"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:8)

We can never fully comprehend the condescension of the infinite Creator when He became man. He who was "very God of very God," as the Old Creeds expressed it, humbled Himself and was made many things for the sake of man's redemption. Note the following remarkable summation of what He "was made."

"The Word was God," and yet "the Word was made flesh" (John 1:1, 14). He had created human flesh for Adam, then finally for Himself--not sinful flesh, of course, but only "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3).

He who had been in the very "form of God . . . took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:6-7).

He was so completely human as to be "made of a woman" (Galatians 4:4), thus partaking of the complete human experience (apart from sin) from conception to death.

He also was "made under the law" (v. 4), though He, as the lawgiver, was above the law.

Although He completely fulfilled the law, He was "made |the| curse for us," in order to redeem "us from the curse of the law" (3:13).

Then, on the cross, God even "hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21), thus bearing the guilt and punishment for the sins of all the world.

Finally, as our text reminds us, He "became |same word in the Greek as 'was made'| obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

And because He was made all these things for us, we can "be made the righteousness of God in him" (5:21). HMM