1Phil 2:6–8; Lk 1:31; 2 Cor 8:9; Acts 2:24

In WLC 42, we saw that the Lord Jesus Christ executed the office of His mediatorship "in the estate both of His humiliation and exaltation." In WLC 46-50 we shall be studying Christ’s humiliation while in WLC 51-56, we shall be studying his exaltation.

When we talk about "Christ’s humiliation," we are talking about how Christ, who is very God himself, humbled himself and for a time suffered in a "low condition" for our redemption. The apostle Paul was referring to this gracious and loving condescension of our Saviour when he says:

We may think of the humiliation of Christ in 5 steps, viz.: (1) His emptying himself; (2) His lowly birth; (3) His life of obedience; (4) His vicarious death; and (5) His burial.

First, consider his emptying himself. The apostle Paul speaks of this significant act of humiliation when he tells us that Christ "being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant…" (Phil 2:6-7).

The words "made himself of no reputation" may also be translated: "emptied himself." But what did he empty himself of? Many heretical ideas have been offered for this question, including that he emptied himself of his deity or of the independent use of his divine attributes. But these theories fly in the face of many verses in the New Testament that speaks of the full deity of Christ Jesus in his incarnation (e.g. Mk 2:7; Lk 5:21; Col 2:9; etc). It is evident rather, that Christ only emptied himself of the form of God or his glorious and majestic appearance, as well as his enjoyment of heavenly glory (cf. Jn 17:5). Of course, this does not mean that there was any change in Christ, as he is unchangeable. When Paul says that he emptied himself of the form of God, he is referring to how his deity is veiled in human flesh so that he appeared for the duration of his incarnation as man to men and angels.

Secondly, Christ humbled himself in his lowly birth. Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Prince of Peace and the King of kings, and yet he humbled himself not only to be born, but to be born of a lowly virgin (cf. Lk 1:48) in a smelly stable (cf. Lk 2:7), rather than of a majestic princess in a stately palace.

Thirdly, Christ humbled himself in his life in that though he is the Law-Giver, the Upholder of all things, and the Owner of all things, he (1) Subjected himself to the Law (cf. Gal 4:4); (2) Endured the contradictions, reproaches, and indignities of wicked men and angels (Mt 4:1; Matt 10:25; Heb 12:3); and (3) Underwent the sinless infirmities of the flesh, such as weariness, hunger, thirst, pain and the like, in regard to his body; and grief and sorrow in regard to his soul (cf. Jn 4:6; Matt 4:2; Isa 53:3).

Fourthly, Christ humbled himself in his death (1) by condescending to suffer all the sorrows and humiliation leading up to his unjust sentence, including betrayal and physical abuse (cf. Mt 26, 27); (2) by condescending to die through a cruel and disgraceful torture (Phil 2:8); and (3) by enduring not only excruciating bodily pain, but the wrath of God due for the elect’s sin in his soul (Mt 27:46).

Finally, Christ humbled himself in permitting his body to be buried and in continuing under the power of death until the third day when he was raised from the dead (Mt 27:59-60).