Mentor

Dr. Hyunsok John Doh

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

12-8-2025

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Thesis Southern Adventist University School of Religion Title: THE EQUALITY AND SUBORDINATION OF JESUS TO THE FATHER: A CRITIQUE OF THE ETERNAL FUNCTIONAL SUBORDINATION OF CHRIST IN VIEW OF THE KENOTIC PRINCIPLE IN PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 Name of the researcher: Willem A. Oosthuizen Name and degree of faculty adviser: Hyunsok John Doh, Ph.D. Date completed: May 2024 In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul encourages the Church to model the humility of Christ, as demonstrated by Jesus' kenosis during the incarnation. Recently, this passage has become a source of debate on the issue of Jesus' position and His relationship to the Godhead, based on the kenosis of Christ during the incarnation. Did Christ become functionally subordinate to God in the kenosis, or has He ontologically been eternally subordinated (EFS) to God? The answer impacts Christology and Christ's divinity, with the danger of leaning either towards Arianism or Tritheism. This thesis explores the form and structure of the text, the Greek background and terminology Paul used to describe the actions of Christ, and the arguments resulting from the subordination of Christ to God: Whether it be an eternal functional subordination (EFS)as held by Wayne Grudem, Bruce Ware and others, or a temporary functional subordination during the incarnation as held by Fee, Peckham, Erickson, Gilbert Bilezikian and others. The implications of these views have practical and theological implications not only for Christology, but also for the mission of the Church and the role of women in ministry. After briefly evaluating the literary form of the text and the perceived influence of hymnic theory on Pauline authorship, the emphasis shifts to the ontological essence of Christ’s position and relation to God. The exegetical analysis of the terms μορφή (form) of God and Jesus, who came in the σχῆμα (likeness) of man, in the emptying of Himself, will be evaluated. The biblical-theological approach is applied to minimize any possible human presuppositions and critical assumptions about the text. The statements of E.G. White are included to provide a perspective on the Adventist background regarding the equality of Christ with God. The proponents of the EFS assert that their view is essential to avoid any form of Tritheism by stating that each member of the Godhead is assigned a unique ontological functional role. The temporary functional subordination view in reply asks why Christ had to experience the kenosis if He was already ontologically subordinate to God. The key text of 1 Cor. 15:24-28 for the EFS view is theologically examined to show that the context does not imply an EFS view. The conclusion reached is that the kenosis does not support an EFS view, as the terminology and context of the passage render it incompatible with eternal subordination. It favors a functional temporary subordination instead.

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