THE KENOTIC THEORY

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THE KENOTIC THEORY

PBCAA Homecoming December 28, 2011

ON CHRIST’S NATURE(Part 2)

12/27/2011

PHILIPPIANS 2:5ff.

5 τουτο φρονειτε ΄εν ‘υμιν This think ye among you

‘ο και ΄εν χριστω ιησουwhich also [was] in Christ Jesus.

HOW SELF-EMPTYING SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD

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The object of this referencing to the ex-ample of the Saviour is to propose the duty of humility.

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We are to make Him our model, and frame our lives in accordance to His great example. “He left His state of inexpressible glory, took upon himself the most humble form of humanity, and performed the most lowly offices, that he might benefit us” (Barnes).

6a ‘ος εν μορφη θεου ‘υπαρχων ¹Who ³in the form of God ²subsisting

μορφὴ, MORPHE describes the form the Savior assumed in heaven and how he appeared after his resurrection.

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Found in 3 places (Mark 16:12; Phil. 2:6, 7). Means “appearance,” “shape,” “the display of the inner reality of the pre-existent Christ.”

‘υπαρχων, huparchon, “sub-sisting, existing,” from ‘υπαρχω, “to be.” Pres. active participle expresses the continuance of antecedent state or condition.

Since the participle HUPARCHON, “subsisting,” “existing,” is in the present, and that participle des-cribes the state or condition of the MORPHE of Jesus, then I’d say that though He was man on earth, He continually had that God’s form.

What is the MORPHE THEOU?

• That MORPHE THEOU, form of God, was that Spirit God, that entity known in heaven as the Logos, that Divine Spirit which is separate and apart from the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead.

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If the Godhead were three Persons, distinct and separate, yet united and indivisible, why not imagine the Logos who became Jesus to be just another Spirit? This is the natural conclusion of our doctrine of the Godhead: Three yet one.

There too is a Spirit called God’s Son:

“And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba,

Father” (GALATIANS 4:6).

“And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit: and having said this, he gave up the ghost”(LUKE 23:46).

6b ΄ουχ ‘αρπαγμον ‘ηγησατο ³not robbery ¹deemed ²(it) το ειναι ισα θεω to be equal with God‘αρπαγμον, ‘αρπαγμος, “a prize, something to hold on to.” In the active sense, it means “robbing”; in the passive sense, “prize gained through robbery.”

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“Christ did not use his equality with God in order to snatch or gain power and dominion, rich-es, pleasure and worldly glory” (Rogers & Rogers, 451).

“He did not reach out of his favored place and grasp at authority” (Rogers & Rogers, 451).

“The being equal with God he did not consider a thing to be tenaciously retained” (Barnes' Notes on the New Testament).

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TAKE NOTE!• The MORPHE THEOU , “Form of

God,” Jesus did not lay aside, did not empty Himself of.

• The Equality with the Father He did! He was God on earth but not equal with the Father in heaven – Because He humbled Himself!

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“Christ not being equal with the Father when He was man on earth” as a doctrine cannot help you in your fight against the Iglesia ni Manalo, I would admit! But I am just following the sense of the Scripture, and I am afraid to twist anything to gain an advantage over the enemy!

I would suggest that you do not use His “Equality with God” as an argument to prove His deity. That simply is not warranted by the context of Philippians 2.

“But Jesus answered them, My Father works even until now, and I work. 18 For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God” (JOHN 5:17-18).

HOW DO I ANSWER THE OBJECTION BASED ON THIS TEXT?

The Jews understood that Jesus’ claim to be God’s Son meant His equality with the Father. That is

only how far the sense of the passage goes, and that is only

how far they understood it.Me? I cannot bank on the

statement of the enemies to be correct!

For example, Don’t just believe anyone’s claim that there is no

God! (Cf. Psalm 14:1). He might have just arrived from a

mental hospital!And even if he were honest in his belief, call him an honest

fool!

7a αλλα ‘εαυτον εκενωσεν but ²Himself ¹he emptied

‘εαυτον, “himself,” is positioned first for emphasis.

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εκενωσεν, aorist indic. active, “to empty,” “to make empty,” “to make of no effect.”

“The word does not mean He emptied himself of his deity, but rather He emptied him-self of the display of His deity, for personal gain” (Rogers & Rogers, 452).

“κενοω literally means to empty, to make empty, to make vain or void.” It is rendered “made void” in Rom. 4:14; “made of none effect,” 1 Cor. 1:17; “make void,” 1 Cor. 9:15; “should be vain,” 2 Cor. 9:3.

“The essential idea is that of bringing to emptiness, vanity, or nothingness; and hence it is applied to a case where one lays aside his rank and dignity, and becomes as nothing; that is, he assumes a more humble rank and station” (Barnes' Notes on the NT).

“But made himself of no repu-tation” (KJV). “This translation conveys the sense of the orig-inal. This would seem that Jesus consented to be without distinc-tion or honour among men; or that he was willing to be des-pised or disregarded” (Barnes' Notes on the NT).

The verb εκενωσεν (Phil 2:7), aorist indicative active, pictures the one-time action of emptying. That single occurrence of emptying began in his life as a baby and ended when He offered that life on the Cross. They could not nail a God on the cross; but a God who became man they could!

7b μορφην δουλου λαβων ²the form of a slave ¹takingThe form of a servant is that which indicates the condition of a servant, in contradistinction from one of higher rank. It means, to appear as a servant, to perform the offices of a servant, and to be regarded as such. 912/27/2011

He was made like a slave in the lowly condition which he took upon Himself. In his suffering he was tortured as a slave. In his death He was executed as a slave. As a slave he had nothing, and he could afford nothing!

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A CONTRAST OF JESUS’ TWO FORMS

• εν μορφη θεου υπαρχων, “existing in the form of God”” (Phil 2:6). The verb HUPARCHON, “subsisting, existing” is present active participle, and has a continuous sense.

• μορφην δουλου λαβων, “taking the form of a slave” (Phil 2:7). The verb λαβων, LABON, “taking,” is an aorist active participle, and speaks of a one-time action.

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In His lifetime on earth, Jesus took on servant form, but shed off that form after resurrection. That seems to

be the meaning of the aorist!

While on earth, however, He never ceased to be God!

εν ‘ομοιωματι ανθρωπων²in likeness of menγενομενος¹becomingεν ‘ομοιωματι, “in likeness.” The phrase expresses the fact that His mode of manifesting Himself after He left heaven resembled what men ORDINARILY are.

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γενομενος, GENOMENOS, “becom-ing,” is aorist indicative middle deponent of GINOMAI, “to become.” Again, the verb speaks of Jesus’ one-time act of becoming a man in order to offer Himself on Calvary’s cross.

και σχηματι ευρεθεις ως¹and ³in fashion ²being found asανθρωποςa man

“In fashion as a man.” The word rendered “fashion,” σχηματι, means “figure,” “deportment,” “state,” or “condition” (Barnes).

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σχημα means “outward appear-ance” and is “used of a king who exchanges his kingly robe for sackcloth” (Rogers & Rogers, 452).

σχηματι ευρεθεις, “being found in fashion” as a man. ευρεθεις is aorist passive participle, and like the verbs γενομενος, “becoming,” and λαβων, “taking,” indicate the manner of Christ’s emptying Himself.

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SCHEMA VS. MORPHE• Jesus was in the MORPHE of God and in the

MORPHE of a slave. These MORPHS of His were never seen outwardly by men.• But Jesus became like men, and was indeed

found possessing the outward appearance (SCHEMA) of men.• This goes to show that these two terms

(MORPHE & SCHEMA) are not similar in meaning.

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• When He took upon himself all the attributes of a man, He as-sumed all the innocent infirmi-ties of our nature. And when reduced to this condition, He humbled himself, and obeyed even unto death.

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• As a man, He was subjected to the necessity of food and raiment, and was made liable to suffering, as all men are. But it was still He who had been in the "form of God" who thus appeared. Though his divine glory had been for a time laid aside, yet that glory was not extinguished.

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8 εταπεινωσεν ‘εαυτον He humbled himselfγενομενος ‘υπηκοος μεχρι becoming obedient untilθανατου, θανατου δε σταυρουdeath, and death of a cross.

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• He had not only laid aside the symbols of his glory, and became a man; he humbled himself. • Humiliation was a constant

characteristic of the God Jesus when he became a man.

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•He did not aspire to high honours; he did not affect pomp and parade; he did not demand the service of a train of servants; but he condescended to the lowest conditions of life.12/27/2011 18

• He did not assert the dignity and prerogatives appropriate to a Divine Being, but put himself in a condition of obedience. For such a Being to obey law implied voluntary humiliation; and the greatness of his humiliation was shown by his becoming entirely obedient, even till he died on the cross.

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• The highest honour that has been shown to the law of God on earth was that it was perfectly observed by him who made the law—the great Mediator. 12/27/2011 20

• In His case, dying was wholly voluntary; he placed himself in the condition of a slave to do the will of God, and never shrank from what that slavish condition would cost Him. 12/27/2011 21

•The death that He suf-fered was not regarded as glorious; it was ignominious, most degrading, and most torturing that human ingenuity can invent!

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The person who was to be crucified was forced to carry the crossbeam on his shoulders to the place of execution!

The victim was affixed to the crossbeam by ropes or by nails.

The crossbeam would be weighing around 75 to 125 pounds, about 30 to 60 kilograms!

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The whole cross would weigh well over 300 pounds, about 135 kilo-grams.

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The victim’s palms were nailed to the crossbeam. For strength, the nails were inserted above the wrists between the two bones of the forearm.12/1/2011 30

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GOD’S SOTERIOLOGICAL

SYSTEMGOD SAVES ►1 Timothy 4:10

Isaiah 43:11Hosea 13:4

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“For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe” (1 Tim 4:10).

“I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour” (Isaiah 43:11).

“Yet I am Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt; and thou shalt know no god but me, and besides me there is no saviour” (Hosea 13:4).

GOD’S SOTERIOLOGICAL

SYSTEMBLOOD SAVES ►

Hebrews 9:22Hebrews 10:17-19

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“And according to the law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb 9:22).

17 And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.  Having therefore, breth-ren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus… (Heb 10:17-19)

GOD’S SOTERIOLOGICAL

SYSTEMJESUS SAVES ►

Acts 13:38Acts 10:43Acts 4:12

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“Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins” (Acts 13:38).

“To him bear all the prophets witness, that through his name every one that believeth on him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).

“And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The scheme of redemption wouldn’t be accomplished had God remained in heaven and not come down to earth and completed His mission on Calvary!With a Jesus who is a mere human being on earth, His blood would not have eternal saving power. Mere men can’t save men!

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The coming of a member of the Godhead to earth is a salvific accomplishment that found no comparison. The Son of God himself became a man and died for men, erasing sins forever!

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WHAT CHRIST LAID ASIDE, WHAT HE TOOK UPON HIMSELF, WHEN HE

BECAME A MAN

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SUBJECT TO GOD’S WILL

EQUALITY WITH GOD

SUBJECTION

LOSSESGLORY LIFE

SOME DIVINE PREROGATIVES

SOME HUMANRIGHTS

YET, HE STILL RETAINED HIS PREROGATIVE TO BE WORSHIPPED, TO GIVE LIFE, TO FORGIVE SINS!

SOME AUTHORITY

FULLNESSOF GOD

FORM OF GOD

SUBJECT TO MAN’S LAWS

“He thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Phil. 2:6).

“Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt 26:39).

“And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and he was subject unto them: and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart” (Luke 2:51).

And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was ( John 17:5).

“Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15)

“But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only” (Matt 24:36)

“Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).

“And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18).

“Who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men (Phil 2:6-7).

For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9).

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WE HOPE THIS LESSON TO BE PERMANENTLY PENCILED IN YOUR MINDS !

THAT EACH DISCIPLE MAY LEARN THE TRUTH, BE STRENGTHENED, AND NOT WAVER IN THE FAITH!

CONTINUE KEEPING THE FAITH!

THE END

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