02/07/2021
What an Attitude!
"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had."
Here's the context of this verse:
"Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he [set aside the exercise of his attributes as God, while still possessing them] --his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God [the Father] and died a criminal’s death on a cross." (Philippians 2:3-8 NLT, brackets added)
John F. Walvoord comments on this passage in his book "JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD," from the chapter “THE LIFE OF CHRIST ON EARTH.”
"The Philippians passage concerning the self-emptying or kenosis of the Son of God was introduced in connection with a practical exhortation to have the mind or attitude of Christ. The action of Christ in proceeding from glory to become Man and suffer on the cross was cited as an illustration of the mind of Christ. In the accompanying explanation, the apostle gave one of the most concise theological statements of the incarnation to be found anywhere in the Scriptures. Christ is described first of all as "existing in the form of God" (v. 6, ASV). The word for "existing" is not the usual Greek verb on (to be), but hyparchon which is found in a form used for both the present and the imperfect participle and carries the meaning of continued existence. The thought is that Christ always has been in the form of God with the implication that He still is. If the Greek form is taken as the present tense instead of the imperfect, the word would mean that Christ existed as God in the past, that is, before the incarnation, and is still existing in the form of God. This would be asserting that the deity of Christ continues unchanged by the act of the incarnation. If taken as a simple imperfect, it would refer to His state before the incarnation, without explicitly affirming continuity of the form of God though the implication of continuity would remain.
"As stated by the apostle, Christ "existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross" (vv. 6-8, ASV). The attitude of Christ which believers are exhorted to emulate is that He did not grasp at being on an equality with God as if it had to be retained by effort. Though having existed in the form of God from all eternity, He was willing to empty Himself, taking the form of a Servant, and ultimately He became obedient unto death.
"The act of the incarnation is described by the strong word ekenôsen (English, kenosis), from kenoo, meaning "to empty" (cf. four other instances where used in the New Testament: Rom. 4:14; 1 Cor. 1:17; 9:15; II Cor. 9:3). Warfield considers the translation "emptied himself" (v. 7, ASV) as an error, apparently referring the Authorized Version rendering `made himself of no reputation," that is, emptied Himself of the manifestations of Deity.[7]
"The crux of the exposition of this important passage hangs on the definition of the act of kenosis. Orthodox theologians have pointed out that the meaning of this word must be interpreted by the context itself. The passage does not state that Christ ceased to exist in the form of God, but rather that He added the form of a Servant. The word morphei, translated "form," speaks of the outer appearance or manifestation. As it relates to the eternal deity of Christ, it refers to the fact that Christ in eternity past in outer appearance manifested His divine attributes. It was not mere form or appearance, but that which corresponded to what He was eternally. In becoming Man He took upon Himself the form of a Servant, that is, the outward appearance of a Servant and the human nature which corresponds to it. This is further defined as manifesting the likeness (Greek, homoiomati) of man..." (138-139).
Again I say, "What an attitude!"
