On the meaning of Kenosis

What does it mean for God to be incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ? To get at this, let's begin with a thought experiment. Try to differentiate between what makes your self “you” and the powers that your self wields. You have a self consciousness of “I, me, my”. Your self also wields powers like physical extension and movement, knowledge and speech. You could be yourself while diminishing in power: If you lost some limbs or lost some memories, you would not cease to be yourself. You would still have a continuous experience of “I, me, my” animating your powers and experiencing your experiences. 

In a similar way, the Divine Self empties its powers to become incarnate... 

This is called the “kenosis” or “emptying”, and it is sourced in Philippians 2. The same person or “self” who is the Eternal Logos (Word of God) fully enters into human life, as the Infinite Creator becomes a finite creation in Jesus of Nazareth. He empties Divine powers— omnipotence, omniscience— so that the Divine Self may be fully incarnated in a specific human life. Thus, he is 100% human in every aspect of human nature: Body, Spirit, Soul; Heart, Mind, Will. But he is 100% Godself experiencing all of this in Jesus, as Jesus, through Jesus, with/in Jesus. 

We could draw on the Essence/Energies distinction from Orthodox Theology: 100% of the Essence of God dwells in Christ, even though he has substantially emptied himself of his Energies in order to experience life as a finite human. Thus, in order to do miracles or have super-sensory knowledge, Jesus must submit to the Father, and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit operative through him. 

In this, Jesus occupies the exact same position as any other human: We are only able to accomplish the works of God by the Holy Spirit operative in us, as we submit to the will of the Father. It is just that Jesus manifests a far higher degree of miracles, because his Divine Self has never fallen from the original Union with the Father in the same way the rest of humanity has. We have to learn to harmonize with and harness the power of the Spirit, while this was a natural expression of Jesus’ Divine Self. But by following his example and guidance, we too can do the works Jesus did and even greater works as we work together as his Body (cf. John 14.12). 

And so, we return back to the Incarnation, the Nicene Creed, and the Definition of Chalcedon: Jesus Christ is “of the same essence” as God, being “God from God, Light from Light”. He is fully Divine and fully Human, United in one Person or Self, such that his Divinity and Humanity are never separated or divided, but also never confused or mixed. And this is all made possible by the Kenosis, by which God empties Godself of God’s powers, so that Godself may be fully incarnated in the person and life of Jesus.