Being Equal with God
Philippians 2:6
Do we have equality with God?
Philippians 2:6 Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.
Many are familiar with some translations of this verse as it states "Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be taken advantage of". But what does the Greek say, what does it mean, and why do some translations read completely differently?
In the Greek scrolls, we read:
Greek: Hos en morphe theos huparcho ou harpagmos hegeomai hoe eimi isos theos
Translating Greek to English literally, it reads:
Literal Translation: Who, in the appearance of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.
Nature vs Appearance
There are many variations in the first part of this scripture. The word 'Morphe' means 'external appearance' and not 'very nature' as it has been translated in some Bibles. Being that Christ had a human body, it seems unlikely that the author meant he looked identical to God in an external appearance as the word 'morphe' means. However, Jesus did the will of the Father, demonstrated godly behavior, complete obedience even through death, and thus his outward appearance (his actions) was that of God in a more representative fashion. The issue with translating this as "Jesus, in very nature God" or "Jesus, being God" presents the ideology that we cannot identify with Jesus because we are not God. Unfortunately, this is not the message of this passage at all. This is stating that Jesus projected godliness through his actions and thoughts in daily life as we ought to do.
Taking Advantage of Scripture
Some versions also skew the meaning of the verse by changing the wording from, "Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped" to "Jesus was equal to God and didn't take advantage of it".
The translation that uses "equality was not to be taken advantage of", once again twists the meaning of the passage. Rolling off the first part of the verse we see that Jesus was in all ways projecting godliness and no matter how much godliness he projected, he never once considered or even grasped for equality with God, instead he made himself a servant. The reason for this passage fits with the rest of Paul's letter to the Philippians. Paul wrote the book of Philippians (more of a letter) to thank the Philippians for a gift they sent him while he was in prison awaiting trial. He uses this letter with the thought that it may be his last and thus he also included a lot of final words. The letter is broken down into different segments to help them and keep them focused on the goal
- Greetings (1:1-2)
- Thanksgiving and Prayer (1:3-11)
- Pauls' Personal Circumstances (1:12-26)
- Living a Gospel Life (1:27-30)
- Following the Servant Attitude of Christ (2:1-18)
- Paul's Associates, Timothy and Epaphraoditus (2:25-30)
- Warning against Legalists and Libertines (3:1-4:1)
- Christian Life (4:2-9)
- Testimony and Thanks (4:10-20)
- Final Farewell (4:21-23)
The significance of Phillipians 2:6 is that it is Paul reminding them to have the same attitude and mindset as Jesus, and not making some random one-liner in the middle of his letter. The Philippians, like Jesus, were sons of God through faith, and for this very reason they, like Jesus, should not aim for equality with God or higher status. In the Roman culture at the time, a son could do things and say things on his own and, under the principle of agency, the son was considered equal to the father.
John 5:18-19 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer, "Very truly I tell you, the son can do nothing by himself. He can do only what he sees his father doing, because whatever the father does, the son also does. For the Father loves the son and shows him all he does. Yes, he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.
Romans 8:14 Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.
Galatians 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, saying "Dad, Father."
The Takeaway
The Pharisees would have said we are claiming to be God's equal by claiming to be sons of God as well. They viewed themselves as servants to God and slaves to the law of God. Despite that God called them his children, they would see it as disrespectful to call their master their father as it would imply equality under the principle of agency. The true sons of God do not grasp for equality though, they serve the servants and humble themselves below men.
The purpose of the verse was to inspire the Phillipians to stay on the path of righteousness as we should. If we, the sons of God, portray total godliness through our actions and outward appearance, then we should not desire to be elevated in our status on earth for it. Instead, we should lower ourselves as Christ did and have a servant mindset that differs from the world which wishes for power and authority. The true leaders of the church which align with God's will are the ones who put themselves below everyone, doing only what the Father would do and saying only what the Father would say. Just as Jesus denied equality with God in John 5:19 by saying he only does what he sees God doing, we too should do only what the Father would do and not act in our own interests as a son under the principle of agency would do.