Biblical & Christological Foundations for Voluntary Kenosis

Abstract

Paul’s use of the word kenosis in Philippians 2:7 (“he emptied himself”) launched a long and winding quest to understand its meaning in biblical context, its implications for Christology, and its application for personal and public ethics. That journey has been fraught and, at times, badly sidetracked, most notably around the question of diminishment: what Christ surrendered and what we are asked to surrender. This study will briefly exegete the biblical text, then retrace some key questions and themes in kenotic theology. Ultimately, this overview will lead us to three main convictions: (1) what is “poured out” in kenosis is Christ himself, both and indivisibly as the eternal Logos and in the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth; (2) kenosis is an attribute of self-giving love and cruciform surrender in both divine and human nature, not the surrender of divine attributes or diminishment of the divine nature; and (3) central and essential to kenosis is its voluntary and consensual nature as gift or self-donation, without diminishment, even when undergoing affliction—both for God-in-Christ and in those who follow his footsteps. The essay will conclude with a nuanced demonstration of voluntary consent from the works of Sergius Bulgakov and Simone Weil.