1. Systematic Theology II The Doctrine of Christ
The Pre-existence of Christ
and
The Incarnation and Kenosis of Christ

2. “Most biographies of Christ begin with His birth
“Most biographies of Christ begin with His birth. The Bible, however, goes back to eternity and teaches His eternal pre-existence. Jesus antedates creation. In fact, the pre-existence of Christ is bound up with other doctrines of the Son. His eternity, His place in the Trinity and His work as creator, among other things, indicate that He predated the creation of the universe. A correct understanding of His pre-existence, therefore, is foundational to understanding His person and work, and is accordingly, placed first in what follows” (McCune, p. 91).

3. Christ’s Pre-existence: Proven
New Testament Evidence
John the Baptist’s Testimony
John 1:15 "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'"
Jesus’ Own Testimony
John 8:58 "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
This is a clear reference back to Exodus 3:14 "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
John 16:28 "I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world."
John 17:5 “And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”
The Apostolic Testimony
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
Before His incarnation Jesus “existed in the form of God” (Phil 2:6).
Colossians 1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Both Jesus and Israel’s Leaders knew what He was saying: He is eternal.

4. Christ’s Pre-existence: Proven
The Angel of the Lord in the OT is the second person of the Trinity, proving Christ’s deity and pre-existence.
Three of the names of God in the OT, Yahweh, El, and Elohim, are used interchangeably with the Angel of the Lord (Gen 16:7, 13; 21:17; 22:11-12, 15-16; Exod 3:2-6; Judges 6:12-16)
This Angel demands worship (Exod 3:5; Josh 5:15) which could only be accorded to the Angel of the Lord (Rev 22:9).
This Angel, though God, is distinct from God the Father (Exod 13:21; 23:20-21).
This Angel can be identified with Christ.
The Son is the only visible member of the Trinity (John 1:18; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3).
The Angel of the Lord does not appear after the Son’s first advent.

5. Christ’s Pre-existence: Proven
The Eternality of the Son
Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Micah 5:2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.“
Ephesians 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.
Revelation 1:17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,”
Revelation 22:12-13 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

6. Christ’s Pre-existence: Practical Value
“…if the angel of the Lord is really Jesus Christ, then the Old Testament is full of Christ. He can be found in scores of contexts, if only the reader has eyes to see Him. In fact, Jesus himself underwrites this Christocentric reading of the Old Testament when He castigates the religious leaders of His day, saying, ‘You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life’ (John 5:39-40). Surely, a generous part of that testimony comprises references to the angel of the Lord” (McCune, p. 99).

7. The Incarnation and Kenosis of Christ
The Incarnation: Defined
The term comes from the Latin incarnatio, meaning to embody in human flesh.
In theology it refers to the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, taking on human flesh through the virgin birth.
The need for the incarnation and its place in God’s plan of salvation, particularly with respect to the Trinity, can be described as follows:
A perfect and sinless human substitute had to pay the penalty for human sin.
God could not send His Son (nor the Son the Spirit) if there were no tri-unity in the Godhead.
God had to be sent to become man if there was to be any salvation from mankind’s sin (and the Spirit had to be sent if that salvation was to be applied to individuals).

8. The Incarnation: Biblical Descriptions
The NT writers are careful in how they describe the incarnation, in order to accurately portray the Son’s eternal pre-existence.
He is God revealed in the flesh (1Tim 3:16).
He came down from heaven (John 3:13; 6:51).
He was sent (John 3:17).
He emptied Himself (Phil 2:7).
A body was prepared for Him (Heb 10:5).
He partook of flesh and blood (John 1:14; Heb 2:14).
He was born according to the seed of David according to the flesh (Rom 1:3).
He was made in the likeness of men (Rom 8:3; Phil 2:7).
See McCune, p. 102, for a more complete list.

9. The Incarnation and Kenosis
Kenosis is from the Greek verb Kenoo and refers to Christ’s self-emptying, particularly in Phil 2:7.
An Exegetical Sketch of Philippians 2:5-8
This passage is urging the Philippians towards humility and self-sacrifice, pointing to Christ as the ultimate example.
“He existed in the form of God” – Christ was and continues to possess all the nature of deity.
“equality with God” – While “form of God” speaks of identity of essence, “equality with God” makes a distinction between God the Father and God the Son.
“a thing to be grasped” – Jesus chose not to cling to His parity with the Father but emptied Himself instead.

10. The Incarnation and Kenosis
An Exegetical Sketch of Philippians 2:5-8
“taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of man” – Jesus not only took on human flesh, He took on the nature of a slave. However, this was in addition to His divine nature, not as a substitute for it. He is the God-man: fully God and fully human.
“being found in appearance as a man” – “Appearance” here stresses outward appearance, how He appeared to others.
“He humbled Himself” – Christ humbled Himself even further by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death of the worst kind: crucifixion.

11. The Incarnation and Kenosis
Kenosis Theories: Of What Did Christ Empty Himself?
Christ Gave Up His Divine Attributes
If this were true, He would have ceased to be God.
Christ Only Appeared to Be Limited
In other words, He was like a king traveling incognito and thus was limited to a negligible degree. Objections:
This would involve Christ in the pretense of self-sacrifice.
Christ’s self-emptying was very real, according to Phil 2:5-8 and 2 Cor 8:9.
Christ Gave Up the Use of His Attributes
The problem with this is that total non-use is equivalent to divesting Himself of those attributes.

12. The Incarnation and Kenosis
Kenosis Theories: Of What Did Christ Empty Himself?
Christ Gave Up Certain Rights. Three aspects:
Christ gave up the independent use of His divine attributes.
Christ laid aside the honor and glory He had in heaven, as well as the spontaneous and uninhibited use of His divine prerogatives and powers as the second member of the Trinity, taking on the role of a slave. His kenosis was not necessary but voluntary. Jesus knew of His pre-existent state (John 17:5, 8:42, 58).
Christ became subservient to the Father in a unique way (John 7:16; 8:28-29; 12:49; 14:10).
Christ depended on the Holy Spirit’s power.
During His kenosis, Christ depended on the power of the Holy Spirit to lead and enable Him for His work (Mark 1:12; Luke 4:14; Matt 12:28; Acts 1:2).
McCune says Christ used His own power for miracles (pp ).

13. Would God have become man if there had been no Fall?

14. Next Week: The Doctrine of Christ
The Virgin Birth of Christ
and
The Deity of Christ