God Our Father

Bible Matters 544:  God our Father

There is but one God, creator of heaven and earth.   Creator of all that you see and don’t see.  When you put your trust in God, he will lead you out of darkness and into the light.  To open your eyes, turn from darkness and born of the spirit, walking in the light of righteousness.   One God of all. 

Genesis 1:1-4 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

A simple testimony from the preponderance of evidence from the Old and New Testament.  It is clear that the Lord God, was the God of the Israelites.   In the Old Testimony, God was the God of their fathers. 

Genesis 28:13 – And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

This is where the one witness testimony of Isaiah does not agree with the testimonies of both the Old and New Testimony.  From Isaiah the prophet, I heard many a preached sermon, where the preacher claims this verse alone declares Jesus as the mighty God. 

Isaiah 9:6 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Let’s look at the New Testament testimonies.

Did any of the eight New Testament witnesses declare Jesus as the Son of God to be called:

·        Wonderful – None.

·        Counsellor – None.

·        The mighty God – None.

·        The everlasting Father – None.  Jesus always referred to God as the Father, your God or my Father.

John 8:54 – Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing: it is my Father that honors me; of whom ye say, that he is your God

Ephesians 6:23 – Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

·        The Prince of Peace – None.  Peace is always referred as associated with God. 

Romans 15:33 – Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen

Philippians 4:7,9 – And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Colossians 3:15 – And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

It is clear that one cannot extract a single point from a verse and declare this verse to be true and all other parts of the verse is not proven true.  Thus, one cannot randomly declare the son as Jesus, and he is the Mighty God.  Four times in the Old Testament, God tells you that the truth shall be known out of the mouth of two or three witnesses. 

With that verse behind us, let’s look at the declaration in the New Testament that God is to be considered the Father, our Father.  The brothers of Jesus, James and Jude, would have recognized godly powers in Jesus, but they didn’t.  They clearly identify God and Jesus as two separate beings. 

Romans 1:7 – To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:2 – Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:2 – Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon 1:3 – Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 23:34,46 – Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

John 5:18 – Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

John 20:17 – Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

James 1:27 – Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Jude 1:1 – Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he went right to the Father.  Avoid vane repetitions!

Luke 11:2 – And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Matthew 6:4,6-7,9 – That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Jesus never told you to pray to him.   Jesus recognized God as the Almighty and Supreme.  Worship God.  Out of the mouth of multiple witnesses, God is referred to as the Father or as God our Father.  To consider Jesus as the Mighty God or as the Everlasting Father is not in agreement with the testimonies of the New Testament witnesses.  Do not use Isaiah 9:6 to declare Jesus as the mighty God.  God, alone, is looking for your worship.  Worship and pray to God, as directed by Jesus!

To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.