A Truth to Believe

What does it mean that God is the Father?

God the Father is the first person of the Trinity and serves as the fountain of the trinitarian relations. God the Father is unbegotten and serves as the functional head of the Trinity. God is Spirit and from eternity his Son has identified him as "Father." This does not mean, however, that the Father is superior in essence to the Son or the Holy Spirit. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal. No person of the Trinity is greater or less than, before or after, inferior or superior.

As Father, God directs the will of both Son and Holy Spirit who voluntarily and functionally submit to the Father in order to accomplish the will of God. God the Father begot and sent the Son while the Holy Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son. As the fountain and functional head of the Trinity, the Father is the author and source of all the divine acts of God, most often which take place through the Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, God the Father's role is primarily one of creating, planning, directing, and sending.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Something about Living

It does us good to remember that the life of a Christian is a life of warfare.

We are in a battle of ideologies.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5: For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

We are in a battle against our flesh and sin.

1 Peter 2:11-12: Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

We are in a battle against the forces of darkness.

Ephesians 6:10-13: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Be careful not to live in a facade. Your desiring, doing, and believing are part of a larger cosmic battle. The good news is that God has placed you on the good side with him so "fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Tim 6:12).

A Quote

"You have not the smiles of great men, but you have the favour of the great God; you are perhaps diminished in temporal, but you are thereby increased in spiritual and eternal goods. You cannot live so plentifully as before; but you may live as heavenly as ever."

John Flaval - Keeping the Heart

A Resource

Speaking of being in spiritual battles, here are the most helpful resources we have found on spiritual warfare.