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The original language the Bible was written in is Greek. Notice
that Jesus existed in the form of God before He became a man.
The Greek word for "form" is MORPHE. It means "to have the very
nature" and it occurs two times in this passage to show us that
Jesus had the very nature or essence of God and man. The word,
"emptied," highlighted in red, is our key word. This Greek word,
KENOO, means "to deprive" or "to empty" for example. It means
that Jesus deprived Himself of something when He became a human.
The term "Kenosis" comes from this Greek word.
Limited His Glory. Of what was Jesus emptied? We know that God's glory (Ex. 33:21-23)
shows like light (1 John 1:5). Jesus did not glow when He was
here on the earth. He looked like an ordinary man. This tells
us that Jesus deprived Himself of His glory when He became a man,
except for one brief moment on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark
9:2-3) when He glistened as the sun.
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And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and *brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. (NASB) Mark 9:2-3 |
Limited His Knowledge. Jesus emptied Himself of something else too. These next two passages
reveal something else of which He deprived Himself,
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And the child continued to grow, and to become strong in spirit,
and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance
to Israel. (NASB) Luke 1:80
And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor
with God and men. (NASB) Luke 2:52 |
He limited His knowledge when He came to earth. As time went by,
He learned. At the age of twelve, He was teaching the religious
authorities,
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And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His
answers. (NASB) Luke 2:47 |
Later in His ministry the Bible has these things to say about
Him,
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Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael *said to Him, "How do You know me?" (NASB) John 1:47
But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with
the withered hand, "Rise and come forward!" And he rose and came
forward. (NASB) Luke 6:8
. . . and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning
man for He Himself knew what was in man. (NASB) John 2:25
Jesus therefore said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you
will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative,
but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. (NASB) John
8:28 |
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