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No.43.
The Epistle to the Philippians (10).
pp. 130 - 133
We are now considering the seven upward steps to the highest glory for the Lord, who
humbled Himself to the degradation of the Cross for our redemption. We noted that the
contrast was not with His pre-incarnate position, but that of His humiliation as Man.
"Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is
above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven
and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (2: 9-11 R.V.).
The Name which is above every name can only be one, that of LORD which
designates Jehovah, the one great God. Jesus was His earthly name, the name of His
humbling, and this is not mentioned by the Apostle as the signal for genuflection, as so
many think. The supereminent Name is that which now belongs to Jesus in His
superexaltation, that of LORD, and the O.T. makes it abundantly clear that there is "none
else" beside Him. It is not that He is a step higher than other exalted beings, but rather
that He is unique, in a class apart because He is the incomparable One.
"To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him?"
(Isa. 40: 18).
"To whom then will ye liken Me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One" (40: 25).
"To whom will ye liken Me, and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be
like?" (46: 5).
Rom. 14: 9 asserts that ". . . . . Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord
both of the dead and of the living" (R.S.V.). Phil. 2: 9-11 looks forward to the day
when this shall be manifestly so, when He shall have the universal homage and worship
of all creation. It is the will of the Father that "all (men) should honour the Son, even as
they honour the Father" (John 5: 23). The Apostle John in a heavenly vision foresees
such a glorious goal:
"And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth,
and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, Unto Him that sitteth on the
throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honour, and the glory, and the
dominion, for ever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen." (Rev. 5: 13, 14
R.V.).
What the Apostle Paul writes in our present context reinforces all this, for he does not
hesitate, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to apply one of the most magnificent
contexts of the O.T., emphasizing the greatness of the one God, to the Lord Jesus Christ:
"Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is
none else. By myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from My mouth in
righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall
swear" (Isa. 45: 22, 23 R.V.).