God in Three Persons: Embracing the TrinitySample

Devotional - The Father is God

When studying the Old Testament, the tendency is to connect all things related to God as being of the Father within the Trinity. For many, God is the stately old man, white-bearded and robed, sitting on His heavenly throne. The Father is the far-off God, the distant God hurling thunderbolts and showering blessings upon His people from a heavenly cloud. When we combine this perception with the absence of fathers in many homes around the world, as well as the authoritarian role of fathers in many cultures, the thought of God as Father can provide some severe barriers to accepting this member of the Godhead.

Instead of addressing the character of the Father, many evangelicals today highlight Jesus as the Savior and relatable member of the Godhead. Pentecostals focus on the role of the Holy Spirit, and Catholics elevate Mary as the maternal sympathizer and role model for the Christian life. However, God the Father plays an invaluable and personal position in the functional acts of the Godhead. He is near; He indwells the believer; He is relatable. Scripture conveys that God is the Father to Israel, the Father to Jesus Christ, and the Father to all believers. 

While the Father is not greater nor lesser than the Son or the Spirit, He plays a unique role in the interaction of the Godhead with creation. God the Father is the Divine Source and creator of all things. The Father is life, and He distributes that life to all His creation through the Son and the Spirit. He is the Sovereign Ruler, and all things are subject to His righteous reign, which he shares with the Son and Spirit. He is the Holy Judge who will bring to justice all things in opposition to His divine nature. With the Son and the Spirit, He will weigh everything against His perfection and administer holy judgment. He is the Compassionate Reconciler who calls His creation to salvation, forgives sins, and justifies those who believe to make them sons and daughters, fellow heirs with Christ. Lastly, it is to God the Father that all things will return. When all is said and done and Christ has rid the world of all evil, corruption, and decay, Jesus will hand the kingdom over to God the Father. The Father is not greater or lesser than the Son or the Spirit. He is God, worthy of praise, worship, and obedience.

Questions for Reflection

1. How has your relationship with your earthly father impacted your view of God the Father?

2. In what ways do you experience the presence of God the Father in your life?

3. How can human fathers image God the Father to their families?

4. The Gospel of John uses “Father” 122 times as Jesus makes clear His role as the Son. Why do you think John normalizes the term Father as the way to address God?