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The practice of religion does not require dependence on God. It doesn’t even require His presence.
Performed independently from God, religious activity is incapable of contributing to the eternal purpose of the New Testament church. Consequently, the religious are generally without purpose. As a result, the eternal mission of the church remains a mystery. The purpose of the New Testament church is to practice intimate, shared life fellowship with God. The corresponding mission of the New Testament church is to value, cultivate and protect its practice of fellowship with God above all else. By eternal design, God assembled the New Testament church to cooperate with Him in the fulfillment of its purpose and mission. Relative to Scriptural standard, it requires both the living (zoe) presence of God and faith that He will satisfy His stated purpose and mission. Therefore, the New Testament church must embrace a lifestyle of dependence. The incarnate Christ provided a perfect example of dependence for His future body, the New Testament church. By the Spirit, He faithfully emptied Himself of His divine authority and practiced unwavering dependence on His indwelling Father. Divine Authority There are two types of divine authority manifested on earth. “The two basic forms of authority are intrinsic authority (belonging to one's essential nature) and derived authority (given to one from another source). Since ‘there is no authority except from God’ (Romans 13:1), every kind of authority other than that of God Himself is derived and, therefore, secondary to God’s power (John 19:11). God's authority is absolute and unconditional (Psalm 29:10; Isa 40:1). He has authority over nature (Job 38), governments (Daniel 4:17, 34-35), and history (Acts 1:7; 17:24-31); and He has the power to send people to hell (Luke 12:5). Jesus Christ has the same intrinsic authority as the Father … (John 10:25-30).” [1] |
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Messianic Authority
The incarnate Christ did not live and serve on earth in accord with His own intrinsic authority. Instead, Jesus faithfully emptied Himself of His intrinsic authority and chose to depend on authority derived from His indwelling Father: |
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In order to live on earth in submission to derived authority, Jesus walked by dependence on the indwelling Spirit of God:
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The incarnate Christ did not live in accordance with the will of the heavenly Father by effort of human flesh. Instead, He consistently yielded to the authority of His indwelling Father by the Spirit through means of dependent faith. Therefore, His words and deeds always honored and pointed to His heavenly Father. It provided a perfect example for the future church.
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Derived Authority
By the Spirit, the incarnate Christ emptied Himself of His own initiative and authority. The Apostle Paul clarified to the ecclesia in ancient Philippi, “…although He existed in the form of God, [Christ Jesus] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) According to the Apostle Paul, the incarnate Christ “existed in the form of God.” (Philippians 2:6) The Greek word translated “form” is morphe. Stressing “the inner essence or reality of that with which it is associated,” it means that Jesus possessed the very nature of God. (cf. Mark 16:12) Thus, Paul plainly communicated that Jesus was God in human flesh. Nevertheless, Paul revealed that the incarnate Christ did not regard “equality with God a thing to be grasped.” (2:6) The Greek word translated “grasped” is harpagmos (har-pag-mos'). It generally means “held on to forcibly.” Thus, Jesus chose not to hold on to His “equality with God.” (2:6) Instead, the incarnate Christ “emptied Himself” of His equality with God. (2:7) The Greek word translated into English as “emptied” is kenosis. Consistent with the concept of servanthood, it means “to make empty” or “to make of no reputation.” The writings of both the Apostle Paul and the New Testament in general clarify that the incarnate Christ “emptied Himself” of His divine authority and took the “form of a bond servant.” (vs. 7) Although His servanthood was by personal choice, Jesus Christ was nonetheless a servant. Generally, servanthood is characterized by a complete lack of personal reputation, position, or authority. Recognized predominantly by the reputation, position, and authority of his master, a good servant is known for submission to his master. Though within His right and ability, Jesus did not embrace His divine authority. He chose to live on earth as a servant in perfect submission to authority derived from His heavenly Father. Paul further indicated that Jesus was “made in the likeness of men.” (vs. 7) The Greek word translated “likeness” is homoioma (hom-oy'-o-mah). It is indicative of the fullness of human nature. However, Paul's specific usage of homoima clarifies that He was not exactly like every other human being. Christ differed by His constant obedience to the Father. (cf. vs. 8) The incarnate Christ not only possessed the fullness of human nature but was fully human in appearance. The Apostle states that Jesus was “found in the appearance of a man.” (vs. 8) The Greek word translated “appearance” is schema. As quoted in Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Meyer says the use of schema indicated that "men saw in Christ a human form, bearing, language, action, mode of life... in general the state and relations of a human being, so that in the entire mode of His appearance He made Himself known and was recognized as a man". Thus, Jesus Christ was fully human in both nature and appearance. The Apostle Paul reveals that the incarnate Christ, fully human in both nature and appearance, performed the ultimate act of servanthood. He “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death.” (vs. 8) Although existing in the form of God, the incarnate Christ: |
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While on earth, the incarnate Christ emptied Himself of intrinsic authority and lived by the Spirit in faithful submission to authority derived from the heavenly Father. “… Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God (possessing intrinsic authority), did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself (of His intrinsic authority), taking the form of a bond servant (one without authority), and being made in the likeness of men (without intrinsic authority). Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself (taking a position devoid of authority) by becoming obedient to the point of death (the ultimate emptying of oneself) …” (Philippians 2:5-8)
Beyond Philippians Beyond the kenosis passage from Philippians, the entire context of the New Testament also indicates that the incarnate Christ did not choose to live according to His own authority. The Gospels reveal that when He healed the sick; cast out demons, performed miracles, and suffered death by crucifixion, He did so as a “man under authority”: |
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cf. Matthew 7:29; 8:9; Mark 1:22; 1:27; 2:9-11; Luke 4:32; 4:36; 5:24; 7:8; John 10:16-18
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Restored Authority
The post-resurrection authority of Jesus Christ was very different from the derived authority He exercised while on earth. He again exercised the intrinsic authority He possessed before His incarnation: |
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© 2023 James Hiatt
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