Category: Faith

From: John MacArthur Study Bible.

Vs 7emptied Himself. From this Gr. word comes the theological word “kenosis”; i.e., the doctrine of Christ’s self-emptying in His incarnation. This was a self-renunciation, not an emptying Himself of deity nor an exchange of deity for humanity (see notes on v. 6).

Jesus did, however, renounce or set aside His privileges in several areas: 

1) heavenly glory—while on earth He gave up the glory of a face-to-face relationship with God and the continuous outward display and personal enjoyment of that glory (cf. Jn 17:5); 

2) independent authority—during His incarnation Christ completely submitted Himself to the will of His Father (see note on v. 8; cf. Mt 26:39; Jn 5:30; Heb 5:8); 

3) divine prerogatives—He set aside the voluntary display of His divine attributes and submitted Himself to the Spirit’s direction (cf. Mt 24:36; Jn 1:45–49);

4) eternal riches—while on earth Christ was poor and owned very little (cf. 2Co 8:9); and 

5) a favorable relationship with God—He felt the Father’s wrath for human sin while on the cross (cf. Mt 27:46; see note on 2Co 5:21). form of a bond-servant. Again, Paul uses the Gr. word “form,” which indicates exact essence (see note on v. 

6). As a true servant, Jesus submissively did the will of His Father (cf. Is 52:13, 14). the likeness of men. Christ became more than God in a human body, but He took on all the essential attributes of humanity (Lk 2:52; Gal 4:4; Col 1:22), even to the extent that He identified with basic human needs and weaknesses (cf. Heb 2:14, 17; 4:15). He became the God-Man: fully God and fully man.