Philippians 2:7

7. made himself of no reputation, and . . . and—rather as the Greek, "emptied Himself, taking upon him the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men." The two latter clauses (there being no conjunctions, "and . . . and," in the Greek) expresses in what Christ's "emptying of Himself" consists, namely, in "taking the form of a servant" (see on :-; compare Exodus 21:5; Exodus 21:6; Psalms 40:6, proving that it was at the time when He assumed a body, He took "the form of a servant"), and in order to explain how He took "the form of a servant," there is added, by "being made in the likeness of men." His subjection to the law (Luke 2:21; Galatians 4:4) and to His parents (Galatians 4:4- :), His low state as a carpenter, and carpenter's reputed son (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3), His betrayal for the price of a bond-servant (Mark 6:3- :), and slave-like death to relieve us from the slavery of sin and death, finally and chiefly, His servant-like dependence as man on God, while His divinity was not outwardly manifested (Isaiah 49:3; Isaiah 49:7), are all marks of His "form as a servant." This proves: (1) He was in the form of a servant as soon as He was made man. (2) He was "in the form of God" before He was "in the form of a servant." (3) He did as really subsist in the divine nature, as in the form of a servant, or in the nature of man. For He was as much "in the form of God" as "in the form of a servant"; and was so in the form of God as "to be on an equality with God"; He therefore could have been none other than God; for God saith, "To whom will ye liken Me and make Me equal?" (Isaiah 46:5), [BISHOP PEARSON]. His emptying Himself presupposes His previous plenitude of Godhead (John 1:14; Colossians 1:19; Colossians 2:9). He remained full of this; yet He bore Himself as if He were empty.