Note: All Scripture quotations found in this article are from the text of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.
God the Father is the first person of the Godhead. He is referred to as a person because he has intelligence, emotions and communicates, which are his personal characteristics.
In the below verse we see God’s intelligence at work, along with the fact that He is all knowing (omniscience).
Matthew 6:8 “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
God the Father also has emotions and this can be seen in 1 John 4:9-10. These two verses talk about God showing His love to sinners by sending His only begotten Son into the world to die for them. God’s love cannot be matched and is hard to understand when the sinner actually realizes how sinful they are.
1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
The verse below shows that God is able to communicate to people. The heavens open when God the Father speaks and a student of the word should also know that the heavens open three times in the Gospels. They open in Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5 and John 12:28. Those three openings stand for the three raptures found in Revelation 4:1, Revelation 11:12 and Proverbs 25:7.
Matthew 3:17 “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Obviously, the Father is called God. The below verse is an example where is called God. Both, the Father and Jesus Christ are God, which one can see when looking into the doctrine of the Godhead.
1 Corinthians 1:3 “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Father is the person in the Godhead that is the source of all created things and is worshipped in Heaven.
Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Another important role that God the Father played was raising Jesus Christ from the dead. This is major because Christ rising from the dead is what separates Christianity from the other religions of the world. All other religions are dead religions, while Christians have hope because as God the Father raised Christ, He will also raise us up.
Galatians 1:1 “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead”
The Father is first in rank according to scripture. Although, he is first in rank, this does not mean that the nature or attributes of the three persons in the Godhead are different. The below verse is the Apostles’ water baptism for the Gentiles. A student should know that there are seven baptisms in scripture, not just one as the Hyper-dispensationalists teach.
Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
The Father is the ruler over all things according to scripture. The Father hides things from the wise because of their pride. We are told to have a humble spirit in Proverbs 16:19. We are also told that the wise will become fools in Romans 1:22. This is because those people do not get their knowledge and understand from God, but from the world.
Luke 10:21 “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.”
There are three things that should be covered regarding to God’s relation to the nation of Israel.
First, Israel is referred to as God’s son and firstborn. In this verse Israel is a type of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 4:22 “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:”
Secondly, the people of Israel are called the Father’s children.
Deuteronomy 14:1 “Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.”
The last thing to be mentioned is that Israel is the Father’s bride. This relationship was based on the special covenant and conditions under the Law that was later broke because of idolatry. Now there is a new covenant with Jesus Christ according to Hebrews 8:1-13; 12:24. The Bride of Jesus Christ is the church according to Ephesians 5:25.
Isaiah 54:5 “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
As Church Age Saints we are called the children and sons of the Father, if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.
John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
