Are You Catching Kenosis?

By Pastor Vinnie

Related PODCAST Embedded Below

Kenosis (κένωσις, kenosis) is a theological term that dates back the earliest of Christian times. We could consider it the path that Christ took to become incarnate with humanity. That is to say, it is the method by which Christ who is fully God also became fully man by humbling himself to be born as a baby in a manger. It is the voluntary subjection to the humiliation of the creator becoming one with the creation for the sake of uplifting and redeeming the creation to its original status before the fall.

Christ emptied himself out, his rights out, his privilege out, his royalty out, so that he could serve mankind. However; the word Paul uses for servant really means slave (Doulos). God himself lowered his being to the level of a mere human so that he could go from the creator of all to the lowest of all, a slave.

Australian New Testament scholar, Peter O’Brian explains what happened this way;

“Christ voluntarily chose the path of obedient humiliation that led to his incarnation and death. He who was God and never ceased to be otherwise humbled himself in the incarnation. He emptied himself by taking the form of a slave…”^[1]

The word Kenosis itself appears in Philippians 2:7 and it literally means to be “emptied out”, but some translations translate it as “made of no reputation,” or “made himself nothing.”  It is to become as if you were empty of value or position. The God who was worth everything let himself been as nothing. He willingly became the “Nothing-Man.” For our sake, he became of no reputation.

Scholars refer to this as the kenosis, from the Greek. By becoming a man, Jesus did not lay aside his deity but rather let it be hidden to better identify to you and me and someone we could relate to. God came to our level to bring us to his level! Charles C. Ryrie sheds light on this event:

“Christ didn’t become any less God, but he chose not to use some of his divine attributes. This involved a veiling of his pre-incarnate glory.^[2]

This emptying of reputation is not seen to actually be an emptying of any divinity at all but rather the claim of its regard or reputation; hence the reason some translators use the phrase “made of no reputation.”Jesus, although God himself, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, was born among the lowest of all. He was giving no favor or advantage, but rather bored hardships like all men. He willingly subjected himself to the struggles of poverty, and a bad family name being regarded as being born out of wedlock; when he should have been taken to the temple, anointed with oil and made the king. He did nothing to purposely alert people to his divinity, and often tried to postpone miracles, “It is not yet my time,” or deny credit, “tell no one what I have done.” In fact, for his first thirty years on earth we heard nothing of significance from him or about him that should have given him royalty.

Tyndale Bible handbook unpacks the idea:

He did, for a while, hide his heavenly fame in an earthly frame. Even though he retained every single attribute of deity while on earth, he surrendered the independent exercise of those divine characteristics^[3]

Philippians 2:5-11 is believed to be taken for an early Christian hymn^[4] which some claim may have come from an early Christian creed, that Paul repurposed for his epistle. It is poetic, it has a rhythm of ideas, and is it emotionally moving as it describes the path of Jesus in Kenosis. Paul selected it wisely seeking to capture the basic beauty of Jesus Christ and his journey to us.  It goes like this:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation [KENOSOS], and took upon him the form of a servant [SLAVE], and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”[5]

Directions:

As we look at this passage that was once likely an ancient hymn it does not take long to see a pattern of Jesus lowering and lowering himself and God is lifting him up!

Kenosis is all about your direction.

JESUS Made Low

1. Made Himself nothing

2. Made Himself a slave

3. Became Human

4. Obedient unto death

5. Obedient to the call of the cross.

Results: God lifts Him up and every knee will bow and confess Him as Lord.

Now look at this contrasting passage, that is not about Christ but his Adversary, Lucifer!

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit. (Isaiah 14:12-14)

Satan Seeks to be Lift High

1. I will ascend

2. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God

3. I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds

5. I will be like the Most High

Results: God will cast him down to the grave [Death and destruction] and into the Pit [Hell].

Which direction are you traveling to?

Leadership and Advancement Implications:

What is your plan to get ahead? How do you lead others? You see, all seeking to be lifted up and noticed will be cast down. All trying to grasp and grab glory will get the lowest depths of the pit. No man (or woman) seeking to lift themselves up, to be glorified will find anything other than God’s disapproval. But he (or she) who is humble and meek, full of love that drives us to service will bury themselves in the work of a slave, seeking no pay, seeking no reward: and in due season God will lift you up!

It takes only five steps upward to end up downward being cast down into hell. Seeking your own glory can never be seeking Christ’s glory for while both take the same amount of steps they, in fact, go in different directions. One direction seeks to make others slaves and the other simply bows, with a towel, and washes the feet of others. It does not seek slaves, it is willing to be a slave; it lifts another out of the filth. It never wants the best seats at a banquet, it is a spirit that considers what is best as if it is nothing worthy to grasp for,  because it is a spirit that knows the Father would withhold no good thing form those who love like Him.

If you want to lead like Jesus, lead from the bottom. Avoid the top at all costs. Seek only ever to be last. The Rabbi made leadership simple: “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20:16)

• Be last. Be low. Be lifted.

• Be first. Be proud. Be cast down. 

Lord, may we learn to be nothing [Kenosis] that you may be all. That is leadership because the goal is not our greatness but displaying His! Lead in a way that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father –not you!

A Song About The Kenosis Life

Cover of Casting Crowns “Nobody.”

Related PODCAST Episode On Kenosis.

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Footnote:

^[1] O’Brien, P. T. (1991). The Epistle to the Philippians: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 216). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

^[2] Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 225). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[3] Willmington, H. L. (1997). Willmington’s Bible handbook (p. 711). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^[4] Foulkes, F. (1994). Philippians. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 1253). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

[5] Philippians 2:5-11, KJV

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