Verses used by Arians against the divinity of Christ, Part 1
The talk explains verses used by the Arians to question Christ’s divinity, notably the verse about all things subject to the Son and then the Son subjecting to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:28). The Pope clarifies that the Son’s submission does not mean a deficiency in His divinity or that He dissolves into the Father, but has theological and human-nature meanings tied to the work of redemption.
Detailed explanation (literal, Coptic Orthodox spiritual perspective)
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The Father and the Son are equal in essence and knowledge; submission cannot be read as evidence of a divine lack.
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The phrase “when he hands over the kingdom to the Father” is to be understood theologically — it does not mean the kingdom was not God’s before, but points to the completion of the economy and the fruit of redemption.
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The Son’s submission is meant in His humanity: Christ emptied Himself and took the form of a servant and obeyed unto death (Philippians 2); His submission is voluntary obedience, not compulsion or divine deficiency.
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The Fathers (Jerome, Basil, Ambrose, Athanasius) explained that Christ as Head of the Church offers the submission of the members — He represents the Church and offers human submission to God on our behalf.
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The submission has future and positional dimensions: full submission will be manifested at the end of times when the kingdom is handed over perfected and God becomes “all in all.”
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In expounding “the only true God” (John 17), the Pope shows this denotes distinguishing the true God from the pagan gods, not denying the Son; the expression affirms the unity of deity and the Father’s glorification through the Son’s will.
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The sun-and-rays analogy (Athanasius) helps show the Son is not separate from the Father but proceeds from Him and shares the same essence; saying “you the only true God” opposes pagan idolatry and affirms the Creator.
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Spiritual conclusion: Christ’s submission is a mystery within the work of salvation — a voluntary, incarnate submission representing humanity that leads to God’s glorification and the fulfillment of the kingdom, and it does not affect the Son’s equality with the Father in essence.
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