Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 58 minutes ago
Muslims and members of cults love to use verses to prove that Jesus was not God, such as when he said ‘the Father is greater than I’ or ‘the Son can do nothing of Himself’ and others. They point out that God cannot be killed on a cross. Sadly, most Christians have no idea how to answer these criticisms, so they resort to throwing back verse where Jesus said ‘the Father and I are one’, or ‘ when Jesus used the name of God, I AM’.
The first Christians faced similar arguments from the Pharisees. So how did they respond?
Philippians 2:6-11 is considered the first Christian creed and was most likely repeated or sung in Christians meetings. It explains exactly how Christ was in very nature God, but emptied Himself and took the very nature of a slave. What exactly does it mean that He emptied Himself, the word translated from kenosis. A false understanding of this word leads to multiple heresies, but a right understanding destroys every criticism of Muslims and cults.
00:01The questions of Muslims and Cults?
01:15 The Creed of the Early Church: Philippians 2:6-11
02:54 False theories regarding Kenosis.
03:19 Gnosticism and Docetism.
04:30 Arianism: The early form of Muslin and Jehovah’s Witnesses views.
06:05 Augustine muddies the waters: 3 vital questions.
07:02 Two schools of thought. Alexandrian and Antiochene.
09:54 The Biblical teaching of Kenosis.
11:02 ‘In very nature God’.
12:59 ‘The very nature of a slave’. Full dependence on the Father.
14:36 Correctly defining Kenosis.
16:19 Why was it absolutely essential that Christ emptied Himself?
16:45 (1) To fulfill the Law as a human being.
19:22 (2) To be a perfect sacrifice for sin.
21:17 (3) To be a ‘merciful and faithful High Priest’.
22:07 (4) Exalted to the highest place.
23:36 In summary.
Muslims and members of cults love to use verses to prove that Jesus was not God, such as when he said ‘the Father is greater than I’ or ‘the Son can do nothing of Himself’ and others. They point out that God cannot be killed on a cross. Sadly, most Christians have no idea how to answer these criticisms, so they resort to throwing back verse where Jesus said ‘the Father and I are one’, or ‘ when Jesus used the name of God, I AM’.
The first Christians faced similar arguments from the Pharisees. So how did they respond?
Philippians 2:6-11 is considered the first Christian creed and was most likely repeated or sung in Christians meetings. It explains exactly how Christ was in very nature God, but emptied Himself and took the very nature of a slave. What exactly does it mean that He emptied Himself, the word translated from kenosis. A false understanding of this word leads to multiple heresies, but a right understanding destroys every criticism of Muslims and cults.
00:01The questions of Muslims and Cults?
01:15 The Creed of the Early Church: Philippians 2:6-11
02:54 False theories regarding Kenosis.
03:19 Gnosticism and Docetism.
04:30 Arianism: The early form of Muslin and Jehovah’s Witnesses views.
06:05 Augustine muddies the waters: 3 vital questions.
07:02 Two schools of thought. Alexandrian and Antiochene.
09:54 The Biblical teaching of Kenosis.
11:02 ‘In very nature God’.
12:59 ‘The very nature of a slave’. Full dependence on the Father.
14:36 Correctly defining Kenosis.
16:19 Why was it absolutely essential that Christ emptied Himself?
16:45 (1) To fulfill the Law as a human being.
19:22 (2) To be a perfect sacrifice for sin.
21:17 (3) To be a ‘merciful and faithful High Priest’.
22:07 (4) Exalted to the highest place.
23:36 In summary.
