Submission and Authority in the Trinity

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never work independently of each other; they always work together. The Lord Jesus is very keen to point this out to us in John 5, which is why he goes so far as to say, ‘By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me’ (verse 30). It is a startling thing for the Lord Jesus to say, and it’s something that the cults will often abuse, suggesting that the Lord Jesus does not have authority. But the opposite conclusion must be made: he and his Father work in tandem, but there is a submission in the way the Son works with his Father. And, at the same time, the Father gives his Son all authority. Therefore, this is a beautiful relationship within the Trinity, within the living God.