Who is God the Father?

Teacher Resources for 6/18/2023



Theology (Proper)

Question:  Who is God the Father?

Resources:

Short Statement  (TBC doctrinal statement): 

We believe in the one God, eternally existing in three persons:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit 

Key Thoughts

  • Essence                
  • Holy
  • Love
  • Truth
  • Righteous

Attributes            

  • Incommunicable (highlight Creator/Creature distinction)
    • Independence – self-existence
    • Immutability – unchangeableness
    • Eternity – not bound by time.
    • Omnipresence – all present
    • Simplicity – God IS his attributes (not a sum of parts of each of them)
    • Spirituality – God is Spirit – not physical in nature.
  • Communicable (highlight that humans are created in God’s image and mirror Him)
    • Knowledge
    • Wisdom
    • Truthfulness
    • Faithfulness
    • Love
    • Goodness
    • Grace
    • Mercy
    • Patience
    • Holiness
    • Jealousy
    • Wrath
    • Righteousness/Justice
    • Power

Acts

  • Creator
  • Redeemer
  • Judge

 Names

  • Jehovah
  • Adonai
  • Elohim
  • El Shaddai
  • El Elyon
  • Immanuel

 Key References

  • I Timothy 2:5; John 14:26; Genesis 1;
  • Incommunicable Attributes:  Exodus 3:14; I Kings 8:27; Psalm 90:1-4; 102:25-27; 139:7-12; Malachi 3:1; John 4:24; 5:26; Acts 17:24-25; Romans 1:18-25; Ephesians 1:11; I Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16; James 1:17
  • Communicable Attributes:  Exodus 34:6-7; 2 Samuel 7:18-29; I Kings 8:22-30; I Chronicles 16:8-36; Psalm 89:1-8; 103:6-14; 139:1-6; Romans 11:33-36; Ephesians 1:11; I Timothy 1:17

 Why is it Vital to our Daily Lives: 

  • God’s self-revelation demands our response.
  • God’s revealing of His attributes is on His terms and demands we understand Him as He is, not how we try to make Him in our image.
  • As image bearers of God, we have a great responsibility to reflect God well.
  • Distortions of our understanding of God lead us into error.
  • God is knowable to the degree He reveals Himself and unknowable it the full as we have finite abilities as creatures and those abilities have been corrupted by sin.
  • God exists in three persons – each with unique roles in Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification – we pray (with the Spirit) to the Father in Jesus’ Name – ongoing relationship with each is the unique privilege of the believer.

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