Reflecting on the idea of Eternal Functional Subordination (EFS) the thought struck me: What if there was a plurality of will within the Godhead? What if the Son did willingly submit to the Father from all eternity, as has been asserted by those who argue for EFS?
I argue that the potential exists for the headline of this post: Tragedy in the Cosmos: A Plurality of Will within the Godhead. If the will of God is diverse, and the Son “willingly” submits to the Father from all eternity, then the logical flow of thought demands that it could theoretically go the other way. Therefore, the potential for a cosmic coup d’état exists in the God of the universe. If one has the ability to subordinate themselves to the other, then they can likewise attempt to overthrow and supplant the other. This is nothing short of a tragedy that demands the attention of those who profess to worship the Triune God.
You see, this potential does not exist with the orthodox understanding of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. In fact, as Thomas Aquinas rightly recognized, there is no potential within God as He is “Pure Act.” The Three Persons of the One God are simple, without division, composition, or change. Rather, all Three of the Persons are coeternal… coequal… very God of very God. They are unity in Trinity and Trinity in unity, and as such, they are together to be worshiped. If this language sounds familiar, it should, it is codified in the Athanasian Creed.
You see, to subordinate the Son to the Father is not simply the loss of one piece of the theological system, it fractures the Rock of our Salvation, it compromises the unity of the Divine Essense, and it weakens the assurance of the Saints to rest in the security of their God.
As Anselm of Canterbury argued: God is that than to which nothing greater can be thought, and a subordinate Savior is not great. It is the weakening of the Cornerstone of the Church that has stood from all eternity in everlasting Glory!