«　WEEK 2　DAY 5　»

　　Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

　　1 Cor. 2:2 For I did not determine to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and this One crucified.

　　By the Spirit of Jesus Christ we can be as humble as Jesus was, and by the Spirit of Jesus Christ we can consider one another more excellent than ourselves. When we do things out of rivalry or in competition with others, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is not expressed, but when we consider one another more excellent than ourselves, we enjoy the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Christ as the pattern is in us, living Himself out from within us as the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Christ is not only our pattern but also our life. We have within us a life that never insists on being anything but always empties itself, takes a lower place, and humbles itself. We need to enjoy Christ as such a life within us. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3496)

　　The Lord's humiliation involved seven steps: (1) emptying Himself; (2) taking the form of a slave; (3) becoming in the likeness of men; (4) humbling Himself; (5) becoming obedient; (6) being obedient even unto death; and (7) being obedient unto the death of the cross. The pattern presented in Philippians 2:5-8 is now the life within us. This life is what we call a crucified life. The seven steps of Christ's humiliation are all aspects of the crucified life. Although Christ had the expression of deity, He laid aside this expression. However, He did not lay aside the reality of His deity. He laid aside the higher form, the form of God, and took on a much lower form, the form of a slave. In this, He emptied Himself. Surely this is a mark of a crucified life. Then, after becoming a man and being found in the appearance of a man, Christ humbled Himself even unto the death of the cross. This was the crucified life lived out in a full and absolute way.

　　Whenever we experience Christ and live Christ, we automatically live such a crucified life. This means that when we live Christ, we live the One who is the pattern of a crucified life. We have a life within us that truly is a self-emptying and self-humbling life. This life never grasps at something as a treasure. Instead, it is always willing to lay aside position and title.

　　In Philippians 2 we see that we should live a crucified life so that we may enjoy the power of resurrection. We should take the crucified life in verses 5 through 8 as our pattern so that we can experience the power of resurrection, which exalted Christ to the highest peak in the universe (v. 9). Both the experience of Christ as the pattern of a crucified life and the experience of the resurrection power that exalts Him are endless. Day by day we need to live a crucified life. This is to live Christ as our pattern. Instead of having a life of rivalry and vainglory, we should live a life of self-emptying and self-humbling. This is to live a crucified life. By means of this life, we are ushered into the power of resurrection by which Christ is exalted.

　　The highest life on earth is the crucified life, that is, Christ Himself as the One who emptied Himself and humbled Himself. Whenever we live a crucified life, God will bring us into the power of resurrection, and in this power we will be exalted…. We must stand firm for the Lord's testimony, yet we should not claim any standing, title, or position for ourselves. Making such claims will never bring us into the power of resurrection. We need to take the crucified life as our pattern. Eventually, we will enter into the power of resurrection where we experience God's exaltation. Instead of seeking glory for ourselves, we should seek Christ and Him alone; then we will experience the crucified life. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3491-3493)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1964, vol. 2, “A General Sketch of the New Testament in the Light of Christ and the Church (Part 2—Romans through Philemon),” ch. 18