I was recently thinking about Philippians 2:5-8:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

The New International Version and New Revised Standard Version translate the Greek word for “grasped” as “to be used to his own advantage.” The idea is Jesus did not consider equality with God as something to be held onto so as to exploit or use for his own benefit.

I remember Dallas Willard encouraging us to imagine the quality of love within the Trinity that let Jesus feel safe enough to release equality with God during his earthly life and ministry. Jesus knew he was lavishly loved and supported by the Father and Spirit and could easily let it go.

In contrast, reflecting on this highlights all of my fears — fears that compel me to grasp and seize what little I have. I clutch my finances, possessions, time, and reputation. Yet they are far, far less than equality with God. They can’t even compare. And I know there is little safety in what I’m clutching. Yet, emotionally they create a sense of security and control, albeit a false one.

The good news is that we are invited into the same quality of love that Jesus experiences with the Father and Spirit. Reflect on that for a moment. You and I may enter into and dwell in the same loving relationship within the Trinity that made Jesus feel safe enough to let go of his equality with God and fearlessly free fall into the nature and life of a servant among those who would neither recognize nor love him.

For Jesus, this world was an absolutely safe place because he knew and trusted the love of his Father. There was never a moment when he feared a need would not be met. And because Jesus had absolutely no fear, he grasped onto nothing. From birth to crucifixion and beyond, Jesus knew he was safe and cared for. This allowed him to love and serve freely. He wasn’t stingy or selfish because he didn’t grasp onto money or possessions. He wasn’t hurried or stressed because he didn’t grasp onto time. He wasn’t jealous or threatened because he didn’t grasp onto reputation.

And you and I can live in that. But it means knowing and experiencing the God that Jesus knew and experienced.

As Dallas Willard said, “You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your every day life with God.”

So here’s a thought. What if every commandment in Scripture and every event in your life is designed to train you to enter into the Trinity’s love and life. Commandments are not arbitrary rules to obey, but a way of living that ushers you into Trinitarian love. Hardships and stressful moments are not random occasions to grit our teeth and suffer, but portals to experience the safety and security of God’s goodness and love. And over time, fear and its subsequent grasping are replaced with confident trust in the unending love, goodness, and safety that is the Trinity’s eternal experience with one another.

Jesus has eternally known the love and life of the Trinity. It allowed him to let go of equality with God and plunge into the nature of a servant so he could lead us back to that same Trinitarian love and life. In him and through him, we can experience the Trinitarian reality he experiences. And in the safety of that love and life, we can be formed into people who naturally embody it like he did.

Look at these few passages from that viewpoint:

“Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 25:4-5

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
Romans 5:10

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
Matthew 28:18-20

God’s ways and truths are designed to train us into the Trinitarian reality. Jesus’ death reconciled us to God. Now he saves us through his life as we apprentice ourselves to him and interact with him. As Jesus’ apprentices, we are to help others become the same. Surrounded by Jesus’ authority and presence, we make disciples by immersing them in the Trinitarian reality within Christian community and teaching them to become people who naturally do everything Jesus did.

And we can’t forget Paul’s reason for discussing Jesus’ example in Philippians 2:5-8, which he states in verses 3-4:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Becoming immersed in the Trinitarian reality is not primarily for our benefit. It’s to replace all fear, so like Jesus, we can easily embrace the nature of a servant for the good of others. With nothing to fear and nothing to clutch onto, we can consider others more important than ourselves and look to their interests over our own.