Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
I am sure there are many more Greek dictionaries that support both viewpoints for the Greek word "morphe," either
outward form or inner nature. Generally the first group where the definition is "form" or "outward appearance" is what
something looks like, the second group is more about the inmost being.
Nature or
to fashion: Form
4/ Galatians 4:19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is
formed (G3445/morphoo) in you!
This is an inner change that happens inside a person, a transformation from one set of
thoughts to another.
Christ is being formed in us does not mean that we are becoming Christ but are becoming like
Christ.
If this passage said God was being formed in Christ it would not mean Christ was becoming
God although I am sure many would claim it.
Summary:
Outward Visible Change:
Mathew 17:2 he was transfigured before them
Mark 9:2
he was transfigured before them
2 Tim 3:5
having the appearance of godliness
Inner Character Change:
Romans 2:20 the embodiment of knowledge and truth
Romans 12:2 be transformed by the renewal of your mind
2 Cor 3:18
being transformed into the same image
Gal 4:19
until Christ is formed in you
From the Greek words that use morphe as their root word, the spread of definitions is fairly balanced and refer to
either an outward visible appearance or an inner character change.
Interestingly none of them point to the idea that G3444/Morphe should be translated as "nature," none of them are
even close!
Part 1B G725/Harpagmos
The last word in vs6.... a thing to be grasped, is G725/Harpagmos and usually means "snatching at, a reaching out to
grasp something," but is sometimes translated as "cling to" NLT, NIRV. Each definition can alter the interpretation of
the passage.
If it means "not something to cling to" it gives the thought that Jesus rather than keep an equality with God let go of
this and humbled himself. While those that say "not something to be grasped" show he did not have an equality with
God, which is exactly the opposite understanding.
The following quotes show a list of passages where harpazo, the root word of harpagmos, is used. All of them are in
the context of trying to get something, not in forfeiting something or giving up something already owned.
"It was in the days of John the Baptizer that a situation first arose-a situation that still exists-in which the
kingdom of heaven is stormed, and in which those who are eager to storm their way into it clutch at[harpazo]
it."-Matthew 11:12 Barclay
"Or, how can anyone get into a giant's house and carry off [harpazo]his goods, unless he first binds the
giant?"-Matthew 12:29 C.B.Williams
"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches
away[harpazo] what is sown in the heart.."-Matthew 13:19 New Revised Standard Version
"Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force[harpazo], withdrew again to a
moutain by himself."-John 6:15 New International Version
"When the hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leaves the
sheep and runs away; so the wolf snatches [harpazo] the sheep and scatters them."-John 10:12 Todays English
Version
"I give them eternal life and they will never perish; no one will ever snatch [harpazo] them out of my care."John 10:28 Revised English Bible
"What my Father has given me is greatest of all, and no one can wrest[harpazo]it from the Father."-John 10:29
The Complete Gospels
"And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched[harpazo] Philip away; and the
eunich saw him no more."-Acts 8:39 New American Standard Version
"And when a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them
and ordered the troops to go down and take[harpazo] him away from them by force and bring him into the
barracks."-Acts 23:10 New American Standard Version
"Others you must pluck out[harpazo] of the fire, and rescure them.."-Jude 23 R.A.Knox
"And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was
caught up[harpazo]to God and to his throne."-Revelation 12:12 New American Standard Version
What is the common element in all these occurrences of harpazo? Not once is harpazo used in the sense of
retaining something but always in a way of a change, in an attempt at gaining something not already
possessed. Is the form of the word used at Philippians, harpagmos, used with a different significance? The
Expositor's Greek Testament makes this comment relative to the question:
"We cannot find any passage where harpazo or any of its derivatives has the sense of 'holding in possession',
'retaining'. It seems invariably to mean 'seize,' 'snatch violently'. Thus it is not permissible to
glide from the true
sense 'grasp at' into one which is totally different, 'hold fast'.
Summary:
The root word of the last word in vs6, Greek "harpagmos," is always shown in a sense of "grasp at" rather than "hold
fast."
Each use of G5449/physis/nature is in reference to the original place or position of the branches.
1 Cor 11:14 Does not nature (G5449) itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him
Our core understanding, in our nature, is that a man does not have long hair!
Galatians 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature (G5449)
are not gods
The gods that the Galatians believed in were, by nature, never actually gods.
Ephesians 2:3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the
body and the mind, and were by nature (G5449) children of wrath, like the rest of mankind
It is interesting that by nature we are not Godly people.
Summary:
Romans 1:26 The women exchanged their natural sexual union with a man for one with a woman.
Romans 2:14 An inborn instinct, their nature, tells the Gentiles how to behave
Romans 11:24 Each use of G5449/physis/nature is in reference to the original place or position of the branches.
1 Cor 11:14 Our core understanding, in our nature, is that a man does not have long hair
Gal 4:8
The gods that the Galatians believed in were, by nature, never actually gods.
Eph 2:3
It is interesting that by nature we are not Godly people.
Paul clearly had knowledge of words that described "nature" which he uses throughout his writings.
We as human beings have the use of divine power, which is "God/theos" power.
2 Cor 11:2
2 Peter 1:4
Paul having a divine, or theos/God, jealousy could also be translated as a godly jealousy.
Disciples will share in the divine nature of God on this earth
Disciples will share in the spiritual and divine nature of God while on this earth, presumably Jesus did this already and
does now also.
Each of the dead soldiers were the "form" of the son of a king.
There is no question here that morphe refers to the outward appearance
He shapes it into the form of a man
the form (morphe) of his countenance changed.
the kings color (morphe) was changed
and my color (morphe) was changed."
These Septuagint examples all show that the definition of morphe is in regard to "form" rather than "nature." They are
each to do with how the outward appearance reflects the inner feelings and emotions
The NLT is very clear in that Jesus is/was God but the equality that he had he gave up temporarily.
F/ Like God - and equal with God:
NCV: Christ himself was like God in everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be
used for his own benefit.
Jesus was like God and equal with God.
Summary:
A/
In the form of God
B/
In the form of God
C/
In his nature God
D/
In his nature God
E/
He was God
F/
Like God
7
9
1
2
1
1
Of twenty one translations only the NLT actually say that Jesus is God and is equal with God. All other translations are
open to interpretation.
Eight are not equal with God and thirteen are equal with God.
Sixteen are in the form of God, three are in his nature, one is God and one like God.
Based on whether Jesus is or is not equal with God.
Group A and C:
Jesus cannot be God if he is not equal with God.
Group B, D, E, F:
Jesus could, but not certainly, be God if he is equal with God
Based on whether Jesus is in the "form" of God, or "nature" of God
Sixteen translations say he was "in the form of God."
Three translations say he was "in his nature God."
One says he was God, one says he was like God.
Because of the large amount of disagreement between the translators it is plain to see that even the experts in language
were unsure what the passage means. There is so much doubt it is not possible to determine which is correct, however
a huge cloud of doubt is thrown over the three NIV translations based on the others shown here.
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature (G3444 Morphe) of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Vs 6a Jesus is the same nature as God. Jesus came into existence he is the firstborn of God, the Son of God, the image
of God, he is of God, and God's "one and only" son, all with slightly different definitions. God is a spirit and Jesus is a
spirit, however angels and demons are also spirits yet none of them are God. This makes sense as he came from God
and must have a heavenly spiritual Godly nature.
Human beings have the same human nature as their parents, the same nature different people.
Vs6b Even though he has the same nature Jesus did not consider equality with God.
That Jesus did not consider equality with God indicates there are two of them, God and Jesus.
That Jesus did not consider equality with God indicates no possibility that Jesus is equal with God, and that Jesus
knew it.
If the passage said Jesus did consider equality with God, it would indicate a possibility that Jesus was equal with
God but perhaps he chose not to. (This would bring up the problem of two Gods.)
If this passage said Jesus did consider equality with God, those who think Jesus is God would use it to confirm that
theory.
The word not (Strongs G3756 ouch) is the key word written here to confirm Jesus has no equality with God.
If Jesus is God:
Did consider equality with God cannot make sense if Jesus is God.
Did not consider equality with God cannot make sense if Jesus is God.
If Jesus is not God:
"Did" consider equality with God cannot make sense if Jesus is not God
Therefore the only sentence that can make sense is "did not" consider equality with God because Jesus is not God.
Vs 7 Jesus then came to earth in human nature.
Jesus became a servant, God is not a servant he is always the master.
Summary:
Christ who had the same divine nature as God now takes on the nature of a man as a slave.
Even though he has the same nature Jesus did not consider equality with God.
That Jesus did not consider equality indicates no possibility that Jesus is equal with God
If the point of the verse is to say that Jesus is God, then why not just say it? Of course
God has the
essential nature of God, so why would anyone make that point? Paul is
reminding the Philippians that
Jesus represented the Father in every possible way.
The fact that it is in the form (morphe) of a man shows conclusively (as we should know anyway) that it
is not a man! If the writer of this scripture had somehow intended to say that the artificer had indeed
made
the piece of wood into a real man, he would not have used morphe. He would have written that the
artificer
"makes it into a man." And, of course, it is equally true that Paul would not have said Jesus was in the form
(morphe) of God if he had meant that Jesus was God! The use of morphe there shows that
Jesus was not God!
"`It is universally admitted that the two phrases ["morphe of God" and "morphe of a slave"] are directly
antithetical, and that `form' [morphe] must therefore have the same sense in both.'"
What meaning do all these parallel words share? Like "image" they all mean, not the actual thing but a
representation, a similarity, something with only the outward appearance of some other thing.
Therefore, since "morphe" in the phrase "morphe of a slave" is proven by its synonymous parallels
(homoiomati, schemati) to mean merely a likeness, then "morphe" in the further parallel of "morphe of God"
must also mean merely a likeness! So, just with its own internal meaning alone, Phil. 2:6-8 shows
that "morphe
of God" must mean in a form like God's or similar to God
Paul contrasts the morphe of God with the morphe of a servant. It seems nonsensical to have Paul
contrasting a "what" (a divine nature) versus a "who" (a servant). Trinitarians are then forced to read
"form
of a servant" as if it says, "form of a human" but this is not what Paul says. Furthermore, a servant
is not a
servant due to possessing a nature that categorizes him as a servant. A servant is a servant due to his position in life
and the servant activities he performs. This speaks to function, not being.
Similarly, we Christians are to be transformed (metamorphoomai) by renewing our
minds to Scripture.
We do not get a new nature as we renew our minds, because we are
already partakers of the divine
nature, but there will be a change in us that we, and
others, can tangibly experience. Christians who
transform from carnal Christians, with all
the visible activities of the flesh that lifestyle entails, to being
Christ-like Christians, change
in such a way that other people can see the difference.
the average Christian does not feel that Christ was made like his brothers in every
way (Heb. 2:17), but instead feels that Christ was able to do what he did because he was
fundamentally different. If Jesus is also God then he is not like us in every way because we
are not God, therefore this scripture is
contradicted.
God who does not change, did
change?
Summary:
The quotes here are here for interest.
Summaries and Final Conclusion:
Part 0
I am sure there are many more Greek dictionaries that support both viewpoints for the Greek word
"morphe," either outward form or inner nature. Generally the first group where the definition is
"form" or "outward appearance" is what something looks like, the second group is more about the
inmost being.
Part 1A
The root word of the last word in vs6, Greek "harpagmos," is always shown in a sense of "grasp
at" rather than "hold fast."
Part 2A
Romans 1:26 The women exchanged their natural sexual union with a man for one with a woman.
Romans 2:14 An inborn instinct, their nature, tells the Gentiles how to behave
Romans 11:24 Each use of G5449/physis/nature is in reference to the original place or position of
the branches.
1 Cor 11:14 Our core understanding, in our nature, is that a man does not have long hair
Gal 4:8
The gods that the Galatians believed in were, by nature, never actually gods.
Eph 2:3
It is interesting that by nature we are not Godly people.
Paul clearly had knowledge of words that described "nature" which he uses throughout his
writings.
Part 2B
2 Cor 10:4
2 Cor 11:2
jealousy.
2 Peter 1:4
We as human beings have the use of divine power, which is "God/theos" power.
Paul having a divine, or theos/God, jealousy could also be translated as a godly
Disciples will share in the divine nature of God on this earth
Disciples will share in the spiritual and divine nature of God while on this earth, presumably Jesus
did this already and does now also.
Part 3
Judges 8:18
Job 4:15
Each of the dead soldiers were the "form" of the son of a king.
There is no question here that morphe refers to the outward
Isaiah 44:13
Daniel 3:19
Daniel 5:6
Daniel 7:28
appearance
These Septuagint examples all show that the definition of morphe is in regard to "form" rather than
"nature." They are each to do with how the outward appearance reflects the inner feelings and
emotions
Part 4
The word "form" in Mark 16:12 is from the same Greek word G3444/morphe. Jesus
appeared in a
different outward appearance, he did not appear in a different nature
as that will always remain the
same. It would be impossible to translate "morphe"
as nature in this passage and it make sense.
Part 5
A/
B/
C/
D/
E/
7
9
1
2
1
F/
Like God
Of twenty one translations only the NLT actually say that Jesus is God and is equal with God. All
other translations are open to interpretation.
Eight are not equal with God and thirteen are equal with God.
Sixteen are in the form of God, three are in his nature, one is God and one like God.
Based on whether Jesus is or is not equal with God.
Group A and C:
Jesus cannot be God if he is not equal with God.
Group B, D, E, F:
Jesus could, but not certainly, be God if he is equal with God
Based on whether Jesus is in the "form" of God, or "nature" of God
Sixteen translations say he was "in the form of God."
Three translations say he was "in his nature God."
One says he was God, one says he was like God.
Because of the large amount of disagreement between the translators it is plain to see that even the
experts in language were unsure what the passage means. There is so much doubt it is not possible
to determine which is correct, however a huge cloud of doubt is thrown over the three NIV
translations based on the others shown here.
Part 6
NIV Philippians 2:6-7 Christ who had the same divine nature as God now takes on the nature of a
man as a slave.
Even though he has the same nature Jesus did not consider equality with God.
That Jesus did not consider equality indicates no possibility that Jesus is equal with God
If the point of the verse is to say that Jesus is God, then why not just say it? Of
course God has the
essential nature of God, so why would anyone make that
point? Paul is reminding the
Philippians that Jesus represented the Father
in every possible way.
Part 7
Jesus said He who has seen me has seen the Father. Christ always did the
Fathers will, and
perfectly represented his Father in every way. Therefore it is not
difficult to say Jesus is in the
"form" of God.
That Jesus did NOT consider equality with God signifies he is not God.
That Jesus had emptied himself, confirms that he is not God who is unchanging. If God empties
himself either we have a God who is not God, or we have a God who is God and a God who is
empty therefore we have two Gods. Both solutions are logically impossible and unbiblical.
Final Conclusion:
The Greek word "morphe" is in Philippians twice and also in Mark 16:12. The problem is that we have a word that is
difficult to define due to its rarity. Theologians are going to argue until doomsday regarding what it means, this makes
it hard to use as a doctrinal base. Does it refer to an outward appearance or an inner nature? How do we prove it either
way? Numerous lexicons and dictionaries have it one way, and numerous have it the other way.
Based on the root word analysis along with Mark 16:12, the evidence shows that "form" should be the correct
definition rather than "nature."
The argument that if Jesus shares in the same "nature" as God then he must be God has no strength to it because
disciples will also share in the spiritual and divine nature of God while on this earth.
The Septuagint when writing "morphe" in the OT use it in a way to describe form or outward appearance. They never
use it in a way to show inner nature.
When comparing twenty one different translations we are left in a confused mess due to at least six different ways of
interpreting the passage. To me it is quite unbelievable that there could be such differences among scholars.
Due to this point alone it would be best to resist from trying to argue important biblical doctrine on such a difficult
passage.
However because Jesus did NOT consider equality with God signifies he is not God. That Jesus had emptied himself,
confirms that he is not God who is unchanging. If God empties himself either we have a God who is not God, or we
have a God who is God and a God who is empty therefore we have two Gods. Both solutions are logically impossible
and unbiblical.
Therefore nothing in Philippians 2:1-9 shows that Jesus is God