The Self-Humbling of Jesus Christ

My thoughts in preparation for this Sunday have been directed to the humility of our Lord in fulfilling His calling to be our Savior. In the Westminster Larger Catechism, there are five questions and answers devoted to how Jesus Christ humbled Himself in bringing us salvation. As I mentioned the coming of our Savior is not a cute story but rather the greatest demonstration of love and giving, the greatest example of self-humbling.
Question 47 of the WLC asks, How did Christ humble Himself in His conception and birth?
The answer: Christ humbled himself in his conception and birth, in that, being from all eternity the Son of God, in the bosom of the Father, he was pleased in the fullness of time to become the son of man, made of a woman of low estate, and to be born of her; with divers circumstances of more than ordinary abasement.
As we consider this answer in greater detail it is important to keep in mind that although Jesus also enjoyed great exaltation after His death and burial, His humbling is not the bad part of the story as it were. Although there are elements that rightfully should produce a response of sadness, we rejoice even in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. And in both his humbling and in His exaltation we see that Jesus is truly God and truly man. His humbling and exaltation show us what God is like.
The purpose of our study today is so that we might rejoice in our Triune God and in the work of salvation. There is also a great pattern that is given for you to follow in seeking to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. His self-humbling is one of the greatest lessons that you also must embrace.