Glorious Vanity
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit Philippians 2:3
Empty Conceit – What images come to mind with “empty conceit?” Did you picture an arrogant, boasting person, full of opinions without substance?” Or did you think about someone who is never wrong – and therefore, never humble?” I remember a greeting card years ago that said, “I used to be conceited, but I got over that. Now I’m perfect.”
The way this Greek word is used in the New Testament gives us a little different snapshot. It’s kenodoxian. If we take it apart, we find kenos and doxa. You’ll recognize the second word in this compound if you think about doxology. Doxa is the Greek word for glory. The doxology is a hymn to the glory of God. But how is it related to kenos, a word that means “empty or hollow”, and how does adding this word change “glory” into “conceit?” For that, we have to look toward Hebrew influences, not Greek ones.
Greek usage of kenos typically implies a mental attitude. In ancient Greek texts, the word denotes someone who is vain. They lack the proper attitude toward life. But in the New Testament, the meaning shifts just a little. The Hebrew influence pushes the word toward a moral stance, so it means someone who is deceptive and self-seeking. Such a person is morally bankrupt, not because they have the wrong principles but because they don’t accept personal responsibility in the face of God’s holiness. As a result, their lives are empty and their efforts are futile. James 2:20 gives us a picture of these people. They are fools, not realizing that faith entails godly works. They serve their own glory rather than the glory of God.
We probably have encountered someone like this. Hopefully, it is not the person in the mirror. But unless we are careful, it certainly could be. Notice that Paul gives this bit of instruction to the church. That implies that kenodoxia can be found within the congregation. That’s why we need the warning. The worst part about kenodoxia is its corollary: self-blindness.
How are we to avoid such terrible cataracts? The answer is found in the mouth of Mary. Entirely Hebrew in her outlook, she offers the perfect antidote to vainglory in Luke 1:52. God exalts the humble and tears down the proud. The medicine for kenodoxia is the humiliation of ego. Whenever we begin to think we are someone important, we need to remember the Man of sorrows, who entered the world as an illegitimate outcast and who left as a rejected scapegoat. That is the stuff of true glory.
