The Humility of the Logos
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Paul uses a hymn of the Doctrine of Humiliation to further reveal the path to church unity.
Text: Phil. 2:5-8
Date: 04/07/2024, the Evening service.
Series: "Evenfall; Sunday Evening Worship" Part 12
Description:
After spelling out both the reasons and methods that lead to church unity, Paul gives the ultimate example-- the Humiliation and Incarnation of Jesus Christ. We will carefully analyze virtually every word of this short hymn that Paul uses to describe the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Humiliation of Christ. In a beautiful melding of poetry and Christology, Paul tells the story of the pre-existence, the humility, the Incarnation, and the Crucifixion of Christ to establish and emphasize the essential formula for unity with the church. Ultimately we will realize how important humility was (and is) to God when He revealed Himself through Christ. And therefore, we will realize that in the Humility of the Logos, we have the model for the Christian life-- both individually and corporately as the church.
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Phil. 2:5-8.
A. Context
B. The extraordinary humiliation of the Logos.
1. Having the mind of Christ, vs. 5.
2. The pre-existent, willing Logos, vs.6.
a. The preexistence of Christ.
i. The ongoing existence, John 1:1-3, 17:5.
ii. The immutable "form" of God.
b. Willingness to be the Christ.
i. Looking at the words.
ii. Putting the words together, 1Pet. 1:20.
3. The humiliation of the Pre-existent Logos, vs. 7.
a. The "emptying".
b. The bondservant.
i. Looking at the words, John 13:12.
ii. "Subtraction by addition".
c. Born of a woman.
i. Looking at the words, Rom. 8:3, Heb. 2:17.
ii. Putting the words together, Col. 2:9, John 1:14.
4. The humiliation of the Incarnate Logos, vs. 8.
a. Emphasizing the humanity of Christ.
b. The image of humility.
c. The symbol of humiliation, Matt. 26:39.
III. Application
IV. Conclusion
