[i]If Jesus is equal to the Father, why do some Bible verses indicate that He is not? 

• Many question how Jesus Christ can be equal to the Father in divine essence when certain Bible verses suggest His subordination or limitation during His earthly life.
• This issue touches the core doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation, which are foundational to Christianity.
• The Bible affirms that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, and any apparent subordination or limitation reflects His functional role during His earthly ministry, not an inferiority in His divine essence.
• This text aims to clarify Jesus’ dual nature, explain the appearance of humility in certain verses, and demonstrate how these are consistent with His full equality with the Father, supplemented with extensive examples and explanations.

The nature of Jesus: Fully God and Fully Man

• The doctrine of the Incarnation is key to understanding Jesus’ nature: He, being fully God, assumed human nature without relinquishing His divinity.
• Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV): “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross!”
• This passage reveals Jesus’ voluntary self-emptying (kenosis), limiting the exercise of divine attributes (e.g., omniscience, omnipotence) to live as a true human, while retaining His divine essence.
• As a man, Jesus experienced human limitations like hunger (Matthew 4:2, NIV: “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry”), fatigue (John 4:6, NIV: “Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well”), and pain, yet remained fully God.
• This humility was essential for redemption, enabling Jesus to serve as the perfect mediator between God and humanity by living a fully human life.

[ii] The Trinity: Unity in essence and distinction in roles

• The doctrine of the Trinity teaches that God is one in essence but exists in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—equal in divine nature yet distinct in functional roles.
• 1 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV): “The head of Christ is God.”
• This indicates functional subordination within the Trinity, not inferiority in essence, reflecting the divine order in God’s redemptive plan.
• For example, in a family, a father may lead without being intrinsically superior; similarly, the Son’s submission to the Father serves the purpose of redemption without diminishing His divinity.
• Matthew 28:19 (NIV): “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
• The singular “name” underscores the unity of the Trinity, placing the Son on equal footing with the Father and Holy Spirit.

 Functional submission does not imply inferiority

• Apparent subordination or limitation in some Bible verses relates to Jesus’ role as a man during His earthly ministry, not a reduction in His divine essence.
• Mark 13:32 (NIV): “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
• This reflects Jesus’ voluntary limitation of His divine omniscience during the Incarnation, aligning with His human role for redemption.
• Colossians 2:9 (NIV): “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” This affirms that Jesus retained the complete divine nature even in His incarnate state.
• For example, like a company manager working temporarily as an employee without losing authority, Jesus chose to limit His divine attributes to fulfill His human mission, not because He lacked divinity.
• Jesus also explicitly affirmed His equality with the Father: John 10:30 (NIV): “I and the Father are one.” John 14:9 (NIV): “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Matthew 28:18 (NIV): “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
• These statements confirm His unity with the Father in essence, clarifying that His submission was functional, tied to redemption, and not indicative of inferiority.

Jesus’ Restoration of His Divine Attributes after the Resurrection

• Post-resurrection, Jesus resumed the full exercise of His divine attributes, demonstrating His undiminished divinity.
• John 21:17 (NIV): “The third time he said to him, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’. He said, ‘Lord, you know all things.”
• Peter’s recognition of Jesus’ omniscience confirms the restoration of His divine faculties.
• Luke 24:6-7 (NIV): “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”
• Jesus’ resurrection validates His sovereignty over death.
• John 20:19-29 (NIV) describes Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, and Acts 1:9-11 (NIV) recounts His ascension: “He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.”
• These events underscore Jesus’ return to divine glory, affirming His equality with the Father.

The Trinity: Unity in essence and distinction in roles (reiterated for clarity)

• The Trinity’s doctrine clarifies that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in essence but distinct in roles, removing any contradiction in verses suggesting Jesus’ submission.
• Early Church Fathers like Athanasius (Defence Against the Arians) and Augustine explained that the Son’s equality in divinity coexists with His functional subordination for redemption.
• This distinction ensures that Jesus’ humility reflects His role, not His essence, maintaining Trinitarian unity.

Responding to Objections to Jesus’ Limitations

• Some cite verses like Mark 13:32 to argue that Jesus’ limited knowledge negates His divinity, but this overlooks the Incarnation’s context.
• Jesus’ limitations were voluntary, part of His kenosis (self-emptying) to live as a human for redemption.
• John 1:1-3 (NIV): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
• This confirms Jesus (the Word) as God the Creator, equal in essence to the Father.
• Jesus’ divine authority is evident in acts like calming the storm (Mark 4:39, NIV: “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!”) and raising the dead (John 11:43-44, NIV: “Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!”).
• These demonstrate that even in His incarnate state, Jesus wielded divine power in alignment with the Father’s will, refuting claims of inferiority.

 Jesus’ role in the plan of redemption

• Jesus’ functional submission was essential to God’s redemptive plan, requiring Him to become human, live sinlessly, and die as an atoning sacrifice.
• Hebrews 2:17 (NIV): “For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.”
• This underscores the necessity of Jesus’ humanity for atonement.
• His humility, exemplified by washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:3-5, NIV: “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power… so he got up from the meal… and began to wash his disciples’ feet”), reflects voluntary service despite His divine origin and destiny.

The Testimony of History and Church Tradition

• The Christian Church has historically affirmed Jesus’ equality with the Father.
• The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) countered Arianism, which claimed Jesus was a created being, with the Nicene Creed, declaring Jesus as “begotten of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father.”
• Church Fathers like John Chrysostom and Augustine clarified that Jesus’ submission was voluntary and tied to His incarnate role, not His divine essence, reinforcing biblical teaching.

  Comparison with other religions

• The Christian doctrines of the Incarnation and Trinity are unique:
• Islam: Views God as singular without persons, considering Jesus a prophet, not divine.
• Hinduism: Features multiple gods but lacks a concept of one God incarnating for redemption.
• Buddhism: Focuses on enlightenment without a personal God.
• Christianity’s claim of a God who becomes human to reconcile humanity, while remaining fully divine (John 10:30, NIV: “I and the Father are one”), is unparalleled, highlighting the distinctiveness of Jesus’ divine-human nature.

Conclusion: Jesus as God and Man

• Verses like Mark 13:32 reflect Jesus’ voluntary human limitations during His earthly ministry, undertaken to fulfil the redemptive plan, not a diminishment of His divinity.
• Other verses, such as John 10:30 and John 14:9, affirm His full equality with the Father in essence.
• His resurrection (Luke 24:6-7) and universal authority (Matthew 28:18) confirm that these limitations were temporary, tied to His human role.
• The Bible presents Jesus as both fully God and fully man, equal to the Father in divinity yet choosing functional submission to redeem humanity.
• This balance reflects God’s wisdom and love, offering His Son as the mediator who restores humanity to His presence, as Jesus declares Himself “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6, NIV)

[i] The Trinity Pamphlet" by Rose Publishing

[ii] The Trinity: An Introduction" by Scott Swain