What Is the Kenosis of Christ — Meaning Explained

The word kenosis comes from the Greek verb kenoo, meaning 'to empty,' used in Philippians 2:7 of Christ: 'But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.' The literal Greek says He 'emptied himself.' Philippians 2:5-11 is the great kenosis passage: '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, and took upon him the form of a servant, 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.' The crucial question is: of what did Christ empty Himself? Sound theology insists that He did not empty Himself of His deity or any divine attribute — that would be impossible, for God cannot cease to be God. Hebrews 13:8 says, 'Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.' Rather, Christ emptied Himself by adding humanity to His deity and by voluntarily veiling and not independently using His divine prerogatives during His earthly ministry. He set aside the visible glory He had with the Father (John 17:5), submitted to the limitations of a human body, and lived in dependence on the Holy Spirit and obedience to the Father. The cup of kenosis was filled with humiliation: born in a stable, raised in obscurity, rejected by His own, crucified between criminals. But the passage ends in exaltation: 'Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.' Kenosis is not the loss of deity but the addition of humility — and it is the pattern for the Christian life.