What is the Trinity debate all about?
As I understand things, there are basically three views in dispute (with thanks to Dr. Michael Svigel for the chart below):
The incarnational subordination view holds that the second member of the Trinity is submissive to the first beginning at the incarnation, or “in the state of His humiliation” (Goligher’s words). In other words, before the incarnation, there was no submission within the Trinity. This is the view I see Trueman and Goligher defend.
The economic subordination view holds that there is submission, in the Trinity before the incarnation, but only in relationship to others outside of the Trinity—so the Son submits to the Father in matters of creation and redemption, but there is no submission between the Father and the Son as they relate to each other.
The eternal subordination view teaches that there is submission in the Trinity not only in matters of creation and redemption, but also in how the Son and the Father relate to each other—so the Son has always submitted to the Father, as it is an essential part of their relationship, but in such a way that does not alter their equality of being. This is the view that Grudem and Ware hold.
