Kenosis

During the First Advent of Jesus Christ, He was both undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever. This is called the Hypostatic Union. Therefore, as undiminished deity, Christ did not surrender His divine attributes or empty His deity. However, Christ voluntarily restricted the independent use of His relative divine attributes in compliance with the Father's plan for His incarnation. 

The word “kenosis” is derived from the Greek word κενόω (kenoō) found in Philippians 2:7 translated “emptied” and means to empty oneself or to deprive oneself of a proper function. The Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily took on Himself the form of true humanity in order to redeem mankind from sin, in order to propitiate God the Father, and to reconcile mankind to God. Therefore, during the incarnation, Jesus Christ did not even once exercise the independent use of His own divine attributes either to benefit Himself, to provide for Himself, or to glorify Himself. Phil. 2:5-8.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8, NASB)

God’s plan for the incarnation of Jesus Christ called for the judgment of our sins that would provide the means of eternal salvation for all members of the human race, but simultaneously result in His strategic victory in the Angelic Conflict. He didn't give up His deity, but voluntarily surrendered the independent expression of that deity when it would it would hinder the Father's plan. To execute the Father's plan for the First Advent, the humanity of Christ relied on the spiritual life, God’s grace resources, the ministry of God the Holy Spirit, and the epignosis Bible doctrine in His soul that He had learned just like any other human learns Bible doctrine in the Church Age. Our Lord pioneered the Church Age spiritual life.

Our Lord’s Temptations

Kenosis was demonstrated in our Lord’s humanity in His wilderness temptations by Satan. All the temptations that Satan brought against Christ attacked His humanity and the principle of His deity’s kenosis. Satan’s wanted our Lord to call upon His deity to perform certain functions that are impossible for a human being. This is why these temptations were unique to Christ.

The deity of Jesus Christ is united to His perfect sinless true humanity. His humanity was still subject to human temptation, distress, weakness, pain, sorrow, limitation, and more temptations than we will never see. No divine attributes were transferred to His humanity and no attributes of humanity were transferred to His deity. Therefore, Christ did not use His divine attributes for His own glory. Matt. 4:1-4; Matt. 4:5-7; Matt. 4:8-10. 

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"” (Matthew 4:1-4, NASB)

“Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU'; and 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'" Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'"” (Matthew 4:5-7, NASB)

“Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"” (Matthew 4:8-10, NASB)

Our Lord refused to use His divine omnipotence independently of the Father’s plan by turning the stones into bread even though He was extremely hungry after 40 days in the wilderness. Instead, He applied the epignosis Bible doctrine in His soul and relied on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. He established that spiritual life in His human nature. He did not derive His spiritual life from His divine nature. Today in the Church Age, all believers have that exact same spiritual life with the exact same divine omnipotence of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

The Glory of Jesus Christ

Our Lord Jesus Christ depended on God the Father and God the Holy Spirit throughout His incarnation, just as we do today. Jesus Christ possesses eternal, unchangeable glory in His deity. His humanity acquired a glory through His spiritual life while on earth and by atoning for the sins of mankind. He retains this glory in His humanity’s resurrection body and is today seated at the right hand of God the Father in the third heaven. He will remain there as our advocate and high priest until the Rapture of the Church.

During His First Advent, our Lord veiled the preincarnate glory of His deity by giving up the outward appearance of God and voluntarily taking on Himself the form of man. The glory of Christ’s deity was veiled, but never surrendered. Our Lord partially unveiled His deity’s glory to Peter, James and John briefly on the Mount of Transfiguration and at Gethsemane when He was being arrested. Matt. 17:2; John 18:6.

“Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” (Matthew 17:1-2, NASB)

“So when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.” (John 18:6, NASB)