Philippians 2:9: Therefore God Has Highly Exalted Him

Philippians 2:9
[9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, (ESV)

Jesus lowered himself to humanity. He lived as a servant, even though he was the King of the universe. His perfect life was sacrificed on a cruel tree of crucifixion, the lowest form of execution. Yet, God raised him from the dead, and now Paul tells us here in verse 9 that Christ has been exalted and given the name above every name.

We need to understand what this verse is not saying. Paul is not saying here that Christ was in some way inferior to the Father, and that now because of his obedience he has gotten a promotion to deity. We have already established that when he came to this earth he was in the form of God, meaning he was exactly equal to the Father.

Jesus laid aside his glory and rights as God in becoming man. He is different after his ascension to the Father in that now he can truly identify with every aspect of humanity. He never ceased for one moment to be God. Now that he is with the Father in eternity he experiences all of the fellowship and love of the father in perfect relationship. This is what he set aside by coming to Earth.

His name is above every name. We will look at that more tomorrow. But, consider for the moment that if there were anyone or anything that was greater than Jesus it would have a greater name. But there is no one or nothing greater than Jesus Christ. He is the king of all kings. He is the Savior of mankind. There is hope in no one else.

Take a moment and consider how wonderful our Savior is. Any moment you call on his name he hears you, and you know that he cares. He demonstrated it by his life given for you.