THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD
Ephesians 3:14-15
1 John 4:9,10
Titus 3:3-7
Romans 4:13
Romans 8:17
John 8:30-47 Shekinah Glory
Fatherhood of God
INTRODUCTION
This is one of the significant doctrines of Christian theology which is unique to Christianity. The Moslem does not refer to Allah as “father”, nor does the Hindu believe in a father over us all.
Father is a word that is personal and relational. It shows that God cares and provides. There is therefore a relationship that it is possible for believers to have with God the Father. The Father is the first person in the Trinity and is represented as loving, electing and bestowing, the Son as redeeming, suffering and upholding and the Spirit as regenerating, indwelling, regenerating, baptizing, energizing and sanctifying.
The revelation of the Trinity allows it to be portrayed in a relationship way. God the Father is seen as the first person of the Trinity but is not superior to the Son or the Holy Spirit who are equally God. The words Father and Son are words of accommodation showing relationship rather than superiority. The Father did not form the Son and then between them formed the Holy Spirit this is a false concept called the doctrine of procession. Jehovah's Witnesses and other cults teach this. We need to allow God to reveal Himself rather than we superimpose our concepts on Him. This is man telling God how he will be seen rather than seeking how God has revealed the truth, no matter how difficult it is to understand.
God's Relationship with Man
God’s relationship with man is divided into three aspects:
[a] The Father planned it and is the author of the plan.
[b] The Son executes the plan
[c] The Holy Spirit makes the plan real to humanity.
These concepts are before time with no time distinction.
Fatherhood - Fatherhood comes in various concepts:
[1] Fatherhood over creation Ephesians 3:14 15 all beings have their origin in God. We get our life and very existence from God. There is therefore a brotherhood in the creation. The liberals however take this a step further and talk about the brotherhood of man and the universal Fatherhood of God.
This is a lie that is exposed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said that all men are not brothers but only become such in Christ. It is noted that even Satan was given his life by God as he is created. There is no relationship in the Father - creation combination.
[2] Fatherhood by intimate relationship which is the concept of the relationship between God and Israel. Exodus 4:22 Israel is my son this is my firstborn. This is more than God saying that He is their creator but it is less than saying that they are regenerated. In the New Testament it says that all Israel is not Israel.
There is however a relationship between the Father and Israel, a care for Israel. He preserves the nation. In the Bible the word father is used a large number of times in relation to the relationship between God and Israel.
However most of the Jews disrespected that relationship and only a relatively few Jews accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah and were therefore accepted into a new covenant relationship with their heavenly Father.
[3] A specific relationship between the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Ephesians 1:3. The first specific revelation of the New Testament is that God the Father is the father of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also shows without any doubt the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ by His attributes and His works.
The words father and son are used in the New Testament to show the intimacy of the relationship between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ with out fulfilling all the relationships which would be true of a human relationship of Father and Son. This was the error of the Arian theologians who said that he was a son of God but not equal with God.
The Father and the Son
The second person has been the Son from eternity past. For eternity there has been this close relationship between the Father and the Son. In Isaiah 9:6 it shows that a child is born but a son is given. The baby was born but the Son was given as the Son had existed forever. What they are saying is that you think of the most noble father and the best possible son and the love between those two and you get a small glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son.
In Summary
[a] The Son of God is said to have been begotten of the Father Psalm 2:7, John 1:14, 18, 3:16,18 1 John 4:9
[b] The Father acknowledged the Lord Jesus Christ as His Son Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Luke 9:35
[c] The Father is acknowledged by the Son Matthew 11:27, 26:63 64, Luke 22:29, John 8:16 29, 33 44, 17:1 The Son is subject to the Father's plan but it should be remembered that the plan had been a joint plan when it was conceived with its recognition of role and responsibility.
[d] The fact that God the Father is acknowledged by men to be the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ Matthew 16:16, Mark 15:39, John 1:34, 49, Acts 3:13
[e] The Son acknowledges the Father by being subject to Him John 8:29, 49
[f] Even the demons recognize this relationship between the Father and the Son Matthew 8:29. Satan's eternal damnation relies on this relationship and its permanency
The relationship between the Father and the Son is also shown in the giving of the Son to us. Man's response to God is in contrast with the Son's relationship with the Father.
The response of the Son to the Father is a challenge for us. Have you talked to your Father today? The Lord told us to pray to the Father as our father. It does not matter what your human father was like you can have a close relationship with your heavenly Father. Begin with confession and end with praise. True worship is grounded in this doctrine. If you can encourage your flock to be intimate with God it will reduce significantly your counseling requirements.
[4] The Father is the father of all regenerated ones. We can say "our father" because we have a relationship which has been established through the Son.
We are the blood bought children of God. Titus 3:1 7 – So that is why we are heirs to eternal life. In verses 5 8 we have the three persons of the Godhead the Holy Spirit v 5, the Lord Jesus Christ v 6 and the Father in v 8. Not by anything we have done but we have become heirs of the grace of God. We have therefore the fatherhood of God and the son-ship of the saints.
[a] Before salvation we were sold unto sin, we were not sons. Spiritually we were dead other than creatures to our creator Ephesians 2:19, Romans 7:14
[b] Before salvation we were all of different races, none of us could call each other brother. We now only have a relationship through the Father only with those who are related to our Lord Jesus Christ.
[c] Salvation alone makes us children of God rather than slaves to sin.
[d] Only God can make us His children as only God has the power. John 3 we are born from above.
[e] Unbelievers cannot or will not see this unique relationship. As sons of rebellion they believe the lies of their father Satan who promotes the concept of the universal fatherhood of God. This is the concept which is putting most of the people on this earth into the Lake of Fire. John 8:44
[f] The believer's son-ship guarantees heir-ship, eternal life and fellowship with God forever. 1 John 3:2 3, Romans 8:16 18
[g] The Holy Spirit is the down payment on believer's inheritance, the assurance that they are the sons of God. Ephesians 1:14
[h] Believers are heirs of salvation and eternal life in Christ Jesus. We have the assurance of receiving a resurrection body.
[i] The source of our confidence of receiving a resurrection body is based on the Lord's resurrection, a lively hope. We can depend on Him forever. We can trust the Father because we have a relationship with the Son
John 8:30 55 these people thought that their inheritance through Abraham made them acceptable to God. As Jews they were in a special relationship but they were not saved.
They had pride in their life. You are living in a state of sin in the house of Israel as a servant which means you are not a permanent resident as you are a servant rather than a son. He tells them they are of their father the devil v 44.
The Jews also called Jesus illegitimate believing him to be the offspring of Mary and a Roman soldier.
They say they are related to God through Abraham. God however does not have grandchildren he has sons. It does not matter who your father was you need a personal relationship with God. He points out that they do not hear them because they are not of God. They were children of the devil because they were in rebellion. Whose son are you? You choose your father and what family you are in eternally. If you turn down God's grace you choose the lake of fire, the worst of choices.
When dealing with the Gentile you should start with the father of creation and give them the gospel as Paul did on Mars hill. With the Jews however you start with God founding the nation Israel and then proceed to the gospel saying you have to know Him as your own personal father.
DOCTRINES
SHEKINAH GLORY
1. The Shekinah glory is the visible manifestation of the presence of God. The usual title used is the glory of God
2. It is from the Hebrew word "shachan" meaning dwelling.
3. It took the form of light, fire, cloud or a combination of these.
4. At times it is associated with the following, the Angel of Jehovah, the Holy Spirit, The Cherubim and the motif of thick darkness.
5. Appearances of the Shekinah Glory in the Old Testament
a) The Garden of Eden [Genesis 3:8]
b) The time of the Abrahamic Covenant [Genesis 15:12-18]
c) The burning bush [Exodus 3:1-5]
d) At the Exodus [Exodus 13:21, 22]
e) At Mount Sinai [Exodus 19:16-20]
f) The special manifestation to Moses [Exodus 33:17-23]
g) The Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant [Exodus 29:42-46]
h) The book of Leviticus [Leviticus 9:6-7, 22-24]
i) The Book of Numbers [Numbers 13:30-14:45, 16:1-50, 20:6-13]
j) The period of Joshua and the Judges [1 Samuel 4:21-22]
k) Solomon's Temple [1 Kings 8:1-13, 2 Chronicles 5:2-7:3]
l) The departure of the Shekinah Glory [Ezekiel 1:28, 3:12, 23, 8:3-4, 9:3a, 10:4, 18-19, 11:22-23]
m) The Shekinah glory was not in the second Temple [Haggai 2:3, 9]
6. Appearance of the Shekinah Glory in the New Testament.
a) To the Shepherds - Luke 2:8-9
b) The Christmas star - Matthew 2:1-12
c) It comes in a new form - John 1:1-14
d) The transfiguration - Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:288-36, 2 Peter 1:16-18
e) The reflection of that glory - 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
f) The Book of the Acts - Acts 2:1-3, 9:3-8, 22:6-11, 26:13-18
g) The Revelation - Revelation 1:12-16,
h) In the Tribulation - Revelation 15:8
i) The Second Coming of Christ - Matthew 16:27, 24:30, Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27
j) The Millennium - Ezekiel 43:1-7a, 44:1-2, Zechariah 2:4-5, Isaiah 36:1-2, 58:8-9a, 60:1-3
k) The Eternal State - Revelation 21:1-3, 21:23-24
FATHERHOOD OF GOD
Fatherhood comes in various concepts:
1. The Fatherhood over creation Ephesians 3:14 15 all beings have their origin in God. We get our life and very existence from God. There is therefore a brotherhood in the creation. The liberals however take this a step further and talk about the brotherhood of man and the universal Fatherhood of God which is a lie which is exposed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said that all men are not brothers but only become such in Christ. Even Satan was given his life by God. There is no relationship in the Father creator-ship combination.
2. Fatherhood by intimate relationship which is the concept of the relationship between God and Israel. In Exodus 4:22 Israel is my son this is my firstborn. This is more than God saying that He is their creator but it is less than saying that they are regenerated. In the New Testament it says that all Israel is not Israel. There is however a relationship between the Father and Israel, a care for Israel. He preserves the nation. In the Bible the word father is used a large number of times in relation to the relationship between God and Israel. However; only a few Jews were regenerated.
3. A specific relationship between the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Ephesians 1:3. The first specific revelation of the New Testament is that God the Father is the father of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also shows without any doubt the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
By His attributes and His works the words father and son are used in the New Testament to show the intimacy of the relationship between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ with out fulfilling all the relationships which would be true of a human relationship of Father and Son. This was the error of the Arian theologians who said that he was a son of God but not equal with God.
4. The second person has been the Son from eternity past. For eternity there has been this close relationship between the Father and the Son. In Isaiah 9:6 it shows that a child is born but a son is given. The baby was born but the Son was given as the Son had existed forever. What they are saying is that you think of the noblest father and the best possible son and the love between those two and you get a small glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son.
5. The Father of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6-7)
a) Only in Christ do we become brothers. (Galatians 3:27-29) This is the result of the Holy Spirit who baptizes us into the body of Christ and makes us a new creation in Him. (1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5)
b) God is not the spiritual father of the unregenerate man; they are His creation but not His children. (John 14:6) Before salvation we were sons of our carnal sinful nature. (John 8:42-47, Ephesians 2:19)
6. In summary therefore
[a] The Son of God is said to have been begotten of the Father Psalm 2:7, John 1:14, 18, 3:16,18 1 John 4:9
[b] The Father acknowledged the Lord Jesus Christ as His Son Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Luke 9:35
[c] The Father is acknowledged by the Son Matthew 11:27, 26:63 64, Luke 22:29, John 8:16 29, 33 44, 17:1 The Son is subject to the Father's plan but it should be remembered that the plan had been a joint plan when it was conceived with its recognition of role and responsibility.
[d] The fact that God the Father is acknowledged by men to be the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ Matthew 16:16, Mark 15:39, John 1:34, 49, Acts 3:13
[e] The Son acknowledges the Father by being subject to Him John 8:29, 49
[f] Even the demons recognise this relationship between the Father and the Son Matthew 8:29 Satan's eternal damnation relies on this relationship and its permanency
7. Before salvation became possible by Christ’s blood, all members of the human race were "sold under sin" we were strangers before God, not sons. Romans 7:14, Ephesians 2:19. Spiritually we were dead, we had no relationship with God other than creatures to the creator we did not recognize Ephesians 2:1. We were alienated from the perfect of God.
8. Before salvation we were all of different races, the only brotherhood we can ever have is in Christ. Galatians 3:27-29.
9. Salvation alone makes us children of God. Before we were slaves of sin, sons of our fleshly sin nature; or children of rebellion. (Ephesians 2:19, John 8:42-47, 1John 3:10-15)
10. Only God can make us his children, for only God has that power. John 1:12, 13. We are either 'born-again', born from above or we remain spiritually dead, children of Satan, John 3:3, 6, 36.
11. Unbelievers cannot and will not see this unique relationship. 1John 3:1, 1 Corinthians 1:18. As sons of rebellion they believe their father’s lie i.e. the universal fatherhood of God and universal brotherhood of man (both of which are false concepts). John 8:44. This lie perpetrates the idea that God is a “soft-touch” and will not judge man for their sin, but all will be well in the end. This is declared false by God in his word.
12. The believer’s son-ship guarantees heir-ship, eternal life and fellowship for them. 1 John 3:2, 3, Romans 8:16-18.
13. The Holy Spirit is God’s down payment on the believer’s inheritance - the assurance of more to come, Ephesians 1:14.
14. Believers are heirs of eternal life through relationship with God in Christ John 8:35, 51.
a) Receiving rewards: Colossians 3:24, 25, 2 John 8, 1 Corinthians 3:8 and,
b) Receiving a resurrection body. 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.
15. The source of our confidence is based in the Lords resurrection. He is therefore our "lively hope", 1 Peter 1:3-5. He can be depended upon to meet all needs for we will be with him forever. John 14:1-4.
Ephesians 3:14-15
1 John 4:9,10
Titus 3:3-7
Romans 4:13
Romans 8:17
John 8:30-47 Shekinah Glory
Fatherhood of God
INTRODUCTION
This is one of the significant doctrines of Christian theology which is unique to Christianity. The Moslem does not refer to Allah as “father”, nor does the Hindu believe in a father over us all.
Father is a word that is personal and relational. It shows that God cares and provides. There is therefore a relationship that it is possible for believers to have with God the Father. The Father is the first person in the Trinity and is represented as loving, electing and bestowing, the Son as redeeming, suffering and upholding and the Spirit as regenerating, indwelling, regenerating, baptizing, energizing and sanctifying.
The revelation of the Trinity allows it to be portrayed in a relationship way. God the Father is seen as the first person of the Trinity but is not superior to the Son or the Holy Spirit who are equally God. The words Father and Son are words of accommodation showing relationship rather than superiority. The Father did not form the Son and then between them formed the Holy Spirit this is a false concept called the doctrine of procession. Jehovah's Witnesses and other cults teach this. We need to allow God to reveal Himself rather than we superimpose our concepts on Him. This is man telling God how he will be seen rather than seeking how God has revealed the truth, no matter how difficult it is to understand.
God's Relationship with Man
God’s relationship with man is divided into three aspects:
[a] The Father planned it and is the author of the plan.
[b] The Son executes the plan
[c] The Holy Spirit makes the plan real to humanity.
These concepts are before time with no time distinction.
Fatherhood - Fatherhood comes in various concepts:
[1] Fatherhood over creation Ephesians 3:14 15 all beings have their origin in God. We get our life and very existence from God. There is therefore a brotherhood in the creation. The liberals however take this a step further and talk about the brotherhood of man and the universal Fatherhood of God.
This is a lie that is exposed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said that all men are not brothers but only become such in Christ. It is noted that even Satan was given his life by God as he is created. There is no relationship in the Father - creation combination.
[2] Fatherhood by intimate relationship which is the concept of the relationship between God and Israel. Exodus 4:22 Israel is my son this is my firstborn. This is more than God saying that He is their creator but it is less than saying that they are regenerated. In the New Testament it says that all Israel is not Israel.
There is however a relationship between the Father and Israel, a care for Israel. He preserves the nation. In the Bible the word father is used a large number of times in relation to the relationship between God and Israel.
However most of the Jews disrespected that relationship and only a relatively few Jews accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah and were therefore accepted into a new covenant relationship with their heavenly Father.
[3] A specific relationship between the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Ephesians 1:3. The first specific revelation of the New Testament is that God the Father is the father of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also shows without any doubt the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ by His attributes and His works.
The words father and son are used in the New Testament to show the intimacy of the relationship between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ with out fulfilling all the relationships which would be true of a human relationship of Father and Son. This was the error of the Arian theologians who said that he was a son of God but not equal with God.
The Father and the Son
The second person has been the Son from eternity past. For eternity there has been this close relationship between the Father and the Son. In Isaiah 9:6 it shows that a child is born but a son is given. The baby was born but the Son was given as the Son had existed forever. What they are saying is that you think of the most noble father and the best possible son and the love between those two and you get a small glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son.
In Summary
[a] The Son of God is said to have been begotten of the Father Psalm 2:7, John 1:14, 18, 3:16,18 1 John 4:9
[b] The Father acknowledged the Lord Jesus Christ as His Son Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Luke 9:35
[c] The Father is acknowledged by the Son Matthew 11:27, 26:63 64, Luke 22:29, John 8:16 29, 33 44, 17:1 The Son is subject to the Father's plan but it should be remembered that the plan had been a joint plan when it was conceived with its recognition of role and responsibility.
[d] The fact that God the Father is acknowledged by men to be the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ Matthew 16:16, Mark 15:39, John 1:34, 49, Acts 3:13
[e] The Son acknowledges the Father by being subject to Him John 8:29, 49
[f] Even the demons recognize this relationship between the Father and the Son Matthew 8:29. Satan's eternal damnation relies on this relationship and its permanency
The relationship between the Father and the Son is also shown in the giving of the Son to us. Man's response to God is in contrast with the Son's relationship with the Father.
The response of the Son to the Father is a challenge for us. Have you talked to your Father today? The Lord told us to pray to the Father as our father. It does not matter what your human father was like you can have a close relationship with your heavenly Father. Begin with confession and end with praise. True worship is grounded in this doctrine. If you can encourage your flock to be intimate with God it will reduce significantly your counseling requirements.
[4] The Father is the father of all regenerated ones. We can say "our father" because we have a relationship which has been established through the Son.
We are the blood bought children of God. Titus 3:1 7 – So that is why we are heirs to eternal life. In verses 5 8 we have the three persons of the Godhead the Holy Spirit v 5, the Lord Jesus Christ v 6 and the Father in v 8. Not by anything we have done but we have become heirs of the grace of God. We have therefore the fatherhood of God and the son-ship of the saints.
[a] Before salvation we were sold unto sin, we were not sons. Spiritually we were dead other than creatures to our creator Ephesians 2:19, Romans 7:14
[b] Before salvation we were all of different races, none of us could call each other brother. We now only have a relationship through the Father only with those who are related to our Lord Jesus Christ.
[c] Salvation alone makes us children of God rather than slaves to sin.
[d] Only God can make us His children as only God has the power. John 3 we are born from above.
[e] Unbelievers cannot or will not see this unique relationship. As sons of rebellion they believe the lies of their father Satan who promotes the concept of the universal fatherhood of God. This is the concept which is putting most of the people on this earth into the Lake of Fire. John 8:44
[f] The believer's son-ship guarantees heir-ship, eternal life and fellowship with God forever. 1 John 3:2 3, Romans 8:16 18
[g] The Holy Spirit is the down payment on believer's inheritance, the assurance that they are the sons of God. Ephesians 1:14
[h] Believers are heirs of salvation and eternal life in Christ Jesus. We have the assurance of receiving a resurrection body.
[i] The source of our confidence of receiving a resurrection body is based on the Lord's resurrection, a lively hope. We can depend on Him forever. We can trust the Father because we have a relationship with the Son
John 8:30 55 these people thought that their inheritance through Abraham made them acceptable to God. As Jews they were in a special relationship but they were not saved.
They had pride in their life. You are living in a state of sin in the house of Israel as a servant which means you are not a permanent resident as you are a servant rather than a son. He tells them they are of their father the devil v 44.
The Jews also called Jesus illegitimate believing him to be the offspring of Mary and a Roman soldier.
They say they are related to God through Abraham. God however does not have grandchildren he has sons. It does not matter who your father was you need a personal relationship with God. He points out that they do not hear them because they are not of God. They were children of the devil because they were in rebellion. Whose son are you? You choose your father and what family you are in eternally. If you turn down God's grace you choose the lake of fire, the worst of choices.
When dealing with the Gentile you should start with the father of creation and give them the gospel as Paul did on Mars hill. With the Jews however you start with God founding the nation Israel and then proceed to the gospel saying you have to know Him as your own personal father.
DOCTRINES
SHEKINAH GLORY
1. The Shekinah glory is the visible manifestation of the presence of God. The usual title used is the glory of God
2. It is from the Hebrew word "shachan" meaning dwelling.
3. It took the form of light, fire, cloud or a combination of these.
4. At times it is associated with the following, the Angel of Jehovah, the Holy Spirit, The Cherubim and the motif of thick darkness.
5. Appearances of the Shekinah Glory in the Old Testament
a) The Garden of Eden [Genesis 3:8]
b) The time of the Abrahamic Covenant [Genesis 15:12-18]
c) The burning bush [Exodus 3:1-5]
d) At the Exodus [Exodus 13:21, 22]
e) At Mount Sinai [Exodus 19:16-20]
f) The special manifestation to Moses [Exodus 33:17-23]
g) The Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant [Exodus 29:42-46]
h) The book of Leviticus [Leviticus 9:6-7, 22-24]
i) The Book of Numbers [Numbers 13:30-14:45, 16:1-50, 20:6-13]
j) The period of Joshua and the Judges [1 Samuel 4:21-22]
k) Solomon's Temple [1 Kings 8:1-13, 2 Chronicles 5:2-7:3]
l) The departure of the Shekinah Glory [Ezekiel 1:28, 3:12, 23, 8:3-4, 9:3a, 10:4, 18-19, 11:22-23]
m) The Shekinah glory was not in the second Temple [Haggai 2:3, 9]
6. Appearance of the Shekinah Glory in the New Testament.
a) To the Shepherds - Luke 2:8-9
b) The Christmas star - Matthew 2:1-12
c) It comes in a new form - John 1:1-14
d) The transfiguration - Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:288-36, 2 Peter 1:16-18
e) The reflection of that glory - 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
f) The Book of the Acts - Acts 2:1-3, 9:3-8, 22:6-11, 26:13-18
g) The Revelation - Revelation 1:12-16,
h) In the Tribulation - Revelation 15:8
i) The Second Coming of Christ - Matthew 16:27, 24:30, Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27
j) The Millennium - Ezekiel 43:1-7a, 44:1-2, Zechariah 2:4-5, Isaiah 36:1-2, 58:8-9a, 60:1-3
k) The Eternal State - Revelation 21:1-3, 21:23-24
FATHERHOOD OF GOD
Fatherhood comes in various concepts:
1. The Fatherhood over creation Ephesians 3:14 15 all beings have their origin in God. We get our life and very existence from God. There is therefore a brotherhood in the creation. The liberals however take this a step further and talk about the brotherhood of man and the universal Fatherhood of God which is a lie which is exposed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said that all men are not brothers but only become such in Christ. Even Satan was given his life by God. There is no relationship in the Father creator-ship combination.
2. Fatherhood by intimate relationship which is the concept of the relationship between God and Israel. In Exodus 4:22 Israel is my son this is my firstborn. This is more than God saying that He is their creator but it is less than saying that they are regenerated. In the New Testament it says that all Israel is not Israel. There is however a relationship between the Father and Israel, a care for Israel. He preserves the nation. In the Bible the word father is used a large number of times in relation to the relationship between God and Israel. However; only a few Jews were regenerated.
3. A specific relationship between the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Ephesians 1:3. The first specific revelation of the New Testament is that God the Father is the father of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also shows without any doubt the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
By His attributes and His works the words father and son are used in the New Testament to show the intimacy of the relationship between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ with out fulfilling all the relationships which would be true of a human relationship of Father and Son. This was the error of the Arian theologians who said that he was a son of God but not equal with God.
4. The second person has been the Son from eternity past. For eternity there has been this close relationship between the Father and the Son. In Isaiah 9:6 it shows that a child is born but a son is given. The baby was born but the Son was given as the Son had existed forever. What they are saying is that you think of the noblest father and the best possible son and the love between those two and you get a small glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son.
5. The Father of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6-7)
a) Only in Christ do we become brothers. (Galatians 3:27-29) This is the result of the Holy Spirit who baptizes us into the body of Christ and makes us a new creation in Him. (1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5)
b) God is not the spiritual father of the unregenerate man; they are His creation but not His children. (John 14:6) Before salvation we were sons of our carnal sinful nature. (John 8:42-47, Ephesians 2:19)
6. In summary therefore
[a] The Son of God is said to have been begotten of the Father Psalm 2:7, John 1:14, 18, 3:16,18 1 John 4:9
[b] The Father acknowledged the Lord Jesus Christ as His Son Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Luke 9:35
[c] The Father is acknowledged by the Son Matthew 11:27, 26:63 64, Luke 22:29, John 8:16 29, 33 44, 17:1 The Son is subject to the Father's plan but it should be remembered that the plan had been a joint plan when it was conceived with its recognition of role and responsibility.
[d] The fact that God the Father is acknowledged by men to be the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ Matthew 16:16, Mark 15:39, John 1:34, 49, Acts 3:13
[e] The Son acknowledges the Father by being subject to Him John 8:29, 49
[f] Even the demons recognise this relationship between the Father and the Son Matthew 8:29 Satan's eternal damnation relies on this relationship and its permanency
7. Before salvation became possible by Christ’s blood, all members of the human race were "sold under sin" we were strangers before God, not sons. Romans 7:14, Ephesians 2:19. Spiritually we were dead, we had no relationship with God other than creatures to the creator we did not recognize Ephesians 2:1. We were alienated from the perfect of God.
8. Before salvation we were all of different races, the only brotherhood we can ever have is in Christ. Galatians 3:27-29.
9. Salvation alone makes us children of God. Before we were slaves of sin, sons of our fleshly sin nature; or children of rebellion. (Ephesians 2:19, John 8:42-47, 1John 3:10-15)
10. Only God can make us his children, for only God has that power. John 1:12, 13. We are either 'born-again', born from above or we remain spiritually dead, children of Satan, John 3:3, 6, 36.
11. Unbelievers cannot and will not see this unique relationship. 1John 3:1, 1 Corinthians 1:18. As sons of rebellion they believe their father’s lie i.e. the universal fatherhood of God and universal brotherhood of man (both of which are false concepts). John 8:44. This lie perpetrates the idea that God is a “soft-touch” and will not judge man for their sin, but all will be well in the end. This is declared false by God in his word.
12. The believer’s son-ship guarantees heir-ship, eternal life and fellowship for them. 1 John 3:2, 3, Romans 8:16-18.
13. The Holy Spirit is God’s down payment on the believer’s inheritance - the assurance of more to come, Ephesians 1:14.
14. Believers are heirs of eternal life through relationship with God in Christ John 8:35, 51.
a) Receiving rewards: Colossians 3:24, 25, 2 John 8, 1 Corinthians 3:8 and,
b) Receiving a resurrection body. 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.
15. The source of our confidence is based in the Lords resurrection. He is therefore our "lively hope", 1 Peter 1:3-5. He can be depended upon to meet all needs for we will be with him forever. John 14:1-4.
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