Theological Term of the Week

Carmen Christi
The traditional title of the “hymn to Christ” found in Philippians 2:6-11, so named because some believe it was a very early and already existing Christian hymn or poem quoted by Paul in his epistle.

• In scripture:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of aservant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 ESV)

• From ESV Study Notes:

Philippians 2:6-11 have some clear indications of poetic structure, leading some to believe that this is a pre-Pauline hymn adapted by Paul. It is just as likely, however, that Paul composed the hymn for this setting. In view of the myriad theological questions that arise in these verses, it is critical to keep two things in mind: (1) these verses were written not to spur Christians to theological debate but to encourage greater humility and love; and (2) the summary of Christ’s life and ministry found here is not unique: the same themes are evident throughout the NT.

Learn more:

1. Robert S. Rayburn: Carmen Christi
2. R. C. Sproul: The Form of God
3. James White: Beyond the Veil of Eternity
4. Gordon Fee: Philippians 2:5-11: Hymn or Exalted Pauline Prose? (pdf)
5. R. P. Martin: An Early Christian Confession
6. J. Ligon Duncan: Song of Christ (audio)

Related terms:

• ascension of Jesus
• deity of Christ
• humanity of Christ
• incarnation
• passive obedience of Christ

Filed under Person, Work, and Teaching of Christ

Do you have a term you would like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

Status Report: July

Sitting … on the couch in the living room on this Canada Day evening.

Enjoying … the rain. We’ve had lots of warm sunny weather lately, so rain is welcome. 

Hoping … that the rain lasts until I go to bed for the night. There’s nothing more comforting than the sound of rain at night.

Also hoping … that the warm weather returns after a few days so my granddaughters can use the blow-up baby pool in the back yard again. My oldest granddaughter calls my back yard a “park” because it has a swing, a pool, and a few toys to play on. It makes sense to me!

Walking … with the dog this morning, I rounded a corner and came face to face with a fox on the trail. I suspect the workers at a nearby hotel are feeding them, and that’s why there are so many in my area. It also explains why they aren’t afraid of us. (There are so many they’ve become a bit of a nuisance.)

Thinking … that in last month’s status report I was singing the praises of my blooming May Day tree. Sadly, half the tree blew down a couple of weeks ago during some extremely strong winds. Now I’m concerned for the rest of the tree. Is it stable? Could it fall, too? Thankfully, if it did fall, it wouldn’t fall on the house.

Picking … kale, radishes and herbs from the garden. There are green onions ready to use, too. Everything else is growing but not ready for harvesting. I’ve been weeding, weeding, weeding, too. Pulling the chickweed is a never-ending job. (I blame Adam for this.)

Reporting … that I was a little premature when I wrote in last month’s status report that my youngest granddaughter was walking. She took a few steps a couple of times and then decided that walking is not for her. No wonder, either! She’s an extremely speedy crawler, so walking would slow her down at first. 

Also reporting … that there’s been no more progress on the kitchen project. It’s been set aside for a while because there are other jobs to do. But work will start again soon—I hope.

Still reading … 40 Questions About the End Times by Eckhard Schnabel. I haven’t made much progress. Apparently I’m not very interested in learning about end times. 

Noticing … that this is a “no progress” kind of status report: less tree; less walking; same kitchen; same book. 

Wishing … you a joyous July full of summer celebration.

A Catechism for Girls and Boys

Questions about the Last Things

138. Q. Where is Christ now?
          A. Christ is in heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father.

(Click through to read scriptural proofs.)

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