A Woman's Worth, by Elaine Stedman
"Have this mind among yourselves, which you have in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross". (Philippians 2:5-8)
Jesus Christ, though he could not in essence cease to be God,
deliberately chose the identity of a servant, that he might subject
himself in obedience to the will of the Father, to the extent
of dying on the cross! Oh, that there were words to describe the
magnitude of his condescension, the venture of love, in this incomparable
act of God!
We are not called upon to describe it in words, but to live it.
Herein is the very essence of the Christian life. In his act of
complete identification with us and the giving up of his life
on our behalf God in the Person of Jesus Christ, both set us the
example and provided us the means by which human beings may be
redeemed and live redemptively with one another.
Because God in Christ became one of us, setting aside the prerogatives
of his identity as God, in order to live our life and die our
death, we may enter his family as beloved children. Infused once
again with the life of God, we become temples in whom Christ himself
dwells to restore in us the image of God!
He who was God, emptied himself, humbled himself, became obedient
unto death, even death on a cross, the most degrading form of
punishment. This he chose to do. And because he made this deliberate
choice to set aside his own human will in order to accede to the
will of the Father ("Nevertheless, not my will, but thine
be done!"), "God has highly exalted him and bestowed
on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should 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 2:8-11).
In this is outlined for us a way of life unique in society, for
we are exhorted to have this same mind-set, to do nothing from
selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than
our- selves. We are to look not only to our own interests but
also to the interests of others, resulting in a mutual exchange
of encouragement in Christ--the fruits of which will be love,
affection, sympathy, and full acknowledgment of the work of God's
spirit in our lives.
What a beautiful picture of harmonious and fruitful relationships!
How far removed from any trace of posturing, pretended humility,
or of a pseudo-submission, submission which is simply a manipulative
skill designed to accomplish our own ends. How totally different
from a self- demeaning, repressive acquiescence, produced by fear
or a faulty self-image.
This portrait of our Lord has all the elements of wholesome humanity,
and contains all of the criteria by which we may test the authenticity
of our own relatedness toward God and others. The Apostle Peter
exhorts all Christians to servanthood, involving personal sacrifice
and suffering, saying,
"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:21).
"By his wounds you have been healed," he tells us, and
reminds us that this redemption found us "straying like sheep
and returned us to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls."
God, through Peter, uses the marriage relationship t o illustrate
the effectiveness of this kind of submissive attitude: A husband
straying like a sheep may be persuaded to return to his Shepherd
by the reverent and chaste behavior of a wife whose spirit is
subject to Christ. The healing of humanity was accomplished by
the death and life of Christ Jesus who was willingly subject to
the Father's purpose. This healing may be extended through us
to the hurting, straying people around us, when we choose to make
ourselves available to God's purpose for them.
By our Lord's example, we learn that a submissive spirit, a commitment
to servanthood, begins with a strong and authentic sense of identity.
Jesus Christ was God; there was no doubt about the fact, nor was
there any doubt of his awareness of the fact (John 10: 30). He,
God the Son, was equal with God the Father. In the Godhead there
exists perfect unity, oneness, and harmony, and of course perfect
equality.
However, seeing that we were helpless creatures, lacking in ourselves
the resources necessary to meet our needs, God elected to make
himself available to humanity. How could God the Son, equal with
God the Father, become his obedient servant? How could God become
vulnerable to suffering and death? Only by choosing to become
man, for man was designed to serve God. Only if he who never knew
sin should choose to be sin, so that he could satisfy the penalty
of our sin: death on a cross.
God did not pretend to become one of us; this was not Deity at
play! This was God who is Love, loving. This was God at work to
bring us to rebirth through his travail and agony. This was God
the Son refusing to assert his right to be equal with God, so
that our needs might be met through his love-offering. Can we
grasp it? In this supreme act of Love, God has told us that love
knows no equal rights; that love's incentive makes possible a
transfer of identity in which we become servants to one another,
deferring to one another's needs, giving priority to one another's
interests. Willing to pluck out our eyes that others may see,
to be the grain of wheat which dies redemptively.
The Apostle Peter, who enjoins us all to a life of servanthood,
first establishes who we are:
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people...Once you were no people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9,10).
"Live as free men...but live as servants of God," Peter says, for God's people have an identity which is secured by the character of God himself, and being a servant is no threat to that security. It is simply the means by which we may identify with Christ's own act of love, and so, Peter says, "Be subject for the Lord's sake...mindful of God...for God's approval."
The Apostle Paul speaks in concert with Peter:
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God". (Ephesians 5:1)
Then, having established who we are, and citing again the example
of Christ himself, he says:
"Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ". (Ephesians 5:21).
And again, as various relationships are cited, the basis for subjection
is Christ's example, our love service to one another being "as
servants of Christ," "as to the Lord", "rendering
service with a good will, as to the Lord and not to men."
Christ's example also teaches us that authentic submission is
not reluctant nor grudging! Nor is it the result of imposed authority.
It is rather a chosen, deliberate, voluntary, love-initiated response
to another's need. It is an act of worship to God, whom we serve
in serving others. In no way, then, is authentic submission a
violation of our humanity. It is appropriate to the purpose for
which we were created, since in serving his creatures we are serving
and worshipping our Creator. It acknowledges the dignity of our
humanity because it is service freely rendered from a will surrendered
to the loving purpose of God.
The world's list of great ones includes such as Napoleon, Lenin,
Alexander, Machiavelli, none of whom is acknowledged for his humility!
The Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and for whom all things were
created (See Colossians 1:16), says that those who humble themselves
like children are greatest in his kingdom. He further tells us,
"He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever
exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will
be exalted". (Matthew 23 :11,12). Peter and James both tell
us that as we humble ourselves, God will exalt us. The point,
of course, is not that we purchase status with humility. That
is the way the world thinks. Rather, a truly humble spirit makes
it possible for God to accomplish his purposes in us, to elevate
us to godliness. That consummates the purpose for which He made
us and redeemed us, and brings us the highest joy and fulfillment.
Again, it is not a game. Humility is not to be used as a bargain
chip for greatness, to look good in God's eyes or anyone else's.
Humility happens to us when we least expect it and when we are
least aware of it. It is the by-product of a realistic appraisal
of who we are before God, the appropriate acknowledgment of our
needed dependence upon him. It is in no way a denial of authentic
personhood, since Christ Jesus sets the pattern for humility in
his surrender to death. It is the absence of egocentricity, or
self-focus; it is seeing ourselves and others from Christ's point
of view. It is the attitude which motivates us to set aside our
self-centered ambitions and desires in deference to God's work
in both our lives and others', giving precedence to God's plan
rather than our own. It is in this sense that we "consider
others better than ourselves." It is an affirmation of who
we truly are: God's own person, in whom neither conceit nor self-deprecation
is appropriate.
Nor is humility a subtle way of patronizing people. There is no
condescension in our identifying with another's need; temptation,
trials, and failure are common to all. We are equally in need
of forgiveness, mercy, love, and grace. Apart from the activity
of God's Spirit, the human heart is far from altruistic. We serve
in order to be served; we love in order to be loved; forgive in
order to be forgiven. We may only serve with self-detachment when
we recognize ourselves as agents of God's activity, unable to
initiate redemptive attitudes apart from him, but free to be godlike
with God in control of both our willing and our doing. (Philippians
2:l2, l3)
Martin Luther said it so well:
"A Christian is the most free lord of all and subject to none; a Christian is the most dutiful servant of all and subject to everyone."
The Apostle Peter said it first:
"Live as free men (generic, including women), yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God." (I Peter 2:l6)
The Apostle Paul agrees:
"For you were called to freedom, brethren (again, generic); only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another." Galatians 5:l3
A free heart is one discharged of self-concern by the confidence
that a loving Father-God is in control of all circumstances. A
Father-God needing only the consent of our will to release the
flow of his character through us, making us adequate for every
contingency of life. A spirit thus freed can respond, rather than
react, to others. A strong sense of personhood comes from self-forgetfulness,
rather than self-absorption. We find ourselves in losing ourselves,
because we were made to serve God, not ourselves. When the focus
of our thoughts and actions is on ourselves, we become neurotic
in every dimension: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
But "losing" ourselves is not simply functional; it
is a deliberate choice to follow our Lord's pattern, to set aside
our rights (real or fancied), including equality with others,
in favor of becoming expendable for Christ's sake in the full
dignity of Jesus' own incredible words: "But I am among you
as one who serves!"
Servanthood, submission, humility! Three beautiful, healing, redemptive
words. This is God's expedient for resolving the tensions in human
relationships. And he, God, took his own medicine! Shall we obey
this Lover of our souls?