ExposingThe
Trinity!
How Did Jesus Empty Himself?
Christians' wild imagination has led to confusion about the "Emptying" of Jesus!
Nab B,
October 2016
(updated Sep 17, 2025)
“Rightly Divide the Word”
(2 Timothy 2:15-18)
“Shun the Traditions of Men”
(Colossians 2:8)
A Different Approach!
I hope my unorthodox approach will show you how the Trinity doctrine is inadequate to fit what is revealed in the scriptures.
My interest, and hopefully yours, is to find what God is saying, not what a system of theology is saying! My notes endeavour to show how the scriptures, though profoundly deep, are equally clear and simple to understand if we allow His Spirit to guide us.
Whether you agree or not, let us "speak the truth in love". (Eph 4:15)
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Did you know that Adam and Eve (and a lot of other people) sought moral equality with God? They did so by deciding good and evil without God—essentially acting like gods!
"And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil." (Gen 3:22)
Jesus Christ was the complete opposite! He would not, for a moment, entertain such a thought! This was the whole point of Philippians 2:6-8. It is a passage often abused and misused to prove the Trinity. Read it carefully and in context!
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"Who, being in the form [nature, form] of God [his origin is God],
Thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation [empty or be nothing],
And took upon him the form of a servant [lowly human],
And was made in the likeness of men...He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
Let's be clear on one thing: "No One" (in their right mind) can be equal to God in any literal sense; neither human, nor angel, nor Jesus himself! There's only one eternal Father, of whom are all things, and we in him." (1 Cor 8:6, Eph 4:6)
So then, the kind of equality in Philippians 2:6 is "moral equality!" It is the seizing hold of or the usurping of what is not ours and acting apart from God! That's what Adam and Eve had done. Jesus, on the other hand, surrendered himself completely to do his Father's will "Obedient unto death." (Phil 2:8)
Please note that the context of Philippians 2:6-8 begins in verse one. There, Paul was simply encouraging the Philippians "To have the mind of Christ," to be "self-sacrificing," to "show humility," to "obey God," and to "serve others."
Now, if Jesus Christ was simply God who "emptied" himself to be in the form of man, I beg you to tell me, how could this be an example to feeble humans (for the Philippians and for us) who could never relate to such heavenly metamorphosing?
The fact is this: Paul, in this passage, was saying that Jesus, the glorious human Son of God, surrendered all His rights (for us) to live a lowly and humble human life, denying Himself a home, a wife, children, wealth, work, position, and status. Now, will you not readily agree that this human Jesus is someone we all can relate to, emulate, understand, love, follow, and die for? It's for a reason, Jesus calls us "brethren!" (Heb 2:11)
This is How Jesus "Emptied" Himself!
The passage in Philippians chapter 2 is not about Christ's taking on a new nature to appear as a man! Rather, it's about his absolute willingness to humble Himself, to be "nothing", and "of no reputation" to save us all.
"How far," you'd say, "did Jesus go to empty himself?" Well, there are no better words than what God said concerning His Son through Isaiah the prophet:
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief: He was despised, and we esteemed him not."
"He hath borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, smitten of God and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions, the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
"He was oppressed, afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and he openeth not his mouth. He bare the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors."
( Isaiah 53:3-12 )
Jesus Christ, who came from "the Father of all," could have been crowned in the most pompous earthly royal glory and power, but instead, He chose to be a lowly servant, a "sin offering" to fulfill His Father's will and to save you and me. That is truly emptying!