“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature 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 of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Phil 2:5-8 NIV
These verses are known as the Kenosis passage. Some theologians believe this was a hymn sung in the early churches which Paul incorporated into his letter to the Philippians. Whatever the case, the words “he made himself nothing” or in other versions “emptied himself” comes from a Greek word kenoo which means, Jesus incarnation was a self-emptying.
But what does that mean? Does it mean Jesus emptied himself of Divinity? As a baby in the manger did he know what was going on? A few observations will answer these questions.
Jesus was fully God and fully man at the same time. This is called the hypostatic union. The Bible teaches us that Jesus never lost his Divine prerogative when he “emptied himself”, for as man he was equal in nature and attributes with God the Father.
The Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind…. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” John 1:1-4;14.
Jesus could not become a lesser-God in His incarnation, for His preincarnate and incarnate attributes were not encroached upon, though he himself renounced some of his Deistic privileges like omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience and self-consciousness. He said, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began”. (John 17:4-5).
Condescension came out as a free will and not from coercion. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. II Cor. 5:21; John 10:11,17.
In other words, His divine nature was added human attributes when He took a human nature. It is like a king who does not cease to be a king because he leaves royal regalia and wears farm clothes. The fact is that he remains King!
PAULINE locus classicus:
Though the incarnational theology is by itself incomprehensible, Paul’s incarnation paradox had a message for the Christian spirituality. If Christ humbled Himself and He was God, can the Church imitate Him today? Jesus relinquished His Lordship and Deistic prerogatives and took upon Himself humility, bond-slave, obedience and love. Can church leaders take this mindset of Christ?
What Does It Mean Taking The Mindset Of Christ?
Jesus knowing, He was God did not count it anything to boast about, but humbled Himself, for the redemptive assignment that awaited Him and He needed to be focused. Church leaders and shepherds are on a mission too to bring Christ to the lost but it is appalling to think that shepherds today are the first in the list of the proud in the society.
The pride of the Clergy is one that emanates from ignorance. They are heard saying, “I am in the USA but going tomorrow to Israel but I live in Kenya”. “The Lord has blessed me with a Prado because I serve the highest God”; “I talk like a king because I am the king’s child”; “I don’t go to small hotels because I live like a king’s child”; “I receive calls from serious people in life (whatever that means)”. Some are seen walking under heavy security.
In social media they post their photos on beaches, prophesying and tweaking to just show off. Can we preach and be heard without making noise in the name of being “filled with the Holy Spirit”? Must we tell people our achievements in the first place? There is nowhere Jesus said I know better than all of you.
I am told of shepherds who are busy raising money not to go to college to get a better understanding of God’s word in order to reach out for God, but to buy doctorate certificates with the intentions of being relevant in the society. “I want to be called doctor so and so”. No wonder the world does not take us serious.
A certain learned pastor friend of mine told me he is contemplating leaving the use of his hard earned doctorate in his name because the word Dr. has been abused by his fellow pastors so much so that the secular world knows there is no Dr. Pastor who has a genuine doctorate certificate. Jesus was the most learned human being and the scribes attested to this at the synagogue. Paul was a genius lawyer. But both Jesus and Paul refused to be dragged into what Paul told the Philippians, he considered as garbage (dung), that he might gain Christ. Phil 3:8b
Remember; It doesn’t matter how many churches you oversee. Humongous church buildings or status in society. If you want to be respected humble yourself!
Paul identified himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. The Gk word for servant is doulos, which means utter or complete devotion. The shepherds are called to dedicate themselves to serving God in sincerity not because of convenience. If you opened a church as a mall or a source of feeding your appetites, something is wrong with the ministry. If you opened a church because you did not have any other thing to do, then you are in the wrong profession. If you opened a church because you did not go to school to be employed elsewhere you need to start packing and close up the church. These are symptomatic signs of impending disaster in the church.
Jesus emptied Himself because He was obedient. His obedience necessitated expiation. Obedience is not what you think. It is not an argument! It is following the orders. When God says go or stop listen and act! The problem arises when interpreting who is actually calling for obedience. Is it God, Satan or yourself?
Jesus emptied himself because he loved us. It is a big shame that shepherds today are on the bottom of the list when it comes to loving each other. Competition is the order of the day. When a shepherd opens a church next to yours, you ensure he closes by hook and crook.
On the flipside, when a bar is opened next to another it is welcomed, deemed a security and attraction of more customers. And what about banks which operate in close proximity with stiff competition yet without enmity or undermining each other or stealing each other’s customers?
Today Shepherds talk behind each other’s back until the “salt has lost its test, light dimmed, contrary to what Jesus taught, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” Matt 5:16.
Are you ready to empty yourself of worldly pleasures and mimic Christ? Let us be deep spirited brothers and sisters. Let us not take advantage of our endowments to exploit others, for Christ did not, even when He knew He could. “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage”. Phil. 2:6.
Are we spiritually retrogressing or progressing? Think about it!
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By Bishop Obed Bett Chelogoi, ThM; DMin; ThD, Professor of Theology,
Joy Seminary, USA.
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