Who is God the Father in the Trinity?
- People often ask about His distinct role compared to the Son and the Holy Spirit within the Godhead.
Why is God called “Father”?
- Many wonder about the significance of the title “Father” and how it relates to His nature and relationships.
How can God be both loving and just?
- The tension between God’s love and His role as a righteous judge can be confusing for some.
Is God the Father different in the Old Testament and New Testament?
- Some question whether the God of the Old Testament, often associated with wrath and judgment, is the same as the loving Father revealed through Jesus in the New Testament.
Does God the Father favor some people over others?
- This comes from passages about Israel being God’s “firstborn” or His elect and can lead to concerns about partiality.
Why does God allow suffering if He is a loving Father?
- Questions about the problem of evil and suffering challenge people’s understanding of God’s Fatherhood.
Can everyone call God their Father?
- Some wonder if God’s Fatherhood is universal or limited to those who believe in Christ.
Common Misconceptions About God the Father
God the Father is more distant or less approachable than Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
- Many perceive the Father as remote or harsh, contrasting Him with the loving image of Jesus, despite the Bible describing Him as compassionate and intimate.
God the Father and God the Son are not equally divine.
- Some erroneously think of the Father as superior in rank to the Son and the Spirit, stemming from misunderstandings of phrases like “begotten.”
God changed between the Testaments.
- A common misconception is that the Old Testament God is only wrathful, while the New Testament God is loving, ignoring the consistency of His nature throughout Scripture.
The Father’s discipline means He is unloving.
- Misunderstanding divine discipline as punishment, rather than loving correction, can distort the Father’s image.
Universalism: God is the Father of all people in the same way.
- While God is Creator of all, the Bible teaches that being a child of God comes through faith in Christ, which some overlook.
Modalism: God the Father is simply one mode of God.
- This heresy denies the Trinity, teaching that God is only one person who manifests as Father, Son, or Spirit at different times, rather than being three distinct persons.
Prosperity theology: God the Father only gives blessings, never discipline.
- This view ignores the biblical teaching that God disciplines those He loves for their growth in holiness (Hebrews 12:6-7).
God the Father needed Jesus to appease His wrath.
- Some mistakenly believe the Father is angry and Jesus’s role is solely to calm His anger, missing the collaborative love and unity within the Trinity in salvation.
God’s Fatherhood is entirely patriarchal and human-like.
- People sometimes project human flaws of earthly fathers onto God, misunderstanding His perfect, loving, and just character.
God the Father has a physical body.
- Influenced by human terminology and imagery, some think the Father has a form, despite Scripture affirming He is spirit (John 4:24).
