PHILIPPIANS—NOTE ON Philippians 2:6 Prior to his incarnation as a human being, Jesus was in the form of God. This phrase refers to the “preexistence” of Christ. The eternal Son was with the Father (John 1:1; John 17:5, John 17:24) before he was born in Bethlehem. “Form” here means the true and exact nature of something, possessing all the characteristics and qualities of that thing. Therefore having the “form of God” is essentially the same as having equality with God. It is directly contrasted with having the “form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). The Son of God is and always has been God. See also Hebrews 1:3 and Colossians 1:15. Remarkably, Christ did not imagine that having “equality with God” (which he already possessed) should lead him to hold onto his privileges at all costs. It was not something to be grasped, to be used for his own benefit or advantage. Instead, he had a mind-set of service.

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