War In Your Heart # 67

Christ Our Pattern (continued)

The Infinite Stoop (continued)

The Second Step Down 

Philippians 2:7: Taking the form of a bondslave (Greek).

"Taking." Note again that each step down is never the result of pressure or coercion but by His own voluntary choice.

"The form." He came in human form. He became the Son of Man. The first Adam had met his test in Eden as a man and had failed through disobedience to God and independence of God. The last Adam must meet the same test as Man and succeed. How? By obedience to God and dependence upon God.

"Of a bondslave." Being "the Lord from heaven" gave Him the inherent right to come as a King in regal majesty and splendor; expecting, nay, even requiring service 'from' others. But He had waived such rights in "taking the form of a bondslave" whose office and duty require service "to" others.

But the Lord's voluntary humiliation went much further and deeper than that. "Bondslave" is the lowest word in the scale of servitude. This is a plunge to the very depths. For what is the characteristic mark of a bondslave? That he lives only and always in submission to the will of another; which necessitates obedience and implies dependence. God's second Man, in stooping from Deity to humanity, had by His own choice set aside the legitimate desire and prerogative of Deity to rule and to have His will as Sovereign done, and had stripped Himself of His freedom of will and action as God. "Taking the form of a bondslave" meant that, while still possessing the God-nature, "He was without the right to choose for Himself." As far as He was concerned, the God-nature within Him was held in restraint and bound.

To whom then, was He a bondslave? He was Jehovah's bondslave (Isaiah 42:1; 53:11). As the Representative Man, the pattern for the mew man in Christ Jesus, He stripped Himself of the right to choose anything but the will of the Father. He stepped down from "the form of God" with every right to His own will, to "the form of a bondslave" with no right to His own will regarding anything. One form of expression, the sovereignty of Deity, was set aside to assume another form of expression, the subjection of humanity.

Having taken the form of a bondslave, in what did the emptying consist? He emptied Himself of self-will. Having placed Himself as Man at God's disposal, His right  will was completely subordinated to His Father's will.

His Father's Will was His Will (Hebrews 10:&; Psalm 40:8; John 4:34: John 5:30; John 6:38; John 6:39, 40).

Every conceivable satanic machination and method was employed with diabolical cruelty and cunning to get God's second Man to disobey the declared Word of God, even as God's first man had done. Study satan's first  temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:3).

If ... the Son of God then make use of your equality with God; assert the right of Deity to command; speak your own word of authority. Note the Man's rebuff: (Matthew 4:4).

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 68)