THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS: THE CONDESCENSION AND EXALTATION OF CHRIST

(Php_2:6 a) Jesus was in the form of God.

Who, being in the form of God,
a. In the form of God: This describes Jesus’ pre-incarnate existence. We must remind ourselves that Jesus did not
begin His existence in the manger at Bethlehem, but is eternal God.
b. Being: This is from the ancient Greek verb huparchein, which “describes that which a man is in his very essence and
which cannot be changed. It describes that part of a man which, in any circumstances, remains the same.” (Barclay)
i. “Paul, by the use of the Greek word translated ‘being,’ informs his Greek readers that our Lord’s possession of the
divine essence did not cease to be a fact when He came to earth to assume human form.
c. Form: This translates the ancient Greek word morphe. It “always signifies a form which truly and fully expresses the
being which underlies it . . . the words mean ‘the being on an equality with God.’“ (Expositors)
i. “Morphe is the essential form which never alters; schema is the outward form which changes from time to time
and from circumstance to circumstance.” (Barclay)
ii. “‘God’ has a form, and ‘Jesus Christ’ exists in this form of God.” (Lenski)
iii. the ancient Greek word translated form is very difficult to translate. When we use the word form we think of the
shape of something; but the ancient Greek word had none of that idea. It is more the idea of a mode or an essence;
it is the essential nature of God, without implying a physical shape or image. “Thus the Greek word for ‘form’ refers
to that outward expression which a person gives of his inmost nature.”
3. (Php_2:6 b) Jesus did not cling to the privileges of deity.
Did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
a. Did not consider it robbery: The ancient Greek in this phrase has the idea of something being grasped or clung to.
Jesus did not cling to the prerogatives or privileges of deity.
4. (Php_2:7) Jesus made Himself of no reputation.
a. But made Himself of no reputation: The more common (and well-known) translation of this is that He emptied
Himself. From the ancient Greek word emptied (kenosis) came the idea that Jesus’ incarnation was essentially a self-
emptying.
i. We must carefully think about what Jesus emptied Himself of. Paul will tell us plainly in the following verses, but
we must take care that we do not think that Jesus emptied Himself of His deity in any way.
v. “Even as a king, by laying aside the tokens of his royalty, and putting on the habit of a merchant, when all the
while he ceaseth not to be a king, or the highest in his own dominions.” (Poole)
b. Taking the form of a bondservant: This describes how Jesus emptied Himself. Though he took the form of a
bondservant, Jesus did not empty Himself of His deity or of any of His attributes; or of His equality with God. He
emptied Himself into the form of a bondservant, not merely the form of a man.
i. Taking (the ancient Greek word labon) does not imply an exchange, but an addition.
c. Coming in the likeness of men: This further describes how Jesus emptied Himself. We can think of someone who
is a servant, but not in the likeness of men. Angels are servants, but not in the likeness of men. In fairy tales,
Aladdin’s Genie was a servant, but not in the likeness of men.
i. The word for likeness here may refer to merely the outward form of something. While Jesus did have the outward
form of humanity, the outward form reflected His true humanity, which was added to His deity.
ii. “It was a likeness, but a real likeness, no mere phantom humanity as the Docetic Gnostics held.” (Robertson)
5. (Php_2:8) The extent of Jesus’ self-emptying.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death
of the cross.
a. He humbled Himself and became obedient: Jesus humbled Himself when He became obedient. This was
something that Jesus could only experience by coming down from the throne of heaven and becoming a man. When God
sits enthroned in heaven’s glory, there is no one He obeys. Jesus had to leave heaven’s glory and be found in
appearance as a man in order to become obedient.
i. One key to Jesus’ obedience on earth was the endurance of suffering. This again was something He could only
learn by experience after the incarnation. As it is written: though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the
things which He suffered. (Heb_5:8)
ii. Indeed, He humbled Himself.
• He was humble in that he took the form of a man, and not a more glorious creature like an angel.
• He was humble in that He was born into an obscure, oppressed place.
• He was humble in that He was born into poverty, among a despised people.
• He was humble in that He was born as a child instead of appearing as a man.
• He was humble in submitting to the obedience of a child in a household.
• He was humble in learning and practicing a trade - and a humble trade of a builder.
• He was humble in the long wait until He launched out into public ministry.
 • He was humble in the companions and disciples He chose.
• He was humble in the audience He appealed to and the way He taught.
• He was humble in the temptations He allowed and endured.
• He was humble in the weakness, hunger, thirst, and tiredness He endured.
• He was humble in His total obedience to His Heavenly Father.
• He was humble in His submission to the Holy Spirit.
• He was humble in choosing and submitting to the death of the cross.
• He was humble in the agony of His death.
• He was humble in the shame, mocking, and public humiliation of His death.
• He was humble in enduring the spiritual agony of His sacrifice on the cross.
iii. We can imagine that it was possible for the Son of God to become man and pay for the sins of the world without
this great humiliation. He might have added the humanity of a 33-year old man to his deity. He might have appeared
before man only in His transfigured glory, and taught men what they needed to hear from Him. He might have
suffered for the sins of man in a hidden place of the earth far from the eyes of man, or on the dark side of the moon
for that matter. Yet He did not; He humbled Himself, and did it for the surpassing greatness of our salvation and
His work for us.
b. To the point of death, even the death of the cross: This states the extent of Jesus’ humility and obedience.
i. Crucifixion was such a shameful death that it was not permitted for Roman citizens (such as the people of Philippi).
A victim of crucifixion was considered by the Jews to be particularly cursed by God (Deu_21:23 and Gal_3:13).
iii. Even the death of the cross shows that there is no limit to what God will do to demonstrate His love and saving
power to man; this was and forever will be the ultimate. “What must sin have been in the sight of God, when it
required such abasement in Jesus Christ to make an atonement for it, and undo its influence and malignity!” (Clarke)
i. In this, Paul reminded the Philippians that his current place of humble circumstances (his Roman imprisonment)
could still show forth the glory and power of God, even as Jesus did in His humility.
C. Jesus, the ultimate example of exaltation after humility.
1. (Php_2:9) The exaltation of Jesus Christ.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
a. Therefore God has also highly exalted Him: This is the general heading for the material in the next three verses.
These words describe how God has exalted Jesus. Indeed, highly exalted could also be translated “super exalted.”
i. superexalted, or exalted with all exaltation.”
ii. “Now, just pause over this thought - that Christ did not crown himself, but that his Father crowned him; that he
did not elevate himself to the throne of majesty, but that his Father lifted him there, and placed him on his throne.”
(Spurgeon)
b. Given Him the name which above every name: This not only gives Jesus the Divine name YAHWEH, but also
implies that God has declared that Jesus has the character and person above all others, when we consider the importance
of the Hebrew concept of the name.
i. This verse, with its clear statement of Jesus’ deity, is powerful ammunition against those who deny
the deity of Jesus Christ. There is no higher name than Yahweh, and Jesus has that name.
2. (Php_2:10-11) THE SUBJECTION OF THE WHOLE CREATION TO JESUS.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
a. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow: Not only is Jesus exalted by the Father, but the whole world
is brought into submission to the Son.
i. “Paul does not imply by this a universal salvation, but means that every personal being will ultimately confess
Christ’s lordship, either with joyful faith or with resentment and despair.” (Kent)
b. Those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth: This conveys the absolute totality of all
creation recognizing the superiority of Jesus Christ.
i. In this, Paul draws on the idea of Isa_45:23 : I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in
righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. Notice that in
Isaiah, it is to Yahweh that all knees bow and tongues confess. In Philippians it is to Jesus, showing that Jesus is
Yahweh.
ii. Those under the earth: “Either the dead, who are hid in the earth, and shall be raised by the power of Christ .
. . or, devils, and wicked souls.” (Poole)
c. Every knee should bow . . . every tongue should confess: The combination of tongues confessing and knees
bowing gives evidence that the idea is a complete submission to Jesus, both in word and in action, and one that is
required of all.
i. The totality of this recognition of Jesus’ deity and exaltation has caused many to envision this happening in formal
way after the final judgment, when every creature, in heaven and hell, is required to bow their knees and make the
confession that Jesus Christ is Lord.
d. That Jesus Christ is Lord: From this we can say that there is a sense in which Jesus returned to heaven with more
than He had when He left. Not only did He return with His humanity still added to his deity (although a resurrected
humanity), He also returned with the recognition planted among men of who He was and the worship He deserved -
something unknown until the Incarnation and the full revelation of His person and work.
i. “He has always (in Paul’s view) shared in the Divine nature. But it is only as the result of His Incarnation,
Atonement, Resurrection and Exaltation that He appears to men as on an equality with God, that He is worshipped
by them in the way in which Jehovah is worshipped.” (Expositors)
ii. “He might have used the miraculous powers inherent in His Divine nature in such a way as to compel men, without
further ado, to worship Him as God. Instead of that He was willing to attain this high dignity by the path of humiliation,
suffering and death.” (Expositors)
iii. All this must be seen in reference to the humiliation described in Php_2:6-8; our tendency is to long for the
exaltation, but to forsake the humiliation.
e. Jesus Christ is Lord: The confession of Jesus Christ as Lord reminds us to consider the great significance of this
word kurios, especially as it was be understood by the early church, who used the LXX as their Bible - where kurios
was consistently used to translate the tetragrammaton, standing for the name YAHWEH.
f. Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father: Remember that Paul did not give this description of Jesus in
Php_2:5-11 simply for the theological education of the Philippians.BUT
• He gave it to equip them to endure the hardship they were experienced.
• He gave it help them to understand Paul’s hardships.
• He gave it to help them to practice real Christian unity in the midst of hard times.
i. This picture of Jesus has helped them to understand how to assess the ministry of Paul, which seemed weak at
the present time.
ii. This picture helped them to understand the context of God’s revelation of power - how God delights to show His
power through humble actions.
iii. This picture has equipped them to act in a way towards each other that will promote unity in the body of Christ.
iv. This picture has shown them how to follow Jesus’ pattern of patient, humble obedience - something Paul will call
them to continue in the following verses.