Does the fact that the Scriptures refer to Jesus as a “son” also mean that he is a “creature”? A being that came into creation and is therefore ontologically (in essence) inferior to the one that brought it into existence, in this case, God the Father?
This was a question the first-century church cared deeply about. It is also a question that has come up again in theological and scholarly circles in recent years, often under the name “the eternal subordination of the Son”, the idea that Jesus is eternally subordinate to the Father in all things.
There is some nuance here that distinguishes it from the first question. Many scholars who hold to the eternal subordination of the Son would also wholeheartedly agree with the pre-existence of Christ. For them, Jesus is not a created being, which is an important distinction to make in modern conversations.
At the core of the question, however, is still the nature of the relationship between the humanity and divinity of Christ, and thus the relat…
