Becoming In The Image of Jesus Christ

Let this mind be in you 

which was in Christ Jesus,

who, being in the form of God,

did not consider it robbery 

to be equal with God,

but made Himself of no reputation,

taking the form of a bondservant,

and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance

as a man, He humbled Himself

and became obedient to the point

of death, even the death of the cross. 

Philippians 2:5-8

      Before I begin this blog and return to writing this blog to aid others to grow in grace and love, to convert to the Lord Jesus Christ and expand their relationship with and to Him, I will relate how sorry I am for the delay in writing this blog, albeit, my previous internet provider no longer serves this area and it took much time to get another one up and running which finally took place yesterday. So, I am back and pleased to write some thoughts on Scripture to help us all to live as an Authentic Christian with Authentic Christian Faith. 

     Paul in writing to the Philippian Church sent to them instructions in regards to Christian unity. The word, ecumenism, or ecumenical is often misused or in the least misunderstood. This term, in general applies to promoting or fostering Christian unity. This unity has as its foundation the Gospel and not just simply acceptance, especially when other practices and beliefs are in contradiction to the plain word of God. The unity Paul is referring to is a person's unity with Jesus Christ and to have that unity is to become an image of Jesus Christ. In the previous verses Paul instructs as to what it means to be a Christian and the final and important point is: "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (vs. 4). Now, Paul continues to expand this thought: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (vs. 5). Question: What did Paul mean: the mind of Jesus Christ? This first must be understood: Jesus Christ has always, before time, existed for He is God, yes, the Second Person of the Godhead, the Trinity, and is called the Wisdom of God, "...Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1Corinthians 1:24b), not a separate god as some teach, or believe, rather God Himself. God determined to have His justice satisfied and the only way this was to be possible is for Him to pay the debt owed to Him that no creation could pay by paying to Himself what was needed to satisfy this debt. Therefore, God who created from nothing all things that exist simply could also send His Wisdom to earth to become a man, to live as a man, to die as a man, only to live and die sinless, as was Adam before He sinned but fell into sin corrupted in his desire and not to deny himself of the pleasure he found in Eve. Satan attempted to cause him to fail and this he did, but not Jesus. Satan tempted Him, this life threw at Him all the circumstances that we all face, and this He did by not falling into sin: therefore He as the Son of God, the only other being ever to be made by God met all the requirement to pay this debt. Jesus Christ pre-incarnate without reservation who was in the form of God, this was due to Him being God, did not "esteemed," that is, did not consider His becoming man not worthy to be done, rather He "esteemed" this act as a great thing to be done, therefore God, the Father, as He is now to be for He sent forth His Wisdom to become a Son, and from His spiritual essence or form Jesus Christ took on the form of a man. Not in some abstract way, rather in actuality. To become a man would be in some sense a lowering of Himself as all creation is lower than the Creator to be avoided, no, He did not take this lowering into account as something bad. Without God sending forth His Son, His Only Begotten Son to earth to become a man then His justice could never be satisfied. Jesus Christ came to serve, and this is by being a bondservant, and this is to do this work He came to do without any wages paid to Him, freely He became a surety for others. This coming to earth to be man was a humbling thing for God to do and this He did even to die on the cross. By His death, resurrection and ascension into heaven that surety is eternal, never to be repeated, always accepted by the Father and His justice satisfied. With the justice of God satisfied then He is free to give to whomever He so wills to give it, salvation. So great a thing that God has done! 

     How does this apply to us now, in the present age? As Authentic Christians we not only look out for others, as did Jesus Christ, but we take on the mind of Jesus Christ and become a bondservant of God, to do His will, to serve His cause. We are to put aside our right to ourselves and to grow in the image of the One who has come to save man and to restore the will of God for His reason to create. The question that must be answered by anyone so desiring to be an Authentic Christian is: "Will I place in the highest priority of my life to live for and as Jesus Christ?" This question and its answer will determine the actuality of your Christian Faith, is it Authentic, or is it simply self-aggrandizement? 

 People shall be brought down,

     each man shall be humbled,

and the eyes of hte lofty shall be humbled.

     But the LORD of hosts shall be 

exalted in judgment, and God who is holy

     shall be hallowed in righteousness.

               Isaiah 5:15-16

Serve the Lord in gladness

Richard L. Crumb

Loving As An Authentic Christian

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ,

if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit,

if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in loneliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each if you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others.

Philippians 2: 1 -- 4

            The church at Philippi has a very disappointing history not unlike some other apostolic churches of the East.  Ignatius in his letters while passing through the place on his way to his martyrdom in Rome, and was kindly entertained and escorted by the brethren, and in the epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, who expressed his joy of this  root of their faith, famous from the earliest days, but still surviving and bearing fruit unto the Lord Jesus Christ and he even alludes to the labors of the apostle Paul.  Tertullian appealed to the Philippians church and saying that they were still maintaining the apostle's doctrine and reading this letter publicly.  So how then was the church of Philippi disappointing?  During the Middle Ages the city was turned into a very poor village and the leadership there had become nothing more than a mere shadow.  Today there's not even a village on the site, only some ruins, consisting of a theater, and some broken marble columns, two lofty gateways, and a portion of the city wall.  It seems as though not one stone after another stands upon another.  This church a Philippi with the brightest of promise now lives without a history and without a memorial.  What we do have though, is this a letter of Paul's to the church, and from that Christians still live inspired by God and others also by the knowledge they read from the words of Paul inspired by God.

            With this history in mind and understanding that the secular governments are not always as friendly to the Christian church and there are those who are teaching heresy that bears upon Christians, then, and even in this present age.  Paul though, is reminding Christians about Christian duties and one of those duties is to be like-mindless. Do I have a lowly blindness, not in conformity with this world, rather in conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ who is our greatest example of humility and love?  Let us not forget this one fact: to love one another is a law of Christ’s Kingdom.  What are speaking of this love that the world is so in love with which really has no real substantial meaning for it loves even an animate objects, is God's love, a disciplined love and this love is shown by being like-minded.  Christian should have one thing and that his affection for one another and this love is that we care for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  This is our duty and if we do not keep this duty a person may become nearer the judgment.  The Christian love is to be mutual.  Being of one accord, and of one mind; not imposing upon another separate interest; but agree in the great things of God, keeping the unity of the Spirit even amidst other differences.  If you remember I spoke of the matters of difference and indifference and if it is indifferent, then what difference does it make? So why make a mountain out of a molehill and often just to prove themselves right not trying to keep unity.  Remember we have communion with God in Jesus Christ by the Spirit, and if we have that communion that we must have communion between us saints and this is shown, by being of one mind and of the same spirit.  Christian love them like mindless will preserve to us communion with God and with one another.  Are you expecting some benefit from God, some compassion to yourself, then be compassionate to another, to one another, and if there's mercy to be found among the followers of Christ, all who are sanctified to every disposition of holiness and pity and make this up here, that is to be manifested so that the love of God is shown to anyone who desires to see it. Fulfill the love of God, his joy by being a minister of joy and to see people like minded, and living in love.

            This in are the means to promote Christian love: do nothing through strife and vain glory.  We must esteem others in loneliness of mind better than ourselves and to do this we must be severe upon our own faults, and quick in observing our own defects, and yet be ready to overlook, and to make favorable allowances for others.  We all can say that that is often a very difficult but it is possible through the Holy Spirit guiding us.  Furthermore we must have an interest for the concern of others, not in curiosity and some sort of censorship, or as busybodies and other man's matters, but in Christian love and sympathy.  They selfish spirit is just crack team of Christian love, therefore we must be concerned not only for our own credit, and ease, and safety, but for those of others; and rejoice in their prosperity.  We have been instructed by Jesus in regards to the 10 Commandments that we are to love God with our whole mine sold by the Spirit, in other words in completeness, and then we are to love others in the same way as we have love for God.  We must love our neighbors as ourselves and make his case our own.  These are hard lessons for man is proud, carnal infarct.  Some have warned doctrine very accurately, and who know nothing of this practical instruction.  Therefore we must continually be looking upon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Then I look on all the works

that my hands had done

and on the labor in which I had toiled;

            and indeed all was vanity

and a grasping for the wind.

            As though profit under the sun.

                        Ecclesiastes 2: 11

Love one another this is the will of God

Richard L. Crumb

Confidence, Joy of Faith Abundant In Jesus Christ

And being confident of this, I know

that I shall remain and continue with you

all for your progress and joy of faith,

that you're rejoicing for me may be

more abundant in Jesus Christ

by my coming to you again.

Only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ,

so that whether I come and see you or am absent,

I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit,

with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel,

and not in any way terrified by your adversaries,

which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and back from God.  For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here is in me.

Philippians 1: 25 -- 30

            Paul had great confidence in this congregation and his relationship to them as this rested on the love of Jesus Christ.  This love is not based upon systematic, it is not a polemic, nor apologetic, but personal and autobiographic.  There is an free outflow of tender love and gratitude, and full of joy and cheerfulness even in his facing a death.  Paul also the write in this epistle: "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I began I say, rejoice" (Philippians 4: 4)!  The keynote of this letter is proving that there is a healthy Christian faith, and this faith is far from depressing and saddening to the heart, for it makes a person truly happy and contented even as Paul was in persecution and prison.  Paul in writing this letter delicately mingles mainly independents and gratitude.  In this letter he had no doctrinal error, nor practical advice to rebuke, as he did in the letters to the Galatians and to the Corinthians.  There was a warning and one could say a discordant tone and that is to be found in this letter act: "Beware of dog is, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation" (Philippians 3: 2).  I will discuss is when I get to chapter 3 but I feel it's necessary to understand this word that is translated as the mutilations for the Greek word, κατατομήν, or Paul is using this word a simple play on words in regards to be contemptuously asked by the Jewish people who were attempting to make all Christians be circumcised and this in contrast with the crew spiritual circumcision.  Paul is guarding the Philippians with great earnestness against the opposite extreme of antinomian license.  (Philippians 3: 12 -- 21).  Paul is reminding them of the self-denying example of Jesus Christ, who is the highest of all, and yet became the lowest of all mighty fast he himself of his Divine Majesty and humbling himself even to the death on the cross, and it who, in reward for His obedience, was exalted above every name (Philippians 2:1 -- 11).

            This is probably the most important doctrinal passage of the letter and it contains this fruitful germ of speculation as to the nature and extent of the Kenosis, a Greek word that simply means to empty and this is referring to Jesus Christ and we read this earlier in the chapter (Philippians 2: 5 -- 8), a subject that has been under much speculation and discussion as this very states that Jesus gave up some of His divine attributes while he kept that was a man on earth.  This very speaks about the attributes such as omniscience, and the presence, and omnipotence that Christ emptied Himself of these attributes let it could function as a man in order to fulfill the work of redemption.  This view was introduced in the early 1800s a Lutheran theologian named, Gottfried Thomasius (1802-75).  Now, we must come to understand this that Paul in writing to the Philippians did not teach that Jesus gave up any of his divine attributes since it says nothing of these attributes in the verse is (2:5 -- 8).  Instead it is speaking of His humility that moved Him and this according to the will of the Father, to leave His majestic state in heaven and enter into the humble position of human nature.  Well then how do we handle Mark 13: 32?  Here Jesus says that he does not know the day or hour and some will save them that he didn't invest himself, or empty himself of at least part of his divine nature.  How do we answer this? The answer is that Jesus cooperated with the limitations of humanity and voluntarily did not exercise His attribute of omniscience. He still was divine but was moving and living completely as a man. The Kenosis theory is a dangerous doctrine because if it were true, then it would mean that Jesus was not fully divine. If Jesus was not fully divine, then His atoning work would not be sufficient to atone for the sins of the world. The correct doctrine is the Hypostatic Union--that Jesus is both fully God, and fully man (Col. 2:9), and did not give up any divine attributes while as a man on earth.

            With correct doctrine and with the faith given to you by our God to be atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross we have no reason to be terrified of any adversary even though we may have to suffer at times due to our Christian faith.  But our rejoicing is in Jesus Christ and our conduct is to be governed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Do not be misled, Jesus Christ was both fully man, and fully God.  Only God could pay the debt owed to Himself, and that debt no man could pay for all men are sinful.  But by the mercy of God He applied the death of the Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to pay that debt and now has applied that debt to his children.  Praise God!

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;

            extol Him who rides on the clouds,

by His name Yah,

            and rejoice before Him.

                        Psalm 68: 4

Walk in conduct worthy of God

Richard L. Crumb