According to Philippians 2:5-8, the word "Kenosis" came from the Greek word "kenoo" which means "to empty." "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross," (Phil. 2:5-8).
Some say the idea of kenosis is that Jesus gave up some of His divine attributes while He was a human here on earth. These attributes were omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. Many say Christ did this voluntarily so that He could function as a man in order to fulfill the work of redemption, being fully man. However; Philippians 2:5-8 I think that it does not teach that Jesus gave up any of His divine attributes since it says nothing of those attributes. Instead, it is speaking of His humility and grace, Christ chooses to humble himself to become man.
The Kenosis theory is difficult doctrine to understand because if it were true that means that Christ was not fully God. However this poses a big problem because if he was not completely God then Christ would not be able to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Some may say fine then, Christ was fully God, but in Mark 13:32 it says "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." So these verses indicate that Christ, or the Son, was not all knowing, so this again poses contradiction.
The doctrine of Kenosis is one of those things that people will have differing opinions and rightfully so. When looking at the doctrine it is important to consider other verses besides Philippians 2:5-8, because other verses may help in understanding the context and concept better. So the final question what did it mean when the Bible says that Christ "emptied" himself.
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