his way endures as a way of emptying the self of all its goods instead of shoring up the self with spiritual riches. Only those who lose their lives can have them. Sometimes known by its Greek name, this kenosis is captured best in the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,” he writes, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.” The important thing to notice is that no one emptied this
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