|
BY THE AUTHOR
Dr. W. Robert Cook, Th.D
I believe in one
God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible:—
Council of Nicea (325)
My God is reconciled,
His pard’ning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child—
With confidence I now draw nigh
And “Father, Abba, Father!” cry,
And “Father, Abba, Father!” cry.
Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
The idea of God as “father” is not peculiar to revealed religion although other religious expressions of the fatherhood concept are best understood as corruptions of an original pure form of truth.
The notion found in Near Eastern polytheistic religions of El as father of the gods has no place whatever in Hebrew religion; what the canonical writings say about God as father never refers to other gods but always to human beings. The notion of El as father of all, moreover, cannot be squared with the particular view of Elohim as father of the chosen people Israel. In Hebrew worship, furthermore, there is no routine assimilation of God’s fatherhood to earthly kings or rulers as in other Near Eastern cults. Hebrew religion and worship constantly underscores the contrast between Creator and creature; it rejects all notions of God as simply an exalted man, whether ruler or subject. [1]
Biblical revelation regarding God as father is unique in all religion.
I. Who is the Father?
A. The First Person of the Godhead
The Father is the member of the Godhead who bears all the perfections of deity and the peculiar quality of fatherhood. In Ephesians 1:17 Paul refers to him as the "Father of glory" suggesting that he is the epitome of divine perfection. Jesus refers to him as "Lord of heaven and earth" (Matt. 11:25; cf. Gen. 14:19, 22) and Paul describes him as the "Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph. 4:6) thus indicating that he is the absolute sovereign in the universe. This sovereignty is given supreme demonstration in his creative (Matt. 11:25) and elective work (John 6:44-45, 65).
B. The Distinguishing Property of the First Person
Negatively, it may be said that the first person is not begotten and does not proceed. Positively, he is responsible for the generation of the Son and the spiration of the Holy Spirit. The term "son" only has meaning in relation to "father"; it is always the Spirit of God or the Spirit of your Father, but never Father of the Spirit or God of the Spirit.
II. What Relationships Does the First Person Sustain as Father?
The first person is viewed in scripture as Father from several different standpoints.
A. Relationship to the Creation in General
The whole creation has a common creator and in that sense he is the Father of "every family in heaven and on earth" (Eph. 3:14-15). He is creator (Mal. 2:10; 1 Cor. 8:6; Heb. 12:9; James 1:17; cf. Acts 17:24-29) and provident ruler (Matt. 10:29; John 5:17; Rev. 3:27) of the material and immaterial universe.
B. Relationship to the Nation Israel
In a national sense as his chosen people he is Father to Israel. Also, in a personal sense to individual believing Israelites, members of the community of the redeemed, he is Father. He is the originator (Deut. 32:6; Exod. 4:22-23; Isa. 64:8) and sustainer (Jer. 3:19; Rom. 9:4, 8) of their covenant relationship to whom as sons they owe honor (Mal. 1:6).
C. Relationship to the Believer
As the father of believers in Jesus Christ he is not only the source of physical life but of spiritual life, as well. We, too, are his chosen, members of the community of the redeemed. Because we are given a position of privilege as sons and because we are members of his family as children we may call out to him as "Abba! Father!" (Rom. 8:15-161 Gal. 4:6). This is the sweet expression of love, trust and intimate relationship of an unconsciously dependent child which defies explanation and yet expresses the most privileged relationship in the universe.
1. Author of eternal life
God, our Father, is the planner, provider, author and guarantor of the spiritual life we enjoy (Eph. 1:3-6; John 5:23-24; 6:37-401 1 Pet. 1:31 John 10:29).
2. Provider of spiritual needs
As Father he provides for his children every good and perfect gift, including every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (James 1:171 Eph. 1:3). Among these blessings are access to himself in prayer, comfort, an inheritance, a place in his house, an Advocate at his side, and a Paraclete here on earth (John 15:16; 2 Cor. 1:3-4; Col. 1:12; John 14:2-3; 1 John 2:1; John 14:16, 21, 23; Matt. 6:1, 4, 6, 25-33; 1 John 3:1-2).
3. Establisher of family standards
Our heavenly Father expects his children to be disciplined according to his own standards (Heb. 12:4-11). This involves abiding in him and subsequent fruit-bearing (John 15:1-6) being perfect in love (Matt. 5:43-48), and being holy in conduct (1 Pet. 1:14-19).
D. Relationship to the Godhead
1. Ontologically: Father to Son and Holy Spirit
This usage of the term “Father” is quite distinct from all of those noted above. He is declared by scripture to be Father of the divine Christ, the Son of God (2 Cor. 11:31). This describes a metaphysical relationship between the first and second persons of the Godhead. It relates to the fact that they share the essence of deity equally (i.e., 100% each rather than 50%-50%), but they relate to one another as distinct persons. Distinctiveness of this use of "Father" is that in this connection it does not imply "originator." This truth is set forth by John through his use of the term monogenes ("only-begotten," or better, “unique") in John 1:14, 18. Our Lord emphasizes it in John 5:18, 26, where he equates himself with God and claims to have life in himself just as the Father does; in John 10:30, where he claims to be of the same essence as the Father; and John 17:24, where he speaks of his reincarnate glory given him of the Father.
This metaphysical use of the term "Father" is also found in John 15:26 where Jesus speaks of the Spirit “proceeding from the Father." Since the spirit, like the Father and the Son, is eternal this is clearly not to be understood in any originating sense. He, too, possesses the full essence of deity together with the first person while they relate to one another as distinct persons. The term “proceeds", therefore, should be construed as setting forth essential equality of first and third persons rather than essential subordination.
2. Economically: Sender of Son and Holy Spirit
The Bible does not teach any subordination of one member of the Godhead to another at the ontological level but it does teach administrative, economic or functional subordination. This is seen in the use of the term "sent" as used of the Father regarding both the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the carrying out of the divine plan in history there is an order to be observed which is never reversed. In John 14:26 we are told that upon the Son's departure from earth the Father would send the Spirit in his place. As he is sent in this capacity he will relate to the disciples as Jesus had, teaching them all things and bringing Jesus' teachings to their minds. Thus his ministry is an extension of Christ's.
Most of the information we are given about the Father's sending ministry, however, relates to the Son. The distinction between the ontological and economical relationship of Father and Son is drawn for us in John 14:28 as compared with John 10:30. In the one passage he stated, "The Father is greater than I," while in the other he says, "I and the Father are one." In 14: 28 the statement is related to the completion of the earthly humiliation role of the Savior, i.e., it relates to his mediatorial function. As a father is greater than a son so in their relation as sender and sent this is true as well. On the other hand, in 10:30 the statement is related to divine omnipotence and its exercise on behalf of his sheep. There the statement relates to essence rather than economy.
In the relationship of Father and Son as sender and sent several things should be observed.
a) The sending is with a specific saving ministry in view (1 John 4:14; cf. John 6:57; 16:28).
b) In the sending the Father sustains the Son during his earthly life (John 6:57).
c) Being sent as Savior involves complete submission to the Father's will in suffering (Matt. 26:39, 42) and in death (Luke 23:46).
d) It also includes the work of the Father in raising him from the dead else his saving work would have been aborted (Rom. 6:4;.Gal. 1:1).
e) Because the Father loves the Son he gives him (John 3:35) and shows his (John 5:29) all things. This enables the Son to do what the Father does which includes giving life, exercising judgment and receiving honor (John 5:19, 21-23).
f) As a result of the sending of the Son and his subsequent obedience to his Father the Father is revealed as never before and glorified (Matt. 11:27; John 14:13).
III. What Is the Place of the First Person in the Economic Trinity?
It should be noted, again, that all of the Godhead act in all of the external works of God, but that some works are more specifically identified with one person than with another. The works of the first person ere particularly identified as the works of creation and providence, especially in the initiating phases (1 Cor. 8:6). Also he is the author and designer of the work of redemption including election (Ps. 2:7-9; Isa. 53:10; Eph. 1:3-6).
IV. Conclusion
It should be quite apparent from the preceding comments that any idea of the universal fatherhood of God and universal brotherhood of man as set forth in classical liberalism and Unitarian doctrine is incompatible with the biblical evidence. While God is father to all as their common creator this implies no more spiritual relationship when applied to mankind in general than it does to the heavenly bodies (cf. James 1:17). Any spiritual relationship to God as Father and any disclosure of him in this role is only through Jesus Christ. Our Lord said, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (Matt. 11:27). "I am, the way... No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14: 6). As Henry forcefully states “One of modernism’s serious errors was using the doctrine of divine fatherhood to make all human beings morally and spiritually God’s children. The widespread notion that God has always been ready to forgive sin simply on the ground of personal repentance implies a tolerance of sin repugnant to both the Old and New Testaments…." [2]
On the other hand, there are far-reaching implications of God's fatherhood for all. For mankind in general, if God is their Father-Creator there surely must be an accountability owed to him both by way of acknowledgement of his control of history and in terms of moral responsibility for personal, corporate, social and national actions. For the believer in particular, in addition to the preceding there is the need for recognition of God's fatherly involvement in even the most difficult to understand dimensions life. Those who love him having been called according to his purpose must both act and respond to the circumstances of life in light of the fact that "he works all things together for good" (Rom. 8:26).
References:
|
Carl F. H. Henry, God, Revelation and Authority, VI, 307 |
|
|
Ibid., p. 322 |
|
Copyright © 2007 by
AncientPath Network
and the authors. All rights reserved. |
052107
