus, there can be no doubt that, as our pattern, Christ is in heaven. He has been exalted to the highest peak in the universe, where God is. This is related to the objective aspect of the pattern. However, if Christ were only in the third heaven objectively, how could we take Him as our pattern today? How could we, who are on earth, follow One who has been exalted and who is now in heaven? It would be impossible. In order for us to take Christ as our pattern, this pattern must also be subjective.

Verse 12 indicates that the pattern is subjective: “So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Salvation here is not salvation from the lake of fire; rather, it refers to what Paul has already said about salvation earlier in this Epistle.

In order for this to be accomplished in our experience, the pattern must be subjective to us as well as objective. If it were only objective, it could not be the salvation worked out by us. The salvation here is not the salvation we receive; it is the salvation we work out. The salvation we receive is the salvation from God’s condemnation and from the lake of fire. There is no need for us to work out that kind of salvation. The salvation in 2:12 is actually a living person. This person is the Christ whom we live, experience, and enjoy. A pattern which is only objective could not be our salvation in this way. The fact that salvation is a living person and that this person is our pattern indicates that the pattern is subjective as well as objective.

God’s Operating in Us

Furthermore, following his word about working out our salvation, Paul goes on to say, “For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure” (v. 13). The word for at the beginning of verse 13 indicates that God’s operating in us is related to our working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. God operates in us both the willing and the working for His good pleasure. Surely the working in verse 13 refers to the working out in verse 12. We may confess that we are not able to work out our own salvation. Yes, in ourselves we are not able, but God, the One operating in us, is able. Since He is operating in us both the willing and the working, we can work out our own salvation. Paul’s word about God operating in us is a further indication that the pattern is subjective as well as objective. Doctrinally, the pattern is objective; experientially, it is subjective.

Cooperating Rather Than Imitating

In Philippians 2 Paul does not charge us to take the objective Christ as our pattern and then imitate Him. Trying to imitate Christ in this way is like a monkey trying to imitate a human being. We should not take verses 5 through 8 out of context. When we consider these verses in context, we see that the pattern is our salvation and that this salvation is God Himself operating in us to save us in a practical way. Although in ourselves we cannot work out our salvation, the One who is able is now operating in us the willing inwardly and the working outwardly. Our responsibility is to cooperate with Him. When we cooperate with God’s operation in us, we take Christ as our pattern. (Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347)

Being Partners with Christ in His Pattern and Standard

Although we cannot share in Christ’s redemption, we need to be partners with Him in His human living, especially in His emptying Himself, humbling Himself, and in His not grasping equality with God as a treasure. Although the Lord subsisted in the form of God and was equal to God, He did not consider this equality a treasure to be grasped and retained. He did not insist on holding onto the form of God, but was willing to empty Himself by laying aside the form of God and putting on the form of a slave. We all should be partners with Christ in this self-emptying. This means that instead of grasping what we have, we should lay these things aside and empty ourselves.

Suppose the wife of a certain brother gives him a difficult time. The way for him to be saved in this situation is not to insist on his headship or on her subordination. He should not regard himself as a king and her as a subject. Neither should he use Ephesians 5:22 to insist that she submit to him. To do this would be to grasp his headship, his “husbandship.” This would not be in keeping with the principle that the Lord did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. Although it is difficult for one who has the headship to lay it aside, this is just what the brother must do in order to experience the Lord’s constant salvation. Of course, the brother can be saved by the inward operation of God. However, 2:5-8 comes before God’s operation, which is in verse 13. Surely God will operate in the brother to save him. Nevertheless, he must be willing to empty himself and lay aside his headship according to the pattern in 2:5-8. However, in most cases, a married brother grasps his headship and refuses to lay it aside. This may give rise to murmurings, reasonings, and bitter exchange of words. The brother here should contact the Lord Jesus and say, “Lord, You did not grasp equality with God, and I do not grasp my headship. Neither do I insist on my position as a husband. By Your gracious mercy, I lay aside my headship.” Simply by doing this, he experiences the first step of God’s constant salvation. Now he must go on to experience the rest by humbling himself, even unto death. Instead of feeling resentment toward his wife for having to lay aside his headship, he should humble himself before her. This is to experience the pattern of constant salvation from incarnation to the death of the cross. If the brother experiences this, God will come in to raise him and exalt him. Then the brother will also experience the standard of God’s instant salvation. As a result, his wife may be humbled, troubled by the fact that she has been giving him a difficult time. Instead of reacting to her in a negative way, her husband emptied himself and humbled himself. Now she realizes that in his experience of Christ he is exalted and enthroned. He has experienced constant salvation with its pattern and standard. (Life-study of Philippians, msg. 49)

Christ Being Not Only an Outward Pattern for Us but Also the Life within Us

This Life Being a Crucified Life

The pattern presented in these verses is now the life within us. This life is what we call a crucified life. The seven steps of Christ’s humiliation are all aspects of the crucified life. Although Christ had the expression of deity, He laid aside this expression. However, He did not lay aside the reality of His deity. He laid aside the higher form, the form of God, and took on a much lower form, the form of a slave. In this, He emptied Himself. Surely this is a mark of a crucified life. Then, after becoming a man and being found in the appearance of a man, Christ humbled Himself even unto the death of the cross. This was the crucified life lived out in a full and absolute way.

Only the Crucified Life Living Such a Pattern

Christ is not only an outward pattern for us; He is also the life within us. As this inner life, He would have us experience Him and thereby live a crucified life. In this crucified life there is no room for rivalry, vainglory, or self-exaltation. On the contrary, there is self-emptying and self-humbling. Whenever we experience Christ and live Christ, we automatically live such a crucified life. This means that when we live Christ, we live the One who is the pattern of a crucified life. Then we also will empty ourselves and humble ourselves.

If we did not have the crucified life within us, we could never live according to the pattern presented in Philippians 2. Only the crucified life can live such a pattern. If we still do things out of rivalry and vainglory or are still ambitious to be leaders, we are not living a crucified life. We are not emptying ourselves or humbling ourselves. However, we have a life within us that truly is a self-emptying and self-humbling life. This life never grasps at something as a treasure. Instead, it is always willing to lay aside position and title.

Living the Crucified Life

When the pattern in Philippians 2 becomes our inward life, the pattern becomes our salvation. Then we are saved from rivalry and vainglory. If the Philippians were not willing to live according to this pattern, they could not make Paul’s joy full. He would still be troubled by their rivalry and vainglory. But if they were willing to live the crucified life, a life that always empties itself and humbles itself, not grasping anything as a treasure, they would have the genuine experience of Christ. Their experience of Christ as such a pattern and inward life would make the apostle extremely happy.

Enjoying the Power of Resurrection

In Philippians 2 we see that we should live a crucified life so that we may enjoy the power of resurrection. We should take the crucified life in verses 5 through 8 as our pattern so that we can experience the power of resurrection, which exalted Christ to the highest peak in the universe (v. 9). Both the experience of Christ as the pattern of a crucified life and the experience of the resurrection power that exalts Him are endless. Day by day we need to live a crucified life. This is to live Christ as our pattern. Instead of having a life of rivalry and vainglory, we should live a life of self-emptying and self-humbling. This is to live a crucified life. By means of this life, we are ushered into the power of resurrection by which Christ is exalted.

There is an urgent need among us the believers to experience Christ as our pattern. We desperately need to experience Him as our crucified life. Such a life stands altogether in contrast to a life of rivalry and vainglory. In the church life we either take the crucified life as our pattern or automatically live a life of rivalry and vainglory. There is no third way. If we do not take the crucified life as our pattern, we will automatically live in the way of rivalry and vainglory. The issue here is extremely serious. We need to be honest with ourselves and consider the kind of life we have been living in the church. Whenever we do not take the crucified life as our pattern, we are living a life of rivalry and vainglory.

The Highest Life on Earth Being the Crucified Life

The highest life on earth is the crucified life, that is, Christ Himself as the One who emptied Himself and humbled Himself. Whenever we live a crucified life, God will bring us into the power of resurrection, and in this power we will be exalted. Furthermore, none of us in the church life should hold to any personal standing. We must stand firm for the Lord’s testimony, yet we should not claim any standing, title, or position for ourselves. Making such claims will never bring us into the power of resurrection. We need to take the crucified life as our pattern. Eventually, we will enter into the power of resurrection where we experience God’s exaltation. Instead of seeking glory for ourselves, we should seek Christ and Him alone; then we will experience the crucified life.

Often the saints complain of weaknesses. We are weak whenever we do not take the crucified life as our pattern. If we are weak in our family life, daily life, or church life, it is an indication that we are not taking the crucified life and therefore are not in the power of resurrection. The gate through which we enter into the power of resurrection is the crucified life. Paul’s expectation concerning the saints in Philippi was that they would live this crucified life and then experience the power of resurrection.

LETTING THIS MIND BE IN US, WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS

In Philippians 2:3-4 Paul says, “Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than yourselves; not regarding each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also.” In verse 5 Paul goes on to say, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” This verse indicates that the mind that was in Christ Jesus should be in us. This in verse 5 refers to considering in verse 3 and regarding in verse 4. This kind of thinking, this kind of mind, was also in Christ when He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and humbled Himself, being found in fashion as a man (vv. 7-8). To have such a mind requires us to be one with Christ in His inward parts (1:8). To experience Christ, we need to be one with Him to this extent, that is, in His tender, inward feeling and in His thinking. (Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347)