The incarnation of Christ consisted essentially in the paramount miracle that the Son of God, with the fulness of the Godhead, entered into an indissoluble personal union with the human nature, John 1, 14; Col. 2, 9. Hence from the very moment of its conception, Luke 1, 35, the human nature of Christ was in possession (χτήσις) of all divine attributes and of all divine majesty and glory, John 1, 14; 2, 11. However, in order to be able to redeem us by His most holy obedience (active, Gal. 4, 4. 5; passive, Is. 53, 4-6), Christ, from the time of His conception until His revivification in the grave, refrained from the full and constant use (χρήοις) of His communicated attributes, majesty, and glory, Phil. 2, 6 ff. Throughout His earthly life, till the completion of His work of redemption, He went about in the form of a servant, bearing all the weaknesses and infirmities of human nature after the Fall and being subject to the obligation (Matt. 3, 15; Gal. 4, 4) and curse (Gal. 3, 13) of the divine Law.
This condition of self-renunciation we designate as “Christ’s state of humiliation” (status exinanitionis). The humiliation of Christ did not consist essentially in the act of the incarnation, although it was a most gracious condescension for the Son of God to assume our human nature; for while the state of humiliation ceased with His burial, Phil. 2, 8 f., the personal union resulting from the incarnation never ceased, Eph. 1, 20—23; 4, 10. Again, while in the incarnation the Son of God entered into a true and real union with human nature, the state of humiliation does not pertain to Christ’s divine, but only to His human nature (against modern kenoticism). Baier defines the state of humiliation as follows: “The state of humiliation consists in this, that Christ for a time renounced, truly and really, yet freely, the plenary exercise of the divine majesty that He might suffer and die for the life of the world.” (Docir. Theol. p. 377 ff.)
The doctrine of Christ’s humiliation as set forth in the Confessions of the Lutheran Church is truly Scriptural. Scripture not only clearly establishes the doctrine of the two states of Christ, Phil. 2, 6—11, in general, but also ascribes to His human nature in the days of His flesh full possession of all divine attributes, majesty, and glory, John 1, 14; 2, 11; 5, 17; Matt. 11, 27; Col. 2, 3. 9, etc., while in other passages it presents the same Christ as not using His divine prerogatives, so that the one Christ, who is ineffably rich, was also poor. Matt. 8, 20; 2 Cor. 8, 9; He who is almighty God, John 6, 68. 69; Is. 9, 6, was also weak, Luke 22, 42. 43; He who is the Creator and Lord of all things, John 1, 1—4; Matt. 8, 27. 29, was also subject to man, Luke 2, 61. 52; He who is the Prince of Life, Acts 3, 15; Rev. 1, 18, was also captured and slain by men, Luke 22, 54. 63; 23, 33—37. 46.
These apparently contradictory statements, Scripture explains by the fact that the Son of Man did not always and fully use the divine prerogatives which were communicated to Him as man (John 10, 18: Christ died because He did not use His power to live; Phil. 2, 6—8: Christ died because He humbled Himself). Hence the state of humiliation became possible and real because Christ voluntarily refrained from the complete and uninterrupted use of the fulness of the Godhead, which from the very moment of His conception dwelled in Him bodily.
The reason why our Savior thus abstained from the constant use of His plenary, communicated divine majesty is that according to Scripture He executed the work of redemption through His vicarious satisfaction, Is. 53, 1—6; 2 Cor. 5, 19—21. Had He always and fully used His divine majesty, as He did at His transfiguration and after the resurrection, Matt. 17,1—8; John 20,17.19, He could not have become our Substitute, Phil. 2, 6—8; Is. 53,1—6, and could not have rendered perfect obedience, Gal. 4, 4. 5; 3, 13, to His heavenly Father in our place. But since He humbled Himself (Ικένωοεν) by refraining from the full and uninterrupted use of His divine majesty, assuming the form of a servant, appearing in the likeness of men, and so rendering perfect obedience to His Father, Phil. 2, 6—8, He has become our true Redeemer (Jer. 23, 6: “the Lord our Righteousness”), whose poverty is our riches (2 Cor. 8, 9), whose obedience is our redemption (Gal. 4, 4. 5), and whose death is our propitiation (Rom. 3, 24. 25).
Certainly, whenever it was demanded in the interest of His redemptive work, Christ employed His imparted majesty and glory, not only when performing miracles before His great Passion, John 2, 11, or when exercising His prophetic ministry, John 1, 18, but also when, as our great High Priest, He gave Himself for us as an offering, Luke 23, 34; for not only was His human nature sustained by the imparted divine properties in the dreadful agony of His Passion, Matt. 26, 38. 39; 27,46, but rays of divine glory shone also ad extra through the intense gloom of His suffering, John 19, 25—27; Luke 23, 43.