Christ in us
by David Silvester
Paul, writing to the Christian community in Philippi, is urging them to be ‘Christ like’ in every way, in body, soul and spirit.
I like the above translation, which can also read, ‘have this attitude among yourselves’. Paul is trying to emphasise the need for every individual in the Christian community there to develop Christ likeness.
The Christ like qualities he is encouraging them to adopt are humility and holiness in every sense of the word, and he gives examples of how Jesus demonstrated this.
Firstly He demonstrated humility and holiness in His human body. Jesus is, and always has been, the Son of the Eternal God, and absolutely equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Yet He took on human flesh and became a man among humanity. As a man, He was born as a baby, and was dependent upon His mother to care for and nurture Him. He grew up through childhood and teen age years into adulthood. He then worked as a craftsman until beginning His ministry. In all stages of life He demonstrated those qualities of humility and holiness.
Although we know very little of those years before His ministry, we have the short glimpse of Him as a boy about to become a teenager, when He went with His parents to Jerusalem. His subjection to them demonstrates a humility and holiness we all long to see as our own children are growing up. He knew the principles God had intended for every child in relation to parents.
As He entered His ministry, whether among the crowds of followers, dealing with individuals, or before religious leaders, the two qualities of humility and holiness were always in pre-eminence. Yes, He was prepared to speak the truth, whatever the response to it might be. He never compromised whenever sin needed to be challenged, but His compassion for the sinner was never in question.
We too are challenged to ‘Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2:5) and to demonstrate the qualities of humility and holiness. It’s grievous to God whenever Christians display anything that contradicts these qualities, such as when we display anger, and speak to a brother or sister in Christ with disrespect. We need to be challenged by the Holy Spirit about what effect our attitude is doing to the One who suffered all the ignominy and shame of being crucified naked in our place, in order to carry the punishment of a Holy God upon our sin.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I’m sorry for those times when I haven’t displayed the qualities of humility and holiness, and have grieved You. Please forgive me and put a right spirit in me I pray. Amen.
David Silvester is married and has a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren. He trained as a production engineer. He then moved on to become a lecturer of engineering craft skills before being called of God in his early fifties to become a pastor of a Baptist church. He says that,"having previously experienced an amazing healing on a day others expected me to die, it came as no surprise that God directed me and my wife, Margaret, to become involved with Ellel Ministries."
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