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Philippians 3:21 NASB

“…who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” ‭‭

What is this power that Jesus has to subject all things to Himself? Do we know what that looks like and is this different from God the Father subjecting all things to Christ?

Lilias Carmichael
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  • It is not different from 1 Corinthians 15 :28. He can not make himself the Almighty God. He himself needed to be strengthened. Luke 22:43. Jesus can do nothing by himself John 5:30, the Father that sent him is greater than him John 13:16. Jesus is able to do what he did /will do because his Father /God subjected all things to him. 1 Corinthians 15 :28. He cannot make his Father /God be subject to him, nor can he beget himself. – Alex Balilo Dec 03 '22 at 22:09
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    @AlexBalilo You seem to fail to understand the difference between Jesus' human nature and His divine nature. Since you a priori reject his Divine nature(that He is also God) you seem to think that Jesus is a Man and no more. The texts you provided don't show an inferiority of nature, they show a difference in "function". Jesus came to do the will of His Father(Ex. John 6), His submission to the will of the Father was necessary for redemption, not a negation of His Deity. – Cork88 Dec 03 '22 at 22:36
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    @Cork88.As one commenter said, if you don't believe Jesus when he said that the Father is the only one true God, you will not believe me. You have the choice to believe who or what you think your true God is. It is obvious to Jesus who his true God is. – Alex Balilo Dec 03 '22 at 23:34
  • Who is Jesus, @AlexBalilo – Faith Mendel Dec 06 '22 at 07:33

3 Answers3

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The gist of the question is whether there is a difference between two actions: a) subjecting of all things to Himself by the Lord Jesus Christ according to Phil. 3:21, and b) subjecting of all things to the Lord Jesus Christ by the Lord Father as according to 1 Cor 15:28 (and Psalm 110:1 for that matter), or whether those two actions are identical.

The answer is that those two actions are two only in expression, but ontologically they are identical because the outcome of the action is the same - the subjection of all things to the Lord Jesus Christ, and this outcome is such singularly and uniquely global and vast that no other reality than the reality of one God can claim this feat. Now, since to both Son/Christ and to the Father is this deed and outcome ascribed in the quoted Scriptures, then the only solution is that both the Father and the Son are essentially the one reality of God to the effect that Their activity is one divine activity and not two different activities each of which can claim the same result, to wit, the subjection of all things to Christ.

To give an analogy: watering of land is a joint activity of a cloud and the rain coming out of it, so we can say both: a) cloud waters earth subjecting it to the humidity of rain coming out of it and b) rain waters the earth subjecting it to its humidity, while both are one and the same action of transmission of humidity to earth; and neither cloud can achieve this without rain, nor rain - without cloud.

Levan Gigineishvili
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The prophecy in Phil 3:21 is essentially a restatement of the prophecy about the ultimate triumph of Messiah over all nations and kingdoms in Ps 110:1 -

The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

According to Rev 11, this will occur on the great day when Christ has victory over all the world and sin is banished forever:

Rev 11:16, 17 - And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.

This is consistent with Jesus inheriting the royal throne of David, Matt 1:1, 20, 9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30, 15, 21:9, 15, Mark 10:35, Luke 1:32, 33, 18:38, 39, John 1:49, Acts 13:32-37, Heb 1:8. Note especially, Luke 1:32, 33

[Jesus] will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

What is the power that Jesus has?

The power of Jesus is listed in several ways:

  • Acts 10:38 - God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power
  • Luke 4:14 - Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit
  • Mark 5:30 - At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him
  • Luke 9:1 - When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out ... demons and to cure diseases
  • 1 Cor 5:4 - When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus,
  • 2 Peter 1:16 - we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power
  • Mark 14:62 - “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
  • Col 1:16 - For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Thus, Jesus has great power in (a) authority, (b) political power (c) creation and creatorship (d) healing (e) power of the Spirit.

Dottard
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What is this power that Jesus has to subject all things to Himself?

Let’s consider firstly, subject.

When Jesus obtained his victory over sin and death, he won total victory over the cause of those things, the devil. So now, once ascended and glorified, exalted above all to sit next to God, having been given the power and authority to give life, he also removed the power of subjection that the devil had over humanity.

Once humanity is freed from deception and slavery, they have then been placed under the loving and gracious rule of the victor Jesus. All are then subjected to him being the new ruler, the new god of this world. Obviously Jesus is subject to God but fully represents Him in everything - being declared the Judge and life giver.

So the power Jesus expresses is this life that the Father has always had, that Jesus now has and can share to who he wills (according to the parameters expressed throughout the NT).

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. John 5:26

Jesus exercises the same power God has, he is the Word of God and he is the Spirit. 2Cor 3:18

Paul points out that Jesus has created the new age.

for by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him Col 1:16.

We understand this refers to the new age Jesus has enabled because Paul clearly refers to things on earth and in heaven and not to the Genesis creation as many seem to think.

Steve
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