By Gary Ray Branscome
Christ’s humiliation did
not consist of the fact that He took upon Himself the nature of man, for He
still has both natures. His humiliation is summarized in the words, “Being
found in human form, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Those words tell us that He had
“human form” before He “humbled Himself”.
Likewise, Christ’s
humiliation did not involve a loss of His divine nature, or its attributes. Nor
did it involve a reduction or diminishing of the divine nature. The words, “I
and my Father are one,” and “He who has seen me has seen the Father,” tell
us that while He was on earth He was still fully divine (John
Whatever Christ does after His
incarnation He does not do as God alone, but as the God-man, the incarnate
Messiah. The words, “How much more will the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” tell us that Christ “offered
Himself” through “the eternal Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14). The words, “God left
nothing outside His control. However we do not yet see everything under His
control. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now
crowned with glory and honor; because He suffered death so that by the grace of
God He might taste death for every man,” tell us that Christ (who was fully
in control) willingly suffered death for us (Hebrews 2:8-9). And, the words, “From
now on the Son of man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God,”
and “Who has entered into heaven, and is at God’s right hand,” Tell us
that Christ’s exaltation to the right hand of God came at the end of His
humiliation (Luke 22:69, 1Peter 3:22).