Chapter XXII. Christ’s relation to the father

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CHRIST'S SUBJECTION TO THE FATHER

First ARTICLE

WHETHER CHRIST IS SUBJECT TO THE FATHER

T seems that Christ is not, because He is not a creature and because He is called Lord. But on the other hand, it is said that “He took the form of a servant,” * and “was obedient even to the death of the cross.” ° How shall we reconcile these seemingly apparent contradictions?

Reply. Christ as man is truly subject to the Father, and this for three reasons: (1) because His human nature only participates in the divine goodness; (2) because it is subject to the divine power; (3) because Christ’s human will must obey the divine commands. Hence it must be said that Christ is subject to the Father by reason of His human nature.

Reply to first objection. Nevertheless, on account of the uncreated person of the Word, it cannot be said that Christ is a creature, although He has a created nature.

Likewise, because Christ is a person, He is called Lord; in fact, Christ as man on account of the hypostatic union is King of kings, Lord of lords.*

8 See Billuart’s De incarnatione, Com. in q. 20. 487

WHETHER IT CAN BE SAID THAT CHRIST IS SUBJECT TO HIMSELF

Reply. This can be said of Christ, because of the diversity of natures in the same person. But this diversity must not be understood in the sense that there are two persons in Christ, one of which would be subject to the other, for this would be the heresy of Nestorius.