What does it mean that Jesus made Himself of no reputation (Philippians 2:7)?

From this revelation by the Spirit of God concerning the incarnation of the Son of God we learn that its outstanding feature lay in His making Himself of no reputation, or emptying Himself, the latter being a preferable rendering of the Greek text.* The apostle teaches that Christ Jesus Who was in "the form of God" voluntarily took upon Himself "the form of a servant (or bond-slave)," whereby He "emptied Himself." Being "in the likeness of men," He abstained from using the prerogatives of His deity apart from the will of Him that sent Him. This act of self-abnegation expressed "the mind which was in Christ Jesus," which "mind" the apostle desired should be in His saints also.

*The comment of a great scholar on Phil. 2:7 is "emptied, stripped Himself of the insignia of majesty"; and again, "He divested Himself, not of His divine nature, for this was impossible, but of the glories, the prerogatives, of Deity. This He did by taking upon Him the form of a servant" (Commentary on Philippians, 12th ed., 1908, by Bp. Lightfoot.).

From this revelation by the Spirit of God concerning the incarnation of the Son of God we learn that its outstanding feature lay in His making Himself of no reputation, or emptying Himself, the latter being a preferable rendering of the Greek text.* The apostle teaches that Christ Jesus Who was in "the form of God" voluntarily took upon Himself "the form of a servant (or bond-slave)," whereby He "emptied Himself." Being "in the likeness of men," He abstained from using the prerogatives of His deity apart from the will of Him that sent Him. This act of self-abnegation expressed "the mind which was in Christ Jesus," which "mind" the apostle desired should be in His saints also.

*The comment of a great scholar on Phil. 2:7. is "emptied, stripped Himself of the insignia of majesty"; and again, "He divested Himself, not of His divine nature, for this was impossible, but of the glories, the prerogatives, of Deity. This He did by taking upon Him the form of a servant" (Commentary on Philippians, 12th ed., 1908, by Bp. Lightfoot.).

Let us return to the verses read in chapter 2. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation". How do you think He made Himself of no reputation? By taking the form that He never had before: in J.N.D.'s translation, "Taking a bondman's form". He gave up nothing. If there was anything external to the presence of God, He left that for a moment. As for what was properly Deity, He gave up nothing. He gave up nothing attaching to Himself in Deity, but He emptied Himself by taking a form that He never had before. He took the servant's form, and He "was made [became] in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself". How did He humble Himself? By becoming "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross". Seven steps down have been seen in these verses; I can only see three — two steps down and one up. The first step was taking the bondman's form, and the second was humbling Himself in this way, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. That does not mean that He obeyed death. Death had no claim on Him. It means He obeyed all the way — all the way to the cross. It is not the story of our redemption that is being given to us here. It is that self-humbling, that demonstration livingly in our blessed Lord Whose right it was ever to command — a demonstration of self-abasement. If it were known more by us, even in feeble measure, it would give us the power morally, livingly, spritually, in every way. It would give us more fellowship practically, because dike answers to like, and there is nothing so good for drawing saints together as likeness to Christ. It is the unlikeness and the fleshly characteristics in each one of us that put us out-at-elbows with each other. In like-mindedness to Christ we will be drawn together.

Nor was this all. When "found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." v. 8. This is another distinct step in His descent of grace to glorify God. First, it was humiliation for Him to become a servant and a man; next, being man, He humbled Himself as far as death in His obedience (the blessed converse of Adam's disobedience unto death). And that death was the extreme of human shame, besides its atoning character. Yet must we carefully bear in mind that it would be as impossible for a divine person to cease to be God, as for a man to become a divine person. But it was the joy and triumph of divine grace that He who was God, equally with the Father, when about to become a man, did not carry down the glory and power of the Godhead to confound man before Him, but rather emptied Himself; contrariwise perfection morally was seen in this. Thus He was thoroughly the dependent man, not once falling into self-reliance, but under all circumstances, and in the face of the utmost difficulties, the very fullest pattern and exhibition of One who waited upon God, who set the Lord always before Him, who never acted from Himself, but whose meat and drink it was to do the will of His Father in heaven; in a word, He became a perfect servant. This is what we have here.

Christ is said to have been in the form of God; that is, it was not in mere appearance, but it had that form, and not a creature's. The form of God means that He has His and no other form. He was then in that nature of being, and nothing else; He had no creature being whatever; He was simply and solely God the Son. He, subsisting in this condition, did not think it robbery to be equal with God. He was God; yet, in the place of man which He truly entered, He had, as was meet, the willingness to be nothing. He made Himself of no reputation. How admirable! How magnifying to God! He put in abeyance all His glory. It was not even in angelic majesty that He deigned to become a servant, but in the likeness of men. Here we have the form of a servant as well as the form of God, but that does not in anywise mean that He was not really both. In truth, as He was very God, so He became the veriest servant that God or man ever saw.

But we may go yet further. "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Mark that. There are two great stages in the advent and humiliation of the Son of God. The first is in respect of His divine nature or proper deity; He emptied Himself. He would not act on a ground which exempted Him from human obedience, when He takes the place of a servant here below. Indeed, we may say that He would act upon what God the Father was to Him, not upon what He the Son was to the Father. On the one hand, though He were a Son, He learned obedience through the things that He suffered. On the other, if He had not been a divine person — the Son no doubt — He would not have been the perfect man that He was. But He walks on through unheard-of shame, sorrow, and suffering, as one that sought only the will and glory of His Father in everything. He would choose nothing, not even in saving sinners or receiving a soul (John 6). He would act in nothing apart from the Father. He would have only those whom the Father draws. Whom the Father gives Him, whoever comes to Him, He welcomes them; He will in no wise cast any out, be they ever so bad. What a proof that He is thoroughly the servant, when He, the Saviour, absolutely puts aside all choice of those He will save! When acting as Lord with His apostles, He tells us that He chose; but in the question of salvation, He virtually says, Here I am, a Saviour; and whoever is drawn to Me by the Father, that is enough for Me; whoever comes, I will save. No matter who or what it was, you have in the Lord Jesus this perfect subjection and self-abnegation, and this too in the only person that never had a will to sin, whose will cared not for its own way in anything. He was the only man that never used His own will; His will as man was unreservedly in subjection to God. But we find another thing: if He emptied Himself of His deity,* when He took the form of a servant, when He does become a man, He humbles Himself and becomes obedient as far as death.

First, Christ is presented as "being in the form of God." No man could pretend to describe the form of One "whom no man has seen or can see"; nevertheless we are told what was the mind of Christ while yet in the form of God. His mind was so set upon serving others in love that He thought not of Himself and His reputation, but "made Himself of no reputation," and laid aside the outward form of God — though never ceasing to be God.

Second, He exhibits the lowly mind by taking the form of a servant. Not only does He serve, but He assumes the form that is proper to a servant.

Now we come to a passage where it is very hard for us to be quite certain we are right. You may look it up in various translations, and will see that different people translate it in different ways. It seems to me this is what the Spirit is seeking to tell us, as He brings heavenly truths to our poor, dull, mortal minds: "Christ Jesus … counted not the being equal with God as a means of gain, but made Himself empty." I shall not attempt to give you the reasons from the Greek Testament that make me believe this to be the Spirit's meaning: they may be found in Dr. C. J. Vaughan priceless little book, "St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians for English Readers," to whom I am deeply indebted, not only for most of what we have had before us today, but for much else that I have learned from this dear man of God.

Another rendering that appeals to me very much is the following: "He did not reckon His equality with God a treasure to be tightly grasped. Nay, He emptied Himself." But I would suppose the rendering we have used is the more accurate. But I am not sure.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was already from all eternity in the form of God, and He was equal with God: He was (and is) "Jehovah's fellow." (Zech. 13:7). He had not to grasp at this: it was His already: His by right. But He might have used this glory and majesty and unbounded power, for aggrandisement, or advancement of Himself: but He did not: on the contrary, "He made Himself of no reputation": "He made Himself empty." "He emptied Himself." Amazing, matchless, unspeakable Grace! The words "the being equal with God", are in the neuter plural, "the being equal things," and this is no accident. Another has said this "calls attention rather to the Characteristics than to the Personality", and still another suggests that perhaps the Spirit avoids the masculine to remove any risk of "dividing the substance of the God-head." There are quite a few "unexpected neuters" in the Greek New Testament. One longs that some wise and spiritual man could help us understand them better, but for some we must, perhaps, wait till we reach Home, and "know as we are known."

"Who subsisting in the form of God, He counted not as a means of gain the being equal with God, but made Himself empty."

We come now to the last words of the above sentence: "But made Himself empty," or, "But emptied Himself", or, as in our loved Authorised Version: "But made Himself of no reputation." Perhaps the second, "But emptied Himself", represents the Greek most closely; but possibly the first, "But made Himself empty", is a little easier to understand, and I think gives the true sense. But the truth is the same in any case: "He emptied Himself" HE, the One in Whom all the fulness was pleased to dwell: (Col. 1:19): HE, that filleth all in all: (Eph. 1:23): Yes: "HE made Himself empty." Instead of taking to Himself (as equality with God would have enabled Him to do without stint or limit), "He made Himself empty."

"Empty." The picture is of one who is empty-handed, destitute of everything. "I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty." (Ruth 1:21). The husbandmen sent the servants away empty. (Mark 12:3). We generally seek to make ourselves full. He made Himself empty. We covet and seek a reputation. He made Himself of no reputation. When He wanted to see a penny, He must ask someone to show Him one. When He wanted money for a tax, He must command a fish to supply it. "He made Himself empty."

In taking this path we learn that He “made himself of no reputation;” He “took upon him the form of a servant;” “He humbled himself;” and He “became obedient unto death.”

“He made himself of no reputation.” He had indeed every reputation, but His mind was to pass through this world as one that had none. When His disciples said, “All men seek for thee,” His answer was, “Let us go into the next town” (Mark 1:37-38). When the people would “make him a King,” we read, “He departed again into a mountain alone” (John 6:15).

“He took upon him the form of a servant.” He could say,” I am among you as one that serves” (Luke 22:27). He girds Himself, pours water into a basin and stoops to wash the soiled feet of His way-worn disciples.

Christ Jesus was “in the form of God” and yet subservient to Him in the purposes of eternity (Heb. 10:7), and in the acts of time. He thought it not robbery, as Satan did, to be equal with God, “but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant.” Often the first phrase is translated, “He emptied Himself.” The Lord Himself, though the Creator and Upholder of all things, humbled Himself or emptied Himself. You will observe that this was the action of Christ Jesus Himself. He voluntarily — of His own will — emptied Himself. When here He was never other than the Son of God, yet all the way through His pathway of service He trod it as a man. He laid aside His glory, and He came to serve thus.

He "being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation." He always was God, but He laid aside the form of God, the outward glory, "and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." He will never cease to be a servant, though Lord of all; He will never give up this service of love to minister to our blessing. In the condition of Godhead to begin, He takes the form of a servant, and He was always obedient. He had no will of His own: nothing could be more humble than this. We find in this chapter the path the Lord went, from having the form of God, down to that death on the cross. Adam was in the form of man, and he did set up by robbery to be equal with God; he was the first example of "he that exalteth himself shall be abased." The last Adam abases Himself and is exalted; He lays aside His glory and takes a servant's form.