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I'm continuing my way through N.T. Wright's The Climax of the Covenant: Christ and the Law in Pauline Theology. In what I read today, two topics stood out to me. First, Wright re-affirms that, according to Paul, Jesus as the Messianic representative of Israel assumed Israel's mission to bring blessing to humanity. Wright therefore has little problem applying Isaiah 53 to Israel, for Jesus took on the mission of Israel.
Second, Wright interacts with various ideas about Philippians 2:5-11, which is about Jesus being in the form of God, yet humbling himself to death, after which God exalted him. Scholars have debated this passage: How was Jesus in the form of God? Does that refer to a pre-existent state, his time of incarnation, or his humanity? Does the passage say that Jesus did not seek equality with God, and, if so, does that imply that he was not equal to God? Did Jesus become divine after his death, when God exalted him? Wright essentially argues that Jesus had equality with God before his incarnation, but he did not exploit it; rather, he humbled himself to death on the cross, as an expression of divine love.
