Study of Philippians 2:5-11 (Part 2)

The Attitude of Service or a Servant 2:7-8a

This attitude is exemplified by His incarnation. This action was produced by His selfless mind-set. “But emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men.” The word “but” (alla) denotes a contrast. A contrast to what? It is clearly a contrast with Phil. 2:6. It has been suggested that it should be rendered—“instead of this.”^[1]—instead of pride for having the prize. The Greek text reads literally: “but Himself emptied.” The emphasis is on an action He took Himself. The word Himself is emphatic. This action is described as “emptied.” The Greek word for emptied is keno, meaning empty, to divest one’s self, abase one’s self. Volumes have been written on what this entailed and various answers given. The problem is clearly and correctly stated by Muller: “Of what did Christ empty Himself? This verse gives no answer.”^[2] It is a mystery. Calvin is correct in saying, “Christ, indeed, could not renounce His divinity, but He kept it concealed for a time, that under the weakness of the flesh it might not be seen.”^[3] It cannot mean He became less than God. To empty Himself of any of his attributes or character would make him less than God. Brown states: “The attributes of omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence are in fact essential attributes of divinity. God would not be God without them.”^[4] We may not be able to comprehend it, but we dare not deny it—Jesus was fully God and fully man.

While Jesus did not become less God to become man, there are certain privileges of being God that were lessened or emptied when he become man. These are clearly indicated in Scripture:

·         His riches (2 Corinthians 8:9). “For we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” Here again is a contrast between His preexistence and his incarnation. The contrast is clothed in the words, rich/poor. The riches of deity that is exchanged for the poorness of humanity. It is not His deity that is exchanged, but the riches. His riches are not defined. However, in giving up (or empting) Himself of these riches, He became poor so by that poverty we may become rich.

·         His glory (John 17:5). “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” The phrase “which I had” indicates that this glory was given up, and it was glory He had before His incarnation.

However, MacLeod points out that: “There is some truth to the idea that the Lord surrendered the use of the prerogatives of deity. But grammatically that idea is not related to the verb kenoo.”^[5] He favors the metaphorical usage of the word.^[6] The word implies status; this status is defined as being made in the form of a servant, in the likeness of man. Thus, the word is a metaphor for his humiliation, without implying a loss of character. “In other words, the phrase is intended to encapsulate for the readers the whole descent of Christ from highest glory to lowest depths.”^[7]

Notice the participle “taking,” it indicates an addition to what he had, not a subtraction. It explains how the emptying took place. He did not exchange deity for humanity. He added humanity to His deity. This is reinforced by two other participial phrases “having made” and “being found.” The three participle phrases define precisely the self-humiliation of Christ. In the incarnation Christ emptied or poured Himself out “by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men, and by being found in appearance as a man” (2:7-8a). Motyer says thought clearly: “It is not ‘Of what did he empty himself?’ but “Into what did he empty himself?”^[8]  Even today we speak of an actor emptying or pouring out himself into his character, which indicates he put his own being into it so that his own attributes are rarely seen. This is the idea here. “The verse sets forth the coming of the pre-existent One into the world and His taking of our humanity upon Him.”^[9] “God dwelt among us” says John 1:17. He did so in the form of a servant, in the likeness of man, and in the appearance of men. God is wrapped up in humanity. Walvoord notes:

It is obvious that He gave up the outer manifestation of deity, but the act of assuming humanity and the form of a servant was superimposed upon His deity without taking away His divine attributes. He was like a king who temporarily puts on the garments of a peasant while at the same time remaining king, even though it was not outwardly apparent.^[10]

But let us not get lost in theological detail here and miss the point. Paul goes into these truths to show the attitude or mind of Christ. He had a mind or attitude of service. That is why he humbled himself and poured out himself into the form of a servant. He came to serve not be served. His mindset was to serve God and man. He did so by becoming man and dying for man, that through His poverty we may become rich.

The Attitude of Humble Obedience 2:8b

“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8b). Obedience requires humility. It is the putting aside your own will to do the will of another. This part of the verse focuses on His humility and what he endured as a man though obedience. He humbled himself and became a man. The word found here is tapeinoo and means to humiliate; make small; to assign to a lower place or rank. He was fully human, being made lower than the angels (Heb. 2:5).  “The limitations and weaknesses of Christ’s human nature were not because He assumed fallen humanity, but because He assumed true humanity.”^[11] By Jesus becoming man, he takes on the attitude of obedience and decided to obey His Father completely (Heb. 10:7).  Paul explains that this obedience was “to the point of death.” It was the decision of Christ to humble Himself to that point. This is the climax to his selfless, subservient, and obedient attitude—the mind of Christ. It led to a sacrificial state of mind and the action of death, even the death on the cross.

Notice the word humble leads us back to the exhortation of Philippians 2:1-5, and ties in with verse 3. The mind of Christ as demonstrated in his incarnation and death on the cross forms the basis for the exhortation for us to “have this attitude.” As MacLeod notes:

Jesus’ supreme example of selflessness and obedience beckons believers to lead lives of selfless living and obedience. Seeing Him abandoning the glories and prerogatives of heaven, pouring Himself out for others, should encourage Christians to abandon their self-serving attitudes.^[12]

To be continued

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[1]  Ibid, 25.

[2]  Muller, 81. Hawthorne,  85, likewise states there no basis for speculation “simply because it gives no clue whatsoever as to what it was that Christ emptied himself of.”

[3]  Calvin, 248.

[4]  Colin Brown, “Empty,” THE NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY, 1:549.

[5]  MacLeod, 318

[6]  Metaphorical translations are found in the KJV—“made Himself of no reputation;” NIV—“made Himself nothing;” or “poured out himself,” which MacLeod seems to favor. Loh and Nida A TRANSLATORS HANDBOOK ON PHILIPPIANS, 58, notes that Paul uses the metaphorical sense elsewhere in the epistles. . Martin, Ralph P, CARMEN CHRISTI, 194: “The verb…seems to carry in this context a metaphorical as distinct from a metaphysical meaning.”

[7] Silva, 121.

[8]  Quoted by MacLeod, 319.

[9]  Martin, 195.

[10]  Walvoord, John F., EBC: PHILLIPIANS, 54-55.

[11]  MacLeod, 325 fn 101.

[12]  Ibid, 330.