Kenosis (Phil. 2. 7)

In our study two Sundays ago we dealt with the truth known as "the kenosis." Kenosis is from the Greek verb kenoo found in Philippians 2:7 which is translated as follows:

• "made himself nothing" (NIV)
• "made himself of no reputation" (KJV)
• "emptied himself" (NASB & NET)
• "he gave up his divine privileges" (NLT)

As we tried to make clear in the lesson, Philippians 2:5-11 is not a theological announcement so much as it is an illustration or bench mark for the disciples see how they were to live selflessly following the example of their Lord, Jesus Christ. However, in doing so (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit), Paul gives the church one of the most theologically rich nuggets in the entire New Testament. The key is to properly understand what is being said about God the Son in this passage.

In order to be as brief as possible, let's first look at what the "kenosis" can't mean. Some theologians in the 19th century proposed that the "self emptying" of Phil. 2:7 meant that God the Son gave up some of his divine attributes when he became flesh. While that might seem a logical understanding, it opens the door to a major problem of Christian orthodoxy. If God the Son gave up any of his divine attributes at any time then he would (at least for that time) cease to be God. The church has always maintained the eternal deity of God the Son. Jesus, himself, claimed deity during his earthly ministry which, if he were not fully God, was bold face lie. The "kenosis" therefore, can't mean that Jesus Christ gave up any divine attributes.

So then, what was Paul trying to describe about God the Son in this passage? The latter context, I believe, explains his meaning. He qualifies how God the Son emptied himself - "by taking the nature of a servant, by being made in human likeness, by humbling himself and by becoming obedient to death." I like the way one author put it when he said that the kenosis is not about subtraction (Jesus losing something) but about addition (Jesus taking on a human nature). God the Son left his place of glory and subjected himself to the limitations of the human nature. Yet in doing so, he never ceased to possess any of his divine attributes or essence (this is the foundational concept of the God/man - 100% God & 100% man). Like a king who voluntarily leaves his castle & throne to live within the poverty of his people, so God the Son voluntarily left his place of glory so that he might walk with his creation. The difference in this illustration is that the earthly king simply changes location while our heavenly king actually took on our human nature. Awesome!

So the bottom line is that God the Son (in the incarnation) never ceased to be God in any way.

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