5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. - Phil. 2.5-7 ESV
“We have to give Him away so we can keep Him.” – Connie Davis
In one of the comments to our most recent post, a reader made the above statement regarding the loving witness of the local church. Quite honestly, the statement stopped me in my tracks, so to say, and I stopped reading the comment for a moment, only to let Dee read it with me. Such a statement is a powerful reminder of the called-for worshipful witness of the Church.
I spoke with Connie last night at church. She made mention of her desire for a new ministry endeavor, one which targets ladies who are struggling with addiction. What a tremendous ministry to those in our community. Our prayers are with Connie, and we encourage her to walk on the water with Christ in launching this ministry. Connie, we’ll be checking the discussion forum – A Sonny Gathering – for updates regarding your new ministry. 
Back to her previous comment: it goes hand in hand with something that my prof, Dr. Adewuya, taught us 2 weeks ago. He was teaching on the kenosis of Christ, often referred to as the “self-emptying of Christ” found in Philippians 2.5-11.
Many times verse 7 is interpreted as Christ becoming “less God” in the incarnation (the view which insists that Christ emptied himself of something – equality with God, divine attributes, etc.). Yet, it is more appropriately rendered “Christ made himself nothing” or “He poured himself out.” This flows directly from v. 6, which tells us that Christ, though in God’s form, did not exploit such privilege and “made himself nothing” (v. 7). The Savior was a slave. Our King was crucified like a criminal.
Amazingly, the kenosis of Christ grants us insight into who God is. God’s character, his holy essence, his nature of love is revealed in “Christ making himself nothing.”
It is his self-emptying and humiliation in which he reveals what God is like. It is through his taking the form of a slave that we see the form of God. – Dr. Adewuya
As we have mentioned in previous posts (some of which have been lost to the last WordPress update), the church bears witness to the Triune God through our relational, other-affirming love. We are, after all, intended to be the image-bearers of God to the world around us. Such an image reflects (or should) the mutual indwelling, other-affirming, outward-oriented love that is ultimately depicted in the kenosis of Christ.
So, when we look at the picture of God displayed in Christ making himself nothing, pouring out his life for the sake of humanity, we see a picture of the attitude and relational posture which should characterize the church. If we are “in Christ,” pledging our lives to him by faith, then such love should manifest in how we love those around us. A preacher once said, “I can tell how much you love God by how much you love those around you.”
I think Connie’s statement is profoundly rich in theological substance because it captures the point that participation in the self-sacrificial, other-affirming, Calvary-like love of Jesus is what it means to be “led of the Spirit.” And such Spirit-empowered love directly impacts every area of our lives – our homes, our schools, our jobs, and our local assemblies. If we are led of the same Spirit who led our Lord and Savior, then we are led in the footsteps of his life(style). It is a way of living which is what Michael Gorman calls “the cruciform life;” a life that looks like Jesus in both word and deed – a life in which our faith can be measured by our embrace of the other.
Peace,
Shannon
