Page 36 - Christology - Student Textbook

suggest that at the incarnation, Jesus Christ abrogated the “relative attributes of deity,” namely;
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“omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence.” Further, other scholars argue that Jesus Christ
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kept hold of the “essential attributes of holiness, love, righteousness.”

Crucial Questions Entailing Quick Biblical Answers
The crucial question is, how can Jesus Christ be fully man and fully God at the same time? To
understand Philippians 2, we must be able to answer this question.

Concise Exegesis of Philippians 2:1-11
In the opening three verses of chapter 2, Paul exhorts the believers at Philippi to practice unity in
Christ. He discusses these virtues: encouragement resulting from the unity with Christ (v1a),
comfort resulting from love (v1a), common sharing in the Spirit [v1b], and tenderness or compassion
(v1b). If they practiced these virtues, then Paul’s joy would become complete (v2a). Paul also
discouraged ambitions that were driven by selfishness (v3a). But by means of humility, they were
supposed to value others above themselves (vv3b-4). In the first four (4) verses of chapter 2, Paul
explained what it means to be like-minded in Christ.

In the next verses (vv5-8), Paul gives us an example of humility: Christ. In their relationship with one
another, they were encouraged to have the same mindset as that of Christ Jesus (v5). Christ’s
incarnation was not for selfish ambition nor for vain conceit, but to demonstrate His interest for
others by means of giving them what they really needed -- salvation.

So, what did Jesus do? Well, initially, even though by nature He is God, however, He did not consider
equality with God something to be used to his own advantage (v6 [NIV/HCSB/NRSV]). The phrase
“to be used to his own advantage” is derived from a Greek word (noun) arpagmon (“something to
grasp after,” or “something to hold on to,” ). Other translations translate that Greek noun as
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“something to be grasped” (NASB/ESV/NET/LEB/NLT) while others, translate it as “thought it not
robbery to be” (KJV). Jesus did not consider His deity as something that should stand in the way of
taking on the human flesh [Luke 24:36-43; John 20:26-29; Acts 1:11; Rev 1:13]. the fact that Jesus’
existed in the form of God prior to His incarnation reinforces arguments advocating Jesus’ deity.
Jesus’ desire for become fully man to pay the penalty for man’s sin compelled Him to not use
equality with God to His advantage.

So, Jesus chose to empty Himself (v7). What did he empty? Now, the verb
“emptied” is derived from a Greek verb ekenōsen (to “deprive of power,” “make of
no meaning or effect” ). That verb is the main verb and is in a past tense. The
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action of the verb is followed by two participles, namely; “taking the very nature
of a servant” (v7b) and “being made in human likeness” (v7c).

To understand the two participles in v7, it is best to review some of the functions
of participles. A Greek participle might function in any of the three ways. First, it

94 Peter T. O’ Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians: The New International Greek Testament
Commentary, eds. I. Howard Marshall and W. Ward Gasque (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1991), 218.

95 Ibid.

th
96 Barbara Aland, et al. eds., The Greek New Testament, 4 Rev. ed. (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche
Bibelgesellschaft, 1993), 25.
97 Aland, The Greek New Testament, 99.

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