Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Philippians 2.5

Up to this point Paul has given a few commands. Now he is giving readers an example. In the first four verses of Philippians two, Paul writes about love, intimate fellowship, compassion, mercy, and humility. There is someone who has demonstrated all of these characteristics perfectly, God incarnate. Paul met Him on the road to Damascus. We meet Him in the Scriptures. He paid for our sins two thousand years ago.

What a beautiful reality, God has set the example for His creation. In the next few verses Paul explains why Jesus makes such a great example. First, lets meditate on some verses from the Gospel of John. John writes, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1.1-3)  John places Jesus at the creation event, and identifies Him as the creator God. He continues, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1.14) John testifies to the reality of his experience with Christ, personal experience, observation, and interaction that includes humanity and deity. Before he was ever an example Jesus had to become a man, a testimony to the greatness of our God. He doesn’t arrive in power (as we would expect); He arrived in humility. Think of Jesus, think of His humility, the Creator stepped down and gave up some of His glory (John 17.5), so that he could become a man. He did much more.