As previously discussed I will speak briefly to the person of God the Father within the Godhead, also known as the Trinity. Please remember that this is a series so if something needs clarification, look to previous posts in this series or hold on and it will likely become clear as we move forward. We will begin by remembering what the Nicene Creed states about God the Father.
The beautiful thing about our God and what makes him different from other Gods is this idea of Fatherhood. No other God call us His children. No other God promises forgiveness of and redemption from our sinful rebellion against Him through the sacrifice of His own Son. No other God gives a new nature that no longer desires to rebel against Him. No other God then, puts His Spirit inside of us, giving us gifts to help us in this life and empowering us to use them successfully.
Though God does have a certain love for his "children of creation" (i.e. all of mankind), He does these things for those who are His children by faith alone(John 1:12-13).
We know that we can trust our Heavenly Father because our Savior, His Son, trusts Him entirely. Jesus taught us to pray "Our Father who art in Heaven"(Matthew 6:9-13). All that the Son, Jesus, spoke and did was by the will of the Father and because He sees Him do it first(John 5:19-20, 8:28). He trusted His Father completely and so can we.
God's word teaches us that we are not separated from God by some great span or chasm. No God condescended to provide knowledge of Himself to us in our languages, using figures of speech, and genres that we could relate to.
In the Old Testament He appeared to man as The Angel of the Lord to David(1 Chronicles 21:16), a burning bush to Moses(Exodus 3:1-2), a pillar of fire(Exodus 13:21) and a cloud on the mountain to the children of Israel(Exodus 16:19), as a whisper to Elijah(1 Kings 19:12), and as a whirlwind to Job(Job 38:1). There are many other Old Testament examples of God coming down and revealing Himself to His people.
The Father's Greatest Gift of Love
In the New Testament, God the Father tops all of the Old Testament examples by sending His Son as God in the flesh. In fact, His greatest condescension was in the incarnation when God the Father sent His Son in human form to dwell among us, live perfectly in our stead, and ultimately die as our substitute receiving the punishment of God's wrath for our sins. Then he raised Him from the dead verify Christ's deity and the validity of all that He accomplished.
Let's just say that Jesus was the greatest gift of love that the Father ever gave us.(Romans 5:8)
After this, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and sent the third person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit. More on the Son and the Spirit soon.
Let it suffice to say that God the Father cares very much for His creation and even more for His children. He is not out of reach. And no matter how far you think you have run or fallen, you are never out of His reach.
Coming up, we will speak to the subject of God the Creator and discuss further the details of His love for His creation and the magnificence of his creative power and how He is not only the beginning, but also the middle and the end of all things.
Please continue with me on this journey as we learn Coram Deo (before the very face of God).
Much love,
Josh
We believe in one God, The Father Almighty
Please allow me briefly to point out again that we are speaking of one God. He is one in essence and three in persons. That is the overarching nature of the Trinity. My goal going forward is to help make clear the persons of the Trinity; never to create a notion of three God's.
God The Father
God The Father
The beautiful thing about our God and what makes him different from other Gods is this idea of Fatherhood. No other God call us His children. No other God promises forgiveness of and redemption from our sinful rebellion against Him through the sacrifice of His own Son. No other God gives a new nature that no longer desires to rebel against Him. No other God then, puts His Spirit inside of us, giving us gifts to help us in this life and empowering us to use them successfully.
Though God does have a certain love for his "children of creation" (i.e. all of mankind), He does these things for those who are His children by faith alone(John 1:12-13).
We are privileged to call Almighty God Abba! Father because, as true believers, we have received the Spirit of adoption. The Spirit by whom we are led, bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and thus fellow heirs with Christ. However, adoption into the family of God comes with a responsibility. That responsibility is that we suffer with Christ in order that we may also be glorified with Christ(Romans 8:14-17).
We know that we can trust our Heavenly Father because our Savior, His Son, trusts Him entirely. Jesus taught us to pray "Our Father who art in Heaven"(Matthew 6:9-13). All that the Son, Jesus, spoke and did was by the will of the Father and because He sees Him do it first(John 5:19-20, 8:28). He trusted His Father completely and so can we.
God's word teaches us that we are not separated from God by some great span or chasm. No God condescended to provide knowledge of Himself to us in our languages, using figures of speech, and genres that we could relate to.
In the Old Testament He appeared to man as The Angel of the Lord to David(1 Chronicles 21:16), a burning bush to Moses(Exodus 3:1-2), a pillar of fire(Exodus 13:21) and a cloud on the mountain to the children of Israel(Exodus 16:19), as a whisper to Elijah(1 Kings 19:12), and as a whirlwind to Job(Job 38:1). There are many other Old Testament examples of God coming down and revealing Himself to His people.
The Father's Greatest Gift of Love
In the New Testament, God the Father tops all of the Old Testament examples by sending His Son as God in the flesh. In fact, His greatest condescension was in the incarnation when God the Father sent His Son in human form to dwell among us, live perfectly in our stead, and ultimately die as our substitute receiving the punishment of God's wrath for our sins. Then he raised Him from the dead verify Christ's deity and the validity of all that He accomplished.
Let's just say that Jesus was the greatest gift of love that the Father ever gave us.(Romans 5:8)
After this, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and sent the third person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit. More on the Son and the Spirit soon.
Let it suffice to say that God the Father cares very much for His creation and even more for His children. He is not out of reach. And no matter how far you think you have run or fallen, you are never out of His reach.
Coming up, we will speak to the subject of God the Creator and discuss further the details of His love for His creation and the magnificence of his creative power and how He is not only the beginning, but also the middle and the end of all things.
Please continue with me on this journey as we learn Coram Deo (before the very face of God).
Much love,
Josh
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