THE INCARNATION, AND THE THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT WORD, "KENOSIS" – JESUS'S
EMPTYING OF HIMSELF, MENTIONED IN THE PHILIPPIAN LETTER OF PAUL
[Suggested readings: Lamentations 3, and Philippians 2:1-11]
Philippians 2:5-11 Your
attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in
very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a
man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that 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.
[This Passage is a quotation from Isaiah 45:23b-25; and is therefore the
death knell to Jehovah’s Witnesses: “Jehovah” is used in the original context. Jesus is Jehovah.]
Colossians
1:15-20 He is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him
all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by
him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things
hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in
everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to
have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile
to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making
peace through his blood, shed on the cross
John 14:9-11 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even
after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has
seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that
the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is
the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I
say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the
evidence of the miracles themselves.
Luke 1:35 The angel Gabriel answered,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Jesus’s conception was atypical
In these passages can be seen the obvious tension,
which is beyond human understanding.
The nature of God in the Christian Faith is most complex, because it is
the true revelation of the Divine by Divinity.
In contrast, many other faiths and heresies are particularly easy to
understand – simply because they are human constructions.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not
your thoughts,
neither are your ways my
ways,”
declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher
than the earth,
so are my ways higher than
your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
1 Timothy 3:16 Beyond all question, the
mystery of godliness is great:
He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the
Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the
nations,
was believed on in the
world,
was taken up in glory.
Wristbands with the letters: W W J D - worn by Christian youngsters, signifying
the challenging question: “What Would Jesus Do?” The question mark is not on
the originals, but implied.
This is challenging.
Even though there are some things which Our Lord has
done, which we cannot do; there are some we have in common, and others we have
to make a decision about!
Jesus did not come in His capacity of wrathful judgment, as He will at The Return to Earth. We should all take careful note of this: as in the short Psalm 2, and in the passage from Isaiah 61:1-2, which he read in the synagogue in Nazareth, and applied to Himself - here He stopped short of the words covering the Day of Wrath.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
SOMETHING OF WHAT THE KENOSIS OF THE INCARNATION
MEANT:
The complexity of living organisms, and the huge size of our Milky Way
Galaxy, point to the greatness of God and the Messiah. In 1929, the
discovery was commenced that there are billions of galaxies containing billions
of stars, having distances measured in light travelling for billions of light
years. Why this huge extravagance? The answer is found in the last
two words of Colossians chapter 1, verse 18: For by him all things were
created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and FOR HIM.
His humanity started as a very small fertilized egg, OR at Delivery. (There is a significant issue here: Adam became a “living soul”, when God breathed into him. My wife, as a qualified Midwife, believes from experience, that the foetus becomes a person when he breathes unaided. The same could be true for an oxygen aided child following delivery. There are differing views within the Church.)
How incredibly awesome for this immense personage to become a baby, not the
smallest thing on our Planet, but minute compared with the Cosmos! He had to learn the basics of literacy,
mathematics, theology, general knowledge, and social procedures. Quite an emptying.
From unapproachable Splendour to a cattle stall, humanity, a national occupational history, the Cross, and the Grave
He came from beyond the Cosmos, which He had created, and past the Angels - through the Heavens to the Earth.
Left Eternity behind
From unapproachable Splendour to a cattle stall, humanity, a national occupational history, the Cross, and the Grave
He came from beyond the Cosmos, which He had created, and past the Angels - through the Heavens to the Earth.
Left Eternity behind
His humanity started as a very small fertilized egg, OR at Delivery. (There is a significant issue here: Adam became a “living soul”, when God breathed into him. My wife, as a qualified Midwife, believes from experience, that the foetus becomes a person when he breathes unaided. The same could be true for an oxygen aided child following delivery. There are differing views within the Church.)
Inherited genetic material – he had a look of His
Mother and her ancestors….
Gestation in Mary's womb
Circumcision
Filled His nappies
Had to be toilet trained
Weaning, hiccups, digestive wind, teenage spots, voice breaking
Teething and second teeth
He enjoyed, respected, and learned the Scriptures
Birth
He was brought-up by His stepfather
He had stepbrothers and sisters
He was brought-up by His stepfather
He had stepbrothers and sisters
Circumcision
Filled His nappies
Had to be toilet trained
Refugee in Egypt
Escaped the Persecution of King Herod
Weaning, hiccups, digestive wind, teenage spots, voice breaking
Teething and second teeth
He enjoyed, respected, and learned the Scriptures
Had to trust for God the Father’s Protection
Human to human relationships, from the family
outwards
He went to a school of some kind – had an education
– He had to learn
Debating with elders in the Temple at twelve years
Was not a Levitical Priest
Used money: but was dependent on godly ladies for fiscal support (Luke 8:1-4)
Used money: but was dependent on godly ladies for fiscal support (Luke 8:1-4)
Learned a trade/skill, and earned a living -
Thirty Years of Working Class Life: gave a
tenth/tithe to Ministry
Although being thirty plus, He
had the bearing of an older man
Was baptised – but only as an example to us
Had to be anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit
Required to fast
Knew temptation
Could be amazed apropos peoples' faith, or lack of it - which He found limiting
Could be amazed apropos peoples' faith, or lack of it - which He found limiting
He experienced hunger and thirst, tiredness, pain,
persecution, torture, brutalization, mockery, accused of having satanic spiritual power, grieved at death, compassion, and living in a nation occupied by an enemy power
Nowhere to lay His head
Knew lack of success
Stood against hypocrisy and false teaching
Was misunderstood and criticised by family, friends, and enemies
Cared for His family members
Would not judge in disputes (Luke 12:14)
Would not judge in disputes (Luke 12:14)
Needed to pray
Experienced grief
Had to choose and train Disciples
Had a personal cost in: Healings, Casting out Unclean Spirits (Perhaps learning about exorcism – Mark 1:21-28, 34), Resurrections, Miracles, Teaching, travelling
Relinquished knowledge of the time of his Return: to claim the Church, deliver Israel, destroy the Antichrist and the False Prophet, Rule the World, Judge the Lost and Satan, be the Bridegroom in the New Jerusalem coming to the New Earth
Relinquished knowledge of the time of his Return: to claim the Church, deliver Israel, destroy the Antichrist and the False Prophet, Rule the World, Judge the Lost and Satan, be the Bridegroom in the New Jerusalem coming to the New Earth
He had the choice to follow God’s will as a priority
– particularly in the Garden of Gethsemane
Forensic Trials
Accused of blasphemy
Suffered Judicial Murder
Suffered Judicial Murder
Violent Torture and Wounding
Humiliation
Death as a Sinner
The World of the Dead - Sheol/Hades - Paradise
The World of the Dead - Sheol/Hades - Paradise
The First to rise to Eternal Life
He experienced the Ascension, a most significant and awesome event.
He experienced the Ascension, a most significant and awesome event.
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1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
So in what ways is Jesus like us, and in what ways
is He unique, because He is God Incarnate?
There have been huge debates and Church Councils,
Creeds have been formulated, and sometimes differences have existed on the
basis of just one word.
The answer is quite simple: Jesus was truly God
and truly Man.
There is no need to go beyond that
As a theological concern the name “Kenosis”, was
introduced by Thomasius of Erlangen, Germany , in the mid-eighteen hundreds;
although the wonder and the mystery of the Incarnation have been evidenced from
the beginning of Time: for both angels and humans.
Jesus was not half man and half god, like the Greek mythological
heroes. He was fully God, the Second
Person of the Trinity. “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily
form” (Col 2:9). At the same time he
became genuinely a man. To deny his genuine humanity is “the spirit of the
antichrist” (1 John 4:2-3).
(The Zondervan New International Bible Dictionary)
“Christ’s glory was concealed in the form of a
servant.”
This is a good statement in the form of a summary of
Professor R. P. Martin’s understanding (ibid). It is often pointed out that the relationship between the Divine
and the Human is not actually the topic of the Philippians passage.
Looking at various writers and listening to several
people: it is a field fraught with dangers.
When teaching on the passage in Philippians 2, with
A Level students (16-18 years), my own first attempt at exegesis was quite wrong, and I
quickly had to agree with the studied definition given in our Tyndale Commentary on
this epistle.
In certain aspects of the Messiah’s Life, both the
Divine and the Human can be seen, and to say that we can act like Him requires
qualification. However, in His
Humanity, He was filled with the same Holy Spirit that we must know - as at His Baptism (Luke 3:21-22).
The key Greek word:
“Ekenoosen” eke/nwsen Philippians 2:7 “Emptied
Himself” (RSV); “made himself nothing” (NIV).
The basic word is: Keno"
Strong 2756 “empty”, “void”, via the Septuagint and
Revised Standard Version of Jeremiah 14:2; 15:9 – “languished” [which, in turn
(according to English Dictionaries), relates to: submit, lose strength and
animation, droop, faint, fade, sink, look tender, have the air of a
lover]. Here are the examples from the
Old Testament Book of Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 14:1 This is the word
of the LORD to Jeremiah concerning
the drought:
2 Judah mourns,
her cities languish;
they wail for the
land.
Jeremiah 15:9 (RSV) In time of drought:
She who bore seven
has languished;
She has swooned
away
Her sun went down
while it was yet day;
She has been
shamed and disgraced….
Says the LORD.
With Jeremiah in mind, The Book of Lamentations (of Jeremiah) chapter 3 is of great significance, because of its Suffering Messianic Prophecy implications. Our Lord was thought of as “Jeremiah” by his contemporaries, as reported by the disciples at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:14).
Without strength, is suggested. Should we even be saying that our Lord God: committed Himself to the “unthinkable”? Seeing that Jesus languished into humanity for our benefit, we are also be called to languish into Divinity for His glory.
THE TEXT: Philippians 2:6, tells us nine things about
His Humanity
1. Who, being
in very nature God,
2. did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but
3. made himself
nothing, [emptied Himself]
4. taking the very
nature of a servant,
5. being made in
human likeness.
6. And being found in appearance as a
man,
7. he humbled himself
and
8. became obedient
to death —
9. even death
on a cross!
This is the only safe limit by way of definition of
Kenosis
It is an answer to some heresies: in that, if He emptied
Himself; He must have been FULL, in His pre-birth eternal existence.
THE NOTE IN KITTEL
"Kenoo" This word means "to make empty" (passive "to be desolate") and "to nullify" … [in this] sense occurs in the NT only in Phil. 2:6-7 (of Christ). This can hardly mean that Christ negated himself, nor is it suggested that he aspires beyond his existing state. The point, then, is that Christ does not selfishly exploit his divine form but lays it aside to take the form of a servant. The pre-existent Lord is the subject. He remains himself, but changes his mode of being (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”)
[A. OEPKE, ‘The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Kittel) volume III, pp 659-62; taken from the one volume version, translated and edited by G. W. Bromiley]
DEITY SHOWN IN UNIQUENESS
Pre-existence
in Eternity beyond our time:
Again:
How could Jesus “empty Himself”, if He was not at first FULL?
His whole life was foretold in the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament)
His whole life was foretold in the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament)
There
are Scriptures, which apply the Old Testament use of YHWH to the Lord Jesus,
for example:
Matthew
21:16 = Psalm 8:1-3, Philippians 2:10=Isaiah 45:23 b-25.
In an attempt to show the Trinitarian Nature of God, English Translations use the word "Godhead". The simple translation: "Divinity" is suggested by Strong, and might be better in every sense. In Genesis 18, God appeared as three men/angels. The plural form of the Hebrew word for God is often used (Elohim occurs about 2,500 times in the Jewish Bible [OT]).
Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.’”
John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
John 13:31 b-33 Jesus
said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32
If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will
glorify him at once. 33 “My
children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and
just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
Glimpses of His Glory on Earth: the
angelic choir in Bethlehem, the voice of the Father from Heaven, three times: at the Baptism (where He was with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity were together), at the Transfiguration, and to Greeks (John 12:28).
Some see the brilliant shining of clothes and face,
at the Transfiguration; Moses and a few in Church History have experience
the effect of the face glorified: Arthur Blessitt, Charles Finney, and probably others, but not the clothing.
John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
At
any time He could have chosen to betray His mission, and opted out:
Matthew 26:53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will
at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
He amended the Law (Matthew 5:27 ff etc)
Jesus
did not preface His Teaching with words like the Prophets: Isaiah 37:21 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says.” Isaiah 43:1 “But
now, this is what the LORD says.” Isaiah 1:2 “Hear, O heavens!
Listen, O earth!
For the LORD has spoken.” Jeremiah 33:1 c …the word of the LORD came to him a second time: 2 “This is what
the LORD says, he who made the
earth, the LORD who formed it and
established it—the LORD is his
name.” Jesus’s
introductions were: “But I say to you.”
The stilling of the storm could be seen as an act of Yahweh: as pointed to in Psalm 107:29-31,
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
This can also be observed as a Working of Miracles - Gift of the Holy Spirit (see main articles on the Gifts).
The stilling of the storm could be seen as an act of Yahweh: as pointed to in Psalm 107:29-31,
He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
This can also be observed as a Working of Miracles - Gift of the Holy Spirit (see main articles on the Gifts).
He
claimed a unique status in relation to the Father, and as the answer to our
needs (Matthew 11:25 -30, 12:6-8)
THE “I AM” STATEMENTS – the Divine Signature
These were not the statements expected of an
ordinary man!
The Gospel According to John
6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.
6:41 At this the Jews
began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from
heaven.”
6:48 I am the bread of
life.
6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven
8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light
of life.”
8:58 “I tell you the
truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” Beyond
time, and within Eternity
9:5 “I am the light of the world.”
10:7 Therefore Jesus
said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 10:9
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go
out, and find pasture.
10:11 “I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 10:14
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
10:36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent
into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am
God’s Son’?
11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes
in me will live, even though he dies;
14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.
15:1 “I am the true
vine, and my Father is the gardener.
15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in
him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
The special significance of Jesus Name:
John 14:13 And I will do
whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 17:11 I will remain in
the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you.
Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so
that they may be one as we are one.
The many references to the power of the Name of
Jesus in prayer; and the important statement above, apropos the new
significance of the Name of Jesus: as the Name Yahweh, in the Old
Testament.
He is the origin of the forgiveness of sins – Luke 2:1 ff [whereas we speak
forgiveness through Christ]
His claims of Divine Sonship, and origins in Heaven
He expected allegiance only Yahweh could ask for
(Luke 14:25 ff)
Sinlessness
(1 John 3:3; Hebrews 4:15)
Again: Praised by children: “Matthew 21:16, and Psalm 8:2, Do you hear what
these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you
never read,
“ ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?”
Even in His "Emptied" State, there was a glory about Him, as the only sinless human (Adam had known sinlessness for only a brief time - until The Fall).
The Resurrection
involving Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit
This was unique: in that other
resurrections would still lead to death; but Jesus’s was to eternal life.
1Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been
raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, who
is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the
kings of the earth.
He accepted worship as God (John 20:28)
Unique Ascension with Eschatological Promise
His Promise to send the Holy Spirit
Promise
to be with His followers always
He
is eternally changeless:
Lamentations 5:19 You, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures
from generation to generation.
Hebrews 1:8 But about the Son
he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,’
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and forever.
Acting as the Advocate in Heaven for His People
We
return to Paul’s Epistle:
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that 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.
WE DO WELL TO HAVE IN MIND THE STATUS AND ATTRIBUTES
OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST BEFORE THE INCARNATION, AND AFTER IT. HE IS CERTAINLY NOT “EMPTIED” IN THESE
TIMES. THE CHRISTOLOGY PASSAGES WILL GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION [JOHN 1, COLOSSIANS 1:15-20, HEBREWS 1 ETC].
Creator of all things: the Cosmos, angels, humans,
and all living things: in His Pre-existence.
This was followed by the great humbling to become a baby, having left
Heaven’s Eternal Throne - to have a beginning.
Following the Resurrection, and the Ascension:
the Lord Jesus Christ is now exalted to the Throne of Deity, Head of the Church, Head of all Principalities
and Powers, sustainer of Creation, and Judge of All.
(Mark 8:38; 1 Peter 3:22)
An interesting question: at which point did Jesus become Incarnate? In Luke 1:39-45 Elizabeth focuses on Mary's part, not the Child she had in her womb. With the description of Adam's creation, in mind - "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7), I think Jesus did not become Incarnate until the Delivery. Mary, Did You Know?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you
Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God
Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know?
Mary did you know? Mary did you know? Mary did you know?
The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb
Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?
That sleeping child you're holding is the great I am
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?
That sleeping child you're holding is the great I am
Source: LyricFind
THE RESULT OF THIS STUDY
IS TO BRING US TO WORSHIP
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EXTRA NOTES
Page 100, ‘IN UNDERSTANDING BE MEN’, by T. C.
Hammond, edit. IVP, 1973, UK
3. Divinity and Humanity in the one Person of our
Lord
Here we can only touch on the many problems that
surround this important subject. They centre chiefly in kenosis, the
`self-emptying' of our Lord (kenosis comes from the Greek for `emptied' in Philippians
2:7); the hypostatic union, the union of the two natures (of divinity and
humanity) in one Person (hypostasis means `person'); and the `Communion of the
Properties' (Latin, communicatio idiomaturn), the interchange and
intercommunication of the qualities and experiences of the two natures in view
of the unity of the Person.
a. Kenosis
Several alternative theories have been held. The
extreme view (states) that He `emptied himself' of His deity and was limited to the
natural knowledge and abilities of an ordinary man is untenable in the light of
the narratives. Another states that our Lord, while retaining the possession of
all His divine attributes, renounced their use and hid them from the
observation of men. There are difficulties in this position, because it
demands, for example, an act of will on the part of a baby to refuse to use His
omniscience and omnipotence. Other theories are that our Lord suspended His
divine consciousness from the time of conception and that He reassumed it in
manhood; that the divine fullness was gradually communicated by a series of
successive effluxes according as the gradual human development permitted; and
that the deity of our Lord underlay His humanity (as a kind of
subconsciousness). All of these are open to objection.
The truth is that our Lord's attributes of deity were at no time laid aside. Any theory which violates the integrity of our Lord's deity is obviously unsatisfactory. There seems to be no theory which relieves us entirely from objections. The nearest we can get is that our Lord's perfect divine nature (with the possession of all its attributes) was so united with a perfect human nature that one divine-human Person developed with the divine element (if such a distinction can here be made) controlling the normal development of the human. Beyond this we cannot safely go. (Philippians 2:7, in fact, has nothing to do with questions concerning the divine attributes; it simply indicates the humbling moral self-renunciation involved for one who `was in the form of God' in `taking the form of a servant.')
Professor C. C. Ryrie writes in his notes to the New American Standard Translation: 2:7 - emptied Himself. The kenosis (emptying) of Christ during His incarnation does not mean that He surrendered any attributes of deity, but that He took on the limitations of humanity. This involved the veiling of his preincarnate glory (John 17:5) and the voluntary waiving of some of His divine prerogatives during the time He was on earth (Matthew 24:36).
Similarly Titus 1:1
WE ARE SLAVES OF JESUS CHRIST - OR SHOULD BE
READINGS: EXODUS 21:1-11; GALATIANS 6-end
The English Versions of the Bible do a partial
unintentional cover-up on the question of the common Greek word: doulos
(doo'los), meaning slave! Quite often
we are led into thinking the gentle word "servant" is being used,
whereas, the much stronger "slave" is the case. Discipleship is multifaceted – like the
expertly cut diamonds I missed seeing in Amsterdam. We are called to be sons and daughters of God, and yet at the
same time, we need to see ourselves as Slaves of Christ: as He was indeed the
Slave of Yahweh.
Exodus 21 pictures the legitimate ancient practice
in Israel of purchasing and owning slaves.
There was even the charming formality of willingly becoming a slave for
life, to a good master - the piercing of the ear with a bradawl, leaving a
reciprocal mark on the doorpost of the house.
[A bradawl is like a small screwdriver, but is used to start a hole in
wood – ready to take a nail, or a screw.]
The Christian will see this as a willing submission to God and His
Son. A slave has no rights, but is the
rightful property of his master.
We also see here the death penalty being levelled
against kidnap - which was an unlawful means of acquiring slaves: as in the
slave trade.
In Galatians 6:17, Paul saw the marks of his
suffering for Christ as the brand marks (stigmata) of being a slave of his
Lord.
Romans
1:1, "Paul a slave of Jesus Christ", the RSV has "servant"
with "slave" in the margin.
The NIV has "servant"; NLT uses “slave”; Greek
dou'lo".
Romans 6:16-23, "Don't you know that when you
offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one
whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to
obedience, which leads to righteousness?
But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you
wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have
become slaves of righteousness.
"
I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your
body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer
them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of
righteousness. What benefit did you
reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from
sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and
the result is eternal life. For the
wags of sin is death, but the gift of god is eternal life in Jesus Christ our
Lord." (NIV) (Greek dou'lo")
Philippians
1:1 “Servant” NIV; “slave” New Living Translation; Greek dou'lo"
James
1:1 “Servant” NIV; “slave” NLT; Greek dou'lo"
Similarly Titus 1:1
2
Peter 1:1 “Servant” NIV; “slave” NLT; Greek dou'lo"
Jude
1:1 “Servant” NIV; “slave” NLT; Greek dou'lo"
Jude and James were brothers of Jesus; it is moving that they defined themselves now, as his slaves.
Non-metaphorical uses of the word are found in Philemon verse 6, and 1 Corinthians 7:22-23. The guidance for slaves and masters, applies generally to employment.
My copy of the “Illustrated Bible Dictionary” points out
that slaves could be traded between owners; but there were six methods of
becoming a slave: 1. Prisoner of war, 2. Birth into a slave’s family, 3.
Restitution following criminal conviction, 4. Bankrupt family members, 5.
Self-sale to avoid conditions of poverty, 6. Kidnap, which was punishable by
death according to Mosaic Law, and King Hammurapi’s Law. Joseph’s brothers were culpable, as was the
slave trade, and much of slavery today!
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