John Calvin Commentary Philippians 2:7

"but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;" — Philippians 2:7 (ASV)

Emptied himself. This emptying is the same as the abasement, which we will discuss later. The expression, however, is used ευμφατικωτέρως (more emphatically) to mean being brought to nothing. Christ, indeed, could not divest himself of Godhead; but he kept it concealed for a time, so that it might not be seen under the weakness of the flesh. Therefore, he laid aside his glory in the view of men, not by lessening it, but by concealing it.

It is asked whether he did this as man. Erasmus answers in the affirmative. But where was the form of God before he became man?

Therefore, we must reply that Paul speaks of Christ as a whole, as he was God manifested in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Nevertheless, this emptying is applicable exclusively to his humanity. It is as if I were to say of man, “Man, being mortal, is very foolish if he thinks of nothing but the world.” In this case, I refer indeed to man as a whole, yet I ascribe mortality only to a part of him, namely, to the body.

Since, then, Christ has one person, consisting of two natures, Paul rightly says that he who was the Son of God—in reality equal to God—nevertheless laid aside his glory when he, in the flesh, manifested himself in the appearance of a servant.

It is also asked, secondly, how he can be said to be emptied, while he, nevertheless, invariably proved himself by miracles and excellences to be the Son of God, and in whom, as John testifies, there was always to be seen a glory worthy of the Son of God (John 1:14)? I answer that the abasement of the flesh was, nevertheless, like a veil by which his divine majesty was concealed.

On this account, he did not wish that his transfiguration should be made public until after his resurrection. And when he perceived that the hour of his death was approaching, he then said, Father, glorify your Son (John 17:1).

So too, Paul teaches elsewhere that he was declared to be the Son of God by means of his resurrection (Romans 1:4). He also declares in another place that he suffered through the weakness of the flesh (2 Corinthians 13:4).

In short, the image of God shone forth in Christ in such a manner that he was, at the same time, abased in his outward appearance and brought down to nothing in the estimation of men. For he carried about with him the form of a servant and had assumed our nature expressly for the purpose of being a servant of the Father, and indeed, even of men.

Paul, too, calls him the Minister of the Circumcision (Romans 15:8), and Christ himself testifies of himself that he came to minister (Matthew 20:28). That same thing had long before been foretold by Isaiah: Behold my servant, etc.

In the likeness of men. Γενόμενος is equivalent here to constitutus (having been appointed). For Paul means that he had been brought down to the level of mankind, so that in appearance there was nothing that differed from the common condition of mankind. The Marcionites perverted this declaration for the purpose of establishing the phantasm of which they dreamed.

They can, however, be refuted without great difficulty, since Paul is simply discussing here the manner in which Christ manifested himself and the condition in which he lived when in the world.

Suppose a man is truly man; he will nevertheless be considered unlike others if he conducts himself as if exempt from the condition of others. Paul declares that this was not the case with Christ. Instead, Christ lived in such a manner that he seemed to be on a level with mankind, and yet he was very different from a mere man, although he was truly man. The Marcionites therefore showed excessive childishness in drawing an argument from similarity of condition to deny the reality of his nature.

Found here means known or seen. For he is discussing, as has been observed, estimation. In other words, just as he had affirmed previously that Christ was truly God, the equal of the Father, so he here states that Christ was considered, as it were, abject and in the common condition of mankind. We must always keep in mind what I mentioned earlier: that such abasement was voluntary.