The misinterpretation of kenoo.
The kenosis doctrine
teaches that Jesus set aside or laid down His divinity or some of His divine
attributes. The verse this is taken from is Philippians 2:7; the words ‘of no
reputation’ translated from the Greek are the word ‘kenoo’; meaning to ‘to empty’.
This doctrine is relatively new; its roots go back to roughly the mid to late
19th century (1800’s). However, just because something is new does not
necessarily make it wrong, however when we weigh it in light of scripture (in
the context it was intended), we can see if it measures up to the Word of God.
We can also see if the fruit of the spirit present in new doctrines and
movements (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - Galatians
5:22-23).
First of all, there is nothing wrong with holding to the historical view of the Person of Jesus and His Divinity and having a right relationship with Him. Secondly, the historical view of the Person of Jesus does not diminish Jesus’s power or the working of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian... rather the Holy Spirit develops, grows and strengthens us in the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. (By His power, not our own).
As humble servants &
students of God’s word, we should read the Bible with wisdom &
understanding and in its proper context. And speaking of Philippians 2:5-8; the
misunderstanding is that the word ‘kenoo’, refers to an emptying of Christ’s
Divine essence, his Divine abilities or divine attributes, which is not what
the text is saying at all. Paul himself explains in what way Jesus
"emptied" himself:
"Philippians
2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.."
Paul shows us that the
manner by which Christ emptied himself was by becoming a man and servant. What
Paul was saying is that Jesus veiled His glory as a sign of His humility, He
did not lay aside His Divinity or His Divine attributes. This can clearly be
seen by how we should “let this mind be in you [us], which was also in Christ
Jesus” (follow His example). That being said…we cannot lay aside Divine
attributes (since we do not have them), nor are we called to lay aside our
human attributes, or cease to be human, but we should follow Jesus in his
humility and willingness to serve others, even those who in this world are
considered to be lower than ourselves, in power or status. The Lord Jesus, set
aside the honor, the prestige, the fame, and the glory that comes with being God.
To say that Jesus
surrendered even one divine attribute is to say that Jesus is less than God,
and therefore not God at all! See, if God is deprived of even one attribute,
then He is not fully deity. If He is not fully deity, the blood was not fully
divine, and then His atoning work at the cross would not be sufficient to atone
for the sins of the world. And of course references to His deity abound in
Scripture, here are a few (John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Colossians. 2:9;
Hebrews 13:8; Titus. 2:13; Hebrews 1:8).
What is the Hypostatic Union?
As Christians we must
know that there is nothing wrong with testing a doctrine to see if it is from
God (1 Thessalonians 5:21
Test all things; hold fast what is good). So please test my research on Philippians
2:5-8. And having tested the doctrine of kenosis in context of scripture, I
cannot find any verses that say Jesus laid down any part of His divinity or any
attribute of His divinity.
We remember the denial of Jesus's divinity (in one form or another) has
been around since the days Jesus walked the earth over 2000 years ago.
Where does the kenosis doctrine lead its followers?
The kenosis
doctrine leads it’s followers to a less powerful Jesus and a more powerful man,
and some in the Word of Faith and New Apostolic Reformation movements even
proclaim that they are “little gods”. This is the same lie that has been
around since the garden (Genesis 3:5)…and it is a very tempting lie, otherwise
it still would not be out there in its many forms, and in many religions from
Hinduism to Mormonism. And sadly our human nature is still lured in by this lie.
The reason kenosis
doctrine may be accepted is because some may think that if Jesus was
all-powerful (omnipotent) Fully God and Fully man... somehow that takes away
their ability to do miracles, sign and wonders? I would ask; when has it
been ‘our power’ to perform miracles? I would much rather rely on the
historical biblical view of Jesus being Fully God and Fully man, and it is
Jesus who is all-powerful. Jesus clearly teaches to follow Him, and not the
signs (“a wicked generation seeks a sign” Mat 16:4; Mat 12:39; Luk 11:29; John
2:18-25, 3:1-8; John 6…etc). Mark 16:17 says "The signs shall follow
them that believe" (the relationship with Jesus is always emphasized
first.)
We should not be opposed
to the miraculous works that God can and will do, however the difference is;
His miracles are Holy miracles and they can confirmed by the Scripture.
The church seems to be
increasing its acceptance of New Age mystical practices and worldly behavior.
Some leaders in the church have not been watchmen and have neglected the gift
of ‘discernment of spirits’, which has allowed what looks strangely similar to
the ‘kundalini awakening’ found in Hinduism to be re-packaged for Christian
consumption.
The following links show the counterfeit un-holy spirit that has
invaded the Church.
One of the fruit of the
Spirit is self-control, where do we see this in these movements? These
practices unfortunately deceive people and open them up to strange un-biblical
manifestations accredited to the Holy Spirit, however in reality it is a
counterfeit holy spirit (and we know Satan is the master counterfeiter, as he
and his ministers appear as angels of light. - 2 Corinthians 11:14:15). Jesus
and His disciples are never recorded as doing or being a part of this kind of
un-biblical behavior (unless they were casting out demonic spirits).
If these were my
children as seen in these video links that were drawn in by these counterfeit
movements and their manifestations, I would be heart broken and very
angry (and rightfully so). The people manifesting in these videos
need help and deliverance from the demonic spirits they have opened themselves
up to.
The leaders in these videos teach the kenosis doctrine, and you
can find this information rather easily in their own books and
sermons.
I was hoping none of
this was true, but the more I researched, the more I found that it was true.
And the more my heart broke for the people who are being misled.
Conclusion
I am a believer in the
baptism with the Holy Spirit as on the day of Pentecost, and as a promise for
all believers (Acts 2:4, 4:30, 10:46, 19:6); and in the continuing ministry of
the Holy Spirit as evidenced in gifts, ministries, and fruit of the Spirit.
(Eph 4:11, 1 Cor 12:8-11; Gal 5:22-23; Acts 2:4, Acts 10:46, 19:6; Eph 4:11; 1
Cor 12:8-11; Gal 5:22-23).
And for those of us who
label ourselves Charismatic…it does not mean we have to believe every ‘Charis-mania
wind of doctrine' that comes our way, so we can attain some elite spirituality.
God does not play favorites, just as we should not play favorites...but rather
be as humble servants, as He came as a humble servant (Philippians 2:5-8).
Knowing that our identity is found in Christ, that “you [we] are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you
may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who
had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10 (Eph
2:4-7; Acts 10:34)
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