Tag: love

The Shepherd's Voice

What Do We Do Now?

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23)

The church in America recently entered a new reality. The era of Roe is over, many say. Supporters and opponents blasted away at each other on social media (including many Christians, sadly). Many other believers tried to step back, sort out their mixed feelings, and asked, “What now?” To put it another way, “What do we do now?”

Many (rightly, I believe) fear that in winning what essentially amounted to a political battle, the war for hearts, minds, and souls has been or is in danger of being lost. As usual, this is not a post about political strategies, debates, or outcomes. This is a post, rather, about the church’s role in a post-Roe era. 

For the past 40 years or so, the “pro-life” momvent in America has been largely about abortion. Increasingly over the last 20 years, abortion was seen by evangelical Christians as the only issue that mattered when deciding who to vote for or what bills to support or oppose. What’s been the result of this thinking? In large part, the church has been seen as only caring about abortion, regardless of the circumstances, while leaving other issues behind–the needy, poor, justice for other vulnerable people, etc. 

As some have opined over the years, pro-life does not stop with “anti-abortion.” Pro-life means that we are pro- ALL life. And indeed we should be. Jesus came to give us life. He had compassion on the vulnerable people of his day, and rebuked those who would hinder “the least of these” from coming to him. In fact, in Jesus’ picture of the final judgment (Matthew 25:31-46), the sheep and the goats were separated based on how they treated the most vulnerable people of the day–but that wasn’t defined by just one group. 

Those vulnerable people are still among us, church. They are the poor, homeless, needy, disabled–the list could go on. 

And those with unplanned pregnancies are often just as vulnerable.

Now that the shock has worn off, read the statement again: Those with unplanned pregnancies are often just as vulnerable as other groups of vulnerable people. They are often faced with pressures few of us know. They are often scared, intimidated, manipulated, even coerced. Now, before you rise up and check out, read the rest of what I have to say. Many have and will continue to simply say something like, “Well, they just need to do what’s right,” consider this question:

Is that what Jesus did in your case?

He could have, you know. The law was out there. Even the Gentiles, without the written law of Moses, have the revelation of nature and conscience to tell them the difference between right and wrong. God could have simply said, “Hey, just do what’s right! You know what to do, so do it.” But, thankfully (for all of us, including the self-righteous among us), he didn’t do that.

Instead, Jesus came down and entered our world. He became a servant to teach us how to take care of each other–and then he died and rose again to give us new life and the power to love others, especially those trapped in sin, as we were.

For too long, the church has forgotten the lesson of Matthew 23:23. The church has focused on the outward “big” sins, giving time, treasure, resources to the causes, while neglecting the other parts. Now, am I saying that the church should have stayed away from the issue of abortion? Of course not. I’m saying that how the church dealt with abortion was short-sighted, and now we are reaping the fruit of that short-sightedness. 
Perhaps now, with God’s grace, the church will wake up and begin to take care of all of “the least of these.” How should that look? Where should it start? I suggest it starts with repentance. Repentance for “fighting the battle” man’s way instead of God’s way. What is God’s way? The Gospel. And the Gospel is “two-handed.” Not only do we declare the grace of God, but we live it. We help. We listen. We pray. We love. We take care of “the least of these,” the vulnerable people.

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The Shepherd's Voice

Shepherds, Sheep, and Discipleship

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. . . . Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:1–18)

If you have read much of this site and blog, you know that there is an emphasis on discipleship. Jesus did not call us to go out and make converts; He called us to go and make disciples. Lately, I have been thinking much more intentionally about discipleship in the church, not just in the individual lives of believers. 

When we look at Jesus’ ideas about discipleship, we learn quite a bit about discipleship, and one of the best portraits He painted of discipleship is found in John 10.Though this is probably a very familiar passage to most who have attended church, it’s not often referenced in talking about discipleship. Or maybe that’s because discipleship is not often talked about in the church–but that’s another topic. For now, we’ll examine this passage and see what Jesus was telling us about discipleship.

Some Context: The Shepherd and the Sheep

The first thing Jesus says here is, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door . . .” Now, let’s stop for a moment and get some context. Jesus is talking about a sheepfold, something we may or may not have an accurate idea of. The sheep pen was a common sight in Palestine, and thus would have been familiar to His listeners. It would have been a stone or mud-brick enclosure partially roofed, or perhaps a cave in the hills. Either would have had a single point of entry and was designed to protect the sheep from wolves and thieves. The roofing was often made of briars to prevent thieves from trying to climb over the wall.

It was common for multiple families to use the same sheepfold, and so Jesus indicates that the shepherd calls out his own sheep (v. 3). Only the sheep that belonged to the shepherd would respond to his voice. In fact, a shepherd would often individually name his sheep, and thus “he calls his own sheep by name.” But the sheep wouldn’t respond to the voice of one they did know; they would flee from someone trying to imitate the shepherd’s call (v. 5)

Since the people listening to this did not understand what Jesus was trying to teach them, He explained it. First, He said that He was the door. As the door, the only way to salvation is through Him. Likewise, to truly be a part of the flock, one is required to go through Him. Anyone else offering a different way of salvation is a thief and a robber. Unlike the thief, Jesus came to give His sheep salvation, significance, and security. He came to give them life–all the things we cannot find apart from Him.

The Shepherd, Sheep, and Discipleship

Now we are going to look at some things we see in this passage about disciples and discipleship. Some are directly taught, some are implications from the text (taken with other texts). With them, we begin to get a broad picture of what discipleship should look like.

1. Discipleship must start and end with Jesus.

Jesus said I am the door. Biblical discipleship is all about the process of being transformed into the image of Christ. Therefore, anyone who will begin on this journey must go through the door of Christ. Not only that, but the goal of biblical discipleship is Christ. It’s not just mastering a body of knowledge. Rather, it is becoming like Him.

2. We imitate others only to the extent that they imitate Christ.

Throughout the New Testament we are called to imitate Christ. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice and flee from a stranger’s voice. Because we have the Holy Spirit, we can speak to each other with the same voice as Christ. This is why Paul and other writers can urge their readers to imitate them. But, we are to imitate another only to the extent they imitate Christ. And that requires seeing the fruit of their life. (See 1 Cor. 11:1; 2 Thess. 3:7, 9; Heb. 13:7; 3 John 1:11.)

3. Discipleship is done in community.

The picture Jesus paints here is of the sheepfold. There are none of the sheep left outside the sheepfold (except to go out and come back in, see #4). This is a theme throughout the New Testament. While we in the west have made faith highly individualistic, this is not the thrust of the biblical writers. They wrote to people in community and encouraged them within that community to stay in community. Why is this? Because discipleship is relational in nature, and therefore can best be accomplished in community.

4. Discipleship leads to making more disciples.

Notice that Jesus said that those who enter through the door “will be saved and will go in and out.” Disciples, like sheep, aren’t meant to live permanently in the sheepfold, never venturing out. No, we are to go out as we are ready and make more disciples to bring into the fold. Notice also that Jesus said the one who enters through the door will do these things. Discipleship naturally leads to the process repeating itself.

5. Discipleship is measured by fruit-bearing. 

In verse 10, Jesus says that He came to give His sheep life. He also says that those who enter through the door (Himself) will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. We have life from the moment we are saved. Yet, what Jesus is talking about here is our experience of life. As we’re transformed more and more into His image, we experience more of that abundant life He promised. This is not primarily about things like health, wealth, success, or other worldly ideas of life. It has rather to do with viewing people and life as Jesus does, and placing our absolute trust in His goodness, no matter what.

Therefore, we can measure the extent to which discipleship is occurring in one’s life by fruit. Paul gave an excellent list of this in Galatians 5:22-23. The extent to which these are present in the disciple’s life determines his experience of life. (See also Hebrews 13:7).

6. Disciplers are devoted to the Shepherd and the welfare of the sheep.

In the analogy of shepherds and sheep, those who disciple others, coming alongside them in their journey of transformation, are really under-shepherds. They will give of themselves for the sake of the sheep. While they may not be called to literally die for the sheep, they have a willingness to “lay down their lives” for the sheep. They invest in the sheep because of their love and devotion to the Shepherd.

7. Disciplers are concerned about those not in the sheepfold.

Notice that Jesus said He had other sheep not in that fold. Not only was He referring to unbelievers who would believe the gospel, but He was also talking about those who were already His sheep, just living outside the sheepfold. That is the most dangerous place for a sheep to be, since the wolves can easily attack and kill it. One who is an under-shepherd and called to disciple others cares about these “lost sheep,” and seeks them out to bring them back into the fold.

In the end, there will be one fold and one Shepherd, and it’s the job of the Body to see that come to pass. We are to bring them in, that the fold may be full.

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The Shepherd's Voice

Living in the New Covenant

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

In the last two posts, we’ve been discussing the heart of fallen man and the New Covenant as the solution. When we look at the promises of the New Covenant against the needs of fallen humanity, we see that God has given the believer everything he or she needs to live in Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4). 

In this post, we are going to discuss some realities and implications of the New Covenant. As a fan of “theology meeting reality,” what does it mean for the believer? One of my favorite questions to ask is often, “So what?” We’ll take some of the most common and important questions about the New Covenant and see what the Scriptures say about them.

The Reality of the New Covenant

Question: Isn’t the change promised in the New Covenant just “positional” truth?

This is a common question when considering the New Covenant, and in fact, many Bible teachers teach this very idea, that the truth of the New Covenant is only “positional.” What they mean is, “This is how God sees us, since we are ‘in Christ’.” The implication is that the changes we’ve talked about didn’t really happen (as a matter of historical fact); we are to simply believe they did and live them out.

Without getting too technical, most of the debate centers around interpretation of Romans 6-7, particularly where Paul describes what happens to a person who is saved. The thrust of Romans 6 is union and identification with Christ. Because those passages don’t specifically mention the changes of the New Covenant, and because one of Paul’s favorite phrases to describe Christians is one who is “in Christ,” many conclude that this truth is only positional in nature.

Thus, many (if not the majority of) Christians today live as though the New Covenant is only a truth to be believed, not an actual reality from which to ground their life in. My question to think about is, “Did God do what He promised He would do?” The Scriptures give us the answer:

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19)

The short answer, then, is “Yes! He accomplished what He promised.” In fact, the New Testament has much to say about the new Covenant. (In fact, the term Testament is the old word for Covenant, so when we read in the New Testament, we are really reading all about the New Covenant.) Jesus told His disciples that His death would usher it in, and His blood was “the New Covenant in my blood” (or “the blood of the New Covenant”). The Scriptures treat the New Covenant as a reality, not as an exercise in pretend or make-believe. (For more information, including an explanation of how this is seen in the New Testament, see the article The Nature of Salvation.)

Evidence, Please

Question: How can I know I have the new heart?

When writing to the church at Colosse, Paul said this:

Of this [hope] you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, (Colossians 1:5–6, emphasis added)

Whatever else Paul is saying in this passage, he is saying one inescapable thing: the gospel (the New Covenant) always bears fruit and increasingly so. When one is saved and given the new heart, he or she is changed. Our lives are always producing fruit, whether good or bad. Jesus had something to say about that:

For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:43–45)

What does this mean for us who are saved? In short, it means that we will begin to produce fruit. Why? Because it’s now our nature to do so. Will we be perfect? No. Will we grow in love, holiness, and obedience? Absolutely. The first letter of John is all about this. The apostle John wrote this letter so that “you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). In this letter, he gives specific marks or signs of a believer. He says, “This is how you can tell a believer.” And the signs all come down to one thing: the fruit of a person’s life.

For the one saved, there will be evidence of the change–sometimes only small pieces of evidence, subtle changes at first. But they will be there.

What About This Sin?

Question: Why do I still struggle with sin?

This is another common question when learning about the New Covenant. A related question is, “Can a Christian live a perfectly sinless life?” Some teach that Christians who struggle with sin just aren’t trying hard enough or haven’t fully surrendered to God, or some variation of those things. Scripture, however, has a different perspective. We’ll start by looking at Romans 8.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:1–11)  

In this passage, Paul is talking about what he calls the flesh. What do we know about the flesh? In short, we see that the flesh is hostile to God and cannot please God (vv. 7-8). Now, do we still have the flesh? Yes. Remember, Paul is writing to believers here. Notice he makes a distinction between being in the flesh and walking according to the flesh. He pointedly says to his readers, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (v. 9, emphasis added). 

However, he also says that it’s quite possible to “walk according to the flesh.” What does this mean? It means that we live in the same manner, with the same attitudes, as we did before we were saved. He defines walking according to the flesh as setting the mind on the things of the flesh. Likewise he defines living by the Spirit as setting the mind on the things of the Spirit (v. 5). Like the Sinful Heart, the flesh desires one thing–to find life through independence, apart from God and His ways.

I like to use the analogy of a mainframe computer connected to other computers. If a virus was to be implanted in the mainframe computer, it would systematically program the rest of the computers with that virus. This is what’s happened with fallen humanity. The Sinful Heart programmed every part of us to live independently of God. When one is saved, the old heart is removed and replaced by the Spiritual Heart (Ezek. 36:26). But, the other computers are not replaced. They have to be reprogrammed. 

This is where Paul’s words about “crucifying the flesh” in Romans 6 and renewing the mind (Romans 12) come in. Theologians call this process sanctification, but it really just means we are becoming more like Christ; we are living according to our new identity more and more and less and less like our old self. This is a lifelong process, Paul told the Philippians,

I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

When will this work be completed? At the day of the return of Jesus Christ. Will it be completed? Absolutely. For those of us who have surrendered to Christ, we have God’s Word on that. No matter how much we stumble or how slowly we grow, we can be sure that He is walking with us and will finish what He started.

[For a more detailed look at these questions read the 5-part blog series How Then Shall We Live?]

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The Shepherd's Voice

A Cure for the Incurable

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

In the last post (An Incurable Diagnosis, 2/18/2021), we saw the condition of fallen humanity. It was a grim discovery. To be blunt, the idea that humanity is basically good is a myth, which is supported by neither Scripture nor historical evidence. Humanity has, as we said in the last post, an incurably terminal disease–the disease of sin and self. Because of sin, every person is born with what we might call the Sinful Heart. 

The Sinful Heart, as we saw in the last post, is totally corrupted, and completely bent away from God. Its sole motivation is to find life apart from God and His ways. Because the heart is at the center of being, the Sinful Heart systematically programs every part of a person–mind, will, emotions, and body–in those same desires and strategies. And because every person is born with the Sinful Heart, the entire human race has been corrupted.

And this condition, according to the Lord, is terminal (leading to spiritual death) and incurable.

A Heart Transplant

It’s not enough to have a system of sacrifice in place. It’s not enough for people’s sins to be forgiven. It’s not enough to exhort people to obey the law. In order to save those doomed to separation from God, a radical solution is needed–a heart transplant. And that’s exactly what the Lord has provided. Let’s look at two passages that describe this transplant.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33–34)

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:25–27)

When we take these two passages together, we get a full and complete picture of how deeply the Lord responded to the plight of the human race, even beyond the needed heart transplant.

Preparation for the Surgery

The first thing the Lord says to Ezekiel in this passage is, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you” (Ezek. 36:25). To prepare us for the heart transplant, the Lord first cleanses us. As part of that, He also told Jeremiah, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:34). 

This is an important statement, since sins were not fully put away under the Old Testament sacrificial system. The author of Hebrews tells us,

[The law] can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. (Hebrews 10:1–3)

Instead of putting away sin, the sacrifices actually reminded people that they were still under sin. Their sin was covered, not forgiven. Yet, the Lord says He would not only forgive sin, but would “remember it no more.” So, under the New Covenant that the Lord is making, His people are now cleansed of sin and totally forgiven. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven and cleansed.

A New Heart

After preparing for surgery, it’s time to actually do the heart transplant. The Lord told Ezekiel, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26). Let’s unpack this a little. If you’ll recall, the heart of fallen sinful man was compared to stone, on which sin had been written. This resulted in a heart totally corrupted, hostile to God’s ways and determined to find life apart from God. This heart could not be changed (hence the idea of sin being inscribed with iron and diamond). It must be replaced.

This new heart, according to the Lord will be a heart of flesh, instead of the heart of stone that resides within fallen humanity. What this means is that, instead of the Sinful Heart, then, His people would have the Spiritual Heart–a heart that is bent toward following the Lord and His ways, as much desiring to live in dependence on God as the Sinful Heart desired independence from Him.

But that’s not all; the Lord goes further. Not only does He replace the heart, but he says, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33). Not only will His people  have a new heart, but that new heart is inscribed with the Law of the Lord (the direct opposite of Jer. 17:1, “[their] sin . . . is engraved on the tablet of their heart”).

A New Way to Relate

In addition to changing the very nature of His people, the Lord does something else. He gives us a new way of relating with Him. Look at these statements:

I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

They shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

These promises all boil down to one thing: intimacy with God. An intimacy that was unknown before. Yes, the Lord called Moses His servant and friend, and He called David a man after His own heart, and walked and talked with Abraham. But even they did not have the intimacy that he offers His people now. As part of the New Covenant, the very Spirit of God will reside in His people! All of His people will know Him, from the least to the greatest. There will be no distinction between priest and commoner. All will be priests. 

A Long-Awaited Answer

This is really the answer to the long-before prayer of King David. In Psalm 51, He prays:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . . Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:1–12)

When we compare David’s prayer to the promises of the New Covenant, we find that God did fully and completely grant David’s plea. Likewise, those of us who have repented and cried out for mercy can rest assured that, as He did for David, as He promises to Israel, He will give us that same new heart and a willing spirit, in order that we will love, obey, and walk with Him. We have been made new, cleansed, and forgiven by the New Covenant sealed by Christ’s blood.

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The Shepherd's Voice

Fasting and Fighting

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

“Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet! Yell as loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront Jacob’s family with their sin! They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God. They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’ Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers. Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven. Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the LORD? No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the LORD’s splendor will be your rear guard. Then you will call out, and the LORD will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’ You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. The LORD will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water. Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestablish the ancient foundations. You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls, the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’ . . . ” Know for certain that the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 58:1-14, NET)

There’s been a fair amount of teaching on the subject of fasting in the last twenty years within the church. Many of us know what fasting is supposed to be about, and even how to do so. There are even movements dedicated to the idea of fasting and prayer for specific things. With all the fasting going on, many wonder why we don’t see more breakthroughs. This passage sheds some light on the question.

Confronting God’s People With Their Rebellion

The Lord starts out by telling the prophet to loudly and forcefully confront the people of God (Israel/Jacob) with their sin and rebellion. Yes, He uses the word rebellion for what He is about to describe. Whatever it is, the Lord takes it seriously. In the same way, we must take His words to us as seriously.

The first thing God points out is that Israel seeks Him daily. Surely this is no sin in itself. The Lord acknowledges that Israel wants “to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God” (v. 2). Sounds like Israel is on the right track there. Israel wants to be near the Lord, but they cry out, “Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves” (v. 3a), For some reason, God was not hearing their prayers and paying attention to their fasting. Why is that?

God does not keep the reason hidden from them: “Look, at the same time you fast, you . . . .” (v. 3b). Here the Lord begins to lay out a series of indictments. What it comes down to is this: While the people pray and fast, their heart is not pure. They are not doing what He told them to do. He called them to devote themselves to His way, and they are trying to gain His favor while doing what they want. In fact, he says:

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers. Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven (vv. 3-4).

In other words, the Lord was telling Israel, “Don’t keep doing things the same way you have been and expect different results!” He calls such a fast a fake or false fast. He asks the rhetorical question,

Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the LORD? (v. 5)

Of course the expected answer to that question is, “No!” Then the Lord tells Israel what they do need to be doing. He lays out His desires in detail:

  • to set free those bound in sin
  • to work for the freedom of the oppressed
  • to share food with the hungry
  • to shelter the homeless
  • to clothe the naked

These are the things the Lord wants His people to be about. This is not new territory either. In Deuteronomy 10, the Lord reminded Israel:

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? . . . He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:12–13, 18-19, ESV)

Because the Lord was concerned about the fatherless, widows, sojourner, and homeless, Israel was also commanded to care for these vulnerable peoples. They had failed to do that. Not only that, but they were fighting each other! Read again the Lord’s indictment: “Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights” (Isa. 58:4). And James tells us where such quarrels come from:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (James 4:1–3, ESV)

Is This For Us?

Can anyone who takes an honest look at the church today deny that these words are as much for us as they were for Israel? Do we not see the church embroiled in controversies (which often have little to no eternal value), quarrels, and even fights? Many in the church claim to be followers of Christ while aligning their heart with a political system that is anti-Christ and anti-gospel. Even if we don’t often fast, we do engage in other religious activities–church, prayer, witnessing. And when we do those things without obeying God’s commands to see and care for people, we fall under the same condemnation.

Why are we arguing about masks, vaccines, CRT, and a host of other things (and even making them essentials to the Christian faith) while pushing the very people away to whom we are to be declaring and living the gospel? Why is our only response to the chains of sin and oppression often “Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” It seems that our exercises of orthodoxy, prayer, and witnessing have fallen to the same level as those of the Pharisees.

“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! (Matthew 23:23–24, NET)

What must we do? The call to us is the same as the call to Israel:

[T]his is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! . . . You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. (Isaiah 58:6–7, 9-10)

When we do that, we have the same promise that God gave Israel:

Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday (v. 10).

We in the church have cursed the darkness for too long. We have “fought the culture wars” too long. It’s time to instead shine the light of Christ into the world.

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Greatest Gift of All

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[The LORD said], “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. . . . I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:6–10)

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Some time ago on the blog, we discussed four women who each, in their own ways, asked the question, “Does God see me?” (“The God Who Sees”, 5/11/21)  In this post, we’re going to follow up on that discussion. Though we often know all the songs to sing at Christmas (such as “Immanuel”), few seem to really grasp the real impact of the birth of Christ. In fact, more and more people, it seems, are asking that same question: Does God see me? Before we get there, though, we’re going to set the answer in perspective.

Another Cry For Deliverance

It has now been 400 years since Israel (Jacob) and his people entered Egypt. All of that generation had, of course, passed away. Scripture tells us that “there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). Joseph, the one who had been used of God to save Egypt during the famine had been forgotten. By this time the people of Israel had grown tremendously, so much so that the Egyptians feared them. So, they made slaves of them. They had now been in bondage as slaves to Egypt for 400 years. 

And God calls a man named Moses to deliver them. Reluctantly, he goes to Egypt. You probably know the story. The ten plagues, culminating in the Passover. The blood of a lamb was smeared on the doorpost of every Jewish home, and the angel of the Lord “passed over” Israel as every firstborn in Egypt died. Not only did the Egyptians let Israel go, but they drove Israel out, because they were afraid they would die. God had certainly seen the suffering of His people and delivered them with a mighty hand–so much so that Israel would speak and sing about it for generations to come in the Psalms.

What part of that really made Israel’s deliverance from Egypt possible? The Passover. Israel belonged to God from the moment the lambs were slain and the blood put on the doorposts. In the law of Moses, we read that God has a claim on every firstborn, whether human or animal. The Hebrews were told to either sacrifice or redeem every firstborn. (And the law further said that every firstborn child must be redeemed.) 

Now fast forward through history. We see time and time again Israel breaking the covenant that God had given to them. Time and time again, Israel breaks the covenant, repents and sacrifices, and then sins again. In fact, the very sacrifices they offer for sin (including the Passover) simply remind them of their sin (Hebrews 10:3). They were still struggling under sin because 1) it had not been put away and 2) its power over them had not been broken. They were still in bondage–a more terrible bondage than the Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, or even Romans could inflict.

A Silent Night

Fast forward again. It’s now around 4 B.C. The people of Israel are once again in bondage–in fact they have been for the last several hundred years. Now it’s the Romans. Again the voice of the Lord has been silent. For 400 years, no prophet of the Lord has arisen. And again the cry of Israel goes up before Israel, as people wonder where the Lord is with His mighty promises. (They often wonder in private, mind you, for fear of exposing themselves to shame from the religious folk.) And again the Lord hears their cry, sending a deliverer.

This time is different though.

In previous times, He sent other people. Moses. Gideon. Samson. Deborah. Samuel. Saul. David. Some were good people, devoted to Him. Some turned out to be not so devoted. Yet, they were all His instruments. And they delivered Israel and gave her peace for a time–until she fell again.

This time is different. This time, the Lord decided to deal with the real bondage that enslave His people. And He decided He wasn’t going to send someone else to do the job.

He sent Himself.

His arrival follows a theme found even in the Old Testament–using those who seem the least likely to be picked (Moses, Gideon, Deborah, and David are a few examples). He arrives as a baby! Think of it: The God of the universe becomes human and lives among His sin-stained creation. Not only that, but this baby is born to a virgin who is betrothed (though not married) to a man. They were lower-end of the income scale (they could only afford two pigeons at the baby’s dedication). And finally, the family settled in Nazareth–can anything good come from Nazareth?

When Jesus grows up to manhood, what does He do? Organize an army to kick the Romans out? No. In fact, He tells people (including Pilate) that though He is a king, His kingdom is not of this world. There will come a time when His kingdom will invade the earth, but that time is not now. What He is here to do now is to deal with the real problem. That problem is the problem of their bondage to sin.

Did Jesus come to identify with our pain? Absolutely. We are told that He has suffered and been tempted in all points as we have. Where does that pain come from? The pain comes from the deepest cry of the human soul (which is to know and belong to God) that is bound in sin. Jesus came first to save us ultimately from our fallen selves. 

God sent Himself to us to tell us, “I see your pain. I hear your cry. And I hear the cry that you may not even recognize.” That is the greatest gift of Christmas.

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The Shepherd's Voice

A Day of Thanksgiving–or Anxiety?

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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4–9)

There can be no doubt that anxiety floods this world. These are chaotic, anxious, and uncertain times. One never knows what’s going to happen from day to day, and things seem to always be changing. Beyond that, the world is once again divided–and that division extends into countries, including America. There is hope in the midst of the uncertainty, though. Here in this passage, the Apostle Paul tells us how we can move past the anxiety and into the peace our souls seek. 

Anxiety: The Symptom of a Larger Problem

What is anxiety? Oxford Languages defines anxiety as “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” Most would agree with that definition. Anxiety, then, comes from worrying about outcomes or events. Why do we worry about them? We only worry about them when we think they are a direct threat to our own goals. Let’s look at another passage that sheds light on this, one that’s familiar to many of us:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:25–33)

Jesus tells us here that we do often worry about our physical needs. Why are we anxious about them? 

Because the flesh and the fallen nature desire to obtain these things apart from God.

That is the root cause of anxiety and worry. Anxiety comes from us wanting to do things our way, but being uncertain that we can achieve the goals we set. This is as true about personal needs (security and significance) as it is about physical needs (food, shelter, etc.). 

It’s not enough to say “Just don’t be anxious.” Neither Paul nor Jesus did that. They got to the root cause. What’s the root cause? Control. Who am I going to let control my life? Me or God? If I control my life, then the goals I set for myself will always be able to be blocked or thwarted. In simple terms, I cannot guarantee my own success. If, however, I allow the Lord to dictate my life, knowing that He is good and has promised to meet all my needs, then the goal He sets for me (knowing Him and being conformed to His image) is absolutely attainable.

The Solution to Anxiety: Dependence

The solution to anxiety is not to focus on the anxiety. It does no good to just tell an anxious person “Don’t be anxious.” Look back at Paul’s words:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Instead of being anxious, we are to be dependent. 

We are to ask God for the things we need, and then thank Him. Why thank Him? Because He is good and will always give us what we need (even if it’s not what we thought we needed).True biblical dependence involves acknowledging both God’s ability to provide (His power) and His willingness to provide (His character).

We, on the other hand, are simply not able to provide for ourselves apart from God. We are by nature dependent beings, having been created. 

Peace: The Result of Dependence

When we move into dependence on God (including trusting His heart), look what happens–we receive peace. Some people teach that peace is the solution to anxiety, and we are to pray for peace. Peace, however, is the result of our obedient dependence and trust in the Lord. Why? Because when I know I am safe and secure in Him, I can have peace. We can’t just conjure up peace, it is a fruit (see Gal. 5:22-23). Fruit is the result of things.

Maintaining this fruit (peace) requires that we live in a state of dependence. By consistently turning away from the flesh’s attempt to live life apart from God. Notice that Paul describes this “peace of God” in two ways. First, it surpasses all understanding (see also John 14:26-27). In the midst of the hardest storms, we can have peace. I’ve known people and known of people who had utter peace in the midst of a cancer diagnosis.  And it was not understandable in the human perspective.

Second, this peace that surpasses understanding is said to “guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” It is this peace that keeps us steady in our faith in the hard and uncertain times.

Maintaining this peace also requires that we change the focus of our thinking. Paul’s final instruction in this passage tells us to think in certain ways. He writes,

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

What do all of those things add up to? God. We are to think on the things of God (or in Jesus’ terms, seek first God and His righteousness). We are to think like Him. We are to develop a knowledge of His character and deepen our trust in that character. The more we know these things (by constantly thinking on them) and put them into practice, the more we will sense God’s presence in the midst of our lives (“the God of peace will be with you”). 

This Thanksgiving season is a perfect time to begin to turn to God in dependence and trust. The more we trust Him, the more faithful He shows Himself, and thus the more thankful we will truly be. And the less anxiety we will see in us and those around us.

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The Shepherd's Voice

Unintended Consequences

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In January 2019, I wrote a post that was triggered by New York’s abortion law that legalizes abortion up to 24 weeks (see “The Slaughter of the Innocents: Then and Now”). A year and a half later, I find it necessary to revisit this issue–this time to talk about a law and its implications on the other extreme. Texas recently passed a law (known simply as Senate Bill 8) that bans abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected. In a novel legal twist, however, the state does not enforce the law. Rather, it empowers private citizens to bring suit against those who “aid and abet” abortions–including providers, those who provide money, even those who drive a woman to the clinic.

Now, before I continue, let me just say that I am staunchly pro-life. (And I’m learning to be more consistently pro-life.) Abortion is simply state-sanctioned murder of the most helpless humans. That being said, this law has wider implications than many realize. By basically incentivizing lawsuits, the law allows people to profit off of the often gut-wrenching decisions that a woman must make (thankfully, the woman cannot be a target of such lawsuits). My question is, how can a follower of Christ claim to support such an action?

Not only that, but this takes us further down the road of “the end justifies the means” thinking. While some Christians may think this is a biblical idea, I disagree. Jesus never taught such a thing, nor is it found anywhere in Scripture. While we must do as our conscience dictates, that must never be allowed to be an excuse to violate Scripture.

Further, has anyone considered that such a bill will only deepen the suspicious nature of fallen humanity? A woman is pregnant and is scared, but she may suddenly feel that she cannot reach out to anyone. Why? Because anyone she reaches out to may, in the event that she has an abortion, become either a target of a lawsuit or (and worse) one who goes after “a bounty” based on that information. Again, I ask, how could a follower of Christ do that in good conscience?

There’s one more implication that we need to consider. This law reminds me of many laws in authoritarian nations that encourage people to take action against or report those who express views that are critical of the government or established policy. Such laws are often used to discourage free speech. While abortion is not a free speech issue, does such a law not open the door to a future wider use of a similar law? This should concern the church at large, but I fear it’s a case of the church being too short-sighted, looking only at the moment, and not at the future consequences. Those worldly ideas that the church thinks are great now will often be turned against us in the future to stop the preaching of the gospel.

My friends, this is not the way. We must not stoop to worldly methods and ways to advance a righteous cause. If we want to see society changed, we will only see that happen when hearts are changed by the power of Christ through the gospel. Translation? If you want to see abortion end along with other injustices and inequalities, preach the gospel. Not everyone will believe, but those who do will be saved and changed. And ultimately that will bring us one step closer to the Eternal Kingdom.

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Fall of Nations

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If you have watched the news recently, you likely have seen the stories of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan after twenty years of conflict. The images that came from the airport at Kabul were as shocking as those from the Vietnam era–and even more so. Desperate people clung to airplanes as they sought to escape the Taliban.

Of course, now we are seeing the Genesis 3 game, “Blame the Other Guy.” President Biden blames the Afghans for “lacking the will to fight” (though in fairness they have been fighting for 20 years–and much longer before we came on the scene). The Republicans blame the President (though in honesty and fairness, the withdrawal was announced by former President Obama and the deal was brokered by former President Trump). In the midst of the wrangling, people have been forgotten about.

This isn’t a post about the Taliban, American politics, or even specifically about the fall of Afghanistan. Rather, this is a post about the bigger and deeper issue that lies beneath–the loss of America’s moral leadership. That statement may shock you, and it both should and should not shock you.

Almost since the founding of this country, America has lauded itself as the great moral leader of the world. America will do what’s right. America will protect the interests of those who are weak. Yet, that moral leadership has been slowly deteriorating. No one event can be said to cause the decline. Though the so-called “religious right” like to assert that America was a “Christian nation,” that has never really been true. Founded on Judeo-Christian principles? Certainly. Christian (as in ‘submitted to Christ’s leadership’)? Never. But I digress…

What we have seen is the result of leadership not submitted to Christ. That is not a political statement. That is a biblical statement. Human nature will always seek life apart from God, and part of that is a loss of a moral compass. It was once said of America and democracy that American democracy was the great hope of the world. Even countries that disagreed with America at least trusted her. Now, America doesn’t keep the promises she made. President Biden said that Afghanistan had lost the will to fight. Could it be rather that America has lost the will to fight? (And not just in a military sense.)

I have long said that there will be a day of reckoning, where the church will have to choose between continuing to Americanize the gospel or be the church and preach the Gospel of Christ. Recent events highlight the fact that this day is coming sooner than perhaps we’d like. Make no mistake, the country that has lost moral leadership on the international level has already lost moral leadership at home. With that, we will see the nation turn against those who claim the name of Christ.

What must the church do? Prepare. We are directed to live our lives in such a way as to give no reason for the world to substantiate any accusations against us. We cannot do this as long as we look to politics to solve problems. We must stop allowing our political viewpoints to dictate how we view Scripture, the church, and others. Instead, we must thrust ourselves onto Christ alone and let Him inform our conscience and our worldview. And I daresay that His worldview will be shockingly different than those who have mixed politics and Christianity. As I wrote in an open letter some time ago, the American church has hitched herself to two horses, the horse of America and the horse of the gospel. These two are fundamentally incompatible with each other. It’s time for the church to decide on which horse she will continue to ride, because to ride on both is no longer possible.

[Read the full text of “The Church in America: An Open Letter“].

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Mind of Christ

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Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross! As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

— (Philippians 2:1–11, NET)

Some time ago, I was asked a question regarding this passage of Scripture. The question focused on the idea that Christ “emptied Himself,” and wanted to know what that really meant. This is one of those topics that has caused much debate in the church, and like many such debates it misses the point of the passage.

We can naturally break this passage down into a few parts.

  • The appeal for unity and of one mind (vv. 1–2)
  • A description of the “one mind” (vv. 3–5).
  • Christ’s example of these traits (vv. 6–8).
  • Christ’s exaltation because of His humility (vv. 9–11).

Paul’s thinking here is quite logical and natural, so we’ll talk about each in turn.

A) The appeal for unity and of one mind (vv. 1–2).

Paul begins by appealing to the Philippians for unity. He appeals to them to be “”like-minded, having the same love, united in spirit, with a single purpose” (Mounce Reverse Interlinear Translation). He asks them to do this so that his joy in them my be complete. This doesn’t imply that the Philippian church was divided, but rather it is simply a call to maintain that unity that the church has within and with the apostle.

B) A description of the “one mind” (vv. 3–4).

What does this unity, this “like-mindedness” look like? Paul sets out to describe it in the next three verses. The traits he lists include:

  • An absence of selfish ambition and conceit
  • Considering others more important
  • Looking out for the interests of others, instead of only looking out for self.

What do these things add up to? Humility. That’s the attitude that will promote the kind of like-mindedness and promote God’s purpose that Paul mentions.

C) Christ’s example of these traits (vv. 5–8).

Verse five really holds a key to understanding the passage. Notice that Pual says the Philippians should “have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had.” Then he proceeds to describe Christ’s attitude.

This is where most people get tangled up. They focus on what it means for Christ to empty Himself, rather than Paul’s point. Paul’s point in these verses is simply this: Though Lord of all, Christ became a servant to others. He set aside His own needs and desires for the good of others. That is Paul’s point.

D) Christ’s exaltation because of His humility (vv. 9–11).

Because Christ showed such humility, even though He is God-in-the-flesh, the Father has placed Him above all people and things. Though He became the lowliest servant and suffered God’s wrath for us all, now He has “the name that is above every name.” This echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

In the same way, the believer who practices such humility will be exalted in due time. James writes, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (James 4:10).

What Does it Mean?

So, the Bible doesn’t directly answer that question. There are, however, some things we can say about Christ’s emptying Himself.

Most importantly, Christ never ceased being God. God cannot cease to be God, nor can God give up any of His attributes.

What it really means is this: God took the form of a servant, both to save us and to show us how we are to live in His grace.

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