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 emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:5-7)
Fully God, fully human. This is the mystery of Jesus. Beware of anyone who lifts up one identity more than the other. Both are fully needed to fully understand the fullness of our Lord. Continuing with the “put others first” theme, we see Paul illustrating the rich wholeness of Christ both as human and God. While many of us are familiar with this, we might not truly understand the full ramifications.
Fully human. This means he can relate to us. He knows what it means to wrestle with brokenness and loss. He saw friends abandon him and strangers despise him. He understood what it meant to serve God in a real world context. Seeing the worst in humanity, he chose to dwell beside them. Knowing the seemingly unredeemable circumstances of humanity, he saw something worth saving.
Fully God. This means we can trust him with our futures. He is not a God who holds it over our heads, looking to punish, but as a God who willingly became human he knows what it takes to save and we can trust him as friend. A God without fingerprints becomes suspect, but a God with DNA can be worshipped and honored. As he calls us to empty ourselves for the world, we can rest in the moral authority of the one who beat us to it.
We worship his deity, and rest in his humanity.
Matt simon blog 