Is the Son Eternally Subordinate to the Father?
The eternal functional subordination of the Son (EFS) is a novel redefinition of the Trinity. In this view, EFS has redefined the Trinity in the form of a community or society, one that is the paradigm or prototype for human society. What kind of society? A society of functional hierarchy. The Father is given the seat of utmost authority and even supreme glory over the Son and the Spirit. The Son’s submission to the Father occurs within the immanent Trinity and is even said to be person-defining, flowing from eternal generation.
In the following resources, Matthew Barrett and others expose the Achilles’ Heel of EFS, demonstrating the novelty of the movement when compared to scripture and historic Christian orthodoxy. They also reveal hermeneutical missteps that come dangerously close to trinitarian heresies. In the end, these scholars encourage us to be faithful to the biblical, orthodox Trinity instead of redefining the Trinity in the image of our own society.
Join Dr. Barrett and other scholars as they teach key trinitarian concepts, which safeguard us from future Trinity drift and help us find our way home to a biblical and orthodox understanding of the Trinity. For more, sign up for the Trinity course through the For the Church Institute, and be sure to grab a copy of Dr. Barrett’s book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit (Baker, 2021).
FTC Institute Lectures
Credo Podcasts
Does Eternal Subordination Compromise Biblical Orthodoxy? Liam Goligher and Matthew Barrett
Is the Son Eternally Subordinate to the Father? Simply Trinity (Part 3)
Is the Son Eternally Subordinate to the Father? Simply Trinity (Part 4)