He Emptied Himself

The true version is really just as good, because the Bible tells us the Lord looks on our heart and our attitude. It’s our willingness that God desires. Dober and Nitschmann truly were willing to sell themselves into slavery, and they began their journey through Europe toward the Caribbean with the clear intention of doing so.

That’s amazing enough all by itself. However, upon reaching Denmark, they learned that no white man was allowed to work as a slave in the West Indies. But they went anyway, and established a mission that existed for 50 years before any other church arrived on the scene. This work eventually resulted in 13,000 new followers of Christ.

This story illustrates well what Paul told us of Jesus. He emptied Himself. And at Christmastime, when we ponder the amazing doctrine of the incarnation, the One that the apostle John called the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, it’s good for us to dig deep into this reality and ponder some Biblical truth about what it meant, and what it didn’t mean, for Jesus to empty Himself.

Again, it’s important for us to consider the context. So let’s take just a moment to look at what was Paul saying to the Philippians just before the Carmen Christi – Hymn to Christ.

Philippians 2:1-4 (ESV) 1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Then, in the midst of his admonition on counting others more important than yourselves, Paul gives this hymn, beginning in vs 5, as a sort of “sermon illustration.” If we are to be “like Christ,” if we are to look not to our own interests, but also to the interests of others, if we’re humbly to count others as more significant than ourselves, one of the most important ways we can do that, is to follow Jesus’ example of humility.

All of the Carmen Christi is an illustration of what it looks like to act humbly, to give one’s life in the service of others.

Philippians 2:5 (NASB) 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Philippians 2:5 (NIV) 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

And what an attitude it is. Paul expands on this idea. You and I have every reason to be humble. We may have talents and gifts. We may have some authority or power or position. We may have many things that others, maybe most others, don’t have. But none of those things are things we have because of anything in and of ourselves. Any talent we have is from God. Any gift we have is from God. Any authority or power or position we have is from God.

But think of this. Jesus was God. He was God the Son, even before the Incarnation. Paul affirms this truth, understood and celebrated in this hymn. He refers to Jesus as being in the form of God. “Form” here is the Greek word morphe. In some of your translations, it’s translated nature.