1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (NIV)
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
One of the great mysteries of the Trinity, which is a mystery itself, is the hierarchy that exists within the Trinity, which Paul intimates in this section. Even though the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each God, all together, they are one God, eternal and almighty. Each person of the Trinity is completely worthy of the worship of mankind, and each is all-powerful and absolutely holy.
But in the divine economy, the three persons of the Trinity are not identical, nor are they equal in the roles they play. The Son, as Paul clearly shows in this section, has been exalted by the Father, and has been assigned the role of ruling and overcoming, establishing the Kingdom of God on earth through the people who trust in Him for the salvation He died and rose again to make a reality. He will continue this work until everything has become subject to Him, and until death is finally destroyed.
At that point, all that Jesus has won will be laid at the feet of the Father, including Jesus Himself. This does not diminish the divinity of Jesus, nor does it make Him inferior to the Father. It is simply an acknowledgement of the hierarchy that has existed for all eternity within the Trinity. The Son glorifies the Father, just as the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son (John 16:14). And when all is accomplished, everything will be laid at the feet of the Father’s throne “so that God may be all in all.”
Some might find the idea of a hierarchy within the Trinity counter intuitive, or even heretical. But the whole idea of the Trinity is counter intuitive, a mystery that cannot be reasoned out by human intelligence, but that must be revealed to our hearts by God’s Spirit. But it is vital to understand that neither Jesus Himself nor the Holy Spirit have any problem with this hierarchy that has been operational for all eternity. Indeed, Jesus delighted in serving the Father, and in glorifying Him through his every thought, word, and deed, and He encouraged His own followers to do the same (John 15:8).
Father, I think part of the problem is that in human terms, to be subservient means to be less. So, if Jesus serves You, the Father, we interpret that as Him being somehow less than fully God. But that is not true at all. Class structure, where those who serve are considered less than those who are served, is a human construct, and does not exist within the Trinity or in Your Kingdom. That is why Jesus could make Himself a servant, even to the point of washing His disciples’ feet, without diminishing Himself or His divinity at all. And He repeatedly urged His followers to be the servants of all, clearly indicating that those acts of service do not diminish who they are in Your sight, and indeed, elevates them to the highest places in Your Kingdom. This is a mystery for sure, but one we can grasp if we are willing to be taught by Your Spirit. Thank You, Lord. Amen.