“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross — tapeinoō (humiliated himself) shows the voluntary character: Christ's humiliation is self-imposed, not enforced. Obedience (hypakousai) to death echoes the obedience required of Adam (who disobeyed) and Israel (who broke covenant). 'Even death on a cross' is the eschatological nadir: crucifixion was slave's death, ultimate shame in the Roman world. The progression downward ('emptied... humbled... obedient... death... cross') traces the depths of self-surrender.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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Thomas MuellerNote1mo agoHe Emptied Himself
I teach New Testament Greek, and we spent an entire class on this one verb - ekenosen. He emptied. The theological fireworks around what exactly that means - did Jesus empty himself of his divine attr...
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Adam SmithNote1mo agoSeeds of faith - Philippians 2
God is faithful in every circumstance. God is faithful in every circumstance. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.
God is faithful in every circumstance. Their context of pe...
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