THE TRINITY: THE FATHER

This text on the Trinity is by no means exhaustive, but is meant to give you a good foundation regarding the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

In eternity, before time began, the Godhead included the Father, the Word (Jesus, Son), and the Holy Spirit. Three persons, all equal in power and authority, having one will.

Every act accomplished is done in complete unity. Scripture shows the three Persons act in harmonious unity in all the mighty works set forth throughout the universe.

With our finite minds, we cannot comprehend three Persons in One. But, there are a few examples that can help us to understand:

1) H2O, is the chemical symbol for water. In its liquid form it is water; in its gaseous form it is steam; in its solid form, it is ice. All three have the same substance but different functions.

2) A prism looks like just a piece of glass until sunlight shines through it. When light shines through a prism it reveals the three primary colors plus all the resultant colors in the spectrum.

3) An egg. Before an egg can be called an egg, it has to have all three components: the shell, the yolk and the albumen or white of the egg.

Creation – Many, mistakenly believe, that creation is attributed to the Father, but in actuality, it was accomplished by all three Persons of the Trinity.

1) Father:

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

2) Jesus (Son):

Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." John 1:2,3

3) Holy Spirit:

Job 26:13; ”By His Spirit He adorned the heavens…”;

Psalm 104:30 “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth.”

Incarnation – Although only the Son was manifest in the flesh, all three Persons partook in the experience. In the gospel of Luke, we see the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary:

Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

In the gospel of John we see Jesus is also called “the Word”.

John 1:14 “And 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. ”

THE FATHER

The Father is the first Person of the Trinity; not because of importance or power (as Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit are equal), but because of willing submission and subordination on the part of Jesus. In every area of Jesus' earthly life He was in complete obedience to the Father.

John 14:31 “But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.”

Our Father has a distinct place in our hearts and lives. He lives in us as well as in Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The Father Himself loves each one of us individually as we are His children.

“2 Cor. 6:18 “I will be a Father to you and you will be My sons and daughters.”

In the book of Isaiah, we see the prophet praying to the Father:

Isaiah 63:16b “You, O Lord, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name. We can come to the Father with our personal petitions.

John 16:26, 27 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God."

We see some of the activities of the Father in the gospel of John:

John 5:21, 22 “…the Father raises the dead and gives life to them,…..the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son.”

Before Jesus came, we had no personal access to the Father.

John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil that blocked the entrance to the Father (where He dwelled between the Cherubim) was torn in two, from top to bottom signifying that God Himself tore the four inch thick veil so we would have access to Him, no longer having to go through priests who sacrificed animals to atone for our sin.

Matthew 27:51 “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom:….”

Throughout the gospels you see Jesus in constant communication and prayer to the Father. In the gospel of John 17, the Lord is praying for Himself, for His disciples and for all Believers. In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray to the Father.

In the gospel of John 14:8, Phillip asks the Lord to show His disciples the Father. Jesus replied in:

John 14:9 “He who has seen Me has seen the Father….”

John 14:10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?….”

Also, many times in the gospel of John, Jesus states that He can do nothing of Himself. One example in John: Jesus says:

John 8:38 “For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.”

We should long to see the glory of God as Moses did in Exodus:

Exodus 33:13, 18 ”Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight….Please, show me Your glory.”

1. The Trinity is another word for the Godhead.

2. Who makes up the Godhead?

3. Which of the following are finite examples of the Trinity?

4. The Father alone created the universe.

5. The Father is the first Person of the Trinity because of His importance and power.

6. Who said, “I am the way the truth and the life”?

7. Before Jesus came, where did the Father dwell?

8. Who tore the veil of the temple?

9. In Luke’s gospel, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Which gospel best explains that request?

10. When Phillip asked the Lord to show him the Father, what was Jesus’ reply?

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