by Giuseppe Monno
Philippians 2:5–7
“Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are;
and being in every way like a human being.”
The Greek expression morphē Theou, literally meaning “form of God,” refers to the pre-existent condition or divine nature.
The “self-emptying” (the so-called kenosis) does not mean that the Son of God gave up his divinity, for this would be impossible: he is God by nature, not by participation or by gift. His divinity is not something attributed to him from outside; rather, it constitutes his very essence. In other words, being God is not something the Son merely “possesses,” but what he is.
The Son of God “emptied himself” in the sense that, by assuming human nature and becoming fully like us in all things (except sin), he chose not to manifest the full glory of his divinity. He accepted the limitations of the human condition, submitting to suffering and death, and veiling his divine glory in the flesh. This “self-emptying,” therefore, concerns his manner of acting, not the essence of his being.