Lesson 1 – The Father
GOD BEING ONLY ONE
The Scriptures in many instances and in many ways tell us that God is uniquely one. Both in the Old Testament and in the New, there are many passages which clearly and definitely tell us that God is only one. First Corinthians 8:4 says, “There is no God but one,” and Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me.” Similar words also can be found in Isaiah 45:6, 21, 22; and 44:6, 9.
In these passages God repeatedly says, “There is no God besides me.” He does not say, “There is no God besides us,” but, “There is no God besides me.” Me is singular, only one. These repeated declarations of God strongly prove that God is uniquely one.
Psalm 86:10 says, “Thou art God alone.” Here it does not say, “Ye are God alone,” but, “Thou art God alone.” This also proves that God is only one. That God is one is a clear and definite revelation of the Scriptures; it is also a fundamental and consummate principle. Perhaps some will ask, “Since God is only one, why did God speak of Himself as Us in Genesis 1:26? And why did He say Our image? Is there just one God, or is there more than one?” The answer is: He is the Triune God; He is one, yet three—the Father, Son, and Spirit.
THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT ALL BEING GOD
THE FATHER BEING GOD
Undoubtedly, the Father is God. Many passages in the New Testament speak of God the Father. For example, 1 Peter 1:2 says, “According to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” Ephesians 1:17 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory….”
THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT ALL BEING ETERNAL
FATHER BEING ETERNAL
Isaiah 9:6 contains the expression “Eternal Father.”…Hence, the Father is eternal.
THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT COEXISTING SIMULTANEOUSLY
John 14:16-17 says, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, even the Spirit of reality.” In these two verses the Son says that He will pray to the Father that the Father may send the Spirit. Hence, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit exist together at the same time.
In Ephesians 3:14-17 Paul says that he will pray to the Father that He would grant us to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into our inner man, that Christ may make His home in our hearts. In this passage we have the Father, the Spirit, and Christ the Son.
All three exist together at the same time. The Scriptures do not say that the Father existed for a period of time, then the Son came; and that after another period of time, the Son no longer exists but has been replaced by the Spirit. Not one verse says this. This portion of the Word shows that the Father hears the prayer, the Spirit strengthens the saints, and the Son—Christ—makes His home in our hearts. From this we can also see clearly that all Three coexist simultaneously.
Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Here it mentions the grace of Christ the Son, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. All Three exist together at the same time.
Therefore, we do not believe that the Father ceased to exist and was replaced by the Son, then after another period of time the Son was replaced by the Spirit. We believe that the Three—Father, Son, and Spirit—are eternal and co-existent.
THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT COINHERING AND BEING INSEPARABLE
The relationship among the Father, the Son, and the Spirit of the Trinity is not only that they simultaneously coexist, but, even more, that they indwell one another mutually. Coexistence means to exist together at the same time. Coinherence, as applied to the Trinity, means that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are in one another and thus exist together. The Scriptures clearly indicate that when the Son comes, the Father comes with Him; similarly, when the Spirit comes, both the Son and the Father come with Him. Furthermore, when the Son comes, the Father does not come with Him outwardly; rather, the Father comes with Him inwardly and subjectively. John 14:10 says, “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” This indicates that the Father does not come with the Son outwardly; rather, He comes in the Son.
THE THREE—THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT—BEING ONE
THE SON BEING CALLED THE FATHER
Isaiah 9:6 says, “For a child is born to us, a Son is given to us…And His name will be called…Mighty God, Eternal Father.” In this verse, Mighty God matches the child, and Eternal Father matches the Son. Yes, He is a child, yet He is the mighty God. The child who was born in the manger of Bethlehem was the mighty God. Just as the child and the mighty God are one, so also the Son and eternal Father are one. The Son is the eternal Father. It is indeed difficult to fully explain this matter, yet the Scriptures have said so.
John 14:7-11 says, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and henceforth you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father and it suffices us. Jesus said to him, Am I so long a time with you, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. How is it that you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words which I speak to you, I do not speak from Myself; but the Father who abides in Me, He does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me.” In these verses the Lord clearly reveals to us the mystery that He and the Father are one. He is in the Father and the Father is in Him; when He speaks, it is the Father who works; when men see Him, they see the Father; when they know Him, they know the Father, because He is the Father; He and the Father are one
God is the Triune God. The one, unique God has the aspect of three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all God and are eternal, coexistent, coinherent, and inseparable. To the believers, the Father is the source, the Son is the manifestation, and the Spirit is God reaching and entering into them. Thus, the Triune God is dispensed into their being to be their life, enjoyment, and complete supply.