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Project 365 = Day 136 = 16 May 2025

Day 1232 (Since 1 Jan 2022)

© 2025 Jeff Stewart. All rights reserved.

Doctrine of Kenosis


What is the Doctrine of Kenosis?
Kenosis is a Greek term meaning to empty or be emptied. The theological application of the term, often referred to as kenotic theology, the doctrine of kenosis, or kenosis theory, refers to the nature of Christ. The question is: When Jesus came to earth, was he human, was he divine, or both?



In Christian theology, the word translated kenosis generally refers to the "self-emptying" of Jesus. A form of the term kenosis is found in Philippians 2:6-7 where we read that “[Jesus], although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied [ekenōsen] Himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” Jesus, though he knew the form of God, took the form of a servant.



Many have debated the meaning of the theological term kenosis and what it means that Jesus emptied himself. A study of church history reveals that over the centuries, many have attacked the doctrine of the absolute deity of Christ. While some hold the Docetism view that Jesus was fully (only) God and only appeared to be human, other groups, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, deny that Jesus had a divine nature. Kenosis theory argues that Jesus was both God and man.



John Calvin, one of the early reformers, wrote of the true humanity and absolute deity of Christ. In an apologetic, Calvin cited many New Testament passages to refute the heresies of Servetus regarding the dual nature of Christ. He wrote:



“When it is said that the Word was made flesh...He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For we maintain that the divinity was so conjoined and united with humanity, that the entire properties of each nature remain entire, and yet the two natures constitute only one Christ.”



The fourth-century Council of Nicea affirmed the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ as a foundational tenant of the Christian faith. The doctrine of the divine nature of Jesus Christ is not that the incarnate Christ was less than fully God but that Jesus emptied himself of his own desires and glory, became a human being, and is the supreme example of living entirely receptive to God's will.



The term kenosis has also been used to explain the human nature of Jesus: that though being fully God, he did not count equality with God; he became the incarnate son, took on human flesh, and voluntarily set aside (emptied) his divine power and glory.



The Divine Nature Argument


Orthodox Christians hold that Kenosis points to Christ’s emptying himself of some aspects of his divinity. However, like the doctrine of the Trinity, this deep spiritual truth can not be fully articulated in human terms. Christians believe the New Testament teaches that Jesus had two natures—he was simultaneously 100% man and 100% divine. He manifested the Godhead bodily. There is no precedent for this—he is the only incarnation of the one true God.



What, then, does it mean that “he emptied himself”? A principle rule of hermeneutics is that the reader is to interpret the difficult in light of what is clear. In this case, what is clear is that Scripture presents Jesus as God. John 1:1 indicates that “in the beginning,” Jesus was “with God” and "was God.” Colossians 2:9-10 indicates that the “fullness of deity dwelt in him bodily.” Scripture also notes that Jesus possessed divine attributes: he is called “Creator” (Col. 1:16), the “I Am” (John 8:58), and the “First and the Last” in (Rev. 22:18). It is clear that Scripture equates Jesus with God.



So then, what could the phrase indicate if Jesus did not "empty himself" of his divine nature? A presentation of several false positions follows:

Jesus was less than fully God: When Jesus took the form of a servant in human likeness, he forsook the “form of God” and therefore was regulated to a position or status of less than “equality with God.” This teaching may make sense to the human mind, as being 100% God and 100% human simultaneously is difficult to fathom. However, the whole of Scripture rebukes this teaching, and Paul specifically noted that Jesus possessed an “equality with God” (Phil. 2:5-6).
Jesus set aside his divinity to experience life as a human: Jesus laid aside his divinity (completely) so that in human flesh, as a bond-servant, he could experience human life and face all the fullness of human temptations and frailties, yet not sin. This supposition wrongly assumes that Jesus somehow ceased being God and precludes the possibility that the pre-existent son, Jesus, could simultaneously have two natures—God and man.
Jesus was never God. This theory assumes that verses noting the divinity of Jesus reference his being one in purpose with God or that he had the same mind as God. This supposition is rejected by Colossians 1:15-17, which notes that Jesus is one in essence with God.


The Kenosis of Jesus Christ
The Apostle Paul indicates (in his letter to the Philippian Church) that Jesus willingly emptied himself—that there was a self-limitation of all the fullness of his divine nature. Like trying to describe color to one born blind, humans can likely only glimpse what this verse indicates, but a few ramifications follow:



Jesus Experienced The Limitations Of A Human Being
To empathize with our weakness, show us how to live, and become an acceptable sacrifice to make atonement for our sins, Jesus willingly took the form of a servant, limited his glory, and lived as a human.

This limitation means that the eternal God died at Calvary. It also means that Jesus, who shared the very nature of God and thus has no needs, became a human and hungered, wept, became tired, felt pain, slept, and was tempted.



Jesus Willingly Humbled Himself
The New Testament notes that Jesus willingly emptied himself. This is an expression of grace, love, and humility—his sacrifice was not for his own advantage but for ours. It is important to note that the person of Jesus assumed the limitations of humanity so that by his sacrifice (as a perfect human), humanity could be restored to a right relationship with God (Romans 5).



Christ Jesus' Glory Was Veiled
The dual nature of Jesus, sometimes referred to as the hypostatic union, was revealed throughout his earthly ministry. As a human, he was born, grew, learned, hungered, and suffered. His self-emptying of divine attributes does not indicate he could not access or possess them. This is illustrated when he raised Lazarus from the dead, walked on water, and forgave sin—something only God can do (Mark 2:7).



Jesus, the god-man, was fully divine, veiled his glory to accomplish his mission—and prove humans could fulfill the Law of God with the help of the Holy Spirit and a commitment to faithfulness.



Jesus Did Not Use His Relative Attributes
As a human, Jesus chose not to draw on his divinity to accomplish the requirements of the Law. Though deity, he set aside his omniscient and omnipresent attributes to live a life marked by faithfulness and obedience to the Father.



Jesus Lived The Life Of A Servant
Though Jesus is the Creator and through him, all things are held together (phrases too wonderful to comprehend), he chose to set aside his divine attributes and live as a servant to model obedience, sacrifice, and surrender and to demonstrate the measure of his love (Romans 5:8).



Jesus Did Not Know Certain Things
In taking the form of a human, Jesus Christ set aside being the holder of all-knowing so he could empathize with our weaknesses (Heb. 4:15) and because holding the fullness of knowledge exceeds the capability of the human mind. As a human, Jesus did not know all things, but at times received, from the Father, spiritual insight that confirmed his deity.



Jesus Is Able To Understand Our Human Nature
Jesus experienced poverty, hunger, thirst, scorn, pain, suffering, and death. He chose to do this as a human, so we would see faithfulness, humility, and love on full display.



The ways of God are above the ways of man (Isaiah 55:9), and for reasons incomprehensible to humans, the Father ordained that a perfect blood sacrifice was required for the remission of sins and that only a perfect person could redeem humanity (Galatians 4:4-5). These statements may be mysteries, but they are realities. Only a man could redeem mankind—and only a perfect, sinless sacrifice is acceptable to God.



Paul noted that Jesus emptied himself of the fullness of the form of God and did what every human needs but no human could accomplish—he fulfilled the Law and made atonement for our sins. Christ exchanged his glory for our weakness—he became sin so we could become pure.



Modern thought concerning kenotic doctrine notes how the word translated emptied indicates that Jesus set aside his full form during his earthly ministry. Jesus released his power and glory, took human likeness, but did not forsake his true nature. His dual nature withstands the scrutiny of biblical criticism, and though, like the Trinity doctrine, it may be challenging to understand fully, the Kenotic doctrine has strong support in Scripture.



The humanity of Jesus emphasizes the love of God—it leaves human beings with a Savior a weak and weary world can relate to, love, and worship.In Christian theology, kenosis (Ancient Greek: κένωσις, romanized: kénōsis, lit. 'the act of emptying') is the "self-emptying" of Jesus. The word ἐκένωσεν (ekénōsen) is used in the Epistle to the Philippians: "[Jesus] made himself nothing" (NIV),[1] or "[he] emptied himself" (NRSV)[2] (Philippians 2:7), using the verb form κενόω (kenóō), meaning "to empty".

The exact meaning varies among theologians. The less controversial meaning is that Jesus emptied his own desires, becoming entirely receptive to God's divine will, obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross, and that it encourages Christians to be similarly willing to submit to divine will, even if it comes at great personal cost. The phrase is interpreted by some to explain the human side of Jesus: that Jesus, to truly live as a mortal, had to have voluntarily bound use of his divine powers in some way, emptying himself, and that it says that "though [Jesus] was in the form of God, [he] did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited," suggesting that Jesus was not "abusing" his divine status to avoid the implications of a mortal life. This interpretation is contested by others, who consider this to overly downplay the divine power of Jesus, for example.

Etymology and definition
The term kenosis comes from the Greek κενόω (kenóō), meaning "to empty out". The Liddell–Scott Greek–English Lexicon gives the following definition simplified for the noun:[3]

emptying, depletion, emptiness (of life) (Vettius Valens)
depletion, low diet, as opposed to plerosis, fullness (Hippocrates)
waning (of the moon) (Epicurus)
New Testament usage
The New Testament does not use the noun form kénōsis, but the verb form kenóō occurs five times (Romans 4:14; 1 Corinthians 1:17, 9:15; 2 Corinthians 9:3; Philippians 2:7) and the future form kenōsei once.[a] Of these five times, Philippians 2:7 is generally considered the most significant for the Christian idea of kenosis:

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself (ekenōsen heauton), taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name...

— Philippians 2:5-9 (NRSV)[5]
Christology
Part of a series on
Christology
Christ Pantocrator
Concepts
Doctrines
vte
Kenotic Christology
Philippians 2 is sometimes used to explain the human side of Jesus's existence. In early Christianity, some groups propounded beliefs of a fully human Jesus who was especially honored and raised up by God (adoptionism), while other groups argued for a fully divine Jesus that was more like a spiritual apparition (docetism). The Chalcedonian doctrine that prevailed was that Jesus had a dual nature, and was both fully human and fully God. Kenotic Christology essentially states that in order to truly live a human experience, Jesus, despite being a preexisting divine being, voluntarily humbled himself. He could still perform miracles, heal the sick, and dispense reliable moral doctrine, but was not using divine might to resolve all of his problems as a mortal, and struggled through all the usual human problems. Thus, Jesus needed to sleep and eat; was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness; could become frustrated at fig trees not being in season; stated that no one knows the day or hour of the end of the world;[6] and so on.[7]

Gottfried Thomasius is the first theologian to discuss and expound upon kenotic Christology by name. Other theologians associated with kenotic Christology include P. T. Forsyth, H. R. Mackintosh, Charles Gore, Fisher Humphreys, Donald G. Dawe, and Roger E. Olson.[7]

Eastern Orthodoxy
Orthodox theology emphasises following the example of Christ. Kenosis is only possible through humility and presupposes that one seeks union with God. The Poustinia tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church is one major expression of this search.

Kenosis is not only a Christological issue in Orthodox theology, but also relates to Pneumatology, matters of the Holy Spirit. Kenosis, relative to the human nature, denotes the continual epiklesis and self-denial of one's own human will and desire. With regard to Christ, there is a kenosis of the Son of God, a condescension and self-sacrifice for the redemption and salvation of all humanity. Humanity can also participate in God's saving work through theosis; becoming holy by grace.[8]

In Eastern Orthodoxy, kenosis does not concern becoming like God in essence or being, which is pantheism; instead, it concerns becoming united to God by grace, through his "Energies". Orthodox theology distinguishes between divine Essence and Energies. Kenosis therefore is a paradox and a mystery since "emptying oneself" in fact fills the person with divine grace and results in union with God. Kenosis in Orthodox theology is the transcending or detaching of oneself from the world or the passions, it is a component of dispassionation. Much of the earliest debates between the Arian and Orthodox Christians were over kenosis. The need for clarification about the human and divine nature of the Christ (see the hypostatic union) were fought over the meaning and example that Christ set, as an example of kenosis or ekkenosis.[9]

Catholicism
Pope Pius XII, in his 1951 Sempiternus Rex Christus, condemned a particular interpretation of Philippians in regards to the kenosis:

There is another enemy of the faith of Chalcedon, widely diffused outside the fold of the Catholic religion. This is an opinion for which a rashly and falsely understood sentence of St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians (ii, 7), supplies a basis and a shape. This is called the kenotic doctrine, and according to it, they imagine that the divinity was taken away from the Word in Christ. It is a wicked invention, equally to be condemned with the Docetism opposed to it. It reduces the whole mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption to empty the bloodless imaginations. 'With the entire and perfect nature of man'—thus grandly St. Leo the Great—'He Who was true God was born, complete in his own nature, complete in ours' (Ep. xxviii, 3. PL. Liv, 763. Cf. Serm. xxiii, 2. PL. lvi, 201).[10]

In John of the Cross's thinking, kenosis is the concept of the 'self-emptying' of one's own will and becoming entirely receptive to God and the divine will. It is used both as an explanation of the Incarnation, and an indication of the nature of God's activity and will. Mystical theologian John of the Cross' work "Dark Night of the Soul" is a particularly lucid explanation of God's process of transforming the believer into the icon or "likeness of Christ".[11][12]

Unitarianism
Since some forms of Unitarianism do not accept the personal pre-existence of Christ, their interpretations of Philippians 2:7, and the concept of kenosis—Christ "emptying" himself—take as a starting point that his "emptying" occurred in life, and not before birth. However, as Thomas Belsham put it, there are varying views on when in life this emptying occurred.[13] Belsham took this to be at the crucifixion, whereas Joseph Priestley[14] took this to be in the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ did not resist arrest. The Christadelphian Tom Barling considered that the "emptying" of Christ was a continual process which started in the earliest references to Christ's character, Luke 2:40,52, and continued through the temptations of Christ and his ministry.[15]

Gnosticism
The equivalent to kenosis in Gnostic literature is Christ's withdrawal of his own luminosity into himself, so as to cease dazzling his own disciples. In the Pistis Sophia, at the request of his disciples, "Jesus drew to himself the glory of his light".[16]

Kenotic ethic
The kenotic ethic is an interpretation of Philippians 2:7 that takes the passage, where Jesus is described as having "emptied himself", as not primarily as Paul putting forth a theory about God in this passage, but as using God's humility exhibited in the incarnation as a call for Christians to be similarly subservient to others.[17][18]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosis

www.theosu.ca/course/kenosis

The inside of a smoothie shaker after I had just finished consuming milk in it.

Ben Schumin is a professional photographer who captures the intricacies of daily life. This image is all rights reserved. Contact me directly for licensing information.

Young attractive waitress counting her tips

Young attractive waitress counting her tips

© 2024 Jeff Stewart. All rights reserved.

Project 365 = Day 165 = 13 Jun 2024

Day 895 (Since 1 Jan 2022)

© 2024 Jeff Stewart. All rights reserved.

Freightliner 70016 at Crewe P.A.D shunting away the HOBC (High Output Ballast Cleaner) after the spoil had been unloaded and the ballast reloaded in Basford Hall first thing Monday morning, the HOBC arrived the day before as 6X37 10:50 West Ruislip - Crewe P.A.D, but was pinned at Basford Hall due to the wagons needing to be emptied and reloaded.

I found this thing in the middle of a dirt road in the forest. I think it had been uprooted and placed there by someone. I couldn't find any other specimens next to the road or elsewhere in the forest during my walk. Could this be the empty fruit body of some kind of pear-shaped puffball mushroom?

© 2023 Jeff Stewart. All rights reserved.

Nikon F4
Nikkor 28-105mm f3.5-4.5D
Kodak ColorPlus 200
ECN-2

Sukothai Province Northern Thailand Southeast-Asia © Nord-Thailand Asien © All rights reserved. Image fully copyrighted. No free usage. All my images strictly only available with written royalty agreement. If interested, ask. © Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Keine Gratisverwendung. Alle meine Bilder immer nur mit schriftl. Honorarvereinbg. Ggf. fragen. ©

Sukothai Province Northern Thailand Southeast-Asia © Nord-Thailand Asien © All rights reserved. Image fully copyrighted. No free usage. All my images strictly only available with written royalty agreement. If interested, ask. © Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Keine Gratisverwendung. Alle meine Bilder immer nur mit schriftl. Honorarvereinbg. Ggf. fragen. ©

Boats of radicchio with tuna salad preparation step.
Mixing tuna salad ingredients in kitchen bowl. These are drained tuna, parsley, cayenne pepper, ketchup, mayonnaise and chopped hard-boiled egg. Radicchio boats (leaves). Amber light effect. Stone surface. High angle view.

Boats of radicchio with tuna salad preparation step.
Mixing tuna salad ingredients in kitchen bowl. These are drained tuna, parsley, cayenne pepper, ketchup, mayonnaise and chopped hard-boiled egg. Radicchio boats (leaves) filled with tuna salad. Spoon. Amber light effect. Stone surface. High angle view.

Boats of radicchio with tuna salad preparation.
Mixed tuna salad ingredients in kitchen bowl. Ingredients are drained tuna, parsley, cayenne pepper, ketchup, mayonnaise and chopped hard-boiled egg. Radicchio boats (leaves) filled with tuna salad. Spoon. Amber light effect. Stone surface. Selective focus.

Boats of radicchio with tuna salad preparation step.
Mixing tuna salad ingredients in kitchen bowl. These are drained tuna, parsley, cayenne pepper, ketchup, mayonnaise and chopped hard-boiled egg. Radicchio boats (leaves) filled with tuna salad. Spoon. Amber light effect. Stone surface. High angle view.