Nature of Christ
The Nature of Christ Philippians 2:6 Excerpt The word translated nature ( morphē ) in verses 6 and 7 is a crucial term in this passage. This word (trans. “form” in the kjv and nasb ) stresses the inner essence or reality of that with which it is associated ( cf . Mark 16:12 ). Christ Jesus , Paul said, is of the very essence ( morphē ) of God , and in His incarnation He embraced perfect humanity . His complete and absolute deity is here carefully stressed by the apostle. The Savior’s claim to deity infuriated the Jewish leaders ( John 5:18 ) and caused them to accuse Him of blasphemy ( John 10:33 ). Though possessing full deity ( John 1:14 ; Col. 2:9 ), Christ did not consider His equality with God ( Phil . 2:6 ) as something to be grasped or held onto. In other words Christ did not hesitate to set aside His self-willed use of deity when He became a ma...