Philippians - Verse-by-Verse Biblical Exegesis

implying it, can be parted with or laid aside. Since Christ is one with God, and therefore pure being,
absolute existence, He can exist without the form. This form of God Christ laid aside in His
incarnation. The fact of His equality with God is stated as a background, in order to throw the
circumstances of His incarnation into stronger relief. Hence the peculiar form of Paul’s statement
that Christ’s great object was to identify Himself with humanity; not to appear to men as divine but
as human. Had he come into the world emphasizing His equality with God, the world would have
been amazed, but not saved. He did not grasp at this. Rather he counted humanity His prize, and so
laid aside the conditions of His preexistent state, and became man. (M. Vincent)
Equality with God here refers to our Lord’s co-participation with the other members of the Trinity in
the expression of the divine essence. This is a very important point, for when we come to consider
the fact that our Lord laid aside something, we will see that it was not the possession but the
expression of the divine essence … Morphe is a Greek philosophical term referring to the outward
expression one gives of his inward nature. The words, “being in the form of God,” refers to our
Lord’s being in that state of being in which He gives outward expression of His inner essence of
Deity, that outward expression proceeding from and being truly representative of His inner intrinsic
essence. (K. Wuest) He could have grasped at equality with God by self-assertion, but declined to do
so and embraced rather the will of God in the circumstances of the incarnation and the cross. (R.P.
Martin) He always had deity, He didn't need to seize it. He wouldn't lose it if He left heaven to come
to earth. (R.B. Thieme, Jr.)
Our Lord the Creator submitted to the utter humility of becoming a creature, a man who was
ignored, rejected, misrepresented, ridiculed, and ultimately crucified. Despite abuse and injustice
from people and the ignominy of exposing Himself to presumptuous, arrogant attacks from Satan,
whom He had created, Christ never succumbed to approbation lust or inordinate ambition. He was
motivated by His personal love for God; genuine humility gave Jesus capacity to appreciate God’s
faithful support. Far from being discouraged or bitter, our Lord’s attitude was one of constant
thanksgiving, which is the essence of true worship. Yet without humility gratitude cannot exist.
(R.B. Thieme, Jr.) Possessed of the Divine Attributes, He did not treat His co-equality as a prize, to
be held only for Himself, but rather made it an occasion for an infinite act of self-sacrifice for others.
(H. Moule)
Philp. 2:6 Who (relative pronoun) although He pre-existed
(u`pa,rcw, PAPtc.NSM, Historical, Concessive; pre-incarnate
Christ) in the form (Loc. Sph.; divine essence, essential
attributes) of God (Descr. Gen.; Christ as eternal God), He
did not (neg. particle) consider (h`ge,omai, AMI3S, Culminative,
Deponent) equalities (Subj. Nom.; plural because of the
Trinity) with God (Instr. Assoc.) to be (eivmi, PAInf.,
Descriptive, Inf. As Dir. Obj. of Verb, Articular) a gain to
be seized and retained (Pred. Acc.; prize, treasure, booty,
robbery),
WHO Philippians 2:6 o]j evn morfh/| qeou/ u`pa,rcwn ouvc a`rpagmo.n h`gh,sato to. ei=nai i;sa qew/|