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Philippians 2:6-11

Philippians 2:6-11 is a poem that reveals the heart of this letter. The poem tells the story of Jesus, the servant (see Isaiah 40-55), Adam, and God.


  • verse 6 tells us Jesus is divine. But unlike Alexander the Great or Caesar, he doesn't exploit his power.
  • "servant" is an important word in verse 7. Jesus is modeling a different way of being human.
  • the reversal of Adam's curse is in verse 8. Jesus was obedient to God even to the point of death. Why? To rescue humanity.
  • This Jesus way is the way to be genuinely human.
  • Bishop Wright makes a powerful point: "On the cross, the God who made the world comes to the place of shame, suffering, and death to take its full force upon himself in order to rescue the world. This is the heart of the gospel." And this is what the church has to learn to think through as it struggles to be the people of God in the face of the pagan world.

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