It’s Not About Me

I love how the Apostle Paul uses a big Christological gun to slay pride in Philippians 2. Doctrine is often falsely perceived as boring, esoteric and impractical. This is hardly the reality in Scripture as a whole and case in point in Philippians 2:1-11. This is now the third week that the Apostle Paul has been hammering away at our profound need for humility. Disunity has been eating away at the internal DNA and mission of the 10-year old church in the Roman outpost at Philippi.  Principally, disunity  in the local church at Philippi, (or any church for that matter) is conquered through gospel humility. We should, by now, be getting the hint that God wants us to be, to use Peter’s words, “clothed in humility” (I Peter 5:5) when we come together in community and gather in together in worship.

It is easy to to get lost in the trees of a highly Christological text (the kenosis alone is mind-boggling) and miss the proverbial forest in this majestic exposition. This text, albeit doctrinally rich, is intended to be a corporate exhortation to make pride our arch enemy and humility our closest friend. Let’s listen to the Spirit’s conviction this Sunday and be quick to hear and slow to speak…