Descending to Glory: The Joy of Humiliation in Christ

by Adam Callis

In 1872, Russian artist Ivan Kramskoy painted a depiction of Jesus that was so shockingly human, it led Kramskoy to tell a friend afterward, “I have perhaps committed sacrilege, but I couldn't help but paint him.”

Just as Kramskoy’s painting invited his viewers to gaze at the shocking humility of Christ, the Gospel leads us to rethink what it means to truly look like Christ and glorify Him. Drawing from Philippians 2, the reflections in these pages invite readers to gaze at the total humiliation of Christ and seek to be made like him by the Holy Spirit, sinking into a deeper union with Christ, until he is all in all.

92 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 2, 2025

Reviews

[Kyle Fleischmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend Descending to Glory. It’s a short, wonderful read. It’s an exceptional exposition of Philippians 2 and what pure humility should look like, or as Callis describes, humiliation in Christ Jesus. For us, striving for “humility” has often become a badge of honor and in our attempts to be more humble we just can’t get over our own sinful pride. This is where the awe and wonder of Jesus Christ on the cross in full humiliation is not only our salvation, but our perfect model for humility. And not only our model, but our all in all. We can’t even begin to think of humility without him. Throughout this book, I really appreciate Callis’ simple story telling, analogies, and thorough explanations of Scripture.