Philippians 2:6-7

The context

Philippians 2 opens with an appeal to concord and humility, grounded in the example of Christ. The passage that follows is widely treated as a hymn, whether quoted or composed. It moves from a pre-existent state through self-lowering to death, and then to the name given at exaltation.

What it establishes

The lines assert that Christ existed before his human life, that he did not exploit his status, and that he took the form of a servant and came to be found in human likeness. Self-emptying is the hinge of the sequence.

What it does not establish

It does not say what was emptied. The verb has generated a long dispute, from giving up the exercise of divine attributes to adding humanity without subtraction. Nor do the verses state two natures or one person; the participle in verse 6 is itself disputed.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• If the biblical God exists, he is self-centered and conceited, because he created an entire universe just to sit around and be worshipped.
• The God of the Old Testament a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser, and a homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.