KENOSIS PASSAGE

Introduction
It is not uncommon to hear godly radio and television speakers, pastors and teachers teach that Jesus "emptied
Himself of His divinity"1 or His deity, 2 or that He "abandoned a sovereign position." 3 It has also been said, "When
He left heaven and came to this earth, He gave up the voluntary use of His divine attributes." 4And another has
written, "Jesus restricted the use of these divine attributes when he took on the form of man." 5 Perhaps you have
heard a speaker raise these questions: "While He was here on earth, was He omnipotent? ... God could not do many
mighty works? That's what the Bible says. Was He omnipresent? No. He was restricted by time and space." 6 It has
also been asked, "How could Jesus be omniscient and not know the time of His return?" 7 Another radio speaker has
taught that God was downsized. "Think about how big the Word is. Think about how downsized to become flesh one cell..."8 Perhaps words such as these have warmed your heart at Christmas: "Those hands that formed all the
worlds... would now have to be held... And the mouth that spoke, for by the word of the Lord were the heavens
made, ...would now have to learn to speak Aramaic and Hebrew."9
These are statements and questions about the nature of God as revealed in Holy Scripture and summarized in
historic creeds of the Christian faith. They beg for answers to foundational questions of the faith. Would God be God
if He did not know the future, or if He did not sovereignly rule the universe? Would Jesus be God if He did not
know the future, or if He did not sovereignly rule the universe? When Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, did He
continue, in His divine nature, to use His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence to sovereignly rule the
universe?
Jesus clearly taught, and the rest of Holy Scripture confirms, that He is Son of God and Son of man (Mtt. 16:13-17).
In the Creed of Chalcedon the early fathers rightly affirmed that Christ "must be acknowledged in two natures,
without any commingling, or change, or division or separation."10
The Creed of Athanasius offers an important analogy to help us understand Biblical statements about Christ's two
natures: "As a rational soul and flesh are one man, so God and man are one Christ." 11 Because I am a rational soul I
can say, "I will never die." That statement is not true of my flesh, unless Christ returns before I die. On the other
hand, because I am flesh I can also say, "I will not live forever." That statement is not true of my soul.
In the same manner, certain statements by or about Christ are true only if ascribed to the appropriate nature. For
example, because Christ is God He could say "You are of this world, I am not of this world" (NAS Jn. 8:23). This
statement is not true of Christ's human nature. If we err in ascribing this statement to His human nature, we would
conclude, as did the doceticists, that Christ was only a spirit. On the other hand,because Christ is man, He elsewhere
says concerning His second coming: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the
Son, but the Father alone" (NAS Mtt. 24:36). This statement is not true of Christ's divine nature. If we ascribe this
statement to His divine nature, we would conclude that as God, He did not know when He would return. He would
not be omniscient, He would be less than God, and thus, not God at all, as the Arians argued.
(back to top)

Kenotic Theology
Most kenoticists believe that Christ gave up His sovereign dominion when becoming incarnate. They follow the
same logic as the Arians, but they are deceived into thinking their Christ is still God. These could be classified as
neo-Arians. Other kenoticists believe that Christ continued being sovereign while on earth, but that His divine and
human natures were not truly united into one Person. These could be classified as neo-Nestorian. Most kenoticists
thus either diminish the deity of Christ or they undermine the union of the two natures in one Person.
Much of what we hear and read has been gleaned from theologians who have disseminated their views in
commentaries and doctrinal treatises. Rather than study the scriptures regarding the kenosis and two natures of
Christ, many of these pastors, teachers, and radio and television personalities go to their commentaries or other
books in their libraries to find answers that they do not test with Scripture.
In his excellent work on Philippians 2 Rodney Decker shows the following sources for many of the distorted views
of the kenosis.
1.

"Christ had a human soul, to which the Logos imparted his divinity, little by little until he became
completely divine" (Dorner).

2.

Christ "laid aside his deity which was then restored at the ascension" (Gess and Beecher).

3.

He "abandoned certain prerogatives of the divine mode of existence in order to assume the human," e.g.,
omniscience" (Gore).

4.

"He surrendered the external, physical attributes of omniscience, though retaining the attributes of love and
truth (A. M. Fairbairn). This was also held by Thomasius, Deilitzsch, and H. Crosby."

5.

Christ "lived a double life from two, non-communicating life centers. As God, he continued his Trinitarian
and providential existence, and as man he was united with a human nature. He did not know consciously
anything of his divine, Trinitarian existence" (Martensen).

6.

"He disguised his deity and attributes, not by giving them up, but by limiting them to a time-form
appropriate to a human mode of existence ... His attributes could only be expressed in relation to the
(human) time and space that his human form could experience" (Ebrard).

7.

"He gave up the use of the attributes (cf. Carson, FD&FPJ, 35)."

8.

"He gave up the independent exercise of the divine attributes (Strong, ST, 703)."

9.

"He limited himself to the voluntary non-use of the attributes (Walvoord)." 12

Among Catholics the primary influence has come from Karl Rainer, one of the most influential theologians of the
twentieth century. According to John O'Connel in the March/April 1997 issue of The Catholic Faith, Rainer speaks
of Christ as gradually developing His self-consciousness: 'This consciousness in Christ realized itself only gradually
during his spiritual history, and this history does not consist only, or even first and foremost, in being occupied with
this or that fact of external reality but consists rather in the never quite successful attaining of what and who one is
oneself ...' So Christ in His human consciousness never became fully aware of His self-identity, nor was He fully
cognizant that His Sacred Humanity was intimately united to theLogos."13
(back to top)
Implications of Kenotic Theology
In trying to understand the mystery of the incarnation, kenoticists have fallen prey to the tendency to submit the
authority of God's Word to human reason: "Understanding is believing" rather than "God said it, and I believe it."
They do not properly acknowledge Christ's two natures during His 33 years on earth, and they ignore or subtly alter
important Christological distinctions in God's Word. Dorner's view is at best a perversion of Biblical, orthodox
Christology. The remaining views of the kenosis are senseless - what does the nonuse or non-exercise of
omnipresence look like? And they are heretical.
1. They destroy the integrity of the atonement.14 The redemption of all creation (Rom. 8:18-22) and of everyone
who would ever believe in Christ required not only a perfect human being, but also a sacrifice that was also infinite
in every way. It required the "blood of God" (Acts 20:28). "It was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to
dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His
cross" (NAS Col. 1:19-20). The fullness of the Father's divinity was in Christ during His ministry and passion, but
most kenoticists substitute the word "partialness" for the word "fullness," or they diminish the unity of the Person of
Christ in the kenosis. Limiting Christ's sovereign deity or separating His two natures would leave all of humanity,
and all of creation hopelessly subject to God's curse and to His eternal wrath.
2. They distort the Christian view of the incarnation. The Bible says, "The Word became flesh" (NAS John 1:14);
kenoticists teach that God minus the use of His dominion attributes became flesh, or that the Word remained
separate from the flesh. The Bible states, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (NAS 2 Cor. 5:19);
kenotic thinking holds that only God minus omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, was in Christ, or that God
was not truly in Christ. The Bible affirms that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:16). To be the Son of God
is to have the same substance as God. Kenoticists teach a mutation: God birthed a Son Who either later became God
minus boundlessness or Who was never really united to human flesh. "Great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh" (KJV 1 Tim. 3:16). According to kenotic thought the mystery of godliness lies not in the fact
that "God was manifest in the flesh," but that God minus sovereignty was manifest in the flesh, yet was still
mysteriously somehow God. Or as Martenson or Rainer would suggest, that God was not really manifest in the
flesh, yet was still somehow mysteriously one Person. Such views tend "...to rupture the hypostatic union of Christ's
divine and human natures."15
Sovereignty is an attribute of God. According to Don Fortner it means ruling "all things, everywhere, at all times
absolutely."16 If, by becoming man, Christ gave up the use of His divine attributes in any way, then He was not
sovereign. If Jesus was not sovereign during His earthly ministry, then He was not God. If He was not God, the
Word that was God (Jn.1:1) never became flesh - only part of the Word did. And the name "Immanuel," meaning
"God with us" (NAS Mtt. 1:23), is a lie, and God's Word is not true.
3. They deny the immutability of God. Most distorted views of the kenosis mutate the Immutable. In order for the
God the Son to abandon His sovereignty in any way, He would have to change His character or being. This, God
would never do. "IAM WHO I AM" (NAS Ex. 3:14). "But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an
end." (NAS Ps. 102:27). "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever." (NAS Heb. 13:8).
According to R.C. Sproul, "If God laid aside one of His attributes, the immutable undergoes a mutation, the infinite
suddenly stops being infinite; it would be the end of the universe."17
4. They undermine the monotheistic distinctive of the Christian faith. The only way to limit the use of attributes
of one Person without limiting the attributes of all three members of the Godhead is to divide God into three divine

Beings for each of the three Persons. Jesus could then suspend His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, etc.,
while the Father and Holy Spirit would continue to exercise sovereign dominion over the universe. This view of the
Trinity, however, is polytheistic, not Christian. The Christian faith is monotheistic. We believe there is only one God.
"Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord" (Mark 12:29). The Creed of Athanasius affirms this truth: "The
Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but there are not three gods, but one God... The Father is
omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent, but there are not three omnipotent Beings, but
one omnipotent Being . . . We distinguish among the Persons, but we do not divide the Substance."18
Kenotic theology has spawned two significant distortions of Scripture, that Christ, as God, emptied Himself of His
glory, and that as God, Christ performed His miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit and did not use His own
divine power to do the miracles. These two distortions of the kenosis must be examined in the light of infallible
Scripture.
(back to top)

Emptied of His Glory?

The first verse of the popular song, "He is Lord," begins, "Emptied of His glory God became a Man." 19 Though the
Philippians passages does not say that Christ emptied Himself of anything, there are those who appear to need add
something to the passage, so they assault His glory. To do this they appeal to Christ's high priestly prayer in John 17.
"These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son,
that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast
given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom Thou hast sent. I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me
to do. And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the
world was.'" (NAS Vss. 1-5). The last verse is sometimes quoted to argue that Christ had emptied Himself of His
divine glory at birth and that He regained it after His resurrection
Referring to the kenosis in Philippians 2:5-7, John Calvin writes: "In order to exhort us to submission by His
example, he shows, that when as God he might have displayed to the world the brightness of His glory, he gave up
His right, and voluntarily emptied Himself; that he assumed the form of a servant, and, contented with that humble
condition, suffered His divinity to be concealed under a veil of flesh."20
The "veil of flesh" is an illusion to Hebrews 10:19-20: "Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the
holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His
flesh" (NAS).
Neither Christ's divinity, nor His Divine attributes, nor the use of those attributes, nor His glory, was in any way
emptied. Rather, these were "concealed under a veil of flesh." 21 There is a distinct difference between emptying and
concealing. If I were on a family vacation, and if I carried all my money in my wallet, I'd much prefer that my wallet
be concealed than emptied. There is a big difference.
Confusion about Christ's glory can best be minimized by remembering that Scripture addresses His glory in at least
five time periods.
1. The first time period is the period before creation. In John 17:5 it is important to note that Christ did not ask the
Father for the glory that He had before He was incarnate. Jesus asked for the glory that He had with the Father
before the world was created.
2. The second time period is from creation to His incarnation. Jesus did not ask for the glory He had during this time
because there are several instances - we call them theophonies 22 - when Christ's glory was veiled, just as it was in the
third time period. It was simpler for Christ to refer back to the first time without having to qualify the second time
period.
3. The third time period is from Christ's incarnation to His resurrection. It was during this third time period that
Christ prayed for the future time when He would have the glory He had with the Father before the world was
created.
4. This fourth time period, thus, is that time between His resurrection and ascension.
5. The fifth time period is that after His ascension.
During the third period, from His incarnation to His resurrection, our Lord's divine glory was concealed - not
emptied or limited in any way - to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy regarding His name, "Immanuel, God with us" (7:14).
Unveiled glory would have blinded the humanity he came to serve and to save.
But even during this third time period Christ did reveal His glory. Luke writes: "And some eight days after these
sayings, it came about that He took along Peter and John and James, and went up to the mountain to pray. And while

He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And
behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of
His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome
with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. And it came
about, as these were parting from Him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three
tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah' not realizing what he was saying." (NAS Lk. 9:2833).
John, who was with Peter and James that day, later wrote: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we
beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (NAS John 1:14).
Please note the following observations regarding Christ's prayer:
(1) Before creation, whenever Christ looked at Himself, He saw unveiled glory and majesty. Now, as He is praying
in John 17, when he looks at Himself He sees hands of human flesh, veiling His glory. He is looking forward to the
day His glory would have the same radiance that blazed before creation.
(2) The glory for which Christ yearned, however, was not a regression back to His pre-incarnate, pre-creation glory,
but it was a progression to a new glory - His resurrection glory. To His pre-creation glory would be added the glory
of His human body which would no longer veil His divine glory. Rather, His glorified human body would now
augment the glory of His divine nature - two glorified natures - human and divine, in one glorified Person.
(3) The veiling of Christ's glory is not unique to the 33 years from Christ's birth to His death. It has been veiled in all
four of the time periods since creation. In Old Testament times His glory was veiled in some of the
theophonies,23 just as it was during His earthly life. After His resurrection, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus concealed
not only His glorified body, but also His identity (Lk. 24:9-32). And after His ascension, Stephen saw Him siting at
the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:55), but there is no indication that His glory conveyed the radiance it did when it
blinded Saul on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:32-6).
(4) The reality is that Christ's glory is multi-dimensional, and being God He reveals it when, where and how He
chooses. During His life on earth the angels never ceased beholding His glory, the heavens never stopped declaring
His glory, nor was the earth ever any less full of His glory. And the utter humility in the way He poured himself out
for us was no less glorious than the cloud that filled Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:10ff) or the consuming fire that
shrouded Mt. Sinai when He gave the 10 commandments (Ex. 24:16-18).
In John's gospel, after the record of our Lord's triumphal entry when many still could not believe in Christ, John
quotes Isaiah. "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor
understand with their hearts, nor turn-and I would heal them." Then John writes, "Isaiah said this because he saw
Jesus' glory and spoke about him." (NIV Jn 12:40-41).
The glory that Isaiah saw was Christ's glory, and that glory has never been diminished. "In the year of King Uzziah's
death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim
stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with
two he flew. And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full
of His glory.' And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple
was filling with smoke.Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live
among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.'"(NAS Is. 6:1-5).
(back to top)

Christ's Miracles Performed only by the Holy Spirit?

Christological distortions are often marked with the words "only" and "just." Jesus was and is a man, but not just a
man. Heresy marked the 1970's Jesus Christ Superstar musical when Mary Magdalene sings of Jesus, "He's a man
he's just a man."24
The belief that Christ performed His miracles only by the power of the Holy Spirit is growing in popularity,
particularly among charismatics in the power evangelism movement. In his book, Surprised by the Voice of God,
Jack Deere writes "At the beginning of Christ's public ministry, both Luke and Jesus himself made it absolutely clear
that the source of power in Jesus' ministry was not His deity, but rather His dependence on the Holy Spirit." 25 This
view is consistent with his belief that Jesus restricted the use of His divine attributes when He "left heaven [and His
omnipresence] and became incarnate."26
This narrow view stands in opposition to four truths found in the Biblical record.
1. As a man, Jesus did rely on the Holy Spirit to perform the miracles. Quoting from Isaiah, Christ said, "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to

proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised" (KJV
Luke 4:18).
There is nothing in Scripture, however, to suggest that this was His sole source of power. The Old Testament
prophets foresaw not only a Spirit-anointed human Messiah (Is. 61:1-2), but also the coming of very Yahweh
Himself.28 For example, we have already shown that the very Christ Who walked on the earth (Jn. 12:41) was the
very Yaweh Isaiah saw (Is. 6:1-5). As believers we can do greater works than Christ, not because He was just like us
relying on the Holy Spirit, but because He promised we would, and this because He goes to he Father. "Truly, truly, I
say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
because I go to the Father" (NAS Jn. 14:12).
2. As a man, Christ also relied on the Father working in Him to do the miracles. In His gospel John writes:
33

"The Jews answered Him, 'For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a
man, make Yourself out to be God.' . . . 36[Jesus answered,] 'do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent
into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? 37If I do not do the works of My Father,
do not believe Me; 38but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and
understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.' 39Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He
eluded their grasp" (NAS Jn. 10:33-39).
We see here Christ giving to the Jews a two-fold apologetic. Jesus identified Himself as God by what He says "though you do not believe me," (vs. 38) and by his miracles - "believe the works" (vs. 38). Here Christ points to His
miracles to prove He is God, not to prove that He was filled with the Spirit.
3. As a man, Christ also relied on Himself - His own Deity, to perform miracles without qualifying them as
being done by the Holy Spirit or by His Father. A key passage to examine occurs in Mark's gospel.
"And on that day, when evening had come, He said to them, 'Let us go over to the other side.' And leaving the
multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him. And there
arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.
And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, do You not
care that we are perishing?' And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.' And the
wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, 'Why are you so timid? How is it that you have
no faith?' And they became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the
sea obey Him?'" (NAS Mk. 4:35-41)
It is important to note here is that Christ did not correct His disciples and tell them that it was not He who had saved
their lives, but that He had performed this miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were correct in
affirming that the wind and waved had obeyed Him - Jesus!
The clearest proof that Christ drew from His own deity to perform miracles is in the resurrection of His own body,
when he was physically dead and totally unable to rely on the Holy Spirit. After casting the moneychangers out of
the temple, the Jews asked for a sign, to which Christ responded: "'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up.' The Jews therefore said, 'It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?' But
He was speaking of the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered
that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken." (NAS Jn. 2:19-22).
Elsewhere in the New Testament the active voice of the Greek verbs for the words "rise" and "arise" affirm the
fulfillment of Christ's prophecy. "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will
they be persuaded if someone risesfrom the dead'" (NAS Lk. 16:31). "For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus" (NAS 1 Thess. 4:14). "God
raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses
who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead (NAS
Acts 10:40-41).
4. As God incarnate, Jesus worked in unison with the Holy Spirit and with the Father to perform these
miracles. This is especially evident regarding His resurrection.
In the third point above we showed that Christ raised Himself. Christ says, "I will raise it up" (NAS Jn. 2:19) and
Luke writes, "He arose from the dead" (NAS Acts 10: 41). But we also see in the same two passages a contrasting
thought. Not only did Christ raise Himself, but we also see a second truth that Christ was raised. John writes, " He
was raised," (2:22) as if by another, and Luke writes, "God raised Him up" (Acts 10:40).
Not only did Jesus say He would raise His own body, we find also that the Holy Spirit raised Him (Rom. 8:11) and
that the Father raised Him (Gal. 1:1). The majority of references affirm that God - obviously the Triune God - raised
Christ (e.g., Acts 2:24, 3:15, 4:10, 5:30, 13:30, Rom. 10:9, 1 Cor. 6:14, 1 Pet. 1:21).

Jesus was and is fully God and fully man, one Person with two natures. Just as we rely on the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit (e.g., Rom. 8:11), of the Father (e.g., Jn. 17:23), and of the Son (e.g., 1 Jn. 3:24) to live the Christian life, so
Christ, as man, relied on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, of the Father, and of His own Deity - Himself, to perform
the miracles. As God, Christ worked in unison with the Holy Spirit and the Father to perform the miracles.
(back to top)

Philippians 2:5-8
5
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did
not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and
being made in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (NAS Phil. 2:5-8).
It would be redundant and beyond my expertise to match Rodney Decker's mastery of the Kenosis passage. 29 His
explanation of the Greek text concurs with other Greek scholars and is the clearest explanation that is available on
the Web. My intent here is to merely summarize a few observations from my own study.
1. Jesus did not empty himself of anything (Decker). 30 Here, unquestionably, he explains not what Christ was, but
in what way he acted" (Calvin). 31 One of the strongest historic arguments comes from Chrysostom, a Greek father
whose language was only 300 years removed from Paul's Greek, and which had changed less than the King James
language has changed in the last 400 or so years. In His exposition of this passage, Chrysostom's Christology
triumphed over all the heresies of the previous 300 years.35
2. Context. Context. Context. The kenoticist violates one of the fundamental rules of exegesis. He reads the text:
"Who being in the form of God, emptied Himself," and ascribes the emptying to the divine nature.
The immediate context for "ekenosen," however, is Christ's human nature.
Listing the key phrases in the light of Christ's two natures will help show the context of the kenosis. (Verses are from
the NASB.)
Verse 6a: "who, although He existed in the form of God" - This is clearly a statement regarding Christ's divine
nature. Christ was and is God.
Verse 6b: "did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped" - This is clearly a statement regarding Christ's
human nature. Would it make any sense for Paul to state that Christ, as God, did not regard equality with God as a
thing to be grasped since He was already God? Is the idea of God regarding equality with God a thing to be grasped
a sensible issue to raise? It is only as man that Christ did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. This
alone makes sense.
Verse 7a: "but emptied Himself" - ekenesen - As man Christ emptied himself.
Verse 7b: "taking the form of a bond-servant" - A clear statement of Christ's humanity.
Verse 7c: "and being made in the likeness of men" - A clear statement of Christ's humanity.
Verse 8a: "Being found in appearance as a man" - Obvious reference to Christ's humanity.
Verse 8b: "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." - Christ
humanity. Spirit cannot die.
In summary Paul provides one statement regarding Christ's divinity, contrasted by a statement regarding his
humanity, followed then by "ekenosen," which is then followed by four statements regarding Christ's humanity. The
context clearly indicates that it was only as man that Christ emptied himself.
3. Paul's appeal is to Christ as man, not as God. The larger context of Philippians 2:7 is Paul's exhortation to
humility: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus." (2:5 ESV) Paul does not appeal for us
to be like God. He appeals for us to be like a man, the perfect man, the perfect servant, Christ in perfect humility,
who chose the role of a servant rather than the sovereign king he was. "Since had He been subjected, had He not
chosen it of His own accord, and of His own free will, it would not have been an act of humility" (Chrysostom). 34
4. Paul does not contradict himself; nor does God. The larger context of Paul's writings and the balance of
Scripture is consistent. Paul would not tell the Colossians that the fullness of God dwelt in Christ (Col. 1:19-20) and
the Philippians that something less than God was in Christ. Nor would God. God is honest; His Word is true; He
doesn't lie.

5. Jesus didn't need to prove that He was God. Had His divinity been diminished in any way in the kenosis
Christ would have regarded His equality with God a thing to be grasped.
6. To empty is to become more. Just as an athlete becomes more by pouring or emptying himself into his training,
so the pre-incarnate Christ became "more" by pouring or emptying Himself in a human nature that could suffer and
die for our sins. "But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I
rejoice and share my joy with you all. And you too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me"
(NAS Phil. 2:17-18). In His identification with Christ Paul parallels his own pouring out with Christ's. Paul's
sacrifice was finite and future, thus "poured out." Christ's was infinite and an accomplished fact; Paul chose the
strongest words to describe the magnitude of the sacrifice, He "emptied Himself." "How did He 'empty Himself?'"
asks Augustine. "By taking that which He was not, not by losing that which He was." 32 "'What he was, he remained
and what he was not, he assumed,' sings the Roman Liturgy" (Catholic Catechism).33
Only by failing to properly ascribe Biblical statements to Christ's two natures can anyone conclude from this
passage or any other passage of Scripture that the pre-incarnate Christ literally emptied Himself of anything. May
God's Spirit give you discernment as you read these words.
(back to top)

Two Heads, Two Centers?

According to Elwell's Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, kenotic theology grew out of three historic concerns.
"The primary concern was to find a way of understanding the person of Christ that allowed his full humanity to be
adequately expressed. Biblical studies had given the church an intensified awareness that Christianity began in the
earliest encounters with the man Jesus. Critical scholarship was "recapturing" him in the light of his environment. It
was becoming more sensitive to the limitations of that "prescientific" era and was seeing more clearly the Synoptic
portrait of the human personality of the man Jesus. All this must be said about Christ himself, not merely about some
abstract appendage called humanity "assumed" by God the Son.
A second, equally important concern was to affirm that God truly was in Christ. The creeds are correct: very God,
very man. The problem is how this can be said without turning Christ into an aberration. If to be human is to learn,
grow, etc., and to be God is to be omniscient, then how can we speak of one person? Must he not have had "two
heads"?
The third concern stems in part from the first. The age was learning to think in terms of the categories of
psychology. Consciousness was a central category. If at our "center" is our consciousness, and if Jesus was both
omniscient God and limited man, then he had two centers and was thus fundamentally not one of us. Christology
was becoming inconceivable for some."36
It is our intent here to help make orthodox Christology conceivable without redefining the meaning of "orthodox"
and arriving at Smith's blasphemous conclusion that "kenotic theology is in reality a variant but new form of
orthodox, biblical faith."37 Lest we remold Christ into our own image, we must be reminded that our authority is
Scripture, not our human reason. We use reason to affirm the truth and authority of Scripture, not to replace it as our
authority.
Modern psychology accords many scenarios for how the two natures of Christ may have existed in one Person. Any
venture into this realm goes beyond Scripture and is pure speculation. The intent of the following explanation,
however, is not to show how these two natures related, but to show a single possible, reasonable scenario of how the
natures could have related in a manner that is consistent with Biblical, historic orthodoxy.
1. The ability to perform multiple tasks at once does not divide a person into two persons. As humans we have
levels of consciousness that allow us to perform multiple tasks at once. I have learned to eat my lunch and to talk on
my cell phone while driving. I am no different than a busy manager, a harried mother or an expert chess player
concentrating on several strategies at once. Does my ability to focus attention on two things at once divide me into
two persons? No.
As man Jesus was not two persons because He performed multiple tasks at once. During His 33 years on this earth
Jesus was a human being like us, but without sin. He "grew in wisdom, and in stature and in favor with God and
man" (Lk. 2:52). As a boy he learned as we have learned to perform multiple tasks at once. He, too, as one of us, had
levels of consciousness that allowed him to walk, talk and think at the same time. But this did not make Him two
persons.
2. The ability to perform tasks without being conscious of doing them does not divide a person into two
persons. Early in our lives we devoted much conscious thought to properly chewing and swallowing food. The same
is true of learning to pronounce words, and of learning to drive a car. Parents who teach their teenagers to drive learn
quickly not to distract them while they drive. In the beginning driving demands focused attention, as do eating and

talking. As we gain expertise, however, we perform these tasks without being completely conscious of doing them.
We also learn to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
For example, I often eat and talk on my cell phone while I am driving. During these times I am reading signs,
judging traffic, listening for horns and sirens, evaluating the food, listening to the person on the phone, coordinating
my chewing and swallowing, and not forgetting to breathe in the process. But does my ability to perform these tasks
without being aware of all that I am doing divide me into two persons? No.
We all perform tasks without being completely conscious of doing them. Some tasks we can access easily, such as
breathing. Other actions or responses are more difficult to access - for example, why we get angry with a certain
person's words or actions. Some levels of consciousness, such as those stemming from certain prenatal experiences,
can not be accessed even with the help of the best therapists. The fact that a person does things without being
conscious of doing them does not divide him into more than one person.
As a human being Jesus performed multiple tasks, such as walking and talking, while not being completely aware of
everything He was doing.38 The ability to perform tasks without being conscious of doing them did not divide Jesus
into more than one person.
3. God's ability to perform multiple tasks at once does not divide Him into two persons. God has levels and
dimensions of consciousness that our human minds will never fathom. John writes, "And this is the confidence
which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He
hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him" (NAS 1 Jn. 5:1415). God provides this conscious, intensely private attention to millions of His children at the same time. But He is
only one God.
As God, Jesus was not more than one Person because He performed multiple tasks simultaneously. As full God in
flesh during His 33 years on earth, Jesus continued using His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence to
sustain every star. But in His union with the Father and Holy Spirit He was only one God.
4. As God and as man, Jesus was and is only one Person. "Christ's humiliation was that as man He did not always
or fully use His divine powers."39 He did this to grow and to learn as we do, to qualify as our high priest by obeying
God as one of us in order to offer a perfect life as a sacrifice, and to give us His own righteousness.
As man Jesus performed multiple tasks while not being aware of everything He was doing, and he had levels of
consciousness of which He was not aware. "The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of
understanding draws them out" (KJV Pr. 20:5). In His human experience, Jesus could have related to His divine
nature as He would have to those "deep waters" of the preconscious, the unconscious, the subconscious, or the large
body of unawareness. Numerous psychological categories abound.
It was neither possible nor necessary for Christ's human intellect to comprehend the vast knowledge of His divine
intellect. This would allow Him to grow intellectually as one of us. Nor was it necessary for Christ to know in His
human intellect all He was doing as God. He was one Person growing and learning as one of us and simultaneously
doing the work of God (Jn. 5:17), without being aware in His human intellect of all He was doing in His divine
nature.
As our Brother, as one of us, Jesus grew in relation to God as we do, without being divided into two persons or two
centers.

Jesus had a soul (Mtt. 26:38); He probably talked to His soul as David had (Ps. 42:5).

He also had a conscience and He listened to it perfectly.

Jesus had the Holy Spirit to guide and to empower Him just as we do, only He followed the Spirit perfectly.
While His human experience listening to and following the Spirit was much like our experience, the Spirit
that guided Him, was, in reality, His own Spirit He had as God the Son - the Holy Spirit, "Who proceeds
from the father and the Son" (Nicene creed).40

Jesus was a divine Self. The self is the Person, the "me," "myself," and "I" - all interchangeable terms,
depending on one's choice of sentence structure or emphasis. Jesus was and is one divine Person - one Self;
to have been two selves would have divided Christ into two persons. Though He was only a divine Self,
His experience of that Self could have been experienced in much the same way we experience our human
selves. As man Jesus probably usually blocked off from His consciousness much of His majesty as God in
order to experience our human lot.

In His human experience Jesus also communicated with God. As believers we communicate with each
Person of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As man Christ did likewise, but when He communed
with the divine Son, He was communing with His divine Self, and whenever Christ talked to Himself, it
was to His divine self, though His experience of communicating with His divine Self was probably no

different than our experience of praying to Christ who lives within us. He was one Person. When He
communed with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He was communing with two members of the Trinity united
with His divine Self. For this reason Jesus could say, "I and the Father are one" (Jn. 10:30).
As man, Christ was not omniscient, but as God He had infinite levels of consciousness and powers that held all
things together (Col. 1:17). As man, He did not normally access these levels of consciousness. When He did, His
experience of receiving knowledge from God was probably much the same as ours. Jesus possibly could have
accessed information from His divine intellect in much the same way a personal computer accesses information
from the Internet, but His finite human intellect could not have "downloaded" all the vast knowledge of omniscient
God, only portions of it.
Just as God gives us visions, so God gave Christ's human intellect the vision of Nathanael under the fig tree (Jn.
1:48). As man Christ experienced receiving the vision as we would, but the God from whom He received it was His
own divine Person- His divine nature.
The boundless knowledge of His divine intellect was available to His human intellect, but He normally did not
access it. For example, He did not know the day of His return (Mtt. 24:36). "He blocked it off." 41
As God, nothing in Christ's human consciousness escaped the omniscience of His divine consciousness. As God,
"begotten not made,"(Nicene creed)42 ". . . the birth of the Son [of Mary] was the work also of the Son
Himself."43 As God, the uncreated Christ sustained His created human nature.
In conclusion, we can see how performing multiple tasks without being conscious of doing them does notrequire
two heads or two centers of consciousness. Jesus had a human consciousness like ours, and a divine consciousness
that sustained creation. What we have shown is simply one way that "Jesus can be both the presence of the
omniscient God and a limited, growing man."44 But as we have shown, He was and continues to be only one Person.
(back to top)

Three Tests of Orthodoxy

In addition to examining kenotic views in the light of Scripture, and the historic creeds, the following tests can also
be used to demonstrate their internal inconsistency and deception.
1. The other nature test. If you apply a qualification to one nature, will any Christological problems occur if the
same qualification is applied to the other nature. Take, for example, the belief that Jesus gave up the voluntary use of
certain divine attributes. In applying the same limitation to His humanity, we would ask, "Are there any problems
with saying that Jesus gave up the voluntary use of certain human attributes?" These might include human
weakness, ignorance, feelings, dreams, or the ability to be tempted. In the incarnation Jesus did not surrender the use
of any of His human attributes; nor did He surrender the use of any of His divine attributes.
2. The three Persons test. If you apply a qualification to one Person, will any Trinitarian problems occur if the
same qualification is applied to all three Persons of the Trinity? For example, if the Father and the Holy Spirit were
to give up the voluntary use of the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, in the same manner as
some believe Christ did, would God or anything in the universe change? It is obvious that all of creation would
cease to exist. The voluntary use of omnipotence is necessary in order for God to sustain creation.
3. The listen and watch test. Listen to what the author or speaker affirms and watch what he or she does with what
he or she affirms. If the view affirms that each nature is undiminished and unchanged, check what follows to see if
anything is added which ends up denying or undermining what was affirmed? For example, if Christ's full Deity is
affirmed, and then qualified to include only the essential nature, then the author of the view is, by his qualification,
confessing that part of God's nature did in fact change when becoming incarnate. Scripture and the historic
summaries exclude any provision for dividing the divine nature into changeable and unchangeable parts. The two
natures were united without change to either.
(back to top)
Deity of Christ - Valuable Links
Kenotic theology has cast a murky cloud over the deity of Christ. The following comments and links, though not
directly related to Kenotic theology, are included here to simply underscore our Lord's eternal deity.
1.

In the Gospel writers Jesus is identified as God (Zaspel,Catholic Encyclopedia).45

2.

Jesus' enemies identified Jesus as God when they accused Him of blasphemy. They crucified Jesus because
He claimed to be God (Christian Think Tank,Catholic Encyclopedia).46

3.

Jesus' friends affirmed His Deity (Zaspel).47

4.

Other NT writers recognized the full Deity of Christ (Zaspel,Catholic Encyclopedia, Buntin).48

5.

Pagan writers confirmed that early Christians believed in the divinity of Christ (Catholic Encyclopedia).49

6.

The "Son of God" motif identified Christ as fully God (Catholic Encyclopedia).50

7.

Unlike other Biblical figures, Jesus did not refuse to be worshipped (Zaspel,Christian Think Tank).51

8.

The Nomina Sacra of the Early Church reveals the reverence ascribed to Christ's Deity (Christian Think
Tank).52

9.

At least 25 attributes, titles, actions of the Old Testament Yahweh are ascribed to Jesus in New Testament.
The New Testament writers saw Jesus as the incarnation of Jehovah. (Christian Think Tank, Zaspel).53

(back to top)
Are Kenoticists Christian?
Saving faith has both intellectual content - "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord" and commitment of the
heart - "and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (NAS Rom. 10:9).
The early creeds were formulated to protect the intellectual content of the gospel. Every major heresy distorts John
3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life" (NAS). Only the Biblical, orthodox view of the incarnation allows for Christ's atoning
blood to cleanse us from all sin (1Jn. 1:7).
For example, to the docetic, Jesus was not truly human. The "only begotten Son" was not truly given at the cross
because God could not shed His blood and die. The apostle John condemned this view in the first century. "By this
you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and
every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have
heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world" (NAS 1 Jn. 4:2-3). The framers of Chalcedon also
condemned doceticism in 451.
To the Arian or modern day Jehovah's Witness, Jesus was not truly God. He was not God's only begotten Son, but
He was made, the first of creation, exalted, but less than God. Christ's blood was less than divine, thus not able to
cleanse from sin. Arianism was condemned at the Council of Nicea in 325.
To the Nestorian, Jesus was truly God and truly man, but Christ was not one Person, but two. He was divided; the
two natures remained separate. Mary's son, not God's only begotten Son, was given; the only begotten Son remained
separate from the human son who died on the cross. Had this been the case, only human blood would have been
shed; it would have had no intrinsic power to cleanse from sin. The framers of Chalcedon condemned Nestorianism
in 451.
Most kenotic theology is neo-Arian or neo-Nestorian; it destroys the efficacy of Christ's atoning blood. It either
diminishes Christ's deity into something less than God and recreates God into three gods, or it separates the divine
nature from the human nature, thus splitting the Person of Christ. Therefore, to the true, consistent kenoticist,
Christ's blood has no intrinsic power to save us from sin. The true, consistent kenoticist is thus not a Christian.
However, many kenoticists are inconsistent in their Christology. They do not believe that Christ was sovereign when
He died on the cross, but they do believe literally that the blood of Christ is the blood of God (Acts 20:28), and they
believe literally that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1Jn. 1:7). These kenoticists are brothers and sisters
either who haven't taken the time to study the two natures of Christ, or they have been sidetracked and need to return
to sound Biblical truth about our Lord's two natures.
If you haven't taken the time to study Christ's two natures, I invite you to explore the links at this web site to find the
true, Biblical picture of Christ. Wherever Scripture is quoted, open your Bible and read the verses.
If you have been sidetracked by intellectually enticing, but distorted views of the kenosis, I invite you to reconsider
your views in the light of Scripture. The everlasting I Am who holds history in His hand entered history as one of us
to suffer and die for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Will you not only accept this forgiveness, but also turn
from the distortions of Christ to the true and living Christ Whose blood shed for you was truly divine. Perhaps the
following irrepressible truths from beloved hymns will help you on your journey back to the Biblical Christ.
"In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, A wondrous beauty I see." 54"Lord I believe 'Thy precious
blood, Which at the mercy seat of God Forever doth for sinners plead, For me, e'en for my soul, was shed." 55 "Would
you be free from the burden of sin: There's pow'r in the blood . . . wonder-working power in the precious blood of
the lamb." 56 "Are you washed in the blood, in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless?
Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?" 57 "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but
the blood of Jesus." 58"Alas and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head

For sinners such as I!" 59 "For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim - I'll wash my garments white In the
blood of Calv'ry's Lamb." 60
(back to top)

Conclusion
Fred Zaspel has rightly noted, "Doctrines subjected to neglect soon give way to heresy." 61 Each of us is admonished,
as was Timothy, to "study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the Word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15). The great crisis in conservative, Bible-based teaching comes from a failure
to be taught, and a failure to study the core doctrines of the Christian faith. Infidelity to God's Word is also tempting
- no less than is infidelity to a marriage partner. New "truths" entice the faithful, as do new illicit relationships.
Heresy is no respecter of godliness.
This web page has been established for three purposes: (1) To help those who have not studied the two natures of
Christ to understand the proper Biblical view of His humility, (2) To provide resources for those who understand the
proper Biblical view of the kenosis to defend it, and (3) To provide resources for advancing the truth in a Christian
world of ignorance, misinformation, apathy, and heresy. Corresponding to the purposes you will find in these links
information to understand, inspiration to defend, and motivation to advance the truth wherever God has placed you.
As you read the articles and books attached to this site, please remember that truth is not conservative or liberal.
There is sound doctrine and there are false teachers. There is the Gospel and there is another gospel. There are those
who have given their necks - they have been beaten, fed to lions and exiled for the truths we take for granted; and
there are those whom our Lord said would be better off in the bottom of the sea with a millstone around their necks.
There are the pure in heart who see Jesus, and there are those who, while seeing, do not see Him.
The broad range of links at this site underscores the reality that the issue of Christ's full Deity is basic to Biblical,
orthodox thought throughout history. In studying and discovering our Lord's undiminished Deity, it is our prayer that
you, too, will lose yourself in the glory of Christ's humility.
The Kenosis Hymn (Phil 2:5-11)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form
of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form
of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form he humbled
himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted
him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (RSV)
The introductory line to the Kenosis Hymn (2:5) presents several problems of interpretation. First, there is no clear
referent for "this" (touto). From the present context it is reasonable to conclude that Paul is referring to the whole
attitude of like-mindedness, unity, and humility that has been the Epistle's focus since 1:27.
Second, the phrase en humin, usually translated "in yourselves," as a personal attitude each person should have,
probably should be understood within the context of the strong emphasis on community as "among all of you"; that
is, as an attitude toward each other.
Third, the last phrase lacks a verb in Greek. The usual practice is to supply a form of the verb "to be": "Have this
attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" (2:5, NASB; cf. NIV, KJV). While this is permissible, it is also
possible to use the original verb ("have ... attitude") in the second clause, a common Hebrew usage found less
frequently in Greek. Understood in this way, the verse reads: "Think this (in this manner of humility) toward each
other which you also think in Christ Jesus (as Christians)." "In Christ Jesus" refers to those who have been baptized
into Christ (cf. Rom. 6:11, 23; Gal. 3:28; et al.). Therefore, being "in Christ" is the basis for having the attitude of
humility that Paul has just shown to be necessary: on the basis of the attitude of humility that you have before
Christ as Christians, you should also have the same attitude in your relationships with one another (cf. NEB). This
understanding of 2:5 fits well with the context as Paul elaborates the nature of the worthy conduct that is the
obligation of Christians.
The actual Hymn itself begins in 2:6. It can be divided into three parts: verse 6, introduced by the pronoun "who"
referring to "Christ Jesus," which focuses on the privileged status of Christ; verses 7-8, introduced by the
disjunctive "but," contrasting with verse 6, which focuses on the self-abasement of Christ; and verses 9-11,
introduced by a strong referential conjunction (dio kai, "therefore also"), implying that the last part is a necessary
result of the preceding, which focus on the activity of God exalting Christ. Thus, there is a movement of the status
of Christ within the hymn. He first appears on a level of equality with God (v. 6). Then, by his own choice, he lays
aside that equality and takes on the role of a servant (vv. 7-8). Finally, he is exalted by God to a status equal with
God (vv. 10-11).
This pattern of privilege-servanthood-exaltation, which is presented in the hymn as Paul's elaboration of the
proper Christian life-style, is shown to be working out in Paul's own life and is used as a basic structural element of

the entire Epistle. Paul has clearly cast himself in the servant role by the initial greeting (1:1) and the recounting of
his circumstances (vv. 12-16). He also testifies that he himself has enjoyed privilege, which he has gladly and freely
laid aside and has "counted as loss for the sake of Christ" (3:7, NASB; cf. vv. 8-14). He makes it clear that he
anticipates a day of exaltation so eagerly that "to die is gain" (1:21). Paul sees himself so clearly following the path
of servanthood that was established by Christ, especially in his present circumstances, that he can refer to "the
fellowship of His sufferings" and "being conformed to His death" (3:10, NASB). It is in this spirit that Paul can
point to himself and say, without trace of arrogance or pride, "Follow my example" (3:17; cf. 1 Cor 11:1).
Paul deliberately uses himself and his circumstances to illustrate the proper exercise of the role of servant
exemplified by Christ. Paul repeatedly uses the word phronein (to set one's mind on, to have an attitude) to refer to
the mind-set of humility and selflessness to which he originally called the Philippians and which the Kenosis Hymn
illustrates (2:5; cf. 2:2; 1:7). He also uses it to refer to his own attitude of selfless commitment, which he invites
them to share (3:15). He uses the same word to highlight the wrong mind-set, that of selfish preoccupation with
earthly values (3:19), and to commend their own concrete expression of the proper concern for others (4:10).
It is this willingness to lay aside all rights of personal privilege, to submit in the spirit of servanthood to the needs
and concerns of others, that is the heart of this letter. From Paul's side we see it as one who is a faithful servant
following the Servant-Christ. From the Philippians' side it is as those who are obligated to exhibit that servanthood
as followers of Christ. To show Christ as a servant, then, is to illustrate what being "in Christ" entails.
Paul argues that to fulfill one's obligation as a citizen of the heavenly kingdom is to empty oneself as He did, and to
take on the role of a servant. One must commit oneself not only to sharing grace but also to suffering (1:5, 7, 29-30).
S/he must be willing to be "poured out" in the service of others (2:17), to have a mind-set and lifestyle that is
different from the values of the world (3:18-19). S/he must exhibit true humility, understanding that to be "in Christ"
means to be a servant because Christ came to the world, not as Lord but as Servant (cf. John 13:2-20)!
The Kenosis Hymn for Today
The Kenosis Hymn functions as an ethical example, an illustration of what Christian citizenship means. Unity comes
in serving God through service to each other. There is danger of selfishly looking out for one's own interests at the
expense of others, or of arrogance born of pride in one's status, birth, or achievements (cf. 3:2-11). The solution to
problems in interpersonal relationships is an attitude of humble commitment to others. A spirit of self-sacrifice is an
expression to others of the love exemplified in Christ, love that was "obedient unto death, even a cross-death!" True
servanthood empties self. Paul uses Christ to illustrate this. He had every right not to choose the path of
servanthood rather than claim His rightful status. And Paul bears witness that he himself is walking the path of
servanthood, perhaps to his own cross. And he calls the Philippians to follow!
There is no room for triumphalism here! There is no room for a feel-good religion that does not take its servant role
seriously. There is no room for a victory that does not first know the "fellowship of His sufferings" in behalf of
others; no room for piety that does not pour out, yes, even totally empty, oneself for the interests of others.
But there is hope here. It is found in the last part of the Christ Hymn (2:9-11). God eventually exalted the ServantChrist. His humility became glory. And Paul strongly points to an exaltation as well, affirming that "the body of our
humble state" God will transform into "the body of His glory" (3:21, NASB). Jesus said to the religious people of
His day: "The greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever
humbles himself shall be exalted" (Matt. 23:11-12, NASB). But for Jesus, the path to that glory led through an
emptying of himself, through servanthood that led to a cross. For Paul, the path to that glory led through a prison
cell, through a poured-out life that caused him to say, "To die is gain" (1:21).
There is joy here, too (1:4, 25; 2:17-18; 4:4). It is not a superficial joy that evaporates at the first adversity. It is a joy
that goes hand in hand with servanthood and sings in the face of death itself (2:17-19)! To take seriously this sort of
servanthood disallows any sense of exaltation as reward or motivation, or as a formula for spiritual success: "Last
now, first later!" -4- That is not authentic servanthood.
Practical Examples
The Church today is beset by petty quarrels and selfish attitudes not unlike the churches of Paul's day. There are
conflicts between larger branches of Christianity (Catholic-Protestant), between denominations (Baptist- Methodist),
and between groups within denominations (moderate-fundamentalist). But there are also conflicts within local
churches on all political (pastor-church board), economic (businessman-welfare mother), social (executive-laborer),
racial (black-white), and personal (Smith-Jones) levels.
One local church board scrapped a successful busing program for underprivileged children because the bus was
bringing children who were poor and of the "wrong" color into their affluent suburban church. "We can't afford it!
They don't pay their way," one said. "They're ruining our carpet," said another. Still another, "They're not like us.
Don't they have their own church?"
Another church, claiming they could not possibly pay their excessively high $18,000 mission and educational
budget because of the tight economy, spent nearly $20,000 to refurbish the church offices and landscape the
grounds. "We must maintain our image in the community," they said.

Still another church nearly disbanded because of a severe conflict between opposing groups over how the worship
service should be conducted. "It doesn't fit our needs. There needs to be more freedom," one group said. "We've
never done it that way," another group said.
This sort, of pettiness even creeps into the ministerial ranks. I still painfully recall the conversation with a young
preacher who, nearly a year after completing his ministerial education, was still working for a local company. "Oh,
yes, I've been called to four different churches," he said, "but none of them could pay me more than $25,000 a year,
and we have to have at least $45,000 to maintain our standard of living."
The examples are endless. To persons with these attitudes Paul points to the example of Christ, who traded His
exalted position for the role of a servant, eventually to give His life for others. "Look at the servant-Christ," Paul
says, "and be like that!"
The Church needs the unity of mind and purpose to which Paul is calling the Philippians. It needs a unity built
around servanthood, a servanthood illustrated by the emptied Christ and the poured-out Paul. Perhaps the Church
needs to see itself in a new light. Maybe it needs to see itself less as the proclaimer and defender of divine truth, and
more as the servant of humanity, the footwasher who expresses his love by humble service (John 13). Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, the German theologian who poured out his own life at the hands of the Nazis because he refused to
allow the church to be the tool of oppression, wrote:
The church is the church only when it exists for others. . . . The church must share in the secular problems of
ordinary human life, not dominating, but helping and serving. . . . It must not underestimate the importance of
human example which has its origin in the humanity of Jesus. -5We who profess holiness need the unity of mind and purpose to which Paul is calling the Philippians. We need to see
ourselves in terms of our obligations to the community of those "in Christ" of which we claim to be a part. Maybe
we need to see ourselves less in terms of "those who never sin" and more in terms of "those who serve," those to
whom Jesus commanded, "Take up [your] cross, and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24, NASB). Maybe we need to see
ourselves in terms of the Servant-Christ, the "man for others" who bends himself to struggle for the wholeness and
healing of a wounded world." -6- Maybe we need to reexamine our own value structures that have been so subtly
shaped by the success-oriented society around us. We need to see if we are acting in a manner worthy of the
heavenly citizenship we claim. For Paul, to claim that citizenship meant to have a mind-set different from others. It
meant a commitment to servanthood, a life poured out in service to others, totally emptied of self.
We live in a society dominated by rights-activism, permeated with the philosophy of "me first," and molded by the
corporate ideals of efficiency and success. The Church must be called to remember that demanding one's rights and
privileges may be popular, even necessary in some cases, but if it does so at the expense of Christian unity and love,
it is not Christian! The Body of Christ must be called upon to refocus on Christian humility, unity, and fellowship.
We must make service to others, perfect love in action, our primary responsibility. An attitude of Christlike humility
does not demand rights or protect its own interests; it seeks servanthood.
C. C. Meigs expressed this attitude in the song "Others":
Others,
Let
Help
That I may live for Thee!

Lord,
this
me

yes
my
live

motto
for

others!
be!
others,