The Deity of Jesus in Philippians Chapter 2

Our church home group is studying the book of Philippians, and will be considering this passage soon. This is the first of two really deep topics found in the chapter. What follows is an edited version of what I prepared for our group.

Philippians 2:6-8

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

In a relatively few words, these verses take us into really deep water – the nature of Jesus. Historically, these verses speak to and have been at the heart of several controversies in the early church. Understanding Who Jesus is is at the heart of Christianity, so on a for what it's worth basis, here is Pete's Paraphrase of these verses:

Who, though He was in nature and character, God, did not see His equality with God as something to which He should desperately and proudly cling. But He voluntarily and humbly gave up some of the expressions of His nature to express Himself as one of His servants, a man, subject to the limits of the time and space He created. And having thus humbled Himself, He further humbled Himself by being obedient to God's will and purposes: despite being without sin and innocent, He allowed Himself to be executed in the most excruciatingly painful manner devised by man, as the lowest and worst sort of criminal.

Here is the information from which I drew to compose that paraphrase:

Philippians 2:6-8 Key words:

form (of God), form (of a servant) – morfe (morphe)

Strong's Concordance – 3444, shape; figuratively nature; form

Thayer's Lexicon – the form by which a person or thing strikes the vision; the external appearance

Vincent's Word Studies – used in its philosophic sense, to denote that expression of being which carries in itself the distinctive nature and character of the being to whom it pertains, and is thus permanently identified with that nature and character. … form is identified with the person or essence of a thing

Wuest's Word Studies – the Greek word for “form” refers to that outward expression which a person gives of his inmost nature. This expression is not assumed from the outside, but proceeds directly from within.

equality (with God – isos (isos)

Strong's Concordance – 2470, similar (in amount or kind); agree, as much, equal, like

Thayer's Lexicon – equal, in quality or quantity

grasped – arpagmos (harpagmos)

Strong's Concordance – 725, robbery

Thayer's Lexicon – 1. the act of seizing, robbery; 2. a thing to be seized, or to be seized, booty

Vincent's Word Studies – (1) a robbing, the act. (2) a thing robbed, a piece of plunder. (3) a prize, a thing to be grasped.

Wuest's Word Studies – The Greek word has two distinct meanings, “a thing unlawfully seized,” and “a treasure to be clutched and retained at all hazards.” when a Greek word has more than one meaning, the rule of interpretation is to take the one which agrees with the context in which it is found.

made himself nothing (NAS “emptied himself”) – kenow (kenoo)

Strong's Concordance – 2758, make (of none effect, of no reputation, void), be in vain

Thayer's Lexicon – 1. to empty, make empty; 2. to make void i.e. deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect; 3. to make void i.e. cause a thing to be seen to be empty, hollow, false

Vincent's Word Studies – He laid aside the form of God. In doing so He did not divest Himself of His divine nature.

Wuest's Word Studies – It was the outward expression of the essence of His deity which our Lord emptied Himself of during the time when He was giving outward expression of Himself as a bondslave. But the emptying Himself of the expression of Deity is more implied by the context than stated specifically by the verb “emptied.”

likeness (of men) – omoiwma (homoioma)

Strong's Concordance – 3667, likeness, shape, similitude

Thayer's Lexicon – that which has been made after the likeness of something: a. a figure, image, likeness, representation; b. likeness i.e. resemblance …, frequently such as amounts well-nigh to equality or identity

Vincent's Word Studies – likeness of men expresses the fact that His mode of manifestation resembled what men are. This leaves room for the assumption of another side of His nature – the divine – in the likeness of which He did not appear.

Wuest's Word Studies – The word “likeness” in the Greek text refers to “that which is made like something else.” Our Lord's humanity was a real likeness, not a phantom, nor an incomplete copy of humanity. But this likeness did not express the whole of Christ's being.

(human) form (NAS “appearance of a man”) – schma (schema)

Strong's Concordance – 4976, external condition, fashion

Thayer's Lexicon – the habitus, as comprising everything in a person which strikes the senses, the figure, bearing, discourse, actions, manner of life, etc.

Vincent's Word Studies – That which is purely outward. … “Likeness” states the fact of real resemblance to men in mode of existence; “fashion” defines the outward mode or form.

Wuest's Word Studies – The word “fashion” is the translation of a Greek word that refers to an outward expressionthat is assumed from the outside and does not come from within … His expression of His humanity came, not from His inmost nature as God, but was assumed in the incarnation. … He was always in His incarnation, more than a man. There was always that single personality with a dual nature.

More comments about the passage

Of the New Testament writers we know, Paul is the one who was raised with both Jewish language and culture and Greek language and culture. Though writing centuries in advance, Paul's skillful writing in this passage precluded many of the Christological errors that were to come.

With just one word, morfe, morphe, Paul defined Jesus at once as truly human and truly God. For those who tried to claim Jesus was just a man or some other creature, Paul attributed to Jesus the "form", the nature of the one utterly unique being, God. Only God has the "form" of God. No creature, anger, human or something less can have the "form" of God. For those who tried to claim that Jesus humanity was an illusion, Paul attributed to Jesus the "form" of a human, and rubbed it in a bit by using the term "servant" (or "slave"). While not going into the "how", Paul defined the "what" of Jesus' nature: Jesus was at once truly human and truly God.

Full titles of reference works used above:

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament

Word Studies In The New Testament – M. R. Vincent

Philippians In The Greek New Testament – Kenneth Wuest

Strong's and Thayer's lexicons give the meanings of the words. Thayer's adds some etymology and illustrations of how the words are used. Vincent and Wuest give the meanings and add much more information about how the words are used and their particular meanings in context.