Trinity, superiority question...

[Bushmaster78FS]

I have seen a quote in one of the forums...

The Persons of the Trinity never work independantly from each other. However, we know that the Father is superior to the Son.

Please elaborate this a little for me... Now, does this mean Christ is inferior to the Father? Headship, yes, inferiority, no. Certainly, Christ humbled himself and was in total submission to the Father's will on His ministry Earth, but can't reconcile these superiority, inferiority issues.

Like the husband and wife are equal, but husband has the headship. They are equal but there is headship, and we are using language to express what our limited minds are trying explain with the word headship, and that is of course not enough. (1 Cor 15:28?) My mind is rejecting the idea Father being ultimately and eternally superior to God the Son in an equal Trinity???

[eoe]

From what I understand the Father is first among equals.

[choirfiend]

I think it is like referring to the man as the head of the relationship. It does not mean literal superiority, but as we talk about God, that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father and the Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father, a co-equal trinity of freely given love.

[Grigorii]

I have seen a quote in one of the forums...



Please elaborate this a little for me... Now, does this mean Christ is inferior to the Father? Headship, yes, inferiority, no. Certainly, Christ humbled himself and was in total submission to the Father's will on His ministry Earth, but can't reconcile these superiority, inferiority issues.

Jesus Christ is God-the-Son (the Second Person of the Trinity) Incarnate. Insofar as His Divinity is concerned He is co-eternal, co-equal, and co-essential with the Father. As far as He is truly human, He is temporal, un-equal, and hetero-essential from the Father. However, due to the perfect union of natures into one nature in Jesus Christ, we worship the Incarnate God, we don't worship a human or divine nature, but we worship the Person to whom Divinity and humanity belongs. Which is why worshipping the man Jesus is not idoltry, for this man is God!

Like the husband and wife are equal, but husband has the headship. They are equal but there is headship, and we are using language to express what our limited minds are trying explain with the word headship, and that is of course not enough. (1 Cor 15:28?) My mind is rejecting the idea Father being ultimately and eternally superior to God the Son in an equal Trinity???

What you have touched upon here is called in theology: 'the taxis of the Trinity' (the order of the trinitarian Persons as first, second, and third). If I may count on your patience I will make an attempt towards an answer. May God forgive me a sinner! :crosseo:

Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and Gregory of Nyssa, speak of the Father as the "Unoriginate" in the Trinity. He is the One who does not take His origin from anyone/thing else. The Son and the Spirit are "Originate" insofar as they take Their origin from the Father. The Father is conceived of as the "Principle of Union" in the Holy Trinity.

This means that the Trinity is co-essential, co-equal, and co-eternal because the Son is all this to the Father by being eternally generated from the Father; and at the same time the Holy Spirit is all that to the Father by proceeding from Him. It is therefore in their originating from the Father that Son and Spirit are equal to Him in all, except in origins. The Father is the Origin of Son and Spirit, and this is His 'superiority' over Son and Spirit. But we should not use the word superiority because it misrepresents the co-equality of the Persons in the Trinity.

However, the anology of 'origination' is not entirely free from misunderstanding either, and I think it could be stated with less danger of misunderstanding by re-casting the above story in terms of self-revelation of the Trinity. But that is another story, I hope this one suffices for now. I don't wanna make it more complicated than it allready is.

IC XC

Grigorii

[Bushmaster78FS]

. It is therefore in their originating from the Father that Son and Spirit are equal to Him in all, except in origins. The Father is the Origin of Son and Spirit, and this is His 'superiority' over Son and Spirit. But we should not use the word superiority because it misrepresents the co-equality of the Persons in the Trinity.

There we go, I got my answer, thanks a bunch, God Bless You always... :crossrc: