Jesus In The Form Of God

Philippians 2:6, "Who being in the form of God"

The words "form of God" refers to God's divine nature. The divine nature cannot be seperated from the person of Christ because His nature and essence are Deity. Follow me now, what this means is that Jesus Christ possesses and expresses ALL of GOD'S ATTRIBUTES because He is God. While Jesus was in the form of God, He was FULLY GOD, and HE WAS FULLY MAN.


Paul continues in verse 8 with one of the most important passage on Christology-the kenosis, or "Christ self-empting." Scripture shows that Christ Jesus laid aside the independent use of His divine attributes for a time. "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" Phil.2:8. Christ Jesus divested Himself of His Deity, but withheld His pre-incarnate glory, and voluntarily restricted His use of certain attributes(omnipresence and omniscience).


It's imperative to note that when we look at the word "form," our minds immediately consider shape, because to us, a form is something of structure, which has definite boundaries and borders. Actually, it speaks of the shape or external appearance of a body without the essential qualities. It is the outside appearance and not what is on the inside. It may even "have the shape and form of godliness, but denying it's power" 2 Tim.3:5. But God is an omnipresent Spirit, and a spirit has no shape.


So my brother's and sister's Paul is not talking about the physical shape of Christ, but His divine essence. He is talking about a philosophical expression "form," which is an outward expression of an inward essence or character. When he said, "Jesus was in the form of God," the word "form" is an expression of being, which carries in itself the distinctive nature and characteristic of Christ as the expression of God. JESUS IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD- NOT ANOTHER GOD, OR A PART OF GOD. Jesus Christ is the God of the old testament robed in flesh. The bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word was with God in the beginning and actually was God Himself.


It must be made crystal clear-Christ Jesus was trully one with the Father, in glory equal, majesty co-eternal. Yet He made Himself of no repuation. Jesus, in a pristine state with angels flying around Him at all levels, did something remarkable. He changed that outward expression and took on the "form of a servant." he emptied Himself of Himself- of that divine fullness and He willingly relinqushed the glory He had with the Ftaher before the world began. Then Jesus took out the godliness, and put on the form of a servant. We must also clearly understand that Deity was always a part of Jesus Christ, and the use of the word "form" refers to a preexisting state. It did not change when he took on the form of man.


Even though Jesus was in the form of God, expressing God, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, because He was God. To rob something is to take somethong by force. Because Jesus Christ has the form of God, He didn't walk into Heaven to take the form of God from God. We therfore conclude that He has to be God because again you cant rob God. So to be equal with God in this expression is to possess God. Jesus is the expression and nature of God.

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Terrance Williams