7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the

likeness of men:

Philippians 2:7 but emptied (3SAAI) Himself, taking (AAPMSN) the form of a bond-servant,

and being madein the likeness of men.
But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that
He became like men and was born a human being. .
But emptied Himself, having taken the outward expression of a bondslave, which expression came from and
was truly representative of His nature, entering into a new state of existence, that of mankind. (Eerdmans) 
But (alla) introduces a striking contrast. See importance of pausing to ponder this term of contrast.
BUT EMPTIED HIMSELF: alla heauton ekenosen (3SAAI) : 
But made Himself of no reputation." KJV
Himself is accusative in Greek.

The words “made himself of no reputation” are the translation of two Greek words which literally translated
mean, “emptied Himself.”

Made no reputation/Emptied (2758) (kenoo from kenos = empty) means to completely eliminate elements of

high status or rank by eliminating all privileges or prerogatives associated with such status or rank. Emptied
does not mean that Jesus gave up divine attributes.
(He is Holy, powerful, all his divine attributes are there. Made miracles)
In short, Jesus did not surrender His deity! But He did veil His glory.

He did not empty something from Himself, but He emptied Himself from something, i.e., the form of God.

The figure presented is similar to pouring water from a pitcher into a glass. The form is different, but the
substance remains the same. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8).

Christ emptied Himself of His divine glory (Jn 17:3), but not of His divine nature.
He emptied Himself of the self-manifestation of His divine essence.
“He was not unable to assert equality with God. He was able not to assert it”

2 manisfestation of Christ power

(1) Transfiguration
(2) Roman guards thrown away

He stripped Himself of His expression of deity, but not His possession of deity.
He restricted the outward manifestation of His deity. In His incarnation, He clothed Himself with humanity.
He was like a king temporarily clothing himself in the garb of a peasant while still remaining king, even though it
was not apparent.

When Christ became incarnate, He was one person with two natures, divine and human,

 The best and most accurate way to define the self-emptying of Jesus is that, in His incarnation, Christ
voluntarily surrendered the independent exercise of His divine attributes.
 He never ceased to possess them all, but He voluntarily put Himself under the authority of God the
Father and under the control of the Holy Spirit in their exercise.
  There is no record of Jesus having used these divine attributes in His first thirty years of human
existence, but when the Spirit came upon Him at His baptism, He began to demonstrate these powers.
 The word likeness suggests similarity but difference.
 Though His humanity was genuine, He was different from all other humans in that He was sinless.

Emptied does not mean that Jesus gave up divine attributes. In short, Jesus did not surrender His deity! But He
did veil His glory.

The use in Phil. 2:7 is of great theological importance. It refers to Jesus Christ as emptying Himself at the time
of His incarnation, denoting the beginning of His self-humiliation in verse eight. 
His preincarnate glory was veiled (John 17:5), except for the brief time on the Mount of Transfiguration, and
perhaps when the soldiers in the garden fell backwards after a flash of His glory (John 18:6).
Paul explains the main sense of how Christ emptied Himself in the rest of Phil 2:7 and in Phil 2:8: by taking the
form of a servant and being obedient to death on the cross
The incarnation did not change the person and attributes of Christ in His divine nature, but added to it a
complete human nature. To achieve the divine purpose of becoming the Savior, the divine glory needed to be
veiled. Christ voluntarily, moment by moment, submitted to human limitations apart from sin. The humiliation
was temporary. The incarnation was everlasting. 
Emptied Himself - here are 5 things to help you grasp this profound truth.
Remember He never ceased being fully God when He became fully Man.
(The list under "Jesus Incarnation" below is easier to understand and apply).

(1) His heavenly glory -veiling of His preincarnate glory (Jn 17:5) 

(2) His independent authority (Jn 5:19, 5:30, 8:28,) 
(3) The voluntary nonuse of some of His divine prerogatives (His divine attributes) during the time He was on
earth (Mt 24:36). 
(4) Eternal riches for while on earth Christ was poor and owned very little (cf. 2 Co 8:9); 
(5) A favorable relationship with God - He felt the Father's wrath for human sin while on the cross (cf.  Mt
27:46 MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”)  

Jesus Incarnation - How could we describe Jesus emptying Himself and what did it accomplish for us?

1. He descended that we might ascend (John 14:3)

2. He was born that we might be born again (John 3:3)
3. He became a servant that we might become sons (Galatians 4:6-7)
4. He was forsaken that we might not be forsaken (Matthew 28:20)
5. He died that we might live (John 5:24)
6. He came down that we might be caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

TAKING THE FORM OF A BONDSERVANT: morphe doulou labon (AAPMSN) :

The passage denotes the special or characteristic form or feature of a person or thing. Morphe is the essential
form which never alters; schema is the outward form which changes from time to time and from circumstance to
circumstance.
Taking (2983) (lambano) is an instrumental participle in the Greek, indicating the means by which the action in
the main verb is accomplished.
Our Lord set Himself aside by taking upon Himself the form of a servant.
Form (3444) (morphe) as discussed above (note) refers to the nature or character of something and
emphasizes both the internal and external form.
The word "form" (morphe) has the same content of meaning as the word "form" in Php2:6. “Taking” does not
imply an exchange but adding something and so Paul teaches that the Lord did not lay aside the form of God
and did not cease to be God, but He added the “form” of man.
In other words morphe refers to the outward display of the inner reality or the essential form of something
which never alters. Jesus, the same divine Person Who existed always in the form of God took on Himself the
form of a bondservant.
He Who was the Sovereign manifested Himself as a lowly bondservant. When Christ did this, His Person did
not change, only the mode (= way in which something occurs) of His expression. Paul clearly refutes any
assertion of liberalism that the Lord Jesus Christ emptied Himself of His deity!
In other words morphe refers to the outward display of the inner reality or the essential form of something
which never alters. Jesus, the same divine Person Who existed always in the form of God took on Himself the
form of a bondservant. He Who was the Sovereign manifested Himself as a lowly bondservant. When Christ did
this, His Person did not change, only the mode (= way in which something occurs) of His expression.
Bondservant (1401) (doulos [word study]) is one who has surrendered their rights to the will of another.
Jesus surrendered His rights to the will of His Father. He did this for you and for me beloved. Shall not the such
love constrain us out of love to live a life of surrender.
Christ Jesus changed His mode of expression from that of the glory of Deity to that of the humiliation of
a bondservant, and in doing that, He set His legitimate desire of being glorified aside, thus setting self aside to
express Himself as a bondservant, receiving instead of the worship of the angels, the curses and hatred of
mankind.
It was the Lord of Glory at the Passover feast (read John 13) who laid aside His outer garments to wrap a towel
about Himself and perform the duties of a slave.
That towel, symbol of His position as a bondservant, speaks of the humility with which He clothed Himself.
One had to be laid aside if the other was to be taken up. While He was kneeling on the floor washing the
disciples' feet, He was still the Lord of Glory although He looked like a bondservant.
The word “form” is from the same Greek word that we studied in verse six.
The word “servant” is the translation of the Greek word which Paul used in 1:1 to describe himself, a bondslave.
The word “and” is not in the Greek text, but was supplied by the translators.
The word “took/taking” is an aorist participle.
A rule of Greek grammar says that the action of an aorist participle precedes the action of the leading verb. The
leading verb here is “emptied.”
That means that the act of taking preceded the act of emptying. That in turn means that the act of taking upon
Himself the form of a servant preceded and was the cause of the emptying.
The translation so far could read, “emptied Himself, having taken the form of a bondslave.”
The word “form,” you remember, referred to the outward expression one gives of his inward being.
The words “form of a bondslave” therefore mean that our Lord gave outward expression to His inmost
nature, the outward expression being that of a bondslave.
The words “having taken” tell us that that expression was not true of Him before, although the desire to
serve others was part of His nature as Deity.
When expressing Himself as a bondslave come to serve, He necessarily exchanged one form of
expression for another.
In verse six He was in His pre-incarnate state expressing Himself as Deity. In verse seven He expresses
Himself in incarnation as a bondslave.
This is the direct opposite of what took place at the Transfiguration. There we have the same word “form” used,
but with a prefixed preposition signifying a change. We could translate “And the mode of His outward
expression was changed before them, and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the
light” (Matt. 17:2).
Our Lord’s usual mode of expression while on earth previous to His resurrection was that of a servant. He said,
“The son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt.
20:28).
But now, His outward expression as a servant ceased, and He gave outward expression of the glory of His
deity.
In our Philippian passage, the change of expression is reversed. Instead of giving outward expression of His
deity to the angels in His pre-incarnate glory, He gives outward expression of His humility in becoming the
servant of mankind.
The one expression was set aside so that the other could become a fact.
“This form, not being identical with the divine essence, but dependent upon it, and necessarily 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.”
Both expressions came from our Lord’s nature, His act of glorifying Himself and His act of humbling Himself.
Both are constituent elements of the essence possessed by the Triune God.
He did not empty Himself of His deity, since Paul says that the expression of His deity was a fact after His
incarnation, that expression implying the possession of the essence of Deity.
He set aside the outward expression of His deity (the glory that He has, the worship that He demanded) when
expressing Himself as a bondslave. It was the outward expression of the essence of His deity which our Lord
emptied Himself of during the time when He was giving outward expression of Himself as a bondslave.
When our Lord set aside the expression of Deity in order that He might express Himself as a bondslave, He
was setting aside His legitimate and natural desires and prerogatives as Deity.
The basic, natural desire and prerogative of Deity is that of being glorified. But when Deity sets these aside, it
sets its desires aside, and setting its desires aside, it sets Self aside.
The pronoun “Himself” is in the accusative case. The action of the verb terminates in the thing expressed by
that case. The act of emptying terminated in the self life of the Son of God. Our Lord emptied Himself of self.
This agrees perfectly with the context which is an example of humility and self-abnegation for the benefit of
others.
This setting aside of self by the Son of God was the example that Paul held before the saints at Philippi.
If each one would set self aside, then unity would prevail.
An illustration of this self-emptying of the Son of God is found in John 13:1–17. Our Lord seated at the table,
the Master and Lord of the disciples, is illustrative of Him in His preincarnate glory, giving outward expression of
the glory of His deity to the angels.
Our Lord, girded with a towel, and washing the feet of the disciples, is illustrative of His taking the outward
expression of a servant in His incarnation. His outer garments laid aside for the time being, point to His setting
aside the outward expression of His pre-incarnate glory while He expressed Himself as a bondslave.
The fact that He was still their Master and Lord while kneeling on the floor doing the work of an oriental slave,
speaks of the fact that our Lord’s assumption of humanity did not mean that He relinquished His deity. He was
just as much God while on earth in His humiliation, as He was before He came and as He is now. His act of
taking His outer garments again, tells of the resumption of the expression of His glory after the resurrection.
His humanity was only the necessary medium through which He would express Himself as a servant of
mankind.
The fact of His becoming man is expressed in the words, “and was made in the likeness of men.”
The words “was made” are the translation of a word meaning “to become.” The tense of this verb is ingressive
aorist, which signifies entrance into a new state. Our Lord entered into a new state of being when He became
Man.
But His becoming Man did not exclude His possession of Deity. He was and is today a Person with two
natures, that of absolute Deity and that of Humanity.
The text says, “He became in the likeness of men.” The word “likeness” in the Greek text refers to “that
which is made like something else.” Our Lord’s humanity was a real likeness, not a phantom, nor an incomplete
copy of humanity. But this likeness did not express the whole of Christ’s being. His mode of manifestation
resembled what men are. But His humanity was not all that there was of Him. He was also Deity, but the Son of
God manifest in the flesh and nature of man.

a "servant" is known chiefly by his obedience

"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one
whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to
righteousness?" (Romans 6:16).
Of Christ the Father declared, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my elect, in whom my soul delights" ( Isaiah
42:1). And why did the Father find such "delight" in Him? Because He loved righteousness, and hated
wickedness (Psalm 45:7), because He could say "I do always those things that please him" (John 8:29).

And it is only as the Christian conducts himself as an obedient "servant" that he has fellowship with Christ,
follows the example He has left him, and gives his Redeemer "delight." "For unto me the children of Israel are
servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God" ( Lev.
25:55).

Mark it well, my reader: it was not only Moses and Aaron, or even the priests and Levites who were His
"servants," but all the Israelites who had been redeemed from the house of bondage; and they were "servants"
because He was the Lord their God. "Lord" and "servant" are correlative terms, as are husband and wife,
parent and child.

This holds good in the New Testament era as truly and fully as it did in the Old: all who have been genuinely
converted and brought to receive Christ as their Lord—are His servants. This was foretold of old: "And
foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him"
(Isaiah 56:6).
"Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart"
(Ephesians 6:6). "You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1:9). "Live as
free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God" ( 1 Peter 2:16). Even in
Heaven, the saints shall still sustain this relationship and character: "His servants shall serve him" (Rev 22:3).
Philippians 2:7 but emptied (3SAAI) Himself, taking (AAPMSN) the form of a bond-servant,
and being madein the likeness of men.

and was made in the likeness of men:

After explaining that Christ always existed, Paul explains that He came into the world in the likeness of men,
meaning “as a real Man.” The humanity of the Lord is as real as His deity. He is true God and true Man which is
a mystery that no created mind can fully comprehend!
Was made/Being made (1096) (ginomai) means to cause to be ("gen"-erate) become. It describes Jesus
definite entrance in time into humanity. He "invaded" humanity
The verbs emptied, taking, was made/being made are all aorist tense.
(Aorist tense - that expresses action without indicating itscompletion or continuation.)

Specifically they are all what is known as punctiliar aorist, where punctiliar denotes action that occurs
instantaneously or at a point in time, as opposed to action that is progressive or ongoing.

He came into existence as a man, 

John writing that "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only
begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:14) (This is the great verse of the incarnation, when the
eternal Word took on human flesh. Since this verse and the following verses unequivocally refer to "Jesus
Christ" John 1:17, there is no legitimate escape from the great truth that Jesus was the great God and Creator,
as well as perfect Man and redeeming Savior.

Furthermore, He has assumed human flesh forever, while still remaining fully God. He is not part man and
part God, or sometimes man and sometimes God but is now and eternally the God-Man. He is always true God
and perfect Man--man as God created and intended man to be)

That means He looked like an ordinary man. He didn’t go around with a halo around His head, floating above
the ground. He looked like a servant, because that’s what He was.
Himself said He came not to be served—which was His right and prerogative as God—but to serve, which is
what a slave does (Mark 10:45).
A slave doesn’t have any rights. So when Jesus took on a human body, He also volunteered to accept the
limitations of being human (He hunger, He Thirst, He died, He wept). Jesus was still fully God while He was on
earth. We need to keep this fact before us. But He lived as a man without using His deity for His personal
comfort or benefit or to avoid having to face the hardships and temptations of normal everyday human life.
In other words, Jesus did not use His divine power to solve a problem for His humanity. One example of this is
in His temptation, when He was hungry and the devil tempted Him to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:3). But
the greatest example is in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus rebuked Peter for drawing his sword, telling
him that if He chose, He could call “more than twelve legions of angels” to deliver Him (Matthew 26:53).
Now don’t misunderstand. Jesus did use His divine power on a number of occasions. We call them miracles.
But they were always done for the benefit of the kingdom and the blessing of others, not to make Jesus’ life
easier. The reason is that Jesus had to experience every pain and temptation we face (Hebrews 4:15),
so He could reverse the first Adam’s failure and win the spiritual battle Adam lost for mankind in Eden. Jesus
lived out the will of God on earth, that He might be an acceptable substitute for man. 
Hebrews 10:5 really underscores the nature of Christ’s self-emptying.
Speaking of Christ, the author said, “When He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering Thou hast
not desired, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me.’ ” When Jesus Christ emptied Himself, what He did was
pour His deity into a container called a human body.
This is what we call the Incarnation, Jesus taking on human flesh. The second person of the Trinity was
encased in a body that God prepared for Him through the Virgin Birth, when the Holy Spirit conceived a baby in
Mary’s womb.
Notice again that Jesus did the emptying Himself. It was voluntary. He didn’t have to do it, but He did it to save
people like you and me, just because He loved us!
We need to meditate on that regularly, because it will give us an attitude of gratitude, love, and humility—the
attitude of Jesus!
How important is this doctrinal truth? John explains that…
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from
God; (1John 4:2)

In this passage, John is stating that the supreme test of the demonic spirits, and the false teachers they
influence is their teaching concerning the nature of Jesus Christ. If, in any way, they try to separate Jesus from
"the Christ," denying either the full deity or perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, they are not from God.
Some attempt to make Jesus a mere man upon whom "the Christ-spirit" came. Some argue that everyone can
be "a Christ" in the same sense Jesus was. Many deny His miraculous conception, bodily resurrection or both.
Unless Jesus Christ was perfect man, He could not die for our sins. Unless He was God, He could not defeat
death and thus could never save us. Any doctrine less than that of Jesus Christ as the God-Man, God and Man
perfectly, united in the hypostatic union, is deadly heresy.

Hebrews also emphasizes the truth of Jesus the God-Man, writing that…

Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through
death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil and might deliver those
who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (Heb 2:14,15)

Likeness (3667) (homoíoma from homoioo = to make like) refers to shape, similitude (= a visible likeness, a

thing or sometimes a person that is like or the counterpart of another) or a resemblance.
“Likeness” (homoioma) does not mean exactness (eikon - 5104).
Even though Jesus had a fully human nature, that nature was not sinful. Every other human being has
a sinful human nature. Moreover Jesus had a divine nature as well as a human nature." 

He was a man, possessing all the essential aspects of a human being, although unlike all others He was
sinless.
homoioma "refers to that which is made to be like something else, not just in appearance (cf. Php 2:7) but in
reality. Jesus was not a clone, a disguised alien, or merely some reasonable facsimile of a man. He became
exactly like all other human beings, having all the attributes of humanity, a genuine man among men.

It is important to realize that the resemblance signified by homoíoma in no way implies that one of the objects in
question has been derived from the other.

In the same way two men may resemble one another even though they are in no way related to one another.
This word is so important to the proper understanding of the incarnation of Christ that it is necessary to
consider the context of the more important passages where it occurs.

Being made (1096) (ginomai) means to cause to be ("gen"-erate) become. It describes Jesus definite
entrance in time into humanity. He "invaded" humanity
v.8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled (3SAAI) Himself by becoming (AMPMSN) obedient to the point of death, even death on
a cross. (NASB: Lockman)
And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His
obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
Nor was this all. Having thus appeared among men in the fashion of a man, he humbled himself yet more, and
carried out his obedience even to dying. Nor did he die by a common death: he was crucified, as the lowest
malefactor is crucified
AND BEING FOUND IN APPEARANCE AS A MAN: kai schemati heuretheis (AAPMSN) os anthropos: 

v.8 And being found in fashion as a man,

That simply means that even though Jesus was much more than just a man, those who saw Him would think
He was just a man. Jesus didn’t go around with a halo around His head. He looked like a man. 
Luke 2:52 says Jesus grew in the same ways as other people: physically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.
Isaiah said Jesus had “no stately form or majesty” in His human appearance that would make people stop and
look twice (Isaiah 53:2).
Being found (2147) (heurisko gives us English word eureka which is from the exclamation attributed to
Archimedes on discovering a method for determining the purity of gold)
means learn location of something, either by intentional searching or by unexpected discovery.
Fashion/Appearance (4976) (schema gives us English "scheme") refers purely outward and appeals to the
senses.
Schema "always refers to what may be known from without”
Schema in this verse signifies what Jesus was in the eyes of men. Schema describes the entire, outward,
perceptible mode and shape of Christ's existence as a man.

the habitus, as comprising everything in a person which strikes the senses, the figure, bearing, discourse,
actions, manner of life, etc.
explains that schema "is the third word Paul uses to show the Philippians that Jesus Christ who is fully God
from all eternity is also fully man. In the previous verses, Paul describes Jesus as possessing the nature of God
and taking on the nature (morphe) of a servant. Jesus came to the earth with the identity of a man (homoíoma
= likeness). Here the word appearance points to the external characteristics of Jesus: He had the bearing,
actions, and manners of a man.
has this note on the classic use of schema - (1) form, shape, figure; (2) appearance, as opposed to reality; (3)
bearing, air, mien; (4) fashion, manner; (5) character. Greek thought did not sharply distinguish between the
external and the internal. Schēma denotes the form that is seen
Fashion/Appearance in summary defines the outward mode and expression.
While on earth, Jesus did not give expression to the glory of His deity except on the Mount of Transfiguration.
He appeared as the Man Christ Jesus to the world around Him.
He was in His humiliation. And of course in contrast to the occasional nuance of schema meaning deception,
Jesus' schema never for an instance presented even a suggestion of deception.
He was fully Man, just as other men saw Him. Indeed John records Jesus' schema as interpreted by
Nathanael…
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no (not " me" but
"ouk" = absolute negation) guile (dolos)!" (Jn 1:47)

In Greek philosophy morphē meant “the inner form of something that truly reflected its inner essence,” while
“ schēma ” meant “the outer changing form of something that did not fully represent its inner essence”

Thus it is distinguished from schema = fashion, comprising that which appeals to the senses and which is
changeable. Morphe or form is identified with the essence of a person or thing

We read of ‘the form of God’ (Phil. 2:6),’ the likeness of men’ (Phil. 2:7), and’ in fashion as a man.’ Careful
investigation of these two words ‘form’ and’ fashion’ has established a broad distinction between them, the
former being more fixed, the latter referring to that which is accidental and outward, which may be fleeting and
unsubstantial.
The possession of the form involves participation in the essence also. Here it implies no corporeal idea as if
God had a material form, but it implies also much more than a mere apparent resemblance. He who is in the
form of God possesses the essential divine attributes. Only God can be ‘in the form of God’: man is made in the
likeness of God, but man is not ‘in the form of God.’

V7b. he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross.

HE HUMBLED HIMSELF: etapeinosen (3SAAI) heauton:

Humbled (5013) (tapeinoo [word study]) from tapeinos = low, not high, figuratively of one's attitude/social
position) literally means to level, to cause something to be lower or to make low (eg, to level off a mountain
in Lk 3:5 from the Septuagint (Lxx) of Isa 40:4). 
Tapeinoo means to bow down, to make low, to humble. Most NT uses of tapeinoo are figurative and
include the following meanings: To cause someone to lose prestige, to reduce to a meaner condition or
lower rank, to abase. To be ranked below others.
He humbled Himself - We read later that God exalted Him but here it is clear that this was Jesus' voluntary
choice. He willingly and graciously did this Himself. He was not forced. He offered Himself to death!
While believers cannot humble themselves in the same way, they can humble themselves by dying to self. (Mk
8:34-35)
Jesus put aside all personal rights and interests in order to insure the welfare of others. In so doing He gave us
His perfect example to follow in His steps (1Pe 2:21-note, 1Jn 2:6).

Humble in English is derived from Latin "humilis" meaning low and this word is in turn from "humus" meaning
earth!
Greeks saw humility as shameful but the NT sees humility as condition bringing man to right relation to God!
The fundamental difference between the Greek and the biblical use of these words is that in the Greek world,
with its anthropocentric view of man, lowliness is looked on as shameful, to be avoided and overcome by act
and thought. In the NT, with its theocentric view of man, the words are used to describe those events that bring
a man into a right relationship with God and his fellow-man.

This was a "voluntary humiliation on the part of Christ and for this reason Paul is pressing the example of
"Christ upon the Philippians, this supreme example of renunciation."

In this lowly estate He humbled Himself.

The Greek word translated "humbled" is used in an early document, of the Nile River at its low stage, in the
sentence, "It runs low," a good description of the humility of our Lord, who said of Himself, "I am meek and
lowly of heart." (Mt 11:28KJV) He became obedient, not to death, but obedient to the Father up to the point of
death, even the death of a cross.
In so doing our Lord gave us the perfect example of the self-emptied life, an example and challenge to all
those who would seek to follow in His steps (1Pe 2:21-note, 1Jn 2:6), seeking to be servants of the One Who
came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mk 10:45)

One of the finest things I ever heard about John Wesley was concerning an incident when he was about to
cross a brook over which was a very narrow bridge, just wide enough for one person. As he was starting over,
he met a liberal preacher of that day. This preacher swelled up and said, “I never give way to a fool.” John
Wesley looked at him for a moment, smiled, and
began to back off, saying, “I always do.” My
friend, it is difficult to take that humble place, but
it has made me think a great deal more of John
Wesley. We find it difficult to humble ourselves,
but our Lord humbled Himself.

BY BECOMING OBEDIENT: genomenos (AMPMSN) hupekoos:

V7b. he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross.
Becoming (1096) (ginomai) means to cause to be ("gen"-erate) and in this context means that it came to be
that Jesus experienced obedience to the will of His Father.
Obedient (5255) (hupekoos/hypekoos is from hupo = under, frequently meant not simply to be beneath but
to be totally under the power, authority, control of something or someone + akouo = hear and apprehend with
the mind, gives us our English word "acoustic") is an adjective which means giving ear to, hearkening,
attentively listening and thus describes one who is obedient.

Obedient describes a person who obeys based on the fact that they have paid attention to what was
commanded or instructed.

The idea of obedience which this vocabulary suggests is of a hearing that takes place under the authority or
influence of the speaker, and that leads into compliance with his requests.
For obedience to be due to a person, he must: (a) have a right to command, and (b) be able to make known his
requirements. Man’s duty to obey his Maker thus presupposes: (a) God’s Lordship, and (b) His revelation. 

Webster says "obedient" describes the attitude of being submissive to the restraint or command of authority;
i.e., willing to obey. The obedient individual is submissive to the will, guidance or control of another, implying
compliance with the commands or instructions of the one who is in authority, performing what is required, or
abstaining from what is forbidden. Words related to obedient = acquiescent, compliant, sheeplike, submissive,
yielding; duteous, dutiful, loyal; law-abiding; obeisant, subservient. Words contrasted with obedient =
insubordinate, rebellious; contrary, froward, perverse, wayward, willful; headstrong, intractable, recalcitrant,
refractory, uncontrollable, ungovernable, unruly.

The OT habitually describes obedience to God as obeying (hearing) either His voice(accentuating [b]) or
His commandments (assuming [b] and accentuating [a]). Disobedience it describes as not hearing God’s
voice when He speaks (Ps. 81:11; Je 7:24,25,26-27,28)....

The disobedience of Adam, the first representative man, and the perfect obedience of the second, Jesus
Christ, are decisive factors in the destiny of everyone. Adam’s lapse from obedience plunged mankind into
guilt, condemnation and death (Ro 5:19; 1Cor 15:22). Christ’s unfailing obedience ‘unto death’ (Phil. 2:8;
cf. Heb. 10:5-10) won righteousness (acceptance with God) and life (fellowship with God) for all who believe on
him (Ro 5:15-19).

Words related to obedient = acquiescent, compliant, sheeplike, submissive, yielding; duteous, dutiful, loyal;
law-abiding; obeisant, subservient. Words contrasted with obedient = insubordinate, rebellious; contrary,
froward, perverse, wayward, willful; headstrong, intractable, recalcitrant, refractory, uncontrollable,
ungovernable, unruly. 

This must have been what our Lord meant when He said, "I have given you an example—that you should do as
I have done to you." (John 13:15). And this is what Peter meant, when he wrote, "Leaving you an example, so
that you should follow in His steps." (1Peter 2:21). And this is what John meant when he said, "The one who
says he abides in Him, should walk just as He walked." (1John 2:6).

Our "look" to Jesus is very imperfect—if we do not look at His example, and strive to follow it. Let us cultivate
the daily habit of "looking to Christ as our pattern," as well as our salvation. We can never look too steadily at
Christ's death and intercession. But we may easily look too little at the blessed steps of His most holy life. Let
all men see that we love to follow Him whom we profess to love. "How would my Master have behaved in my
position?" should be our constant concern. 

We see His obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane as the sinless Son anticipated the cup of suffering in
which He took upon Himself all the sins of mankind including the humanly unfathomable mystery of His
temporary separation from His Father (Mt 27:45, 46). Jesus naturally shrank from this separation, but was
obedient and willingly submitted, Matthew recording...
My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt."... He went away again a
second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done." (Mt
26:39,42)
Paul is telling the Philippians that if they think they cannot humble themselves to the will of one another, they
need to ponder the obedience of the Lord of glory who was willing to give up His rights as their example of
perfect selflessness. This is the attitude the saints at Philippi were to manifest. It is the attitude every believer is
to manifest to assure unity in the body of Christ.
Obedience unto God and surrender and submission to the will of God was maintained by Him unto the end,
and the profoundest degree of humiliation was reached in that His death was not to be a natural or an
honourable one, but was the painful and accursed death of the cross (cf. Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13). 
TO THE POINT OF DEATH EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS: mechri thanatou thanatou de staurou:

V7b. he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross.
As we read these words, it is good for us to remember that Jesus was perfectly obedient to the point of death
in our place, as our substitute.
Spurgeon - Was He not on earth always stripping off first one robe of honor, and then another, till, naked, He
was fastened to the cross? And there did He not empty out His inmost self, pouring out His lifeblood, giving up
for all of us? How low was our dear Redeemer brought! Lower than the cross Christ could not go; His death
was one of such extreme ignominy that He could not have been more disgraced and degraded. Our Lord died
willingly. You and I, unless the Lord should come quickly, will die, whether we are willing or not: “It is destined
for people to die once” (Heb 9:27). He did not need to die, yet He was willing to surrender His life. He said, “I
have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take possession of it again. This commandment I received
from my Father” (John 10:18). He died willingly, but at the same time, He did not die by His own hand. He did
not take His own life as a suicide; He died obediently. He waited till His hour had come, when He was able to
say, “It is finished,” then He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost. He humbled Himself, so as willingly to die.
He proved the obedience of His death, also, by the meekness of it, as Isaiah said, “Like a sheep is dumb before
its shearers, so he did not open his mouth” (Isa 53:7). He never spoke a bitter word to priest or scribe, Jewish
governor or Roman soldier. When the women wept and bewailed, He said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem,
do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:28). He was all gentleness; He
had not a hard word even for His murderers. He gave Himself up to be the Sin-bearer, without murmuring at
His Father’s will, or at the cruelty of His adversaries. How patient He was! If He says, “I thirst,” it is not the
petulant cry of a sick man in his fever; there is a royal dignity about Christ’s utterance of the words. Even the
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,” with the unutterable gall and bitterness it contains, has not even a trace of
impatience mingled with it. Oh, what a death Christ’s was! He was obedient in it, obedient not only till He came
to die, but obedient in that last dread act. His obedient life embraced the hour of His departure.

The obedient death of Christ is the very apex of the righteousness of Christ. Let’s not miss the implications of
this. At the Cross, Jesus paid the penalty we should have paid, by enduring the wrath of God we should have
endured. And this required Him to do something unprecedented. It required Him to provide the ultimate level
of obedience—one that we’ll never be asked to emulate. It required Him to give up his relationship with the
Father so that we could have one instead. The very thought of being torn away from the Father caused Him to
sweat great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). And at the crescendo of His obedience, He screamed, “My God, My
God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34). The physical pain He endured was nothing compared to the
agony of being separated from the Father. In all of history, Jesus is the only Human Being Who was truly
righteous...Just as God charged our sin to Christ, so he credits the perfect obedience of Jesus to all who trust
in him. In what is often called the Great Exchange, God exchanges our sin for Christ’s righteousness. As a
result, all who have trusted in Christ as Savior stand before God not with a clean-but-empty ledger, but one
filled with the very righteousness of Christ! 
Death (2288) (thanatos from thnesko = to die) refers physically to the separation of soul from the body
(physical) death and was a legal technical term for capital punishment. In the NT thanatos is treated as a
destroying power related to sin and its consequences.

The act of voluntary humiliation did not stop with the Incarnation but continued to the ignominious depths of
death by crucifixion.

Robertson called the death of the cross “The bottom rung in the ladder from the Throne of God. Jesus came
all the way down to the most despised death of all, a condemned criminal on the accursed cross.”
Spurgeon - “The lower he stoops to save us, the higher we ought to lift him in our adoring reverence. 
That was the worst kind of death. It was a violent death. Jesus did not fall asleep gently, as good men often do,
whose end is peace. No, He died by murderous hands. Jews and Gentiles combined, and with cruel hands took
Him, and crucified and slew Him. It was, also, an extremely painful death of lingering agony. Those parts of the
body in which the nerves were most numerous were pierced with rough iron nails. The weight of the body was
made to hang upon the tenderest part of the frame. No doubt the nails tore their cruel way through His flesh
while He was hanging on the tree. A cut in the hand has often resulted in lockjaw and death; yet Christ’s hands
were nailed to the cross. He died in pain most exquisite of body and of soul. It was, also, a death most
shameful. Thieves were crucified with Him; His adversaries stood and mocked Him. The death of the cross was
one reserved for slaves and the basest of felons; no Roman citizen could be put to death in such a way as that,
hung up between earth and heaven, as if neither would have Him, rejected of men and despised of God. It was,
also, a penal death. He died, not like a hero in battle, nor as one who perishes while rescuing his fellow men
from fire or flood; He died as a criminal. Upon the cross of Calvary He was hung up. It was an accursed death,
too. God Himself had called it so: “Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree” (Deut 21:23). He was made a
curse for us. His death was penal in the highest sense. He “bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Pet 2:24).
Cross (4716) (stauros from histemi = to stand) was an an upright stake, especially a pointed one. Thayer
adds the stauros was a well-known instrument of most cruel and ignominious punishment, borrowed by the
Greeks and Romans from the Phoenicians; to it were affixed among the Romans, down to the time of
Constantine the Great, the guiltiest criminals, particularly the basest slaves, robbers, the authors and abetters
of insurrections, and occasionally in the provinces, at the arbitrary pleasure of the governors, upright and
peaceable men also, and even Roman citizens themselves.
(1) literally cross, an instrument of capital punishment, an upright pointed stake, often with a crossbeam
above it, or intersected by a crossbeam ( Mt 27.32); (2) by metonymy, as the means of atonement
punishment of the cross, crucifixion (Php 2.8); as a religious technical term representing the significance
of the atoning death of Jesus in the Christian religion cross ( 1Co 1.18); metaphorically, the dedication of
life and the self-denial that a believer must be prepared to take on himself in following Christ (Lk 14.27) 
Crucifixion was a horrible way to die. The weight of the victim’s body hanging from his wrists caused his joints
to dislocate as he tried to push up on his feet to breathe and keep from suffocating. Eventually, the victim was
no longer able to push himself up and finally suffocated. 
Crucifixion on a Cross was the most despised death of all and was reserved for condemned criminals. The
cross was an instrument of most dreadful and agonizing torture. This mode of punishment was known to the
Persians (Ezra 6:11; Esther 7:10); and the Carthaginians.
However, it was most common among the Romans for slaves and criminals, and was introduced among the
Jews by the Romans. It was not abolished until the time of Constantine who did so out of regard for Christianity.
Persons sentenced to be crucified were first scourged and then made to bear their own cross to the place of
execution. A label or title was usually placed on the chest of or over the criminal. Crucifixion was at once an
execution, a pillory, and an instrument of torture. When we read of the antagonism to the cross of Christ, we
must understand it as antagonism to a redemption which was accomplished by the deepest humiliation, not by
the display of power and glory
It was so unnatural a form of death that the Old Testament law forbade it and placed a curse on anyone who
should die by this means. It was such an unnatural and abhorrent death that the Romans outlawed it for all but
the grossest of criminals. This means of execution was forbidden any Roman citizen; it was reserved for those
the Romans called “barbarians,” that is, non-Romans. The singular thing is that because Paul was a Roman
citizen, he was protected from the kind of death that the Lord Jesus endured for sinners. But what Roman law
protected Paul from, the Lord Jesus Christ could not and did not escape. For He came as a creature subject to
the Creator. He came as a servant subject to a Master. He submitted Himself in obedience to the will of His
Master in death, a death by crucifixion, in order to provide salvation for sinful men. 

Application
If we are to have this attitude (Phil 2:5) what does it mean to us today?
We too must be willing (humility) to die to our old man's selfish interests.
Positionally this has occurred on the Cross, so that when He died, we died (Ro 6:3-note, Ro 6:4-note), but if we
are truly His disciples (Mk 8:34), He calls us to experience death to self daily as a "normal" part of our life ( Mk
8:34ff, 1Cor 15:31). How is this even possible? In Philippians 2:13 Paul explains that...
for it is God Who is at work (energeo in the present tense = continually) in you, both to will (present tense =
continually willing us) and to work (energeo in the present tense = continually) for His good pleasure.

Every Christ follower has the indwelling Spirit of Christ (Ro 8:9, 1Cor 3:16, 1Cor 6:19), and He is our sole
Source of inner motivation, continually giving us the "want to" so that we might even be willing to consider
dying daily to self. But notice not only does the Spirit give us the supernatural  desire but also the
supernatural power, for He continually is working in us, "energizing" us and doing so in a way that brings glory,
honor and pleasure to our Father Who art in heaven.

Interestingly, the primary thrust of this passage is not evangelistic. Instead, it is written with the express
purpose of motivating believers to be humble and unified. Today, do you need to die so that a relationship can
live? What does your wife want or need from you? What does your husband desire from you? What do your
children need from you? Leaders are not to abuse their power and position to further their own interests, but to
pursue the best interests of others.
34 Instead of grabbing for their “rights,” they begin to give to relationships. Instead of using others as means to
their own ends, they serve others as ends in themselves. In your work life, instead of striving for upward
mobility, why not pursue downward mobility?
35 Remember, the way up is down. After reflecting on Jesus’ downward mobility culminating with His death on
the cross, you may declare, “Lord, I would die for You or for someone I love.” As Fred Craddock has said, “To
give my life for Christ appears glorious. To pour myself out for others…to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom—
I’ll do it. I’m ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $1,000
bill and laying it on the table—here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all. But the reality for most of us is that He sends
us to the bank and has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50
cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid’s troubles instead of saying, ‘Get lost.’ Go to a committee meeting. Give
up a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn’t glorious. It’s done
in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it’s harder to live
the Christian life little by little over the long haul.”36Yet, there are no shortcuts in the Christian life. If you want
to follow the model of humility, you must take the high road, which requires getting low for others! It requires
continually serving regardless of personal cost. This is how you imitate the model of humility.  The way up is
down. 

ILLUSTRATION - The home of an English family was discovered on fire. They thought everybody was out but
the baby. The mother saved her. For years as the child grew up the mother went about the house with her
hands covered. The eldest of the servants had never seen her hands uncovered. But the daughter came into
her room one day unexpectedly, and the mother sat there with her hands uncovered. They were torn and
scarred and disfigured. Instantly the mother tried to cover them as the girl came forward, but she said, "I had
better tell you about it. It was when the fire was in the house and you were in your cradle. I fought my way
through the flames to get you. I wrapped you in a blanket and dropped you through the window, and somebody
caught you. I could not go down the stairway, so I climbed out of the window. My hands were burnt, and I
slipped and caught on the trellis work. When I fell, my hands were torn. The doctor did his best, but, my dear,
these hands were torn for you." And the girl, who had grown to womanhood, sprang toward her mother, took
one hand and then the other, and buried her face in those hands, as she kept saying, "They are beautiful
hands, beautiful hands." —J. Wilbur Chapman