What is key about verses 6-8?
It proves the deity of Jesus by reiterating what John states in John 1:1, 14.
I begin with verse 5 which is also key.
Philippians 2
5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:
The entire meaning of this passage changes when verse 5 is taken into the context.
It doesn’t change any meaning; it is a part of the meaning.
What Paul said after that was prescribed to the Philippians on what they can do to be like Jesus.
In part, by way of example, but clearly these are things that no mere human can do:
Php 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Php 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Php 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Php 2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Php 2:7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (ESV)
Note what Paul has done here.
First, Paul tells his readers to "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves," and "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Then, he gives the supreme example, which is that of Christ, "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men," "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
In other words, Jesus did "nothing from selfish ambition or conceit" and looked "not only to his own interests." It would have been easy for him to use his equality with God to his own advantage, but that would have been selfish ambition and looking to his own interests. Instead, he empties "himself, by taking the form of a servant," and humbles "himself by becoming obedient to the point of death." In this way, he has "in humility count[ed] others more significant than [himself]," and looked "to the interests of others."
He humbled himself in his incarnate state, becoming dependent on and subject to the Father, for the purpose of the salvation of humans and redemption of creation.
Some important points to note about this passage:
1. Jesus was in "the form of God." This is supported by
John 1:1--"and the Word was God." The NIV has a clearer rendering of what is meant in verse 6: "being in very nature God."
The Expositor's Greek Testament and M. R. Vincent (
Word Studies in the New Testament) agree. That Paul is referring to the divinity of Christ is without question.
2. He "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped"; that is, being in the form of God, being equal with the Father, he did not consider that equality something to be "forcefully retained [or held onto]." The meaning is that anything to do with the appearance of his glory as God had to be let go of or veiled in order for the completion of his humiliation, which was necessary for man's salvation. Again, the NIV brings out the meaning a bit better: "did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage."
3.
He, being Jesus, emptied
himself. It was he who did the emptying. In other words, he had to already exist in order to be able to be “emptied,” and he had to be sufficiently powerful to do it himself. That is, in contrast with his “taking the form of a servant,” he was something else. He had to be something or someone that was capable of emptying himself.
4. In emptying himself, he took on the "form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men"--this is what
John 1:14 is speaking of. First, note that Paul is contrasting Jesus's "taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" with being in the "form of God." Second, the emptying of himself was accomplished
by taking on human form. It’s a paradoxical emptying by addition; a limiting or veiling of his glory and power by becoming human. Jesus willingly chose to take the form of a human for the salvation of mankind and, as God Incarnate, still maintained his full deity (since God can never cease to be God) in becoming truly and fully human.
5. Being found in "appearance as a man" (NIV)--as opposed to his having been in "the form of God"--he "
humbled himself by becoming obedient." We know that he was truly human, so why would Paul suddenly say that Jesus was "found in appearance as a man"? Would that not imply that he existed previously, supporting verse 6, and indicate he wasn't a man before?
The whole point of this passage is to show the humility of Christ, which we are to have (verses 1-5).
There is no greater example of humility that could be conceived than that of God (the Son) coming to earth and taking on the form of one of his creatures.
We shouldn't try to understand verse 6-8 as an indicator of Jesus' deity because it introduces the heresy that Christians can either be God or demi-god.
How,
exactly, does that introduce "the heresy that Christians can either be God or demi-god"? Maybe if you read the text according to your understanding, but not if one reads it in context.
Some cults have already adopted this. To prevent this, it's necessary to keep Jesus a man.
No, it isn’t. It’s necessary to teach correct doctrine, which means teaching that Jesus is both truly God and truly man. Besides, it's fallacious to argue that because some group misuses a verse or passage to argue that man can become a god, that one must therefore not teach the deity of Jesus. That is poor argument. The Bible states what it states and we must
never change the meaning of what was said or not teach the full counsel of Scripture simply because some misunderstand or twist what was said; that is entirely on them. We are already warned of such people:
2Pe 3:15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
2Pe 3:16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (ESV)
. I know one of the reasons Jesus has been given authority over ALL flesh is that he submitted his will totally unto the Father.