If You Bring It, It Will Bow
November 2022 |
There are some statements that can shape the very fabric of a person’s beliefs. They are truly God-given words that entice an expectation and excitement of what is to come. Some of the most powerful words that fit that description are found in Philippians 2:10-11: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
If you are like me, then you have heard those verses quoted most of your life. This is, no doubt, an incredible promise, but have you ever considered the context?
The statement of every knee bowing was originally given in Isaiah 45:23. In this same passage, the prophet goes on to talk about the mighty power and authority of the Creator who calls all of creation by its name, meaning that He has authority over every name ever given. This portion of Scripture is referenced in the New Testament in both Philippians 2 and Ephesians 1.
At the end of the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul prays for them to come to an understanding of some things. He longs for them to know the great power that has been given to us who believe. A power, the apostle Paul said, “Which he [God] wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come (Eph. 1:20-21).” The focus here leads into the second chapter that is almost entirely devoted to Christs’ redemptive work at the cross.
Similarly, the second chapter of Philippians also focuses on Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary. Paul would say to them, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name (Phil. 2:8-9).”
Pause for a moment and look at both passages. When did God highly exalt Jesus?
Christ was exalted to the right hand of the Father after his sacrificial death and resurrection. Then the very next verse in Philippians says at His name, “every knee should bow” (Phil. 2:10).
In context, neither of these chapters are eschatological in nature, meaning they are not talking about end-time events. This is not a futuristic occurrence, but the exaltation of Jesus Christ is intrinsically linked to His atoning sacrifice. Jesus is not waiting to be exalted, the Scripture tells us that He already is!
Jesus has been highly exalted and given “a name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). This really would be better translated to say, “the name” above every name
Kenneth Wuest said, “The title, THE NAME, is a very common Hebrew title, denoting office, rank, or dignity.”1 It spoke more of a position or rank than it did of an actual name. Regarding this position of authority, Wuest went on to say, “The context here (Phil. 2) dwells upon the honor and worship bestowed on Him upon whom this name was conferred.”2 Jesus has clearly been placed in a position of prominence, but who does He reign over?
According to the first chapter of Ephesians, Jesus has been placed, “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:21).
Jesus Christ has been given dominion over every single name in the universe. In fact, it’s not only people, animals, or angels. Bible scholar Marvin Vincent says that the Greek actually reads like this, “Whatever a name can be given to. ‘Let any name be uttered, whatever it is, Christ is above it.’”3
Therefore, Jesus Christ reigns now over anything that can be named—not in five thousand years, ten thousand years, or a million years—but at the name of Jesus Christ, every knee should bow today!
That means sickness has a name, cancer has a name, diabetes has a name, addiction, lust, gossip, and every type of sin in the world has a name.
The qualifications to bow are simple, does it have a name? If it does, bring it, and watch it bow. In fact, if it does not have a name, give it one, and then bring it. Anything that a name can be given to is a candidate to bow before the name of Jesus Christ!
If you’ll bring it, it will bow.
SOURCES
1 Kenneth Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973).
2 Ibid.
3 Marvin R. Vincent. Word Studies in the New Testament: Volume IV. (Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 1991).
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