Philippians 2 and the Person of Jesus
Christ
In
this passage from Philippians chapter 2, we have one of the clearest Accounts in
the Bible, on the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We read of His absolute Deity
from eternity past, “in the very nature of God”, and was coequal with the
Father. Then we read, that at The Incarnation, when Jesus Christ was Conceived
in the womb of the Virgin Mary, that He took on “the very nature of a servant
[human]”, thereby giving up for a short time, His equality with the Father.
Jesus Christ walked this earth as a Human Person, Who was fully God and fully
human, without any sin, and became, “ὁ θεάνθρωπος”, which is, “The God-Man”. We
read of Jesus Christ as being “Highly Exalted” by God the Father, and is Yahweh.
“Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the very
nature of God, counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God, but emptied
himself, taking the very nature 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. Wherefore also God highly
exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth
and [things] under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)
Verse 6 in the Greek is, “ος εν μορφη θεου υπαρχων”, literally, “Who in the very
nature of God existing”. The participle “υπαρχων” is in the masculine singular,
and present tense. The KJV, NKJV, etc, render it as “being”.
To
when does this “υπαρχων” refer? Are we to accept the meaning as suggested by the
margin reading of the 1881 Revised Version, “Gr. being originally”, which
is what Dr Thayer says in his Greek lexicon. But, this is very much misleading,
as it strongly suggests that, Jesus Christ “was in the nature of God before His
Incarnation”, and “gave this up”, when He became Man. This is not what the Greek
says here, nor, what the Apostle Paul is meaning. “υπαρχων”, does have the
meaning of, “to be already in existence”. But, this is not all that it means, as
it does also include “continuation”.
Acts 7:55, “But he, being (υπαρχων) full of the Holy Spirit”
Acts 14:8, “being (υπαρχων) a cripple from his mother's womb”
Galatians 2:14, “If thou, being (υπαρχων) a Jew”
In
each of these examples, past and continued actions are meant.
How are we to understand the Greek “μορφὴ ϑεοῦ”, translated in many English
Versions as “form”, and in the NIV, as “very nature”. Do we understand this
word, as Professor Danker does, “μορφὴ ϑεοῦ signifies a divine air/demeanor Phil
2:6, in contrast to μορφὴ δουλοῦ slavish demeanor vs. 7” (The concise
Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament, p.250). And, the much used Greek
lexicon by Dr J H Thayer, “the form by which a person or thing strikes the
vision; the external appearance”. Thayer was a Unitarian and rejected the Deity
of Jesus Christ. “μορφη” is used 3 times in the New Testament, in Philippians
2:6 and 7 (form of a servant, KJV), and Mark 16:12. Then, we have other
Greek works, that define “μορφη”, as “being in the nature of God” (Edward
Robinson). And, “very nature” (Mounce, Expository Dictionary). So, which
definition is the correct one? To the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, the
former is what they would accept. To those who believe that Jesus is GOD, the
latter is correct. Both, however, cannot be right.
I
will show that the correct meaning of the word in the passage in Philippians 2,
is found in the other use of it, in Mark 16:12. Here it reads that Jesus
appeared, “εν ετερα μορφη”. Firstly, of the adjective, “ετερα”, which here
means, “of another kind, different”. After His Resurrection, the Body of the
Lord Jesus Christ was “essentially transformed”, as He could disappear (Luke
24:31). He could walk through closed doors (John 20:19). Though His “outward
appearance” was exactly the same after the Resurrection. This is very clear from
Jesus’ Road to Emmaus conversation with the two he walked with, in Luke 24. In
verse 16, when Jesus had joined the two men, it says, “But their eyes were
prevented from recognizing Him”. And in verse 31, “And their eyes were opened,
and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight”. It is clear the God
had here “prevented” these two from “recognizing” Jesus. This would not have
been necessary, if Jesus’ “outward
appearance”, had changed in any way. It is clear from this passage, which is the
same time of Mark’s account, that “μορφη” means “essential”, and not “outward”.
This is exactly what Paul means in Philippians.
Next we have, “οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο”, = “considered it not a thing to be
grasped”.
In
the original sense, “ἁρπαγμὸν”, has the meaning of “the act of seizing”, hence
the reading of Versions like the KJV, etc. However, the noun can also be used in
a passive sense, rather than active, with the meaning, “to be grasped”, or “held
on to”. This phrase, “οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο”, must be taken with, “τὸ εἶναι ἴσα
θεῷ”, which is translated, “to be equal with God”. “ἴσα” is in the neuter
plural, and used as an adverb, with the meaning, “on equal terms, without
advantage to either side”.
Thus far we have, “Jesus Christ, Who from eternity past, existing in the very
nature as God, did not consider His being on equality with the Father, something
to be held on to”. This is clearly seen from a couple of examples, as in Hebrews
2:7, 9, “You made Him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned
Him with glory and honor…But we see him who for a little while was made lower
than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the
suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for
everyone” “ἠλαττωμένον”,
means to “to make
lower than, to be inferior to”.
Because Jesus, the eternal God, “became flesh”, and suffered on the cross. In
this sense He was “lower”, than even the angels. This was only “for a little
while”, for the duration of Jesus’ Incarnation, while on earth. Just before
Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, He says to the Father: “And now You, Father,
glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before
the world existed”. It was the “Glory” that He from all eternity had with the
Father, thus making Him COEQUAL, is what Jesus did not “hold on to”, when He
became the God-Man.
We
then have, “ἀλλὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών”. literally, “but Himself
emptied the very nature of a bond-servant having taken”. This “emptying” that
Paul speaks of, is because Jesus Christ “took upon Himself”, the “very nature of
a bond-servant”. The “emptying” has nothing to do with “μορφὴ ϑεοῦ”, which we
have seen from, “υπαρχων”, is a continued existence. “ἐκένωσεν”, is from,
“κενόω”, literally, “to empty”. The one Who does the “emptying”, is Jesus Christ
“Himself”. What is “κενόω” used here for? There is a passage in the Greek
writer, Herodotus, where he uses this verb, as “stripped” (see, LSJ, Greek
lexicon). The meaning of “strip” here, as defined in Webster’s, “to divest of
honors, privileges, or functions”. Clearly from this passage in Philippians 2,
we read of Jesus Christ as “stripping Himself of the honor and privilege”, that
He had with the Father from all eternity, by becoming the God-Man. As Weymouth’s
New Testament rightly reads, “He stripped Himself of His glory”. God cannot
cease to be God, and Jesus Christ, Who IS Almighty God, cannot for any time, not
be God! “μορφὴν δούλου”, is in the same way “μορφὴ ϑεοῦ” is understood, as the
“very nature” of a human, except sin. One Person, Jesus Christ, verse 5, Two
“natures”, God and Man, at His Incarnation, verse 6-7.
Next, “εν ομοιωματι ανθρωπων γενομενος”, that is, “being born in the likeness of
man”. What does Paul mean here, by “likeness”? This does not mean that the
“human nature” of Jesus Christ, was unreal, and just a phantom, as some in the
early Church taught. To understand what this means, we can look at another verse
in Paul, Romans 8:3, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh”. Same Greek word, “ὁμοίωμα”, (to resemble).
The “human nature” of Jesus Christ, is very real, but, it is without any sin,
which is not true of any human being ever born. In Matthew 1:16, we read, “Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ”. The Greek is very
important, “ἐξ ἧς”, literally, “out of HER”, feminine, singular, which
shows that Mary was the biological “mother” of Jesus Christ, Who actually
derived His “human nature” from her. This is also seen in Luke 1:35, “therefore
also that Holy Child Who shall be born of thee (ἐκ σοῦ, singular, “out
of you”) shall be called the Son of God”
In
the Greek, Paul is very careful in how he writes. He says, “κατεκρινε την
αμαρτιαν εν τη σαρκ”, “condemned sin in the flesh”. Had he written, “κατεκρινε
την αμαρτιαν την εν τη σαρκ”, this would have made sin in the flesh of
Jesus Christ. It is clear from both these passages taken together, what Paul
does mean when he says, “in the likeness of man”.
“And being found in fashion as a man”, Weymouth
translates, “And being recognized as truly human”. “σχῆμα”, here translated as
“fashion”, is more than just the “outward appearance”. It also is used for,
“character, characteristic propetry”, that which makes a “real human”. When
those who lived with Jesus looked at Him, they “saw” a real human being like
themselves. But, in His One Person, He was the God-Man, 100% God and 100% Man,
except for sin.
Then we have Jesus’ “submission” to God the Father, “He humbled Himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”. This
“obedience”, is “μέχρῐ”, “till the end of His life”, “as long as”. At which
point in time, that “submission” to the Father was ended. This is what the
passage in Hebrew 2 says, that it was for “a little while”, that Jesus was “made
lower than the angels”, for the duration of His Incarnate Life on earth.
The next three verses are to be taken together, “Therefore God has highly
exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name, so that at
the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father”
The Name Jesus was given to Mary by, the Father, through the angel Gabriel (Luke
1:31). His Name is Highly exalted above all other names. So Great is Jesus
Christ, that He is to receive all the Praise, Worship and Adoration, that is for
Almighty God Himself. The words that Paul uses here, for The Lord Jesus Christ,
and from the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah:
“Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel
together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old?
Haven't I, Yahweh? There is no other God besides Me, a Just God and a
Saviour; There is no one besides Me."Look to Me, and be saved, all
the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by
Myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and will not return,
that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”
(45:21-23)
In
this passage, Yahweh is the Speaker, Who says that He is The Saviour, and there
is no other besides Him. In Luke 2:11, we read, “For there is born to you this
day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”. In Titus 2:13 we
read, “looking for the blessed hope and appearance of the glory of our Great
God and Saviour Jesus Christ”. In John 4:42, Jesus Christ is called “The
Saviour of the World”. The fact that Jesus Christ IS The Saviour of the world,
as acknowledged by all, and that in Isaiah He is called Yahweh.
Further, the words in Isaiah are Spoken by Yahweh Himself, to Whom “every knee
shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”. The Apostle Paul has taken these
words from this passage, and directly applied them to The Lord Jesus Christ,
thereby identifying Jesus Christ as Yahweh. It would be blasphemy for Paul to
have done this, if Jesus Christ Himself is not Almighty God.
Interestingly, the Jehovah’s Witnesses publication of the Emphatic Diaglott,
which is a Greek-English New Testament, has for verse 10, “in order that in the
NAME of Jesus Every Knee should bend, of those in heaven, and of those on earth,
and of those beneath”, a cross-reference to the passage in Isaiah 45:23! Clear
evidence even in the JW’s publication, to the fact that Jesus Christ IS Yahweh.