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Announcer (00:00:00): It's time to think about the Bible like you never have before. This is Christian Questions. Experience more episodes, videos, and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com. Today's topic is, "Who is God?" (Part III). Trying to understand who God is is like unraveling the mysteries of life. The more you discover, the more you realize there are more profound mysteries waiting to be discovered. Jesus helped us in this quest by revealing deep and powerful insights into His Father. What are they and what they mean to us? Here's Rick, Jonathan and Julie.

Rick (00:00:38): Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 25 years. Julie, a longtime CQ contributor is also with us. Jonathan, what is our theme scripture for this episode?

Jonathan (00:00:50): Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Rick (00:00:56): As we've discovered from Parts I and II of this series, God is the "Mighty One" who has power and authority. He's the "Self-Existing One" who created humanity in His image for the purpose of having a personal relationship with them. Planet Earth was and is to be the eternal habitation for this human family. As God revealed Himself through man's experiences, many aspects of His character became evident. He's the supreme and exalted Sovereign. He is sufficient, caring and continually provides. He is not only "Jehovah Elohim" of individuals, but He's "Jehovah of Hosts." He sanctifies shepherds and brings peace to those who follow Him. He is our rock, our fortress, and through His providence, He provides salvation. This, all of this, is a mere sampling of the breadth of God's character as revealed in the Old Testament.

Julie (00:01:56): As we look to establish who God is in the New Testament now, we want to focus on where His descriptions began. That's the first verses of the gospel of Mark. Here's our link that we're going to see between the Old and the New. These verses connect Old Testament prophecies to the New Testament accounts. Mark begins by citing a prophecy from Isaiah, which predicted the work of John the Baptist. Mark 1:1-3:

Jonathan (00:02:22): "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God (Theos). As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the LORD (Kurios), make His paths straight." These verses introduce two Greek words that are frequently used throughout the New Testament to describe the majesty of God. First, when Jesus is described as "the son of God," the Greek for "God" is "Theos." "Theos" means "the supreme Divinity, figuratively a magistrate." A magistrate is one who administers the law. "Theos" is translated in English as "God" over 1,300 times in the New Testament. Second, when I read "Make ready the way of the LORD," the Greek word for "LORD" is "Kurios," meaning "supreme in authority; that is, a controller; by implication, Master." As a respectful title, it is used over 660 times in the New Testament.

Julie (00:03:34): These are both frequently used in the New Testament. You gave us those counts, but they aren't used exclusively for THE God. Both words can be used to describe other beings.

Rick (00:03:44): We've got a basis to begin. We've got a basis in the New Testament. This is where it starts. We have this Theos and Kurios. The gospel of Mark's Old Testament quote is from two different prophecies. Jonathan, you read Mark 1:1-3; that comes from two different prophecies together. The first part, verse 2 of Mark 1 is from the book of Malachi. Jonathan, let's look at Malachi 3:1 and then we'll pick it up from there:

Jonathan (00:04:14): "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, sayeth Jehovah Sabaoth (meaning "the Lord of hosts," as we described in detail on our last episode.)

Rick (00:04:35): That first phrase in Malachi 3:1, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me..." that's the part that Mark put in place. Who sends the messenger? Jehovah Sabaoth, the "LORD of hosts." We have this connection between the Old Testament and the New. That's from the Malachi prophecy. Mark continues and quotes further from a prophecy in Isaiah.

Jonathan (00:05:00): That comes from Isaiah 40:3: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway for our Elohim."

Julie (00:05:13): Four hundred years after the prophet Malachi, "the voice of one crying from the wilderness" turns out to be John the Baptist. What did he do? His job was to clear a pathway for the kingdom of Jehovah Elohim to come through the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus came to preach God's will and God's work. But John the Baptist came beforehand. He prepared the hearts of the people to receive Jesus.

Rick (00:05:39): It's interesting to me that the first words that really describe the New Testament pick up exactly from where the last couple of chapters of the Old Testament left off. You have this unbroken story, and you have God described so we can carry over from the Old Testament to the New Testament, the connection. These are prophetic links that clearly show us that "Jehovah of Hosts," the mighty Elohim of the Old Testament, was necessarily prominent in preparing for Jesus and the Gospel of the New Testament. He's prominent; He's in the middle of everything. These scriptures show us that "Theos," that first word, Jonathan, that you were talking about, equates to "Elohim," and that "Kurios" equates to "Jehovah." Because remember we had that Jehovah Elohim that was constantly present in the Old Testament? We see it's carried over.

Julie (00:06:32): This carryover link holds fast through the announcement and birth of John the Baptist. The story is; Zacharias, he was an old and faithful priest. He served in the temple, and he had just been told by the angel Gabriel that he would be the father of John the Baptist. Let's listen to how God would be introduced to Zacharias, which was the first time in the New Testament, Luke 1:18-19:

Jonathan (00:06:57): "And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stands in the presence of Theos; and I am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings." In other words, Theos, the Mighty One, sent me.

Rick (00:07:21): You get this sense that Gabriel is saying to Zacharias because Zacharias is saying, "Well, wait, how do I know this is true?" Now, you're talking to an angel of God. Let's use a little caution. Let's use a little forethought and say, "Wait, maybe I shouldn't quite ask that specific question." Gabriel's response is, "Look, I stand in the presence of God, of power and authority. That's who I stand in the presence of." It just gives us this sense that "I am in His presence." Now, why is God introduced with this word for power and authority in the New Testament? I think because that's the way He was introduced in the Old Testament. "In the beginning, God (Elohim, power and authority) created." We see the same pattern repeated again. God is proclaiming Himself in a way that is recognizable to anyone who has ears to hear. Now it goes further than this because God is described to Zacharias. But of course, we know that a few months later, Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel and her experience adds something else to these descriptions of God in the New Testament. So, Jonathan, let's go to Luke 1:26-28:

Jonathan (00:08:35): "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from Theos unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, Kurios is with thee: blessed art thou among women."

Rick (00:08:59): You have this other word "Kurios," which equates to "Jehovah," which remember was the Lord of relationship. You see how with Zacharias it was power and authority. With Mary, you've got both. You've got Theos (power and authority), and Kurios (the Lord of relationship). "He is with you." Why? Because what we're about to tell you, Mary, is something that's never been told to anybody, and what you're about to go through is something that never has or ever will happen ever again." You have this tremendous, tremendous security because the God of the Old Testament is shining through in all of these things.

Julie (00:09:41): But there's one more important description of God that we have to listen to in this account. Listen for "the Highest," when Jonathan reads Luke 1:31-32:

Jonathan (00:09:50): "And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the son of the Highest: and the Lord God (Kurios Theos) shall give unto him the throne of his father David." The word for "Highest" or "Most High" can mean "of place, as in highest regions, or of rank, as in the Most High God."

Julie (00:10:16): The angel Gabriel uses this superlative of the highest, "son of the Highest," to help Mary understand, because this description elevated God beyond everything and anyone else.

Rick (00:10:30): We see this pattern being revealed. Remember Genesis 2, back in Part I of our series, was talking about how God had mankind so much in the centerpiece of His creative process. Here, the bringing of Messiah is the exact centerpiece and God is introduced the same way, but it says God of the "Highest." There can't be anything greater than what's happening here. What's Mary's response? Luke 1:34-35:

Jonathan (00:11:04): "Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? The angel answered and said to her, The holy spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy child shall be called the son of Theos."

Rick (00:11:22): You have this description, you have God introduced into the New Testament very much in the same way He was introduced in the Old Testament. Now you have this whole new aspect of God's plan that's going to bring salvation to all men through Jesus. That's what all of this essentially is all about. We know God because we know Jesus. Jonathan, this is the third part of our series and every time we get to this part, it's with a little fear and trepidation, because we really don't get it, but we're going to try to get it. I'm going to say it; Grasping the Greatness of God. What do we have?

Jonathan (00:12:03): One of the key factors in learning who God is and appreciating His character is to acknowledge His consistency. His allowing Himself to be revealed is in direct correlation to the stage of His plan that is currently in play. This tells us that knowing Him is and will always be an ever-unfolding adventure for His human family.

Rick (00:12:28): It's like we're at the very first chapters. This is like a 17,000-chapter book and we're on the first two chapters. We're going, "This is unbelievable. How could it get better?" Well wait, there's 16,998 chapters to go! That's how big this is, when we try to grasp the greatness of God. Seeing God introduce Himself in the New Testament, it's plain old exciting. You know, you just know it will keep getting better.

Jonathan (00:12:57): The New Testament picks up exactly where the Old Testament left off. Are God's name and character expanding any further?

Rick (00:13:06): You know the answer to that. There are changes and they are significant as we observed in the Old Testament with Abraham and then with the nation of Israel. God's role in the lives of those who follow Him ever expands as His plan moves forward. The next change, the next change we will observe is perhaps the most significant of all. It was already hinted at when the angel spoke to Mary. Let's touch back on that scripture because that actually introduces a whole different level of understanding who God is. Jonathan, let's go back to Luke 1:31-32:

Jonathan (00:13:52): "And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the Highest: and Kurios Theos or Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David..."

Rick (00:14:09): Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be called "the son of the Highest." This is a different relationship from any that we have seen thus far, unless we go way back to the beginning. You say, "Well wait, I don't think I remember that kind of relationship." That's because it wasn't actually revealed, but it happened. Where do you have this "son of the Highest" kind of thing happen before Jesus? Well, let's look. At the tail end of the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3, there is a significant statement made that does not often get a lot of attention, but it means a whole lot here as we open up the scriptures. Jonathan, let's go to Luke 3. We're going to read 37-38 to give you a sense of the genealogy. So-and-so begat so-and-so, and this one's that one's son, and on and on and on. But listen to how this small couple of scriptures ends.

Jonathan (00:15:11): "...the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, and the son of Adam, the son of Theos."

Rick (00:15:25): Adam, "the son of God," "the son of Theos." We don't normally think about that, but it's written in Luke. So, we have to think about that. Adam, the perfect man created in God's image, was "the son of God." That's what it says in Luke 3:38. Once sin enters, the sonship was set aside and being a friend of God or a servant of God became the closest any human being could come until that subtle statement by the angel Gabriel that was made to Mary, "He will be called the son of the Highest."

Julie (00:16:05): In other words, Adam was called a son before he sinned. But thousands of years would go by before that relationship of being a son to God would ever again exist. At this point, you're either a friend, an enemy, or a servant of God during these intervening years. But let's fast forward 12 years from the birth of Jesus. In Luke 2, we find Jesus as a boy being accidentally left behind in Jerusalem. His panicked parents go back and after three days they find him in the temple asking and answering questions. Mary tells him that they've been anxiously looking for him. Then we have the first recorded words of Jesus as a human being. When he answers in Luke 2:49, "Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house?" The Greek word for "Father" there means "father or a parent."

Jonathan (00:16:56): "My Father's house" at age 12? Jesus knew he was God's son. He was the first human to have such a relationship since Adam. Let's pick up on the account with Luke 2:51-52: "And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and he continued in subjection to them; and his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with Theos and men."

Rick (00:17:25): This is a truly remarkable statement that Jesus makes at 12-years old, "Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?" He knew. How did he know? Mary knew. How did she know? Gabriel told her he will be "son of the Highest." You see how her diligence in teaching him everything that she knew would become true about him took hold. At just 12-years old, he understands "God is my Father." That's where this all really begins to gel in a really, really remarkable, remarkable way. Now, we're going to go down a sidetrack just for a moment here. The fact that we understand Jesus as God's son, which is an easy fact for everybody to understand, but we don't often think about Adam as the son of God that was mentioned in Luke. This side note tells us this is why, this is why Jesus could die for all men. There's two specific reasons here, we just want to touch on them. First, Jesus was a man himself. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22:

Jonathan (00:18:36): "For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive."

Rick (00:18:47): You have the sense of a man, and a man; a perfect man (Jesus) for a perfect man (Adam). There's perfect justice in that balance. That's our first piece. Secondly now, he's the exact corresponding price because that perfect man for perfect man is the ultimate satisfaction of justice. As we read through this next scripture, think about this. Adam is labeled the "son of God." Jesus is labeled the "son of God." It is the "son of God" (Jesus) who dies for the "son of God" (Adam), the perfect man for the perfect man. You have justice 100% satisfied. That's a mic drop moment. It's over. It's done. It's taken care of. That's what 1 Timothy 2:3-6 tells us:

Jonathan (00:19:33): "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of Theos our Savior; who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one Theos, and one mediator between Theos and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." This is one of my favorite texts. I know we're focusing on who God is, but the meaning of this verse is so beautiful. Jesus, God's son, saved everyone, which will be witnessed at the right time. Just wait and see. This is the original "good news" for all mankind.

Rick (00:20:12): It's just! The reason Jesus saved everyone by dying for Adam is because Adam condemned everyone by his actions. Jesus saved everyone by his actions. You see that every piece of this has perfect parallel harmony and exact justice. That's the beauty of this. But wait, it gets so much bigger. This is just amazing, Okay? We've got Jesus proclaiming himself, he understands he's God's son. He did not hide this unique relationship. His preaching was constantly referring to that Father/son relationship. But there were conditions when it came to applying that Father/son relationship to others. Jesus revealed that the ability to enter into this specific relationship was limited to those who would be his true disciples. If we look at the Sermon on the Mount, it is a very revealing set of scriptures for many, many reasons. Again, one of the reasons it's very revealing is a reason that often gets overlooked. Who is the Sermon on the Mount being spoken to? Jonathan, let's start with Matthew 5:1-3:

Jonathan (00:21:24): "When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. He opened his mouth and began to teach them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Rick (00:21:39): You have the context, all of these massive crowds gathering around and gathering around. Then it very specifically says, "his disciples came to him, he opened his mouth and began to teach them." You realize that Jesus is teaching his disciples and everybody else is listening in. This is really important because what Jesus is about to say in this Sermon on the Mount, and we're just going to quote a few of the many, many, many times he says it; what he's about to say is completely revolutionary on so many levels. Let's drop in on a few scriptures. First, Matthew 5:16:

Jonathan (00:22:24): "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Julie (00:22:32): Wait a minute, whose Father? "YOUR Father." The Father of the disciples who were listening. But how could this be? Until we studied this, I had never before considered what a radical shift this would've been for the people listening. We take this for granted. But they had been taught that the great and mighty Jehovah Elohim was who they worship; power, authority, Self-Existing One. This entity is so far above and beyond them. And suddenly Jesus addresses God as "Father." They would have never heard anyone use such language for God. How did that change their impression of this great and mighty Entity? How would they now look at Jesus? What kind of man is this, who can claim Jehovah Elohim is HIS Father and YOUR Father? Wow.

Rick (00:23:21): Yeah. There is a complete paradigm shift that he introduces. Now look, the Sermon on the Mount, in and of itself without this major, major, major, major, major fact, is very, very, very life changing all by itself. But when you realize Father/my Father/your Father is woven into this tapestry of amazing teachings, you realize how elevated he is showing his disciples they can be. Let's look at a few more examples of this.

Jonathan (00:23:55): Continuing in Matthew 5:43-45: "You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Rick (00:24:20): Jesus was God's son, and he offered that same relationship to those who would truly follow him. But there were conditions. He says, "Act in this way so that you may be sons of your Father." He's saying to them, "This is not natural for you. You have to elevate your life to a higher level for that amazing relationship to be able to be there." Further, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus compares how a religious leader of their day (Pharisees) would act and how those who would claim God as their Father SHOULD act. Now he does this a lot. We're just going to touch on one example in Matthew 6:1-4:

Jonathan (00:25:07): "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

Julie (00:25:42): You have to think this is another reason why the Pharisees hated Jesus so much. After all, they are the ones who are supposed to have this special direct-line relationship with the Mighty One. Here is Jesus amplifying that exponentially by publicly preaching God is "our Father in heaven" and all who follow Jesus have a part in this unimaginable relationship.

Rick (00:26:07): Folks, if you really want to get the flavor of this, take the time and look up that phrase "your Father" wherever it's used for God. Just let it sink in how deep and profound all of this really is. There's more, there's more. In the Sermon on the Mount, there's more. When it comes to prayer--remember, prayer has always been to God Almighty--when it comes to prayer, the same principle applies. Being a child of God requires living up to higher standards. That is reflected in the way Jesus taught us to pray. Jonathan, let's touch on Matthew 6:6,8,9:

Jonathan (00:26:48): "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father (not Elohim, the Mighty One, not Jehovah, the Self-Existing One, not Adonai as Sovereign Lord, but your Father) who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you...your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name..."

Julie (00:27:19): For the listeners then and now, this is Jesus's Father and our Father, making Jesus our brother. We are now part of this unified family. This is revolutionary.

Rick (00:27:33): It is, it is. It's got to just shake you up, even if you've always called God your Father. Think again at the depth and the privilege here. How big was this revelation at that point in time? Jesus is the only one saying it. And yet it was understood even by fallen angels. Even the fallen angels knew of this relationship. Let's look at one example; the man from Gerasene who was possessed by demons. He was out of control, out of control, and then he sees Jesus. Here's what happens. Mark 5:5-8:

Jonathan (00:28:11): "Constantly night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before him; and shouting with a loud voice, he said, What business do we have with each other, Jesus, son of the Most High Theos? I implore you by Theos, do not torment me! For he had been saying to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"

Julie (00:28:42): This is the demon who when Jesus asked his name, he answers, "My name is Legion, for we are many." Ooh, scary stuff.

Rick (00:28:51): It is.

Jonathan (00:28:51): But he or they called Jesus the "son of the Most High God." So even the demons knew who he was and his special relationship to God.

Rick (00:29:01): This was not something unusual. This was understood in the heavenly realm, even by those outside of God's inner circle, if you will. This is something that changes everything in every relationship as we shall see as we continue with this. Jonathan, here's our feeble attempt to Grasp the Greatness of God:

Jonathan (00:29:24): Being invited to call God our Father became an entirely unique privilege, reserved for true followers of Christ. Why? It is only through Jesus that anyone at any time and under any circumstance can come that close to Jehovah Elohim. This one fact should bring all of us to a point of absolute reverence and submission to God's will. How privileged we are!

Rick (00:29:53): We should repeat that last phrase again and again and again. How privileged we are, how privileged we are, how privileged we are. The ease with which we as Christians call God "our Father" should never, ever overshadow the immense honor that it gives us.

Jonathan (00:30:11): Being able to address God as Father is a special privilege for a few called out ones. But what does it really mean?

Rick (00:30:20): Getting to the bottom line of this meaning is profoundly important because it will reveal what God has been planning all along. By focusing on this realization, we will begin to assemble an understanding as to just how important and specific this particular change is. We will embark on this journey with several very basic scriptural observations. We're going to go through four scriptural observations about "Father" in the New Testament, and they will hopefully help us to see a broader picture, a broader perspective, a deeper understanding of what all of this means. Let's start with our first one. The basic word for "Father" is used over 260 times in the New Testament to refer to God as "Father;" 260 times! That's a lot. Of those 260 times, almost 50 of them, almost 50 out of 260 were used by Jesus to refer to God on his last night before his crucifixion."

Jonathan (00:31:26): Wow!

Rick (00:31:27): Let this sink in. Almost 20% of all written uses relating God as Father to us are used in one evening. There's got to be a profound message here. Let's touch on just a few of those uses. Let's look at John 14, and incidentally in John 14, God as "our Father" appears in almost every single verse, John 14:1-2:

Jonathan (00:31:54): "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in Theos, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you."

Rick (00:32:06): "In my Father's house;" not in God's house, "my Father's house." Why? Because it's personal. Like Julie said before, there is a personal family connection. John 14:5-6:

Jonathan (00:32:17): "Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going, how do we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."

Rick (00:32:31): "The Father is accessible." That's what Jesus is saying the last night before his crucifixion. "But you must come to Him through me." Now, let's go down to John 14:23:

Jonathan (00:32:43): "Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him."

Julie (00:32:54): What's the lesson? By his own words, Jesus is teaching us that the Father was becoming accessible to his disciples in ways never before experienced. This was a new calling, a new privilege, and new method to access God.

Rick (00:33:10): It is life-changing. It is world-changing to see this unfold. Jesus brought this revelation of God with him from the first part of his ministry, from when he was twelve years old. He introduced this as something that we need to understand. That first point was so many of these times where God is recognized as Father is the night before Jesus' crucifixion. Our second point; Jesus' first recorded words as a human being that we already talked about were about his Father, as were his last words as a human being. Let's compare those two very quickly, John, we've already read this. Jonathan, Luke 2:49:

Jonathan (00:33:59): "And he said to them, Why is it that you were looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house?"

Rick (00:34:06): "In my Father's house." These are the first words we hear Jesus say as a human being. What are the last words he says before his death? Luke 23:46:

Jonathan (00:34:17): "And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Having said this, he breathed his last."

Julie (00:34:28): What beautiful scriptural bookends we have of Jesus's first and last recorded words to and about his Father.

Jonathan (00:34:36): We want to take a "selah" moment here, pause and consider. This sums up what Jesus' life was about. He was only and ever about his Father.

Rick (00:34:50): That continues, that continues. That's a beautiful microcosm of what Jesus' life was about, but it gets bigger. Another set of bookends coming here. Jesus' first words as our resurrected Lord, were about his Father, as were his last words before he ascended to the Father. Coincidence? No, no, no, no, no! You're seeing the message of Jesus Christ. Let's look at his first words as resurrected Lord, when he's speaking to Mary. John 20:16-17:

Jonathan (00:35:21): "Jesus said to her, Mary! She turned and said to him in Hebrew, Rabboni (which means teacher)! Jesus said to her, Stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and my Theos and your Theos."

Rick (00:35:43): The concept of Father is absolutely paired up with the concept of Theos, the Mighty God. You have this sense of this personal sense. "I have not yet ascended to my Father, don't delay me. I have a lot of work to do." Then after all of that work is done and Jesus is literally being raised up to the Father, we're going to turn to Acts 1:6-8. Hear how he again references the most important thing. What is that? It's his Father.

Jonathan (00:36:15): "So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, Kurios, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

Julie (00:36:41): What's the lesson? By his own words, Jesus is emphatically teaching us of the importance of this Father/son relationship he lived, and opened up for us to live as he was on his way to be with God.

Rick (00:36:56): You can't get away from this relationship. If you look at any part of the life of Jesus, what do you see? You see "my Father," "your Father," "our Father," "the Father." You can't get away. Why? Because his sole purpose for being here was to fulfill the will of his Father. What a beautiful, what a stunning look at how deep and how close that relationship is and was. Let's go to our third point. Using the "Father" description of God abruptly ceases. It stops. You go, wait, wait, what? Jesus set it in motion, right? But it abruptly ceases at the beginning of the Book of Acts. The only uses of Father in relation to God in the Book of Acts were at his ascension. That's the first one. We'll take a quick look at that. Acts 1:4, Jonathan:

Jonathan (00:37:55): "Gathering them together, he (Jesus) commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, which he (Jesus) said, you heard of from me..." Then in Acts 1:6-8 scriptures that I just read, you remember they asked Jesus if this was the time he would restore the kingdom to Israel. He answered, "It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by his own authority."

Rick (00:38:24): At the beginning of Acts, we have the references to the Father very, very clearly. As Jesus is being raised, that's what he says. Then the Apostle Peter, remember ten days later at Pentecost, you have all this in-gathering of all these Jews and Peter speaks, and the tongues of fire come down and God's spirit is upon them. Now Peter speaks with amazing authority. Guess what he talks about with this amazing authority? Acts 2, we're going to drop in late in his discourse here, in his sermon. Acts 2:33:

Jonathan (00:38:58): "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of Theos and having received from the Father the promise of the holy spirit, he has poured forth this which you both see and hear."

Julie (00:39:11): Okay, so why do you think God is never referred to as "Father" in the rest of the Book of Acts? You think it would be used over and over again. The apostles would pick this up and run with this concept.

Rick (00:39:21): I think that's an excellent, excellent, important question, because you say, well, it suddenly goes dark. The reason it does is because this is about the establishment of Christianity. This is about reaching out to Jews all over and drawing them to God through Christ. Then it's about reaching out to Gentiles. What they needed to see first was power and authority. They needed to see God's power and all of that first before they could be introduced. Acts is a very fundamental beginning process and it really focuses a lot on the Jewish nation having the opportunity to come to Christ. The "Father" relationship, they're just not completely ready for it. You'll see it in the epistles and we'll get to that in a moment. But it is a process. That's the beauty of this. We look back and we, because we're already Christians, we just adopt "Father" immediately. That wasn't the way it was at the beginning. They needed to learn of God, learn of His plan, learn of Jesus, learn of that, and then walk into and embrace such power and relationship.

Julie (00:40:32): That makes sense. What's the lesson? Acts began with Jesus and his followers, and then it was about finding new followers and establishing churches. These are going to be Jewish churches initially because that's where we're going to get these people from. It's Jewish-based actions, and recognizing Jesus and all he stood for probably was complicated enough as the main focus. The understanding of God as Father was just ripening.

Rick (00:40:58): It was. It was beginning, it was just starting. There was so much to learn. I think that's why in Acts it's very, very silent. However, that brings us to the fourth point, okay? The fourth point of understanding the power of God as "Father" is after the gospels, after Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the use of "Father" as a relationship to God appears at the beginning of every single book of the New Testament. Every single one except for Hebrews and 3 John. Why? Why not 3 John? Well, 3 John is 11 verses. It was a short personal note to Gaius and not nearly as focused as a general teaching as were the other epistles. It was a note as a warning to an individual to watch out for something else going on that wasn't very Christian-like. You have that sense there. What about the book of Hebrews? Well, Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were having challenges elevating Jesus to the level he needed to be elevated to. The writer of Hebrews understands this and says, "Okay, I'm going to teach them step by step by step by step." We believe the apostle Paul wrote Hebrews. The apostle Paul masterfully and systematically built his argument toward the Fatherhood of God with subtlety at first, and then he builds it more directly. Let's look at two scriptures in Hebrews, one near the beginning and one near the end. Hebrews 3:5-6:

Jonathan (00:42:33): "Now Moses was faithful in all His (God's) house as a servant (directly dealing with God of relationship), for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a son over His (God's) house, whose house we are if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end."

Julie (00:42:57): You see the contrast here; the faithful are either a servant or a son in God's house. Those in the Old Testament couldn't be sons because Jesus wasn't there to institute this new arrangement. Jesus stands between us as sinful and the Father, covering our sins and making us acceptable.

Jonathan (00:43:18): Rick and Julie, in those days, the concept of being sons was introduced slowly and carefully so it could be embraced and not rejected. They had to fundamentally look at God differently in the early church.

Rick (00:43:33): You see that little hint at the beginning of Hebrews 3. "Christ was faithful as a son over God's house, as a son of whose house we are." That could easily get missed. Well now let's go to Hebrews 12 and look how the apostle has built his argument and now comes back to sonship. Hebrews 12:7-9:

Jonathan (00:43:54): "It is for discipline that you endure; Theos deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?" A good father appropriately disciplines his children to guide and teach them.

Julie (00:44:27): It just strikes me as how--I'm trying to put myself into the shoes of these Jewish early Jewish Christians. It had to be really difficult for them to put aside all that they knew under the Law, and now they accept Christ and this offer of being a son. This had to be just overwhelming.

Rick (00:44:44): It was.

Julie (00:44:45): It's a wonder Christianity got off the ground, it really is.

Rick (00:44:48): Well you see God's providence and God's spirit working through all of those things. But it was a small-step-by-small-step process that helped him to be able to accept all of this. Small steps and they are shown. There is sonship here and it is remarkable.

Julie (00:45:04): What's the lesson for us? It's that Jesus is the absolute centerpiece of our loyalty to God because it's through him that we can now call God "our Father." Who is God? That's what we've been asking for the last several episodes. But for the true follower of Christ, God is our Father. We take this for granted sometimes because all we've ever heard of is "our Father in heaven." But this was a monumental change and it's the greatest privilege.

Rick (00:45:36): That's why in business, in success books and all of that, they always say, "Always do the most important things. Never forget the most important things." What's the most important thing? The most important thing is through Jesus, God is your Father. Pause, like you said, Jonathan before, let's pause and consider. Let's understand that is not just some little title. That is the most privileged title any human being could ever claim in the relationship with God and ourselves. Do not make light of such privilege. Jonathan, here we go, we're going to try it; Grasping the Greatness of God:

Jonathan (00:46:13): Jesus' teaching about God being our Father was and still is revolutionary. Except for Adam, there has never been such a relationship offered to any human being until Jesus. The call of the church to sonship is the most life-changing experience any human could ever be given. Rick, let's get to the heart of the matter. If we profess Jesus as our Savior and are a fan of Jesus and love what he stands for, does this on its own give us sonship?

Rick (00:46:49): No. It does not. It absolutely does not. Why? Because sonship comes from brotherhood with Jesus. Brotherhood with Jesus comes with being a disciple, following in his footsteps, living a life of sacrifice, having been called to do the will of God, having received God's spirit and following through accordingly. It's nice to be a fan and it's nice to love Jesus and we encourage that. But let's not fool ourselves. Sonship comes with a price. Just ask Jesus who hung on the cross and died for everybody. There is a price that we pay in terms of being sons of God. It's an amazing privilege that comes with the cost of sacrificing our own will to do His will, always. It's amazing to be able to call God our Father. What's more amazing, what's more amazing is that He recognizes the true followers of Jesus as His children.

Jonathan (00:47:52): Recognizing God as our Father seems like the pinnacle of this study. What more could there possibly be?

Rick (00:47:59): Ah, you ask! Details, lots of revealing and important details. As has been the case with Parts I and II of this series, we're going to focus on just attempting to sum up some of the details to further the depth of our appreciation of God. We're going to begin with a detail regarding the title of "Father" itself. Okay, you think we'd have exhausted that? Well, it's no surprise that this detail began with Jesus.

Julie (00:48:29): We're going to look at the night before his crucifixion. Jesus was spending his last moments of freedom as a human being doing what? Well of course he's praying, and he deeply prayed for the cup to be removed from him. We understand that to mean the suffering of having to be silent before his accusers, not being allowed to defend God, and God's face being turned from him. The Mark account of this prayer adds a powerful detail in Mark 14:36:

Jonathan (00:48:56): "And he was saying, Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what You will." This is one of only three times the word "Abba" is used in the Bible. We will look at all of them. "Abba! Father!" Abba is Aramaic. The word for "Father" here is Greek.

Julie (00:49:18): When you look at Bible commentary, some say that this word "Abba" is a Syriac word. Some say it's Chaldee, and some say it's Aramaic. Well, here's the secret: that all means the same thing! Syriac is the language of ancient Syria. It's a western dialect of Aramaic. Chaldee, meaning the language of the ancient Chaldeans, is the non-technical term for biblical Aramaic. We commonly say this shows a more tender relationship like "Papa" or "Daddy" in English, and we might hear children today call their fathers that in Jerusalem. However, we just want to take a look at that real quick because Gill's Exposition of the entire Bible says that using both these languages is made to "express the vehemency of his affection, and his strong confidence in God as his Father admits his distress." But in the Journal of Theological Studies by James Barr, in an article called "Abba Isn't Daddy," he explains this: "It is fair to say that Abba in Jesus' time belonged to a familiar or colloquial register of language as distinct from more formal and ceremonious language. But in any case, it was not a childish expression comparable with Daddy. It was a more solemn, responsible adult address to a father."

Jonathan (00:50:39): In other words, it's an expression of a profound, deep relationship.

Julie (00:50:45): Right. Not "Daddy" as in childish.

Rick (00:50:48): It's a deep relationship amidst his distress. We want to look at this because this proclamation was repeated twice more, as you said, Jonathan, before in the New Testament. Now all three of these proclamations do have a common thread. For Jesus, it was putting aside his human preference, even though it was pure and righteous. His human preference was pure, it was righteous. You look at it and say, "There's nothing wrong with it," and there wasn't. But he put his human preference aside for the sake of doing only the will of God. That's where Jesus used "Abba Father" in a way that it was recorded so we could see it.

Jonathan (00:51:27): But what about us as footstep followers of Jesus? Romans 8:13-15: "...for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the spirit of Theos, these are sons of Theos. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out Abba! Father!" What a privilege it is to have sonship with God just like Jesus.

Rick (00:52:06): Yeah, it is, it's an amazing thing. In Romans, in the scripture you just read, it was all about leaving our human nature and its sinfulness to become God's sons. When I think about the phrase "Abba! Father!" the way Jesus described it and the way it's described here in Romans--we'll get to Galatians in a moment--it's about incredible trust in great distress. I will tell you, I hope I get through this. I will tell you of a personal experience of what it's like to be "abba father" to one of my children. When my daughter was 15, she was assaulted, she was raped, and her life was broken into a thousand pieces. All she had after that experience was me. Now our family was there and everybody was supportive. I want you to be understanding of that. But I changed my entire life around so that I could help her heal, help her face, help her grow. She didn't know which end was up, but she allowed herself to trust me implicitly in this dark hour where there was no answer. That's "abba father." Now she grew up and she grew out of and through that experience, and has become an amazing, wonderful, strong woman as a result. But that to me, when I think of that little tiny experience, that one experience in my own life, I realize that God does this for millions and you see the magnitude of who He is and His care for us as a Father in our moments and hours of the deepest distress of our lives. Let's look to our last example. Galatians 4:4-7:

Jonathan (00:53:51): "But when the fullness of time came, Theos sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that he might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, Theos has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father! Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through Theos." This is a slightly different perspective, isn't it Rick?

Rick (00:54:25): It is, because it's looking at things stepping into the freedom of Christ out of what previously bound you from the outside in. The Roman scripture is about your human flesh. It's from the inside out. Both are causes for distress. Both revolve around personally claiming the redemption that Jesus gave. They all have to do with the discipline of stepping up to spirituality out of the very real environment of our natural flesh. Whether it be something from within that holds us back that causes us to stress, or the things that are around us. Like for the Jew, Jewish Christians, it was the Law. They had to let go. They were bound by the Law and they were told "Rise above it, be free, trust Abba Father for that freedom for something that you thought you could never go away from with our flesh. Trust Abba Father, so you can break free from the shackles of sinfulness and rise above and higher."

Julie (00:55:26): What is the lesson? Jesus' own deep attachment to and trust in his Father's will lifted him even higher than perfect human righteousness. We also need that same profound trust to lift us higher than any form of our former selves.

Rick (00:55:42): How is it Jesus was lifted higher than perfect human righteousness? His perfect human righteousness said, "I will not allow my Father's name to be dragged through the mud. I will not do that." But God said, "Yes, I want you to. It is important for you to have to do this so you can understand and you can let the fullness of sin overtake you." So he complied, even though his perfection in humanity said "That's not right." He was right. It wasn't right. But God said, "Let it go. Let it go for now and My name will be glorified later." That was this lifting up higher. Sometimes in our lives we have to go through that same kind of thing. Let it go now so His name can be glorified later. We want to put this all in perspective. When we look at God as Father, folks, I hope you're getting the depth of what's happening here. Let's look at a few other examples. What else does the New Testament tell us about God? Well, it tells us, and we all know this one, "God is love." 1 John 4:16:

Jonathan (00:56:50): "We have come to know and have believed the love which Theos has for us. Theos is love, and the one who abides in love abides in Theos, and Theos abides in him." On a personal note, this scripture was the lens for me in how I saw God. This goes way back to my childhood. My reasoning was if God is love, He wouldn't hurt anyone. Any teaching in Christianity that didn't harmonize with love couldn't be true. Later when I was an adult and able to prove scripturally that there is no place of torment and punishment and that God sent His son Jesus who died for everyone, even for me, a sinner, is proof of God's great love. Not only does He love faithful followers of Jesus, but He also loves everyone who was ever born. That's my Dad! He's amazing.

Rick (00:57:47): He is. When you say, "Look, my dad's stronger than your dad," you can really mean it here, because God is love. He defines what love looks like, what love is, what love does and what results because of love. Next, we have God is the God of hope, joy, and peace. That's in Romans 15:13:

Jonathan (00:58:11): "Now, may the Theos of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the holy spirit."

Rick (00:58:21): Hope, joy, and peace. When you think about that, these are things that everybody's always looking for, but it says God is the God of those things. These are the things that should be in us here and now. In my own experiences when I get stressed, and believe me, I do--when I get stressed, it comes down to going to the Father in prayer and resetting the fact that I do have hope, that I can have joy even though the circumstances are very, very upside down. That brings the peace of God which passes all understanding. It changes the way you live your every moment. That's what my Dad does for me. Next scripture, next example is God is the God of mercy and comfort. Jonathan, let's go to 2 Corinthians 1:3:

Jonathan (00:59:13): "Blessed be the Theos and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies and Theos of all comfort."

Julie (00:59:21): We've seen the pivot point of Jesus introducing God as his Father. Through Jesus his followers are graciously and undeservedly offered sonship. As the "Father of Mercies" we're grateful that He isn't vindictive, volatile, unpredictable, or unforgiving. We can rely on His word. What I love is how it says "He is the God of all comfort." That word "all" is used again in 1 Peter 5:10 when He's described as the God of all grace. That word means "thoroughly, whatsoever, individually and collectively." This makes me think of the phrase "and it came to pass." In every trouble, the problem or the difficulty does not come to stay. It came to pass. It came to teach its particular lesson, to leave its imprint upon our character. But it's not of itself a finality. It didn't come to stay, it came to pass. Our trials will never be more severe or last longer than we can bear. To me that's mercy and that's "all comfort."

Rick (01:00:27): That's what your Dad does for you, isn't it?

Julie (01:00:30): That's correct.

Rick (01:00:31): This is God as our Father. Let's understand that following Christ, truly following him, having God's spirit and walking in those steps of sacrifice brings an amazing privilege that you can't find any place else. Let's begin to put this all in perspective. Let's begin to wrap this up. Jehovah God, Elohim, Theos, all of the words we can put here; He is the God of all men. Let's look--we're going to break our pattern here. We're going to go back to the Old Testament for a moment. Let's look at this Old Testament scripture that tells us unequivocally that God is the God of all men. Isaiah 2:2-4:

Jonathan (01:01:14): "Now it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war." That's such an amazing prophecy of how God takes care of everyone and everything. The earth will be restored.

Rick (01:02:08): "Nation will not lift up sword against nation." That's takes care of everybody. Jew, Gentile, it doesn't matter. What matters is God becomes the God of all. That's one of many Old Testament prophecies that tell us that. Let's look at one of the final prophecies of the entire Bible that verifies what this looks like. Revelation 21:3-4:

Jonathan (01:02:32): "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of Theos is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and Theos Himself shall be with them, and be their Theos. And Theos shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Rick (01:02:59): "The former things are passed away." "It shall come to pass." Just like Julie, what you were saying before. "The former things are passed." Remember back when there was sorrow and crying and dying and pain? That's what it will be. Remember way back then? That's what God's kingdom is. It is the restoration to what He put Adam on this earth for. That is who God is. He has a plan and it is comprehensive. It includes everyone. Jonathan, last try; Grasping the Greatness of God:

Jonathan (01:03:34): In Parts I and II of this series, we saw that Jehovah was a God of relationship. In the New Testament, we see that because of Jesus and for those who follow Jesus, this relationship is elevated to that of a Father and children. This elevation is for the purpose of bringing all of humanity back to God, back to life, back to harmony and back to perfection. All of this is but a glimpse into the glory and greatness of God!

Rick (01:04:04): This is what we look at when we ask the question, who is God? Who is He? Well, there's so much to say. There's so much more that we can say. Let us just wrap this up by saying this. In Psalm 72:16-19, how well do I know the name of God? "May His name endure forever; may His name increase as long as the sun shines; and let men bless themselves by Him; let all nations call Him blessed. Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and amen." How well do we know God's name? Think about it. Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions in this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode, "I'm a New Christian. Now What?"

Final Notes (01:05:12): copyright @2023 Christian Questions. In addition to this transcript, we provide comprehensive CQ Rewind Show Notes for every episode. They include every scripture quoted during the podcast, as well as graphics, illustrations and bonus material. Click the "CQ Rewind Show Notes" button near the audio player or sign up to receive these weekly at ChristianQuestions.com. This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. While we believe it to be accurate, we apologize for any errors that may exist.