“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. BE HUMBLE, thinking of others as BETTER THAN YOURSELVES. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the SAME ATTITUDE (phroneō: be agreed together) that Christ Jesus had.” (Phil. 2:3-5) We want to be humble because “…God RESISTS (antitassomai: to battle against) the proud, but He gives GRACE to the humble.” (1 Pet. 5:5)
This was the example Jesus gave us to follow, “Jesus made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming OBEDIENT TO DEATH— even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:5-8)
The passive obedience of Christ, suggests the older meaning of the word “suffering.” There was an aspect to Christ’s obedience to the will of His Father that included suffering, a submission to very severe affliction. This is why the term “the Passion” is used to describe the last hours of the Christ’s life here on Earth. Jesus was very passionate about suffering for our transgressions, so WE WOULD BE FORGIVEN!
-Bill Stockham