Last week we examined the fact that God is one in both the Old and New Testaments. This week we will consider the other side of the coin that God is also three distinct persons within the one God. Our confession is this, “God is a Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each an uncreated person, one in essence, equal in power and glory.” Therefore in addition to teaching that God is one, the Bible should also teach that God is three. The best way to understand this truth is to examine each of the persons in turn to discover whether or not the Bible actually makes the claim of deity for the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
This week we will consider the Father. For everyone who believes in God, the deity of the Father is never called into question. It would be meaningless to try to prove the deity of the Father as we will the Son and the Spirit because we believe everywhere in the Bible God is mentioned at least the Father is being referred to. The bigger problem related to the person of the Father is to think he is more God than the Son or the Spirit. In other words, God the Father does not have more divine attributes than any other member of the Trinity. What he does have is a different role. His role is unique as Father. Jesus prays that the will of the Father would be accomplished and that the kingdom of the Father would come, (Matthew 6: 9-10). We have another example of the “positional supremacy” of the Father in 1 Corinthians 15: 28 which says, “When all things are subjected to him (speaking of Jesus), then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” What does that mean? It simply means that there is a role of authority which the Father holds over the Son and the Spirit. That does not mean the Father is more God than the Son or the Spirit, nor does it mean that there is not perfect harmony in the Trinity. It is not as if the Father gets two votes and the Son and the Spirit get one vote each. No, there is no voting in the Trinity. There is pure, unadulterated unity in all things. This is complicated and heavy no doubt.
The important thing for us to remember is that the Trinity is not just some mysterious part of the Christian life for theologians to debate. The perfect relationship between the members of the Trinity is a model for us to follow. How perfect the Father’s love is. That should be an example for earthly fathers in their love. How willing the Father is to shine the spotlight on the Son, and how willing the Son is to shine it back on the father. Our God is perfect beyond our comprehension.
In Christ,
Blain Craig
This week we will consider the Father. For everyone who believes in God, the deity of the Father is never called into question. It would be meaningless to try to prove the deity of the Father as we will the Son and the Spirit because we believe everywhere in the Bible God is mentioned at least the Father is being referred to. The bigger problem related to the person of the Father is to think he is more God than the Son or the Spirit. In other words, God the Father does not have more divine attributes than any other member of the Trinity. What he does have is a different role. His role is unique as Father. Jesus prays that the will of the Father would be accomplished and that the kingdom of the Father would come, (Matthew 6: 9-10). We have another example of the “positional supremacy” of the Father in 1 Corinthians 15: 28 which says, “When all things are subjected to him (speaking of Jesus), then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” What does that mean? It simply means that there is a role of authority which the Father holds over the Son and the Spirit. That does not mean the Father is more God than the Son or the Spirit, nor does it mean that there is not perfect harmony in the Trinity. It is not as if the Father gets two votes and the Son and the Spirit get one vote each. No, there is no voting in the Trinity. There is pure, unadulterated unity in all things. This is complicated and heavy no doubt.
The important thing for us to remember is that the Trinity is not just some mysterious part of the Christian life for theologians to debate. The perfect relationship between the members of the Trinity is a model for us to follow. How perfect the Father’s love is. That should be an example for earthly fathers in their love. How willing the Father is to shine the spotlight on the Son, and how willing the Son is to shine it back on the father. Our God is perfect beyond our comprehension.
In Christ,
Blain Craig
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