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Question 9

Chuck insists “The Father is truly greater than the Son” in the sense of headship/order, while also insisting the Son is fully divine and eternal. How does that tension press against modern egalitarian instincts (even inside the Trinity), and what would it change about how you read Jesus’ obedience, prayers, and “not my will” in the garden?

Another way to ask: How does saying the Father is “greater” in order, while the Son is fully God, challenge modern ideas that everything must be equal? How might it change how you read Jesus’ prayers, obedience, and “not my will” in the garden?

Direct Answer Chuck’s teaching presses against the instinct to erase all hierarchy by insisting there is real “headship or order” in the Trinity while maintaining one divine nature. If taken seriously, it would lead us to read Jesus’ prayers and obedience as genuine submission to the Father’s will—without concluding that Jesus is less than divine or merely a created being.

Support from Transcript:

Chuck claims order is biblical: “the head of Christ is God referring to the Father” (1 Corinthians 11:3).
He quotes Jesus: “The Father is greater than I am” (John 14:28).
He emphasizes mission and obedience: Jesus “came to do his Father’s will” and “was sent by the Father.”
He mentions Jesus in Gethsemane: He prays “to do His Father’s will, not His own will.”
Yet Chuck insists full divinity: Father, Son, and Spirit “share the same divine nature… uncreated… eternal… none of them were created.”

Discussion Follow-ups How do you keep “the Father is greater” from becoming a denial of Christ’s deity on one side, or a denial of real obedience on the other? What do Jesus’ prayers teach you about obedience in your own life under God’s authority?

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