Obedient Unto Death

Obedient Unto Death

“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:8.

The intention is that we are to be obedient unto death. It is only this obedience that has any significance for our sanctification. One of the commandments we need to obey is found in 1 Cor. 10:24: “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.” Keeping this commandment to some extent is easy for most people, but we need to obey it until death.

The opportunities God gives us to obey until death are often hidden. They may seem insignificant in my own eyes and in the eyes of others. Therefore, a constant focus on sanctification is vital in order for us to discover these opportunities. When God makes us aware of them, it is important to wholeheartedly enter into the suffering. Ole Skiaker writes: “There’s no task too great or small, whate’er He may require.” WotL 19. Even in “insignificant” tasks, we must give our lives. No one sees us, no one cheers us on, no one loves us. There is no nourishment for the flesh, only faith working through love. There we receive the testimony of the blood and are granted access into the Holiest. Heb. 10:19-20. There, in our everyday lives, we draw closer to our beloved Jesus.

Every hidden desire of wanting to be seen, loved, or validated shows that my focus is on myself. Paul had no one like-minded who could show sincere care, because all his fellow workers sought their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. Phil. 2:20-21. In the midst of our service, self-sacrifice, and zeal, we can receive an abundance of the testimony of man, without partaking in the life with God. Gal. 1:10; John 5:44. Obedience is required unto death; then we will receive the crown of life. Rev. 2:10. WotL 253.