Philippians 2
2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [SUP]2 [/SUP]then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [SUP]3 [/SUP]Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [SUP]4 [/SUP]not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
[SUP]6 [/SUP]Who, being in very nature[SUP][a][/SUP] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
[SUP]7 [/SUP]rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[SUP][b][/SUP] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
[SUP]9[/SUP]Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
[SUP]10 [/SUP]that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[SUP]11 [/SUP]and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Yes Paul does say that Jesus BEING IN THE NATURE of God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[SUP][b][/SUP] of a servant,being made in human likeness.
Verses 6 and 7 can possibly mean this
But Paul goes on to say GOD EXALTED HIM to the highest place. Paul does not directly say that Jesus is God. I can see how it can be taken by inference but not by any direct clear teaching by Paul on it.
2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [SUP]2 [/SUP]then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [SUP]3 [/SUP]Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [SUP]4 [/SUP]not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
[SUP]6 [/SUP]Who, being in very nature[SUP][a][/SUP] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
[SUP]7 [/SUP]rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[SUP][b][/SUP] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
[SUP]9[/SUP]Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
[SUP]10 [/SUP]that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[SUP]11 [/SUP]and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Yes Paul does say that Jesus BEING IN THE NATURE of God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[SUP][b][/SUP] of a servant,being made in human likeness.
Verses 6 and 7 can possibly mean this
- Philippians 2:6 Or in the form of
- Philippians 2:7 Or the form
But Paul goes on to say GOD EXALTED HIM to the highest place. Paul does not directly say that Jesus is God. I can see how it can be taken by inference but not by any direct clear teaching by Paul on it.
Ok, let's start at the beginning and take one thing at a time. The theme of this text is not the deity of Jesus it is humility. Paul merely uses the fact of the incarnation to demonstrate what true humility is. In verse six, Paul begins with the acknowledgment that Jesus is God and provides us with a revealed analysis of his redemptive function. Paul does not begin his discussion of Jesus from the vantage point of the incarnation but from that of eternity. What Paul stresses in the first part of this chapter is the example of humility that Jesus modeled for us in his willingness to divest himself of this form for a time on our behalf. This of course does not suggest that he ceased be God. He does not strip himself of deity. I am quite sure that we will never fully understand all that is involved in Jesus’ emptying himself of divine form and equality. All we can rely on is the language of the text. “ἐέ” is third person singular aorist first indicative of “ό” which means to empty or to lay aside. How do we explain that even in the flesh he is still God yet remains so without retaining anything that defines divine nature? Perhaps ‘to lay aside’ offers the best explanation. He lays it aside as one would a garment and in Hebrews chapter one we will see him take it up again. But, what does it mean for Jesus to "exist in the FORM ( ῇ ) of God?."
I had discussed earlier about what we mean when we speak of the nature of God and described the nature of a person or a thing as bi-cameral. Anything that is bi-cameral is two chambered. I have selected this term because I believe it most aptly describes how scripture portrays the essence and character of God.
1. The essence is what I regard as signature traits. These traits qualify God as God.
Intrinsically, the essence of God is:
* Spirit * Ever-present * Immortal
* Holy * Eternal * Self-existing
* All-powerful * Invisible * Self-sustaining
* All-knowing * Unified * Transcendent
2. The character of God is what I would regard as attributes that define His moral
integrity. The character of God is:
* Holy * Good * Faithful * Patient
* Righteous * Honest * Loving
* Just * Fair * Forgiving
* Pure * Consistent * Merciful
These are some of the qualities we find ascribed to the Word of God in the scriptures. Every attribute of essence and character that scripture assigns to God are assigned also to Jesus.
Are you with me so far?