Christ Hymn Analysis
In the Christ hymn, Paul endeavors to get his message across through a chiastic structure. By using this structure, Paul helps his recipients to be able to “feel” the decent of Christ from God to the worst death possible. The death that only belonged to non-citizen slaves. Paul then helps to to “feel” the wonderful and mighty exaltation that was given to Christ in return for the sacrifice He made. In the first slope of the structure, Paul conveys to us the extant of Christ's humiliation. The second slope then gives us the extant of Christ exaltation. In the middle of these two slopes, we see the punch of the message. The extend of the first slope, ultimately led to the worst death anyone could experience. A death that was only reserved for
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Christ started out as exalted. He was God from the beginning, but in-spite of this fact Jesus choose to humble himself. In this way of looking at it, we see Christ as exalted, then He is humiliated. Finally we see that He is exalted again. It seems that He was even exalted higher then He ever was. In this exaltation, everyone will declare Him to be Jesus Christ the Lord. In this passage we can also see how Paul contrasts Jesus as slave and Jesus as Lord. At the beginning of the hymn, Christ is an obscure slave, but He did not stay obscure. Jesus became the universally recognized Lord. Everyone will someday recognized who He really is. It is really amazing when one stops to think about the positions of slave and Lord. A slave was the lowest one could get on the social ladder. They did not hold any significance except to be used. Jesus lived a life that was looked down on. As our passage says He had no reputation. If he had no reputation, that means you were viewed as the lost one could do. This is only the first slope. The second slope is complely opposite. He becomes Lord. No one will avoid bowing and confessing Him to be Lord. All will hold Him in esteem and honor His holy name. Christ has gone from the lowest ever to the highest
Christ started out as exalted. He was God from the beginning, but in-spite of this fact Jesus choose to humble himself. In this way of looking at it, we see Christ as exalted, then He is humiliated. Finally we see that He is exalted again. It seems that He was even exalted higher then He ever was. In this exaltation, everyone will declare Him to be Jesus Christ the Lord. In this passage we can also see how Paul contrasts Jesus as slave and Jesus as Lord. At the beginning of the hymn, Christ is an obscure slave, but He did not stay obscure. Jesus became the universally recognized Lord. Everyone will someday recognized who He really is. It is really amazing when one stops to think about the positions of slave and Lord. A slave was the lowest one could get on the social ladder. They did not hold any significance except to be used. Jesus lived a life that was looked down on. As our passage says He had no reputation. If he had no reputation, that means you were viewed as the lost one could do. This is only the first slope. The second slope is complely opposite. He becomes Lord. No one will avoid bowing and confessing Him to be Lord. All will hold Him in esteem and honor His holy name. Christ has gone from the lowest ever to the highest