Will the Sonship of Jesus End?

Summary

Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.

The passage proves too much — the Son is not a second, lesser person

• The question posed (in the host's frame): in First Corinthians chapter 15, Paul said something that I think has confused a lot of people. In writing about the end of the age, he said — and this is from the first of the two verses he reads — he said: 'then comes the end (as read), when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power.' And then in verse 28, Paul said: 'and when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject, unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.' That's quite a mouthful. But the initial reading of this verse does seem to imply, that not only is there a distinction between the Father and the Son, but also a subordinate role, for the Son. How do we explain this passage (as the question is put, to believers of our persuasion)? The answer: I will certainly acknowledge that this is one of those difficult passages, of scripture. And if you think it's difficult: you're in good company. second Peter chapter 3 (as he cites it): Peter, the great apostle, talked about — we love the apostle Paul; he's got great writings; his writings are scripture. But some things are hard to understand. And some people twist them, into error, into their own devices (as heard). Well, I think this is probably a candidate, for that statement. So: if you only had this, in the Bible, you might conclude: God and the Son — or Father and Son — are two different persons. But then, if you said that, you'd also have to conclude that the Son is clearly inferior, to the Father. Now, classic trinitarianism does say: there are two persons — in fact, three persons — but they're all equal. So if you want to promote trinitarian theology, against our theology ('one is theology', as heard), this verse, this passage, doesn't help. Because it proves too much. If it proves Father and Son are two different persons, it proves that the Son is inferior, to the Father. Now, the Jehovah's Witnesses have this very teaching. They deny the Trinity. But they believe that there's one God, Jehovah. But they believe Jesus is the Son of God — he's not the one God, Jehovah — but he's a second, subordinate being, like a glorified angel. Well: if you only had this passage, that might seem to be supporting their ideology. However: if you read the rest of the Bible, that's clearly not the case. And I won't take the time to mention that — except: the Bible repeatedly speaks, of Jesus Christ, as the one true God, manifested in the flesh. So: first Timothy 3 16; John 1 14; John 20 28 (as he cites them); and even identifying him as the Jehovah, or I AM, of the Old Testament — John 8 58; Isaiah 9 6 (as he cites them). On and on, and on. Jesus is the true God, manifested in the flesh. He is Jehovah, Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament. The I AM, manifested in the flesh. So, in fact: Colossians 2 9 says (as he cites it): in him — the Lord Jesus Christ — dwells all the fullness of the godhead, bodily. And as I mentioned a moment ago, when I mentioned John 20 28: Thomas, when he saw the resurrected Christ, simply identified him, and confessed him, as: my Lord, and my God. And Jesus, of course, accepted that confession. So: if any explanation doesn't fit the whole of scripture, it would be that idea — that Father and Son are two persons, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. So once that has been eliminated, by the whole of scripture: what's left?

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; 2 Peter 3; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:14; John 20:28; John 8:58; Isaiah 9:6; Colossians 2:9

Father and Son in the Bible's own terms — God in the flesh

• Well, we need to go back, and look at these terms, of God, Father, Son — in their scriptural context. Not from later centuries. Not from the creeds, and councils, of the fourth and fifth centuries. Not from the standpoint of the doctrine of the Trinity ('the Dark of the Trinity', as heard). Or from the Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrine ('the Dr Jehovah's Witnesses', as the letters stand) — which, really, the ancient term is arianism (as heard), which was also a fourth-century doctrine. So we can't look at it from that context. But look at it, from the Bible. So we look at it, from the Bible: first — God is one. He's eternal. He's Spirit. He's invisible. He's the sovereign, of the universe. There's none like him. None beside him. He's the only one — Deuteronomy 6 4 (as he cites it), and many, many other passages of scripture. The term Father is speaking of that one God, in relationship to the human race. The term Son is more focused. A short way to define this term, in scripture, as used of Jesus Christ — the only begotten, or unique, Son of God — is: God manifested in the flesh. You see this in Luke 1 35 (as he cites it). When the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, the mother of Jesus, he said to her: the holy spirit will overshadow you; therefore — and here's the reason — the child that will be born of you shall be called the Son of God. So he's called the Son of God, because the spirit of God caused him to be conceived ('the spirit of God calls him to be conceived', as heard). He's not the son of Joseph, or any earthly man. He's the Son of God, by miraculous conception. And so: when we speak of the Son of God, we're speaking of Jesus Christ, the human being born of a virgin — who, God's spirit is in him. So he's the true God, but he's manifesting the flesh. So that term Son would not mean a second person. But it means: God in the flesh. And you can see this in John 14 9-11 (as he cites it): Jesus said: if you've seen me, you've seen the Father; the Father dwells in me. You could see this in second Corinthians 5 19 (as he cites it): God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:4; Luke 1:35; John 14:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:19

The reign of the Son — Psalm 110's 'until', and the judgment that ends it

• Now, more particularly: the Son, then, refers to the Incarnation — God manifested in the flesh. This passage of scripture is talking about the rule of the Son. The reign of the Son. Where the Son has dominion. It connects to Psalm 110, where: 'the Lord said unto my Lord: sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' So that prophecy — it's a prophecy, of the Messiah. The Lord — the one true God, the God of the universe, Jehovah Yahweh — says to 'my Lord': David, the psalmist, is saying: he's my Lord, my king. That's talking about the Messiah — the anointed king, who would come to deliver Israel, and, by extension, the human race. So it's a prophecy of Jesus. Not as a pre-existent second person. But looking down through time, saying: a king will be born; he will be anointed; and he will conquer the enemies of Israel, and the enemies of the human race — which would include the devil. And I will put him, in the right hand position — the position of authority and power. So God is saying: I will give this man divine authority, and power, until he defeats his enemies. Well: 'until' implies a limited time. It's not talking about deity, because deity is unchanging. But basically, this is a prophecy, saying: that anointed king will have my power. He will do my work. He will defeat all the enemies, of the human race. And then he'll be finished. So that's what you might call: the rule of the Son. So what you're seeing, in First Corinthians 15, is the rule of the Son, or the reign of the Son. So think about it: right now — right now, we, in the church — we're saved from sin. We're saved from the devil. We're saved, by the grace of God. How? Because Jesus Christ died for us. Shed his blood. He was buried. He rose again. So we have victory, specifically because of Jesus Christ. Not just because God is our Father, or God created us. But because Jesus Christ, as God manifested the flesh, redeemed us. So we can say: right now, we're in the church, because of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Because he was a real human, who died, and rose again. That's why we have victory. That will continue, until the last judgment. At the last judgment, Jesus Christ — as God manifested in the flesh — will sit on the throne. He will judge all the enemies. The devil will be cast, in the lake of fire. Sinners will be cast, the lake of fire. The saved will be ushered into the eternal state, of the New Jerusalem, the new heaven, new earth. And will live forever. And that will complete the work, of the Son. And so the role of the Son — or the reign of the Son — will end.

Scriptures: Psalm 110:1

What ends, and what does not — one throne, 'God and the Lamb'

• Does that mean Jesus will cease to exist? Of course not. He's God. Does that mean the body of Jesus will cease to exist? No. Because even our bodies are going to be glorified — will be eternal human bodies ('an Eternal uh human body', as spoken). So Jesus is no less human, than us. He'll rule and reign, as the one God. But manifested in the eternal, glorified body, of a human being. So: but what will happen is: Jesus will no longer act, as the humble servant. No longer act, as the Son who died. No longer act, as the mediator. That will all be done. Everybody that's been saved, will be saved. Everybody that needed their sins forgiven, will have had their sins forgiven. Every force of evil will be destroyed. And so the Son will no longer act, as Son. He will no longer be the mediator, the sacrifice, the intercessor, or even the judge. But simply: God will be all in all. So God will resume being what he was, before he created the worlds. He will simply be the one true God, of eternity. Only now, revealed in Jesus Christ. And so you see the eternal state, in revelation 22 3-4 (as he cites it): you see, in heaven, one Throne, one divine Throne, one person on that Throne. He's called God and the lamb. Not two Thrones. Not two persons, sitting side by side, on one Throne. Not one person, in another's lap ('not one person another's lap', as spoken). It's one person. Because: 'his servants shall serve him; they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.' And of course, if you study the New Testament: the glory of God is revealed, in the face of Jesus Christ — second Corinthians 4 4-6 (as he cites it). Christ is the image of God — Colossians 1 15 (as he cites it): the Son is the image of the invisible God. And of course, the supreme name is the name of Jesus. It's the only name of Salvation — acts 4 12 (as he cites it). It's the name that's above every name — Philippians 2 9-11 (as he cites it). So in revelation 22 (as named), we see one God, on one Throne, who simultaneously God and the lamb ('who simultaneously God in the lamb', as the letters stand). He's the Sovereign, of the universe. He's the sacrifice of sin. That can only be Jesus Christ. But he's presented as one personal being, on one Throne, throughout eternity.

Scriptures: Revelation 22:3-4; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:15; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-11

The passages together — he gives the kingdom to himself

• So, in other words: First Corinthians 15 is kind of like a parable, or an illustration, saying: Jesus Christ will work, as the Son — saving us, being our mediator, being the judge of evil — until he finishes the work. When he finishes the work, the Son will submit the kingdom, to the Father, that God may be all in all. So Jesus will cease acting, in this role. But he will simply resume the original role, that he had before the Incarnation. He will be God. Not as another person. Now, if that sounds a little bit far-fetched: well, compared with other scripture, as I've already mentioned. So if you look at this: the Son submits the kingdom, to the Father, that God may be all in all. Well: second Corinthians 5 19 (as cited above): God was in Christ, reconciling the world, unto himself. So the Son is not a second person. But God is in the Son. And the Son does not bring us, to somebody else. The Son reconciles us, to himself. Another passage is Ephesians 5 27 (as he cites it): talking about Jesus Christ, in the end — he will present it to himself: a glorious Church, without spot, or wrinkle ('Without spot a wrinkle', as heard). So there, Jesus presents the kingdom, to himself. And if you think about it: it would be kind of weird, if we're the bride of Christ, and, you know, Jesus purchases the bride — and then, at the climactic moment, he gives his bride to his dad. You know, that's not what's going on. But Jesus is giving the church, to himself. So when you look at all these passages together ('all these passes together', as heard) — First Corinthians 15: the Son gives the kingdom, to the Father. Ephesians 5: Jesus gives the kingdom, to himself. second Corinthians: God's in Christ, reconciling the world, to himself — we put it all together: what First Corinthians 15 is simply saying — there's one God, who simultaneously fulfills the roles of Father and Son, for the purpose of our salvation ('who saw my spontaneously fulfills', as the letters stand). The Son is God manifest, in the flesh. When God finishes all his work, as the Son: the reign of the Sun will end (as the word stands). The role of the Son will end. The glorified human body, of Jesus Christ, will be forever. He's a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. So he'll still be Jesus. He'll still be who he is. But now he will simply reign, as he did from the beginning. God will be all in all.

Scriptures: Ephesians 5:27

Scripture index: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; 2 Peter 3; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:14; John 20:28; John 8:58; Isaiah 9:6; Colossians 2:9; Deuteronomy 6:4; Luke 1:35; John 14:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Psalm 110:1; Revelation 22:3-4; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:15; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 5:27.