Emptying (Kenosis) (Introduction)

Introduction

 

 

 

 

One of the expressions of faith most frequently heard today in the everyday conversations of Christians and from church pulpits is “letting go.”  Through the writings of a faithful missionary to Mongolia, this expression deeply resonated spiritually with the Korean church and its believers.  Since then, “letting go” has become a familiar expression used by many Christians to describe their faith, extending beyond matters of church office and calling. I, too, have used this expression for many years.  However, as I have meditated more deeply on Scripture and observed the lives of believers in pastoral ministry, I have begun to wonder whether the expression “emptying” might reveal the essence of biblical discipleship more clearly than “letting go.”

 

“Letting go” carries the sense of temporarily setting down something that I am holding in my hands.  We let go of greed, let go of attachments, and sometimes let go of our rights or personal interests.  Of course, this is an important discipline of faith. Yet it has one limitation. Setting down what is in our hands does not necessarily mean that the heart that wants to grasp it has been changed.  I may let something go today but grasp it again tomorrow.  Outwardly, I may have let go of greed, while deep within I may still desire to be the master of my own life.  When circumstances change and situations shift, I may once again cling to my own will and desires.  Therefore, what Scripture requires of us does not stop at the simple act of letting something go.  To empty ourselves of the very thought that we are the masters of our lives and to surrender the center and sovereignty of our lives to God is discipleship at a deeper level.  At the heart of this is Jesus Christ’s “self-emptying.”

 

Philippians 2:7 says: “Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”  Jesus was one with God in His very nature, yet in order to save us, He humbled Himself and took the form of a servant.  When Scripture says that He “emptied himself,” it does not mean that Jesus gave up His divinity.  Rather, it means that He did not insist upon His own glory and rights, but humbled Himself, descended to the place of a servant, and completely obeyed the will of God.  This is the way of self-emptying that Jesus Christ showed us.  Therefore, “emptying” does not mean possessing nothing.  It means emptying myself of the desire to be the master of my own life and yielding that place to Christ.  It means emptying myself of stubbornness and receiving the will of God.  It means emptying myself of pride and learning humility.  It means emptying myself of greed and fear and trusting in the faithfulness of God.  Seen in this way, emptying is not simply giving something up.

 

Emptying prepares us for a new fullness.  I empty my thoughts so that they may be filled with the Word of God.  I empty my greed so that I may seek the will of God.  I empty my pride so that I may embrace the humility of Christ.  I empty my hatred so that I may be filled with love.  I empty myself of the desire to be my own master so that Christ may become the Lord of my life.  Therefore, the life of a believer must not end simply with the question, “What should I let go of?”  We must ask two questions together: “What must be emptied from within me?”  And: “What must fill the place that has been emptied?” 

 

To live as a disciple of Jesus is to place ourselves before these questions every day.  It is to examine, in the light of God’s Word, our thoughts and desires, our pride and stubbornness, our greed and fears, our hatred and wounds, and our attachments to the world—and to empty ourselves of them.  Then we are to fill those emptied places with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the love of Christ.  Of course, this is not something that can be accomplished by our willpower and effort alone.  By our own strength, we cannot fundamentally transform long-established habits of sin and self-centeredness.  Therefore, we must depend upon the grace of the cross. 

 

We must look to Christ, who gave Himself for us, and seek the help of the Holy Spirit, who works within us.  The “emptying” spoken of in this book begins precisely at this place of grace.  In the chapters ahead, we will look at ourselves in the mirror of Scripture and examine, one by one, the things hidden in various areas of our lives that must be emptied.  Together, we will consider the path of emptying ourselves of pride, greed, hypocrisy, falsehood, hatred, evil thoughts, lust, resentment, and jealousy.  Yet the purpose of this book is not to condemn us endlessly.  Rather, it is to turn our eyes toward Christ, who first emptied Himself for us.  No matter how hard we try to empty ourselves, without the grace of God we will simply become filled again with the very things we tried to empty.  Therefore, while acknowledging our weakness, we must seek the grace of Christ in every place where emptying is needed.  And we must yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit so that He may fill the hearts He has emptied with the Word and love of God.

 

Now we are going to stand quietly before the mirror of Scripture.  What am I holding on to?  What is it that I still refuse to release?  What must be emptied from the deepest places of my heart?  And what am I filling those emptied places with?  When we refuse to avoid these questions and instead face them honestly, “emptying” will no longer be merely a slogan of faith.  It will become a practical path of discipleship that transforms our lives.  I hope this book will serve as a small guide for those who walk this path.  In the process of writing this book, I also received assistance from artificial intelligence.  The content of this book is based on the meditations and reflections I have recorded over many years of meditating on Scripture and preaching the Word in pastoral ministry. 

 

Artificial intelligence referred to the biblical meditations and sermons I have written over the years, helping me organize the themes and flow and refine sentences so that the thoughts I wished to communicate could be expressed more clearly.  Nevertheless, the spiritual direction of this book, its understanding of Scripture, and the central convictions concerning what must be emptied and what must fill the emptied places remain under my responsibility.  Above all, I have sought to examine, discern, and refine everything in this book anew before the Word of God.  My prayer is that everyone who reads this book will look beyond human writings to the Word of Scripture, and beyond the person who wrote these words to Jesus Christ, who first emptied Himself for us and gave Himself on our behalf.

 

 

 

 

Longing humbly for the holy work of emptying that the Holy Spirit performs, emptying myself again today of the desire to be my own master, and praying that Christ alone would be the Lord of my life,

 

 

Shared by James Kim

September 12, 2026

Even in my weakness, when I have not fully emptied myself of self-centeredness and at times still cling to the very things I ought to empty, I seek only the faithful mercy of God …