The Deity of Christ
He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:7
Jesus’ claim that He was the promised Messiah and the eternal Son of God infuriated the Jewish leaders (see John 5:18) and caused them to accuse Jesus of blasphemy (see John 10:33). Paul was part of that crowd, but would later write that Jesus was “in very nature [morphe] God” (2:6), and in His incarnation, He embraced perfect humanity.
The key word is morphe, which is translated as “nature” or “form.” The word stresses the inner essence or reality of that with which it is associated. Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped” (verse 6). In other words, Jesus did not have to strive to be God or even be like Him, because He was and is God. He voluntarily surrendered independent use of His own divine attributes. When the devil tempted Jesus to turn the rocks into bread, He simply responded, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). The devil wanted Jesus to use His own divine attributes independently of the Father to save Himself. He could have called on 10,000 angels to save Him from death on the cross.
Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature [morphe] of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). “Made himself nothing” literally means, “He emptied Himself.” He divested Himself of His self-interest, but not of His deity. Jesus humbled Himself and took on the very nature of man. He was truly God and also truly man. “Likeness” means similar but different. He differed from the rest of humanity in that He was sinless. His self-renunciation was necessary if He was to have an authentic human experience that included geographical limitations, human development in mind and body, and the need for food and sleep. He had to totally depend on the heavenly Father.
The phrase “being found in appearance as a man” (verse 8) refers to a temporary and outer appearance in contrast to morphe, which signifies a permanent inner quality. The condescension of Jesus included not only His birth but also His death, which was the worst possible “death—even death on a cross!” (verse 8). Martin Luther said, “The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that he sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.” Jesus left His exalted position to be like us in order to die for us. To a similar but far lesser degree, we are called to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, so that He might lift us up in due time (see 1 Peter 5:6).
For us to become a worm to save a worm doesn’t remotely compare to Almighty God becoming a man to save humanity. Jesus’ life was the epitome of humble submission leading to an excruciating physical death. On the cross “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed His last” (Luke 23:46). His physical life ended, because His body was no longer in union with His Spirit, but He will forever remain our life, which is safely in the hands of God.
questions to consider:
How do you explain the complete reversal of Paul from being a persecutor of the Church to its ardent defender? Was it a philosophical shift or a change of life?
What is significant about the word morphe as it relates to Christ?
Why did Jesus refuse to use his divine attributes to save Himself when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness?
How does the Incarnation speak directly to our pride?
How does the example of Jesus emptying Himself speak directly to our need to submit to God and serve others?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.