What Does It Mean That Jesus Emptied Himself?

By Al Felder

Few statements about Christ are as profound as Paul’s words in Philippians 2:7: “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” Many readers have paused over that language and wondered what it means. What does it mean that Jesus “emptied Himself”? Did He stop being God? Did He give up His divine nature? Did He somehow become less than He was before?

Scripture does not teach that Christ ceased to be divine. It teaches that the eternal Son humbled Himself. He did not empty Himself of deity. He emptied Himself by taking on the role of a servant and entering the human condition. He laid aside the visible glory and privileges of heavenly majesty, not the reality of who He was. The One who was with God and was God did not stop being what He had always been. He chose to come down, to serve, to suffer, and to obey.

This is one of the great wonders of the gospel. The One who had every right to be exalted chose the path of humility. The One who shared glory with the Father took the form of a servant. The One before whom angels worshiped came into a world of sorrow, rejection, and pain. To understand that self-emptying is to better understand both the heart of Christ and the nature of true humility.

Christ Did Not Stop Being God

Any understanding of Philippians 2 must begin here: Jesus did not cease to be God when He came into the world. He was divine before the incarnation, and He remained divine in the incarnation.

Paul begins by saying that Christ was “in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6). That means He possessed the true nature and status of deity. He was not merely godly. He was not simply a representative of God. He existed in the fullness of divine glory. Yet instead of grasping at the visible display of that glory, He chose the path of humiliation.

That is important because some people hear the phrase “emptied Himself” and imagine that Jesus gave up deity altogether. But if that were true, then He could no longer be the eternal Word, the exact revelation of the Father, or the sufficient Savior of the world. Scripture never teaches that. Instead, it teaches that He came in flesh while remaining who He truly was.

The wonder of the incarnation is not that God stopped being God. The wonder is that God came near in true humanity.

He Emptied Himself by Taking, Not by Ceasing

Paul explains Christ’s emptying in the very next words: “taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7).

That is the key. Jesus emptied Himself not by subtracting deity, but by adding humanity. He did not cease to be what He was. He became what He had not been before. The eternal Son took on flesh. He entered the life of man. He accepted the conditions of human existence. He embraced the path of lowliness and obedience.

This means His self-emptying was not the loss of divine identity, but the assumption of a servant’s role. He came not to be served, but to serve. He came not to demand earthly honor, but to obey the Father’s will. He came not to display Himself in worldly splendor, but to walk the road that led to the cross.

That is why Philippians 2 should fill us with awe. The One who was exalted above all chose to descend below all. He took the place of humility, service, and suffering for our sake.

He Laid Aside Heavenly Glory, Not Divine Nature

Jesus spoke in John 17:5 of the glory He had with the Father before the world was. That helps us understand the nature of His humiliation. In coming to earth, He did not lose His divine nature, but He did veil His heavenly glory.

During His earthly ministry, Christ lived under the ordinary conditions of human life. He grew tired. He grew hungry. He knew grief. He knew rejection. He knew suffering. He lived among sinners in a fallen world, though He Himself remained sinless.

At times, His glory shone through, as on the Mount of Transfiguration. But ordinarily, He was not seen in the outward majesty that was rightfully His. Men looked at Him and saw one who had no earthly form or beauty that would cause them to admire Him according to the flesh. He lived in humility.

This helps explain what His emptying looked like in practice. He did not come clothed in the visible splendor that belonged to Him in heaven. He came as a servant. He came in weakness. He came in lowliness. He came in a form the world would despise.

He Entered Real Human Weakness

When Christ came in the likeness of men, that was no illusion. He truly entered the human condition. He did not merely appear human from a distance. He became flesh.

He knew hunger in the wilderness. He sat weary by a well. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He felt the agony of Gethsemane. He suffered the shame of mockery, scourging, and crucifixion. He experienced the burdens of life in a fallen world.

Yet there is something vital to remember: His humanity was real, but His holiness remained perfect. He was tempted, but never sinned. He suffered, but never yielded. He came near enough to fully know the experience of human sorrow without ever sharing in human guilt.

That is why He is such a perfect Savior. He knows what it is to live in the flesh. He knows what it is to suffer. He knows what it is to be weary, grieved, opposed, and afflicted. And yet He remained spotless. He can sympathize with His people without ever needing redemption Himself.

His emptying means that the Lord of glory willingly entered the kind of life we know, except without sin.

The Emptying of Christ Reveals the Mind of Heaven

Philippians 2 is not merely teaching doctrine. It is calling believers to a way of thinking. Paul says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

That means Christ’s self-emptying is not only something to admire. It is something to imitate.

The world teaches men to exalt themselves, protect their rights, seek recognition, and climb above others. Christ shows a completely different spirit. Though He had every right to glory, He chose humility. Though He deserved service, He served. Though He possessed all authority, He obeyed the Father perfectly.

This reveals the true character of greatness in the kingdom of God. Greatness is not self-promotion. It is not pride dressed in religious language. It is not a constant demand to be seen, heard, and honored. Greatness in the sight of God is humble obedience.

If the eternal Son did not cling to visible glory, then His followers cannot justify lives driven by ego and self-importance. If Christ emptied Himself, then His people must learn to deny themselves.

His Emptying Was the Path to the Cross

The self-emptying of Christ did not stop at Bethlehem. It moved steadily toward Calvary. Paul says that He “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

This shows the full depth of His humiliation. He did not merely become a man. He became the obedient servant. He submitted Himself to the will of the Father in every step of His earthly mission. That obedience led Him all the way to the cross.

The cross was not an interruption of His mission. It was the goal toward which His humiliation moved. He came to bear the burden of sin’s penalty. He came to offer Himself as the sacrifice for sinners. He came to suffer the shame of death so that grace might be extended to the guilty.

So when we ask what it means that Jesus emptied Himself, part of the answer is this: He chose the road that led downward in the eyes of men so that sinners could be lifted up by the mercy of God.

His Humility Was Not Weakness

The world often treats humility as weakness, but the humility of Christ was one of the greatest displays of strength the world has ever seen.

It takes no grace to demand honor. It takes no holiness to insist on being first. It takes no deep power to retaliate, boast, and protect oneself at all costs. But to possess glory and lay it aside, to possess power and restrain it, to possess rights and surrender them in loving obedience to the Father—that is strength of the highest kind.

Christ’s humility was not weakness. It was a willing submission to God's will. It was power under control. It was majesty clothed in meekness. It was authority expressed through obedience.

When He stood silent before His accusers, He was not helpless. When He went to the cross, He was not defeated. When He bore injustice without sinning, He was not weak. He was showing the moral beauty of perfect obedience.

This is why the emptying of Christ should not make us think less of Him, but more. His humility reveals the beauty of His heart.

God Exalted the One Who Humbled Himself

Philippians 2 does not end with humiliation. It ends with exaltation. Because Christ humbled Himself in perfect obedience, “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9).

That does not mean Christ became greater than He was in essence. It means that the path of humiliation led to public vindication and glory. The One who came in lowliness is now openly declared as Lord. The One who took the servant’s path now reigns in exalted honor.

This reminds us that humility in the will of God is never wasted. The world may despise it. Men may overlook it. Pride may appear stronger for a time. But God honors the humble. Christ is the pattern. The way up in the kingdom of God is the way down. The road to glory runs through obedience.

That does not mean every earthly servant will be exalted in the same way Christ was. But it does mean that God’s order has not changed. He still resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

What Christ’s Emptying Means for Us

The self-emptying of Jesus should change the way we think about discipleship.

It means we cannot follow Christ while clinging to self-exaltation. It means we cannot honor a humble Savior with a proud spirit. It means obedience matters more than appearance, and service matters more than status.

His example speaks into the home, the church, and daily life. It teaches us to put the will of God above personal recognition. It teaches us to serve without demanding applause. It teaches us to suffer faithfully when obedience is costly. It teaches us that true greatness is found in surrender to the Father.

Christ’s emptying also gives comfort. Our Savior is not distant from human weakness. He entered it. He knows the sorrow of living in a broken world. He knows suffering from the inside. That means that when believers struggle, they are not praying to One untouched by the human condition. They are praying to the One who humbled Himself and walked among us.

Conclusion

What does it mean that Jesus emptied Himself?

It means He did not cease to be God, but willingly took the form of a servant. It means He laid aside the visible glory of heaven and entered true humanity. It means He embraced humility, weakness, suffering, and obedience. It means He chose the path that led to the cross.

The self-emptying of Christ is one of the clearest revelations of the heart of God. It shows us that the Lord of glory is not proud, distant, or cold. He is holy, compassionate, obedient, and willing to stoop in order to save.

And it shows us what following Him requires. The mind that was in Christ must be formed in His people. If the eternal Son humbled Himself, then none of us has any ground for pride. If He took the servant’s path, then that is the path His disciples must learn to walk.

Reflection Questions

1. Why is it important to understand that Jesus did not empty Himself of deity?

2. How does Philippians 2 show that Christ emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant?

3. In what ways did Jesus truly enter human weakness while remaining sinless?

4. Why is Christ’s humility a display of strength rather than weakness?

5. What would it look like for the mind of Christ to shape your daily life?