THE TRIUNE GOD: GOD THE FATHER
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THE TRIUNE GOD: GOD THE FATHER
THE TRIUNE GOD: GOD THE FATHER
Our next section of the BF&M covers what we hold as beliefs with other Baptist churches of like faith and practice. We laid the foundations, as does the BF&M, upon the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. And lest we think that the section upon the Scriptures is one of those “Click if you understand” boxes on the internet, if we depart from the anchor of God’s Word, we do so at our peril. As we progress through our study of the BF&M, we must always remember that it is only true as it is found in the Scriptures. You will notice as we work through this section, as well as other sections, that each statement contains numerous Scripture references. This illustrates the dependence of the BF&M upon the Scriptures.
We began with the Scriptures as the logical and biblical foundation of our BF&M, and now we come to the One on Whom our statement of faith rests. In this section we learn about the Triune God. The opening statement provides an overview of the Scriptures’ teaching on the Triune God and ends with a brief statement about the Trinity. This serves as a springboard into the three sections on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The BF&M reads,
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
Obviously this is a weighty and deep section. When dealing with God, we cannot help but be overwhelmed by His majesty, His power, and His grace. After a lengthy discourse on God’s sovereign power and grace, Paul breaks out in doxology, “Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” ()
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
As we work through these three sections on our Triune God, let us do so with a joyful adoration. Our worship should be spurred on as we study and learn about the greatness of our God. Our response should be like that of Robert Grant, author of the hymn O Worship the King.
We turn our attention to God the Father.
On God the Father, the BF&M reads,
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
I believe we can divide this statement into two main sections: God’s Reign and God’s Character. The first deals primarily with what God does, and the second deals primarily with who God is. These two are interrelated and mutually inclusive, because what God does cannot be separated from who He is, and who He is cannot be exceeded by what He does.
I. GOD’S REIGN- WHAT GOD DOES
I. GOD’S REIGN- WHAT GOD DOES
The first sentence in this section is, “God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.” God reigns, that is what He does. God would as soon cease to be God as He would cease to reign.
The Scriptures unapologetically and clearly teach that God reigns. God the Father’s reign began with Creation when He spoke the world into existence (: 2:7).
Creation, according to , clearly shows the powerful reign of God the Father in creation.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
Perhaps no other passage of Scripture reminds us that God the Father reigns as that of Job chapters 38-41. In this section of Job, God asks Job question after question, leaving Job speechless. God reminded Job that God reigned, not Job. Consider 41:1-10 and its implications that God the Father reigns, it is what He does. But our statement does not simply say He reigns, it goes on to describe God’s reign. is also a key verse in viewing God according to the Scriptures.
A. THE MANNER OF GOD’S REIGN
A. THE MANNER OF GOD’S REIGN
That is to answer, How does God reign? The BF&M describes the manner of God’s reign in two ways:
1. GOD REIGNS WITH PROVIDENTIAL CARE
1. GOD REIGNS WITH PROVIDENTIAL CARE
God reigns with providential care, that is to say, with divine foresight and or intervention. Nothing happens by accident under the reign of God. This is that basis for Jesus’ teaching in . We are not to be anxious because just as God the Father provides for all the animals, He will certainly provide for His children who are worth much more than the animals. God the Father reigns with providential care, He watches over His creation with intense interest and love. But we also notice a second aspect of God’s reign.
2. GOD REIGNS ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIS GRACE
2. GOD REIGNS ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIS GRACE
God’s reign is also characterized by the purpose of His grace. That is, God the Father has a plan. Consider where the phrases “according to the purpose of his will” (1:5), “according to his purpose” (1:9); and “according to the purpose of him” (1:11). God the Father works through all things for His purpose of grace. This is Paul’s very belief in as God works all things for good. We will remark on the importance of this to our daily lives soon, but I want to continue making our way through the statement.
That is the manner of God’s reign, now let us look at the scope of God’s reign.
B. THE SCOPE OF GOD’S REIGN
B. THE SCOPE OF GOD’S REIGN
What is the scope of God’s reign? Of course we know God reigns over everything. The BF&M says He reigns over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history.
Note that we see that it is His universe. He created everything and owns everything. It is His. This also includes His creatures, animals and humans alike. God the Father is the ruler, not animals or man. There is nothing outside of His scope of reign. Even history itself is under the careful reign of God. For one example of this, let us look at and .
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
The first mention of the new king over Egypt is simply stated as a natural fact. This king arose. The second reference makes it clear that God was in control and worked it out to have this particular man as ruler of Egypt. Nothing is outside the scope of God the Father’s reign, even contagious viruses that disrupt life all over the earth. This will have great ramifications for our daily lives as His children and as His bride, the Church.
II. GOD’S CHARACTER- WHO GOD IS
II. GOD’S CHARACTER- WHO GOD IS
Now, we just briefly examined God’s reign, what He does. Now, we will devote some time to look at Who God the Father is. What is He like? What is His character?
Let us look, first, at Who God is, and then we will briefly remark on how we learn this knowledge based on His relationship to His creation.
A. GOD’S CHARACTER DESCRIBED- GOD’S DIVINE ATTRIBUTES
A. GOD’S CHARACTER DESCRIBED- GOD’S DIVINE ATTRIBUTES
This could easily take eternity to look into with any sort of depth. The boundless God the Father’s attributes will certainly be one of our focuses as we worship God through all eternity. The wonders of God are displayed in these attributes.
1. God’s infinite power
1. God’s infinite power
The first point in the BF&M is that God is all-powerful; He is omnipotent. Think back to , God created everything. There is no lack of God’s power, it is boundless. There is no degree of power, it is boundless. There is never a time in which God is getting warm up, or just getting started. All power belongs to God.
2. God’s infinite knowledge
2. God’s infinite knowledge
The second point in the BF&M is that God is all knowing; He is omniscient. Consider .
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
God has infinitely knowledge of everything. He knows every hair on our heads (). He knows everything!
3. God’s infinite love
3. God’s infinite love
The Scriptures have been described as God’s love letter to man, and this is not necessarily untrue. God created humanity and then redeemed humanity, a plan made before a single particle was made. John describes God is love ().
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
God is love most wonderfully displayed in the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins ().
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
4. God’s infinite wisdom
4. God’s infinite wisdom
The final aspect of focus on God the Father in the BF&M is God’s infinite wisdom; He is omnisapient. Now, this may be a new concept to you, but Heath Lambert provides an excellent way of understanding this aspect of God. He writes,
“Imagine that you have been offered two jobs at two different companies. You know who your boss will be at each place, you know your job description, your salary and benefits, and you know what your spouse thinks about each option. You know all the facts, but you still cannot decide which of the two positions you should take. We experience such indecision all the time. It demonstrates that knowledge without wisdom is often meaningless in practice. All the information in the world is worthless without the wisdom to know what to do with that knowledge. It should be very encouraging to us that God not only knows all things, according to his omniscience, but he also knows what is best, according to His omnisapience.” —Heath Lambert
[Heath Lambert, A Theology of Biblical Counseling: The Doctrinal Foundations of Counseling Ministry (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 117-118.]
A biblical example of this would be Joseph in . While Joseph experienced tragedy and heartbreak almost every turn in Scripture, God was wisely working in Joseph’s life to keep many people alive.
B. GOD’S CHARACTER DISPLAYED- GOD’S DIVINE RELATIONSHIPS
B. GOD’S CHARACTER DISPLAYED- GOD’S DIVINE RELATIONSHIPS
God’s glorious attributes (four in the BF&M) are wonderful. But we really get to know about them as we experience them in life. We know of God’s love because of how God relates to His creatures. Returning to the passage on God’s love, states God’s character (love) in relation to God’s creatures (us, receiving forgiveness through the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ). There are two groups of people to whom God relates: His children and the lost. These are the categories by which God sees all people. Jesus calls them sheep and goats ().
1. God’s relationship with His Children
1. God’s relationship with His Children
This is where we see the beauty of a relationship with God. This is where God’s reign bears such sweetness. It provides the practicality of God’s reign in the life of His children. Several important features appear in the BF&M that we must address. First, we note how God relates to us: as Father. I love that term, Heavenly Father. I love my dad and enjoy a good relationship with him. But God the Father is my Father. I can go to Him when I am afraid or overwhelmed or hurting or confused or happy. And when I go to Him I can rest assured that He has all the power and wisdom and grace to help.
Because God is all-powerful, there is nothing you or I will ever face of which we should fear. God will take care of us.
Because God is all-knowing, there is nothing that is beyond His knowledge. He knows everything. Our security is bound within His knowledge.
Because God is all loving, we know that everything that happens does so at His benevolent hand for a good reason: conformity to the image of His dear Son ()
Because God is all-wise, we know that God knows the best possible route, regardless of the pain or loss we endure. A spouse gets cancer, and through the process the husband’s hard heart is won to Christ. A father loses his job, and the child watches God provides and eventually becomes a child of God. Examples could continue to be offered, but we know that because God is all of these things He is very dear and precious to us. And we learn all these from the sacred Scriptures.
Not only do they have benefits and provide comfort for individual children, they also provide encouragement to the Church. Read Kuiper’s work, God-Centered Evangelism pages 66-67.
2. God’s relationship to the lost
2. God’s relationship to the lost
The last statement on God the Father in the BF&M helps clarify some confusion that many hold. It states, “He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.” Consider Christ’s statement in .
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
God is fatherly, not Father, but fatherly to all men. He is a gracious and loving God who even provides blessings () for individuals to repent.
Brothers and sisters, this is our God, our Father in heaven. He reigns over all with an unimaginably good and holy character. I think a fitting verse on which to end is :
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.