Philippians 2:7 7but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of humanity. 

The hymn of Christ continues with a strong contrast  to verse 6. This passage is often called the “kenosis” hymn because of the word for emptied (ekenōsen). This word marks the key turning point of these verses and gives the essence of Jesus’ mission in coming to earth. One of the most significant challenges in this passage and all of Christian theology is to unpack what this word means. The meaning of the word is metaphoric for divesting, giving up, voiding, or making invalid. The figurative implications of this word in its Christological context in this verse is more of the challenge for interpreters. The question becomes, of what did Christ empty himself? It is clear from the Gospel accounts that Christ did not cease to be divine, since he claimed numerous times in the Gospel of John of being the “I am.” Yet, he gave up some aspects of divinity in order to become human, such as omnipresence and omniscience.

Paul clarifies further what he means in the following two participial phrases. In the first, Christ took on the form of a servant. The word for form (morphēn) is the same as used in verse 6. Christ changed his appearance from sovereign divinity to servanthood. He said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). His whole life was one of service showed in his perfect faith in his Father and willingness to mingle with despised, rejected, and sick people. The primary emphasis for Paul is Christ’s servanthood through willingly going to the cross (verse 8).

This servanthood was shown in the second participle when he became human. This is a reference to the incarnation, when the eternal Son became part of creation as a human being. The man, Jesus of Nazareth, did not become the Son of God at any moment. This is the wrong order. Rather, the Son became human. The word likeness (homoiōmati) should not be interpreted to mean he only appeared to be human, which was the heresy of Docetism that claimed Jesus’ divinity but denied his humanity. Rather, this is a reference to Jesus’ birth through Mary. Jesus was fully human and had the same challenges every other human being has faced. The epistle to the Hebrews particularly emphasizes his humanity (Hebrews 2:17). As a human being, he had to learn, like we do. He experienced temptations and pain, like we do. He had bodily functions, like we do. Paul is not concerned about these matters but focuses in on Jesus’ death, which he will take up in the next verse.

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