Eternal functional subordination

Last updated

Eternal functional subordination (EFS) or Eternal subordination of the Son (ESS) is a Trinitarian doctrine which proposes a hierarchy within the trinity, where though the Son is ontologically equal to the Father, he is subordinate in role, obeying the Father in eternity. Advocates of eternal subordination generally see this as a model for human relationships. Eternal Subordination is contrasted with the view held by Augustine, where the obedience of the Son to the Father is only by virtue of His human nature. Two prominent modern advocates of the doctrine are Wayne Grudem and Bruce Ware, though they often use the monicker "eternal relations of authority and submission" to further nuance their view. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Although the doctrine of eternal functional subordination has been used to justify complementarian views, it has gained criticism from both complementarian and egalitarian theologians. [6] [7] [8]

History

Wayne Grudem argued that the doctrine has been affirmed by many theologians within the last few centuries, including Carl F. H. Henry, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Ryrie, Charles Hodge and others. However, his interpretation of some of these theologians has been challenged. [9] [3]

The doctrine of eternal functional subordination has been criticized by theologians such as Glenn Butner, Matthew Barrett, R. Scott Clark and Kevin Giles. [6] [10] [11] [8]

Doctrine

Wayne Grudem holds that the Son eternally submits to the Father, arguing that authority is not an attribute of God but of relationship. Grudem however denies that the doctrine of eternal subordination implies three wills in God, instead saying that God has one will but three distinctive expressions of that will. [12] [13] However, its critics have argued that Wayne Grudem's view of the divine will is contradictary. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

Arianism is a Christological doctrine considered heretical by all mainstream branches of Christianity. It is first attributed to Arius, a Christian presbyter who preached and studied in Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God the Father with the difference that the Son of God did not always exist but was begotten/made before time by God the Father; therefore, Jesus was not coeternal with God the Father, but nonetheless Jesus began to exist outside time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian views on marriage</span>

From the earliest days of the Christian faith, Christians have viewed marriage as a divinely blessed, lifelong, monogamous union between a man and a woman. However, while many Christians might agree with the traditional definition, the terminology and theological views of marriage have varied through time in different countries, and among Christian denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity</span> Christian doctrine that God is three persons

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is the central doctrine concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, three distinct persons (hypostases) sharing one essence/substance/nature (homoousion). As the Fourth Lateran Council declared, it is the Father who begets, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds. In this context, one essence/nature defines what God is, while the three persons define who God is. This expresses at once their distinction and their indissoluble unity. Thus, the entire process of creation and grace is viewed as a single shared action of the three divine persons, in which each person manifests the attributes unique to them in the Trinity, thereby proving that everything comes "from the Father," "through the Son," and "in the Holy Spirit."

Monarchianism is a doctrine that emphasizes God as one indivisible being, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism, which defines the Godhead as three coeternal, consubstantial, co-immanent, and equally divine hypostases.

Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the mainstream Christian theology of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence. Certain religious groups that emerged during the Protestant Reformation have historically been known as antitrinitarian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">God the Father</span> Title given to God in various religions

God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, Jesus Christ the Son, and the third person, God the Holy Spirit. Since the second century, Christian creeds included affirmation of belief in "God the Father (Almighty)", primarily in his capacity as "Father and creator of the universe".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Grudem</span> American theologian and author

Wayne A. Grudem is a New Testament scholar turned theologian, seminary professor, and author. Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, Phoenix, Arizona.

Eternal security, also known as "once saved, always saved", is the belief providing Christian believers with absolute assurance throughout their lives of their inevitable salvation. The term has been also used as a synonym for doctrines that offer theoretical security to the predetermined elect without guaranteeing absolute assurance to all believers. It typically aligns with forms of theological determinism, whether fully or partially. Eternal security is a characteristic doctrine of the Southern Baptist traditionalism. It is held in Calvinist circles and by the Plymouth Brethren. It is also held in the Free Grace movement and in the "Hyper-Grace" movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attributes of God in Christianity</span> Specific characteristics of God discussed in Christian theology

The attributes of God are specific characteristics of God discussed in Christian theology.

Binitarianism is a Christian theology of two persons, personas, or aspects in one substance/Divinity. Classically, binitarianism is understood as a form of monotheism—that is, that God is absolutely one being—and yet with binitarianism there is a "twoness" in God, which means one God family. The other common forms of monotheism are "unitarianism", a belief in one God with one person, and "trinitarianism", a belief in one God with three persons.

The "image of God" is a concept and theological doctrine in Judaism and Christianity. It is a foundational aspect of Judeo-Christian belief with regard to the fundamental understanding of human nature. It stems from the primary text in Genesis 1:27, which reads: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female he created them." The exact meaning of the phrase has been debated for millennia.

Homoiousios is a Christian theological term, coined in the 4th century to identify a distinct group of Christian theologians who held the belief that God the Son was of a similar, but not identical, essence with God the Father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Complementarianism</span> Theological view on gender roles

Complementarianism is a theological view in some denominations of Christianity, Rabbinic Judaism, and Islam, that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, and religious leadership. Complementary and its cognates are currently used to denote this view. Some Christians interpret the Bible as prescribing complementarianism, and therefore adhere to gender-specific roles that preclude women from specific functions of ministry within the community. Though women may be precluded from certain roles and ministries, they are held to be equal in moral value and of equal status. The phrase used to describe this is "ontologically equal, functionally different".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subordinationism</span> Assertion that the Son and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to God the Father in nature and being

Subordinationism is a Social Trinitarian doctrine wherein the Son is subordinate to the Father, not only in submission and role, but with actual ontological subordination to varying degrees. It posits a hierarchical ranking of the persons of the Social Trinity, implying ontological subordination of the persons of the Son and the Holy Spirit. It was condemned as heretical in the Second Council of Constantinople.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Christianity</span> Women in Christianity

The roles of women in Christianity have varied since its founding. Women have played important roles in Christianity especially in marriage and in formal ministry positions within certain Christian denominations, and parachurch organizations. In 2016, it was estimated that 52–53 percent of the world's Christian population aged 20 years and over was female, with this figure falling to 51.6 percent in 2020. The Pew Research Center studied the effects of gender on religiosity throughout the world, finding that Christian women in 53 countries are generally more religious than Christian men, while Christians of both genders in African countries are equally likely to regularly attend services.

Free grace theology is a Christian soteriological view which holds that the only condition of salvation is faith, excluding good works and perseverance, holding to eternal security. Free Grace advocates believe that good works are not the condition to merit, to maintain, or to prove salvation, but rather are part of discipleship and the basis for receiving eternal rewards. This soteriological view distinguishes between salvation and discipleship – the call to believe in Christ as Savior and to receive the gift of eternal life, and the call to follow Christ and become an obedient disciple, respectively. Free grace theologians emphasize the absolute freeness of salvation and the possibility of full assurance that is not grounded upon personal performance. Norman Geisler has divided this view into a moderate form and a more radical form. The moderate form being associated with Charles Ryrie, and the more strong form with Zane Hodges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-existence of Christ</span> Existence of Christ before his incarnation as Jesus

The pre-existence of Christ asserts the existence of Christ prior to his incarnation as Jesus. One of the relevant Bible passages is John 1:1–18 where, in the Trinitarian interpretation, Christ is identified with a pre-existent divine hypostasis called the Logos. There are nontrinitarian views that question the aspect of personal pre-existence, the aspect of divinity, or both.

The Jesus' name doctrine or the Oneness doctrine upholds that baptism is to be performed "in the name of Jesus Christ," rather than using the Trinitarian formula "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It is most commonly associated with Oneness Christology and the movement of Oneness Pentecostalism; however, some Trinitarians also baptise in Jesus' name and interpret it as on the authority of Jesus' name which most of mainstream Christendom justifies as referencing the existence of a Trinitarian Christian deity through the Great Commission among other precepts such as instances in the Old Testament.

Kevin N. Giles is an Australian evangelical Anglican priest and theologian who was in parish ministry for over 40 years. He and his family live in Melbourne, Australia. Giles studied at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Durham University, England and Tubingen University, Germany. He has a Doctor of Theology degree from the Australian College of Theology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eternal Generation of the Son</span>

The Eternal Generation of the Son is a trinitarian doctrine, which is defined as a necessary and as an eternal act of God the Father, where he generates God the Son through communicating the whole divine essence to the Son. Generation is not not defined as an act of the will, but is by necessity of nature. To avoid anthropomorphistic understandings of the doctrine, theologians have defined it as timeless, non bodily, incomprehensible and not as a communication without but within the Godhead. The view is affirmed by the Catholic church, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Westminister confession the London Baptist confession, by Lutheran confessions among others.

References

  1. ↑ "Trinitarian Agency and the Eternal Subordination of the Son: An Augustinian Perspective". The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  2. ↑ Gatewood, Timothy. "Why Should Evangelicals Reject the Eternal Subordination of the Son? Michael Bird and Matthew Barrett - Credo Magazine". credomag.com. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  3. 1 2 "Another Thirteen Evangelical Theologians Who Affirm the Eternal Submission of the Son to the Father". www.reformation21.org. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  4. ↑ Sazo, Timoteo (2023-02-23). "Eternal Functional Subordination of the Son (EFS), Part I: Why It Misunderstands God". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  5. ↑ "Question & Answer: The Orthodox Presbyterian Church". opc.org. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  6. 1 2 Butner, Jr., Glenn. ""Eternal Functional Subordination and the Problem of the Divine Will"" (PDF). JETS. 58/1: 131–49.
  7. ↑ "Rescuing Complementarianism - The Heidelblog". heidelblog.net/. 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  8. 1 2 "The Eternal Subordination of the Son Controversy: Survey of Some Relevant Material". www.reformation21.org. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  9. ↑ "A Response To Grudem's Appeal To Hodge On Eternal Subordination". theaquilareport.com. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  10. ↑ Gatewood, Timothy. "Does Eternal Subordination Compromise Biblical Orthodoxy? Liam Goligher and Matthew Barrett - Credo Magazine". credomag.com/. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  11. ↑ "Eternal Subordination". The Heidelblog. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  12. ↑ Grudem, Wayne (2016). "Why a denial of the Son's eternal submission threatens both the Trinity and the Bible" (PDF).
  13. ↑ Grudem, Wayne. ""Biblical Evidence for the Eternal Submission of the Son to the Father"" (PDF).
  14. ↑ Butner, Jr., Glenn. ""Eternal Functional Subordination and the Problem of the Divine Will"" (PDF). JETS. 58/1: 131–49.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.