Author: Dr. George M. Bassaly, M.D.
Language: English
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Please enjoy an excerpt from the book:
Questions and Answers – Philippians
With summer warmth. As a matter of fact, wasps are attracted by the ripest fruit, so be aware of disagreements sneaking in slowly that may become monster problems! Following in the footsteps of our Savior is a mandate, and it is very much required in this time and age.
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
The teachings of Christ have raised lowliness to a new position, as one of the chief features in the true Christian character. Here, St. Paul bids us, as a discipline of humility, to look at our own faults and at the good points in the character of others.
A writer once said: “I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character the more easily we could reach them. I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other, and that it is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower.”
It is the life of humility—letting others be first, and taking the last seat.
Answer Q2: His equality to the Father.
The word rendered “form” — in Greek: μορφή (morphē). The word properly means shape, bodily shape, especially a beautiful form (a beautiful bodily appearance). It is to be carefully distinguished from “fashion.”
In classical Greek, it describes the actual specific character, which (like the structure of a material substance) makes each being what it is. On the other hand, in 1 Corinthians 7:31 (“the form — fashion — of this world is passing away”), the word denotes the mere outward appearance, fashion — which we frequently label as form (see also 2 Corinthians 11:13–14; 1 Peter 1:14).
The two words are seen in juxtaposition in Romans 12:2 and Philippians 3:21. Hence, in this passage, the phrase “being in the form of God” describes our Lord's essential, and therefore eternal, being in the true nature of God. While the phrase “taking on Him the form of a servant” similarly refers to His voluntary taking on of the true nature of man.
The word “form” is often applied to the...
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