Chapter VIII Addendum – The Character of Christ: His Exaltation

For let this disposition be in you, which is in Christ Jesus also, Who, being inherently in the form of God, deems it not pillaging to be equal with God, nevertheless empties Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming to be in the likeness of humanity, and, being found in fashion as a human, He humbles Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore God highly exalts Him, and graces Him with the name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean, and every tongue should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God, the Father.

Last Bit

At this point, we believe the two theories – that Christ “is God,” or “1/3 of God,” and that Christ “did not exist” prior to His birth – have been thoroughly debunked. At the height of revelation, Paul’s language evokes the necessary middle ground. Christ is not God, but the Image and Form of Him. Christ did exist at the beginning of creation, yet relinquished all for our sake. As far as we writers see, this argument is firmly laid to rest by this one passage.

Of course, it is not that simple. There are many nay-sayers; in fact, it would almost be easier to count who isn’t a nay-sayer. Most are still hung up on the idea that Jesus is God, and seek to prove it with verses like John 10:30 or John 1:1. We will meditate on those in due time. There is a smaller crowd (who are actual believers) who take major issue with taking this passage literally. They say, “The effect of Phil. 2:5-8 is that Christ is highly exalted. This is, evidently, an exaltation that He did not hold prior to His alleged ‘descent from the top of the universe.’ If I were to believe your claims, writers, I would be negating this exaltation by supposing that He returned to a place He already held, and for glories He already held. How can I demean my Lord this way, in good conscience? On this, I would be saying that Christ gives up all for the cross, only to go back after the cross. What, then, is the value of the cross?”

This objection will be the brief concern of this addendum. Our response is not comprehensive, and will be elaborated on throughout Part III of this study.

Wherefore

The demonstration of Christ’s journey is broken down into three major sections: the emptying, the humbling, and the exaltation. There is critical relation between all three. The “emptying” prepares for the humility. The “humility” demonstrates the character. The “exaltation” reflects God’s opinion of humility.

The term “exaltation” is huperupsoo, or “OVER-HEIGHTen.” This is its only occurrence in the New Testament. The term suggests far more than a “return” to the glories He held. His “return” to His pre-eminent glories does matter, and is an important topic for the circumcision message (John 17:5,) which is primarily concerned with restoration (Acts 3:21.) Such a “return” to the glories is good, but insufficient for the death of the cross, as our objector rightly notes. He may have acted as Yahweh in the Old Testament, but in the New, He is Yahweh-Saviour – Jesus, Iesous.

The exaltation is God’s response to the death of the cross. Jesus, as you recall, cried, “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?” Now, God says, “I am highly exalting You, My Son. I am giving You a name above every other name. In Your name, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall acclaim that You are indeed their Master. All who died with You at the cross (2 Cor. 5:14) will be able to acknowledge Your ability that I gave You, for I will make them new, as a part of your new glory, for My sake.”

As with every other topic in the scriptures, there is a paradigm shift when “glory” is viewed in light of the cross. Christ was a just Judge prior to the cross, but the cross proved it. Christ was a just Saviour prior to the cross, but the cross fulfilled it. Christ was a just King prior to the cross, but the cross demonstrated it. So, with glory, Christ held pre-eminent glory prior to the cross (Phil. 2:6, John 17:5.) Yet Christ is over-heightened on the return trip. He is not merely given what He had before, but has been given the ability to make all things new, so that all can be saved.

To proclaim that this is simply a “return” not only demeans the sacrifice of the cross, but also projects that connotation onto others. His sacrifice is of greater consequence, for without it, believers are unable to even exist (Rom. 3:25.) Without the cross, you lose the justification of creation, the freedom of creation from vanity, the new humanity, the nullification of all unjust powers, and thus true and intelligent worship of Deity, through a recognition of His character and stated plan, is impossible.

Prior to His kenosis, Christ did not choose, of some free will, to “be” in the form of God. He did not earn such a role; it was gifted to Him, in grace. This same concept is true of His huperupsoo. He did not choose for Himself His own sufferings and humiliation. This also was gifted to Him, for the sake of His exaltation by the universe. Though He had every right to forcefully demand the worship of all creation, on account of His role at its peak, He did not enforce this. He instead did what no other could do, by making those rights void, and placing Himself beneath all, for the sake of conveying Himself to all.

By conveying Himself to all, through the cross, Christ thus accomplishes His goal. He has established a deliverance from sin, on the basis of His blood. As God calls out the lowest on the earth, Christ is finally exalted by mankind. For the first time in history, humanity is able to grasp the righteous grace of God. They are able to grasp Who He is – something even His own people, during His time on earth, deeply struggled to apprehend (see the later chapter on John 6.)

This is an exaltation beyond, I believe, Christ’s wildest imaginings. God, in His vast love of His Son, does more than give His Son an affirmation with a few lucky souls who found it within themselves to believe. God instead crafts a thankfulness in man, through the death of His Son. Christ finally receives willing adoration and true, joyful declaration. Men may no longer ask, “Who is the Son of God?” but cry, in satisfaction, “Praise be the Son of God!”

This is what Christ wants the most – companionship. His suffering would not have been satisfactory if it were all physical. Instead, His suffering was that of isolation and ignorance. He faced the cruel reality that none would help Him off that cross, and that He did not deserve it. This weighed on the most precious mind in the universe as He died.

Yet the sufferings have now produced companionship. Instead of forcing adoration with authority, He is gifted the adoration of all life. This may be exemplified by reiterating the parallels between Christ’s humbling and Paul’s humbling. Christ is highly exalted, given a name above every name, eventually receiving the worship of all. Parallel to this, Paul writes, in 3:11-14, as the effect of knowing Him–

…If, somehow, I should be attaining to the resurrection that is out from among the dead. Not that I already obtained, or am already perfected. Yet I am pursuing, if I may be grasping also that for which I was grasped also by Christ Jesus… stretching out to those in front – toward the goal I am pursuing into the prize of God’s calling above in Christ Jesus.

The effect, then, of being called and justified, is to be glorified in Him also. The desire to please Him, which was unable to be rationally imposed upon us at any prior point in history. The expectation is our motivation, seeing that we are the first in the universe who are able to partake of this lovely exaltation of Christ.

Apart from the cross, such a conclusion is impossible. Through Paul’s evangel, all will eventually be baptized into Christ’s death, and will thus be able to realize the truth of His character, and the great extent of His sufferings. Such glory was absent from His “pre-eminent” glories. Thus the objection made at the beginning of this article jumps the gun by supposing that the glories are the same.

To be equal with God is, to sinful man, the “greatest” glory. Yet the One Who has been there recognizes that the greatest glory is love, to fellowship together in truth. Might is good – but recognition, in love, is much better. Mankind recognizes their fault – thus must compensate by treating “might” or “rank” or “status” as the ultimate “glory.” Yet Christ, Who had no fault, knows already that His place at the “Head” of the universe is impermanent (1 Cor. 15:24.) Thus, to Him, brothers, who can relate to Him in this most intimate manner, is the ultimate glory.

- GerudoKing