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The Truth of Christ's Divine Nature
When we look at the celebration of Christmas in our modern culture, we often see a world caught up in gifts, parties, and festivities while missing its true significance. Even among those who claim Christianity, there are many distorted views of who Jesus really is. Some religious groups view Him as merely a prophet, while others deny His divine nature entirely. To understand the profound reality of Christmas, we must examine one of Scripture's most significant passages about Christ's nature and incarnation.
The Divine Nature of Christ
In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul presents Jesus as "existing in the form of God." The Greek word used here for "form" (morphe) refers to the essential nature and character that cannot change. This describes Christ's continuous state of being - He has always been and will always be God. As Jesus Himself prayed in John 17:5, "Glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was." This aligns with Isaiah 42, where God declares He will not give His glory to another, demonstrating Jesus' equality with God the Father.
The Voluntary Humbling
Though fully God, Christ "did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself" (Philippians 2:6-7). This doesn't mean Jesus ceased being divine - His essential nature (morphe) as God could never change. Rather, He voluntarily laid aside His position of honor and glory, taking "the form of a slave" and being "made in the likeness of men."
The Depths of Humiliation
Christ's humbling went beyond merely becoming human. He was "found in appearance as a man" and faced rejection, persecution, and ultimately "humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). This was necessary for God's plan of salvation - only One who was both fully God and fully man could bear the eternal weight of humanity's sin.
The Glorious Restoration
The story doesn't end with Christ's humiliation. "Therefore God also highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow… and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11). This exaltation affirms Christ's divine nature and rightful place.
Understanding these truths transforms how we view Christmas. The baby in the manger wasn't merely a good teacher or prophet - He was Yahweh himself, the eternal God who stepped down from glory to save humanity. This season calls us to recognize and proclaim this profound truth: the infinite Creator entered His creation to rescue those who could never save themselves.