God... THE FATHER

by Leonard V Johnson

Greetings. Our dear friends who are in the Russian Federation, Cochrane, Canada, in India, Kingston, Jamaica, and here in Ashburn, VA., and Forest City, N.C. Welcome. This is Leonard V Johnson, and I’m so pleased to be here today. 

I was going to title this article “Did Jesus Worship the Father?” And, it’s not that we don’t know ── because He absolutely did! This question came into my mind the other day, and I mentioned the question to my dear sister there in North Carolina. I think it’s an excellent question for study, because it highlights our Lord Jesus’ reverence towards Father God, His relationship of worship and submission, even after His glorious resurrection. However, I’ve decided to title this article simply, “God… THE FATHER.” And, I could take us through many of the Scriptures showing indeed that our Lord Jesus worships God the Father, and rightly do we as well. “Heavenly Father, Heavenly Brother, praise and glory always and forever is Your name!” Today, let's focus on a living truth of why God is called our Father.

Why call God “Father”? Why are we to pray, “’ Our Father in heaven, …”? Is the term a name, a title, a description, merely theological, just a comforting phrase, or just anthropomorphism? Or is God called “Father” because He is our collective Father of all mankind by creation? Is God truly a Father?

Delving into this subject matter, it becomes obvious through research that people have all points of view, different interpretations and understandings, and opinions, when it comes to God as Father. Long and often eloquent are the Bible commentaries and dictionaries when reading about this word, “Father.” Including their own ideas and ideals concerning the term Father ── “The term designates the first person of the Holy Trinity. God has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” 1 In which it goes on and tries its best to explain how three goes into one. Or they go into frustratingly impotent statements like, “Theologian Wayne Grudem explains the idea of oneness, saying that Jesus and God the Father ‘are distinct persons, and the being of each person is equal to the whole being of God.’” 2 It becomes quite clear quickly that if one researches “Father” as a theological term, you come across their deep seeded doctrine of a Trinity. Be sure to watch our sermon,  Elohim ── the Family of God.

And, they go on and proudly announce ── God is the Creator, the Beginning, the Ending, the Father, the Benefactor, the Provider, the Love-giver, the Forgiver, the Punisher of sins, the Rewarder, the Maker and Father of angels, the true and actual Father of Jesus, the Son of God. So, they say that God is the Father, our Father, in every way, and we are His sons in every way… every way ── and all of that is true. So, every way… but one. 

And, which one is that? 

THAT WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE GOD AS GOD IS GOD! That God is our Father because He is actively in the very process of begetting and eventually bringing forth true born sons and daughters, in His image, according to His likeness. For us to be God as He is God ── which is the very purpose of all physical creations. “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” – Romans 8:19. 

Are you calling me a heretic? Are you calling what I say blasphemous?

Well… it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if someone does. Our Lord Jesus told us, “’ If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.’” – John 15:18. Don’t be too quick in your judgment. Don’t be like ancient Israel. “Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.” – Psalm 78:41. “’ For with God NOTHING will be impossible.’” – Luke 1:37.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, had the same issue. And the ways that He answered His detractors ── the scribes, Pharisees, and the Sadducees of His time ── are still among His living word. And His words continue today as they did thousands of years ago ── and as they will for all eternity! And no, they were not just words that applied to our Lord Jesus alone. He distinctly said, “ …’ Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods’? 35) If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36) do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’” – John 10:34-36.

So, understand. It wasn’t that our Lord Jesus was teaching that we should pray, ‘Our Father, Who art in heaven,’ because the Jews considered God as their Father. Such as, “ …’ Israel is My son, My firstborn.’” – Exodus 4:22. They certainly knew that God’s living word says, “Doubtless You are our Father, Though Abraham was ignorant of us, And Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.” – Isaiah 63:16. No. The beautiful analogy that the LORD is our Father was accepted. The concept and understanding that God is truly Fatherlike was accepted. It truly is going to be ── like what Unger’s Bible Dictionary says, “the essential thought is plainly declared (2 Corinthians 6:18).  And more generally speaking, this may be said to be one of the doctrines upon which the New Testament lays special stress. That we who have forfeited and lost our place and privileges as children of God may be fully reinstated therein was one of the great teachings of Jesus Christ. For that, the parable of the prodigal son was spoken.” 3

Our Lord Jesus NEVER at any time taught His followers to just conjure up a heartfelt notion of thinking of themselves “as if” they were the sons of God. Nay, He outright told His believers to be considered “sons of God.”

What got the people in such an uproar was the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ meant exactly what He said. And what He said is, “’ I and My Father are one.’” – John 10:30. As well as, “’ Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’” – John 8:58. Those bold and truthful statements are what triggered their outrage! That is what drove them to attempt to stone Him!

And sadly, our peoples have not really changed in nearly two thousand years. Some people continue to get irate and bellow out, “Blasphemer!” when they hear us, brethren, truthfully teach God’s living word ── of the fact that on the day our Lord Jesus was crucified and sacrificed for us, He said, “ … ‘ I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be ONE as We are.’” – John 17:11.

Lord Jesus – the Only Begotten 

Our beloved Apostle John explains to us about our Lord Jesus Christ. That He was the Word – the Spokesman – and that He was God from the beginning, who had existed from eternity with God (John 1:1). To help understand that our Lord Jesus was the God of the Old Testament, please read our article “What Was Christ Jesus!?” The Apostle John also goes on and explains that EVERYTHING was created by the Word, “and without Him nothing was made that was made.” Also, that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the ONLY BEGOTTEN of the Father, full of grace and truth.” – vs. 14.

The very One who was God became a man. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, “Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7) But emptied Himself [of His glory], and was made in the likeness of men, and took the form of a servant; 8) And being found in the manner of man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” – Philippians 2:6-8, a New English Translation. And by explaining to them that it was He who was both Lord of and yet also the son of David, He was actually telling them that God had become a man (Matthew 22:41-46). This was the same God from the beginning, who emptied Himself of His glory of being God (John 17:5), and He became flesh, and was therefore subject to the natural laws of decay and death. 

Well… this concept blew their mind! That God could become human, subject to the natural laws of death and decay, was and continues to be unacceptable to Jewish thinking. Jewish beliefs ── in the simplest concept ── emphasize that God is incorporeal and does not take human form. So the Jews outright rejected any claim that our Lord Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God. And sadly, a great many who call themselves Christian also outright reject and consider it blasphemous to even think that a human being can become a God!

And so, in the glorious fulfillment which looked forward to the coming Messiah, the Son of Man, in His first coming, rejected of those of His own, Our Lord Jesus became the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF THE FATHER. He fulfilled what the Prophet Isaiah had told Ahaz, the King of Judah, regarding the coming Messiah, “’ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.’” – Isaiah 7:14. And what so many of the other prophets were looking forward to as well ── that a human Child would be born by the power of the Spirit of God! – cf. Matthew 1:18. 

 The Firstborn of Many Brethren

The term “born again” is a principle with which every Bible scholar is familiar. Yet, so many don’t properly understand. Being “born again” into the kingdom of God. Our Lord Jesus explained to Nicodemus that to gain God’s kingdom, humans must first be “born again.” And He very patiently explained to him that it was not a physical rebirth, but rather a newborn spirit being – see John 3:1-12.

Perhaps, our beloved Apostle Paul best explains it ── that a human who is led by the Spirit is already children of God in every sense of that expression. 

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” – Romans 8:14.

He explains to us in that chapter that as physical human beings with our carnal minds, we CANNOT be subject to the law of God, “nor indeed can be.” That those who are in the flesh CANNOT even please God. First and foremost, there must be a blood sacrifice to pay the penalty of sins (e.g., Leviticus 17:11) ── which demands our death. Then, to receive a new mind and heart spiritually rather than a physically only oriented mind and heart, so that we can begin to receive the fruits of God’s Spirit, and begin thinking and acting like God our Father in the upper heavenly realms. 

He explains to us that our Father’s Spirit “bears [or joins] with our spirit that we are children of God.” Also that by joining His glorious Spirit with our spirit, the LORD God does not immediately bring us into His kingdom, the God family, but rather we must first live through experiences ── and sometimes painful ── to develop godly character, to bring us to maturity (Matthew 5:48), so that we can finally be “born again” as sons and daughters of God. And we are comforted by these loving words, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28. In verse 29, the Apostle Paul explains just for what purpose God the Father has called us out of this present evil age ── that we might be children of God as Christ is a Son of God. So, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Captain of our salvation, is called the “firstborn among many brethren.”           

Which truly means that Jesus of Nazareth, our Savior, the only human being at this moment in time, the only begotten in the womb of a woman by God the Father, the first human being to become a Son of God by the resurrection from the dead ── hence, the FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BRETHREN!

Only the first!

Speaking of man ── the Apostle Paul quotes the Book of Psalms, “’ What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7) You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. 8) You have put all things in subjection under his feet.’ … But NOW we do not yet see all things put under him.” – Hebrews 2:6-8. 

And, of course, we recognize that all things are in subjection to our Lord Jesus Christ! “ … ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” - Matthew 28:18. So, the Apostle Paul is not only speaking of our Master and Elder Brother, Savior of all mankind, the Son of Man, but he is also referring to mankind. That the LORD God created mankind with the sole purpose of sharing His own rulership of the entirety of the universe with born members of the family of God. ALL OF MANKIND WAS CREATED WITH THIS PURPOSE IN MIND!  

Continuing, the Apostle Paul explains to the Jewish Christians who were coming from Judaism that rejected, and most of whom continue to reject this glorious living truth ──

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10) For it was fitting for HIM, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation [referring to our Lord Jesus] perfect through sufferings.” – Hebrews 2:9-10.

The ”Him” in context is referring to God the Father, capitalized and bolded above. 

Indeed ── all glory and honor be to God Most High ── our heavenly Father intends, His will and for His good pleasure, to add many sons and daughters to His kingdom – the family of God. 

The Greatest of Creations

Within your Bible, it is revealed that there are only two great beings presently in the family of God ── the One whom we call “the Father” and the One whom we call “Jesus the Christ,” the Son of God. These are They who said, “’ Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; …’” – Genesis 1:26. 

Man was created physically in the image and likeness of the LORD God, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” – Genesis 2:7. 

Man did not have eternal life, at that time, as the LORD God told Adam, “ … ‘ For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.’” – Genesis 3:19. 

Now… certainly the physical creation was completed in six days (each consisting of a literal 24-hour period; see Genesis 1:5), but the greatest of creations ── has not been completed yet. The awesome and mind-blowing spiritual creation first began with the physical creation of two human beings that would produce the entire human race, which would be offered sonship in the kingdom of God!     

Father ── Greater Than the Son 

When God was here on this earth as a human being, He constantly referred to the gospel of His Father ── the gospel of the glorious kingdom ── constantly speaking and bringing people’s attention to the fact that there is a Father. Revealing the Father. He not once ever hesitated to show us that He could do nothing except the Father guide, lead, support, and sustain Him ── 

“ … ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. … 30) I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.’” – John 5:19, 30.

“ … ‘ for My Father is greater than I.’” – John 14:28. 

An example of this could be ── just as some people have better jobs than others, greater responsibility, greater authority than others, so it is that our great and mighty Ancient of Days ── God the Father ── has the greatest authority and responsibility in the whole of the universe. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is next in authority and responsibility to His Father, is joyfully, willingly, and properly fulfilling His responsibilities as second in line of the greatest and most powerful family ── the family of God. He gladly admits the Father’s superiority. And He focuses all of humanity's attention on this fact.

Father’s Responsibility

Let’s review a magnificent and glorious responsibility of our heavenly Father. Ask yourself ── if our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Word, who was the very One who spoke, and all things in the universe came into existence, the seen and the unseen. He that created the vast worlds yet unheard of. He that called out Abraham, Moses, Isaac, and Jacob. He who called the children of Israel to come out of the bondage of Egypt. He who spoke and gave the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. He who chose the young David to become the king of Israel ── what greater thing can God the Father do?

If ── and indeed He did ── our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, did all these glorious and powerful things and fulfilled the magnificent prophecies that all pertained to Him ── what greater thing is it that our heavenly Father does?

Well… just as He resurrected His Son, so too will He beget and bring to birth many sons and daughters! Jesus Christ does not beget us as sons and daughters of God ── OUR FATHER DOES! Of course, it’s only through Jesus Christ that we know about the Father, and that we can go before our Father, our sins having been paid for by Christ’s blood.

‘I and My Father are one.’ 

The perfect oneness that God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ have is beautiful to behold. Our Lord Jesus said, “’ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; …’” – John 6:44. And also He said, “ …’ I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”

Assuredly, God our Father ── seated upon His fiery throne, ‘His garments as white as snow, His hair like pure wool, with thousands upon thousands ministering to Him’ ── active, and in charge of His entire family ── decides whom He wants to call, and when. And upon being called, He causes those individuals to be drawn to our Lord Jesus Christ, His Son. And our Lord Jesus becomes our Advocate to the Father.

What glorious unity! 

Do they have discussions with each other? Certainly. Yet, our Lord Jesus will always do the will of the Father. We always see total agreement and unity, peace, and cooperation in the work of the LORD God’s SPIRITUAL CREATIONS, of which the Father is always in charge. 

 A Seven-Thousand-Year Plan

The time of your salvation is in the hands of God our Father. Because God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Elohim, the family of God) have designated seven thousand earth years to bring all mankind from a physical human level to “the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” – 2 Peter 1:4.

Six thousand of these earth years have been allotted for mankind to rule themselves, and for Satan the Devil to have dominion over earth’s kingdoms. Then comes the LORD God’s Sabbath-rest. The Millennium Reign ── a one-thousand earth year epoch ── in which Satan the Devil and his demons are bound and cast into ‘the bottomless pit’ and our Lord Jesus Christ sets up His glorious kingdom in which ‘the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord [God the Father] and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ – Revelation 11:15, paraphrased. 

Every week, we are reminded of this glorious soon-coming Sabbath-rest. “’ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’” – Exodus 20:8. Each week that passes is a glorious foreshadowing of the LORD God’s Master Plan… From the Beginning! 

And then… the resurrection of all people who have ever lived ── our peoples who never were called by God the Father, or never knew enough to be held accountable ── every man, woman, child (and even the unborn) who has ever lived will be brought back to life, ‘small and great, who will stand before God’s throne, and books will be opened. And then, another book will be opened, which is the Book of Life. And they will be judged according to the things which are written in the books [the Holy Bible].’ – Revelation 20:12, paraphrased. They will be offered ── without Satan the Devil’s influence ── their opportunity to eventually become a literal,  spiritually born son or daughter of God the Father. 

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become CHILDREN OF GOD, to those who believe in His name: 13) who were born, NOT OF BLOOD, nor of the will of man, BUT [BORN] OF GOD.” – John 1:12-13. 

A Living Truth!

Nearly every worldly church teaches that this living truth ── that your destiny is to become God as God is God ── is blasphemous! The Roman Catholic Church vehemently denounces this: “How is this teaching not heretical, or completely insane? God is absolutely unique, and the infinite chasm between the Creator and the creature can never be crossed. It is clear from the writings of those who make such statements that no orthodox theologian is confused on this point.” 4

Having read this article, surely you can now see that there have been IMPORTANT TRUTHS OF GOD that are not part of your Christian learning from your minister ── no matter how zealous, charismatic, or sincere they may be. Sadly, it appears that in their preaching of the Father and of the Son, they left out ── perhaps because of ignorance or outright rejection ── the MOST IMPORTANT reason why God the Father is called “Father,” and why our Lord Jesus is called His “Son”!

Read our A Morning Bible Study – What do you mean… Born Again? To help you understand a little more about this important truth. We also have this in PDF format.

Surely you’ve heard that our Lord Jesus Christ promised the glorious Holy Spirit to His followers, but have you ever heard it said that our Lord Jesus, in giving that very promise, called it the promise of His Father in the upper heavenly realms? Notice Luke 24:49 ── 

“’ Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; …’”    

God is called “Father” because He is a Father. And it is His will, purpose, and plan to become a Father of untold trillions upon trillions of spiritual children ── to share His glory, His majesty, His Kingdom ── to be God as He is God! 

“’ And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” – Isaiah 51:16. □

1) Unger, M.F., Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Father, Father, God the, Moody Press, Chicago, Ill., 1966, pp. 347. 

2) Their plethora of theologians, If Jesus is God, why did He say that the Father is the only true God in John 17:3?, Got Questions.

3) Ibid. (1) Adoption, pp. 23.

4) Beaumont, D., Can Man Become God?, Catholic Answers, 23 Sept. 2019.