In 1989 something was done in Yosemite National Park that had never been done before. Mark Wellman ascended the nearly vertical face of the 3,000 foot granite monolith, El Capitan. He wasn’t the first man to ever climb that famous peak, but he was the first paraplegic to get it done. He wasn’t carried up or hoisted up. He did it under his own strength, but it WAS with the help of a friend. As I envision it, he couldn’t have done it without the support of Mike Corbett. Very, very often no one can climb to the heights he needs to go without the help of others.
What is Paul’s point in this paragraph? In the margin of my Thompson Edition, KJB, there is this note: “Exhortation to love, unity and humility.” I agree with that assessment, and that is what I have tried to teach over the last couple of lessons. Verse 2 – “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” And then, as we saw Sunday, Paul illustrates his exhortation with highest of all possible examples: Christ. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Out of love, the Son of God humbled himself, submitting Himself to the will of the Triune God. The Lord Jesus has given us an example of each of Paul’s three points – love, humility and unity.
Her is another question about Paul’s purpose in this paragraph: Why was this trio of objectives so important? Pulling the three pieces apart, each has its own merits and significance. I certainly don’t need to explain the importance of love. For many of us, we can hardly function without the love of others to encourage and enable us. “Now abideth faith, (agape love), these three, but the greatest of these is (agape) charity” – First Corinthians 13. And – “can two walk together except they be agreed” – Amos 3:3? No church is going to prosper, if its members are all pulling in different directions. No church is going to accomplish its God-given purpose if there isn’t some degree of unity about that purpose. And humility? Over and over again, the Bible tells us that God will not bless people who don’t possess and display humility. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 23 – “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant… whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” And Peter added, All of you “be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” Clearly, as individuals and as a church, we need to have and display love, humility and unity. And again, we aren’t going to ascend to the heights where we need to be without help.
Here are a couple more questions before we get to the analysis of verses 9 to 11. For God, what will be the ultimate end of all things. For the lack of a better word, what is the goal for the three persons of the Trinity? I don’t know how else to put it except to say: Jehovah has done all things for one purpose – His glory. For example, He created all things, so that He could look on it and say to Himself, “This is good.” But then He permitted sin, so that He could be glorified in the salvation of a few sinners. He chose Abraham and the nation of Israel, so that they would magnify His name in the world. In the crucifixion of His Son, He was able to remain just while gloriously justifying those who believe.
And then comes the various aspects of His judgment. In II Thessalonians 1, Paul said, “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” For the Lord, the ultimate end of all things will be His eternal glorification.
Also, putting it most simply, what is the pinnacle – what is the end – for the child of God? Of course, as I just said, the Lord has saved us for His glory. But what about us as individuals? Isn’t the end of all things for God’s children OUR glorification and all that goes with it? We will be made sinless, and the remnants of the curse will be removed. We will dwell in Heaven in the presence of our Saviour. Our tears will be whipped away. Summarizing all the details, we could simple say, We shall be glorified WITH our Saviour. Romans 8:28 – “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also GLORIFIED.” In the will, and plan, and sight of God, we are ALREADY glorified in Christ. But as far as human time and earthly existence are concerned, that glorification is yet to come. So Paul said earlier in Romans 8 – “I reckon that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the GLORY which SHALL BE REVEALED in us.”
Now going back to my initial illustration – We are a bunch of spiritual cripples – paraplegics – trying to ascend to the top of the mountain. We should have a desire to be the best we can be for the glory of our God and Saviour. And we want our church to be the best that it can be – filled with love, unity and humility. BUT the only way we can reach that summit is to be guided, carried and pulled to the top by the Lord. Remember Peter’s words – “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that HE may exalt you in due time.” The only way to reach the top of this spiritual El Capitan is with God’s mighty hand, lifting us. Therefore humble yourselves that He may exalt you in due time.
Now let’s take a look at verse 9.
The Son of God “took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.”
Doesn’t this sound as though God and the Lord Jesus are two separate persons? And doesn’t this make it sound as though Christ is secondary and subservient to the “real” God? Not in the slightest – especially to someone who has read through the entire New Testament. Notice the last three words of verse 11 – “God the Father.” The God of verse 9 is God the Father. And while admitting once again to the difficulties of understanding the relationships within the Trinity… We still insist that all three persons of the God-head are equally God.
I will never stop being amazed the way the Lord puts things together for me. Yesterday, in our family devotions from John 14, Judy and I read these words by J.C. Ryle: “What did our Lord mean by saying, ‘My Father is greater than I?’ Christ is no doubt ‘equal to the Father as touching His Godhead and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.’ The enemies of the doctrine of Christ’s divinity forget that Trinitarians maintain the humanity of Christ as strongly as His divinity. They never shrink from admitting that while Christ as God is equal to the Father, as man He is inferior to Father. And it is in this sense that He says truly, ‘My father is greater than I.’ It was specially spoken of the time of his incarnation and humiliation. When the Word was ‘made flesh,’ he took on him ‘the form of a servant’ – (Philippians 2:7) This was temporary inferiority.”
Philippians 2:9 says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him…” The word “exalted” in both English and Greek can be found throughout the New Testament. And the word is even applied to Christ Jesus. For example, Act 5:31 – “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” But in this verse, the Greek doesn’t just say “exalted.” – It is “HYPER-EXALTED” – “hooper-oop-so-o.” It shouldn’t surprise us that this is the only place in the Bible where that word is used. There is absolutely no one, except for our Saviour, who should or could be hyper-exalted. Because God the Son gave everything He had, including His life, to save a few sinners, He deserves the exaltation only God the Father can give Him.
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a NAME with his above every name.” Solomon once wrote: “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” Of course, he was not talking about a simple moniker – “Oh, he’s David Oldfield; she’s Kathy or Jackie.” Both Solomon and Paul are talking about a name in the sense of honor, repute or elevation. Because of the all-encompassing sacrifice of Christ Jesus, He has been given the highest honor, position and glory possible.
Verse ten.
“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” Why do you suppose Paul didn’t say “that every HEART should bow?” Isn’t it because it goes without saying that those hearts which are bowed before the Saviour in this life, will willingly bow their knees to the Lord in eternity? But – the knees of those whose hearts are not bowed when they die, will be forced to the ground before the name which is above every name. As Peter says, Christ “is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him” – everything and everyone will be made Christ’s subjects. John, looking into Heaven and into the future, records an echo which runs up and down this Yosemite Valley. “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever” – Revelation 5:13-14.
Who, or what, are these “things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth?” I don’t think that details are necessary here: They include those who are living on earth, those who are living in Heaven and those who are in neither place. The redeemed will joyfully bow and worship the One whose name is above every name. At the same time, the lost will have to admit to their sin of unbelief, and they will have no choice but to acknowledge the supremacy of Christ which they denied throughout their lives. Of course, the angels of God will never have stopped their worship, and their praise will just increase throughout eternity. But there is a day coming when even the demonic rebels will acknowledge the sovereignty of God the Son.
And that brings us to verse 11.
“And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father.” For the saints, every knee, every tongue, every eye and every ear, shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The eyes will confess by twinkling with joy to see Him. And the ears will confess by hanging on His every word. But I believe this verse is talking about EVERY single tongue, whether surrendered to Him today or not. There is a day coming when no one will be able to deny that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, to the glory of the entire Godhead.
To the unbeliever and often to the new believer, the first words of Psalm 110 are confusing. “The Lord (Jehovah) said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Again, this is a conversation within the Trinity where God the Father tells God the Son that in the fulness of time every unbeliever will bow and confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” There is a day coming with Christ’s enemies shall “confess” in the sense they will fully agree and publically testify to the Lord’s supremacy.
It was not Paul’s purpose, but my application of these words is this: It is critical to make our humble confession of Christ today, while we still have life in our hearts to believe and breath in our lungs with which to confess. How important it is not to grudgingly be forced into that confession, when we actually stand in His presence. The Christ-denier of today, is going to reluctantly confess in that day – “Jesus Christ is Lord; He is Jehovah.” But we who know the Lord can – and do – say these things of Christ – to the praise of God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.