The Role of the Father in the Trinity

Innumerable items have been written about the Holy Trinity throughout history. The doctrine and theology have been studied and pondered since the late First Century AD. By the time of the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, the model of the Triune God was starting to become formalized and concretized. With the Athanasian Creed in 381 AD, the concept of the Trinity was complete and thus began the alignment of the doctrines as well as the study of the implications of this complex theology. Over time theologians determined that the three Persons were all divine, sharing the same characteristics, nature, essence and attributes. They are all eternal and equal, not like theology by committee, but with the same direction and never the subordination of one to the other(s).

Of the three Persons, most of the attention has been on the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was easily identified as the Son throughout the four Gospels and the numerous epistles. His role as the Son is that of the Suffering Servant and the sacrifice that was given freely by God to be the atonement for the sins of all of mankind in perpetuity. The study of his nature, attributes, life and conditions are identified as Christology, and the number of volumes attributed to this are beyond counting. The Holy Spirit has also been well studied. Volumes have been written about the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit works within the Trinity and its relationship with Jesus in particular. Since the Spirit is rife through the New Testament, understanding the properties and aspects of the Spirit and its work has led to the development of studies about the Holy Spirit, called Pneumatology.

But the study of the Trinity has a third person who is regularly passed over for the Son and Spirit. The Father is mentioned numerous times throughout the New Testament, usually by Jesus in a relational sense, such as John 10:30,’ I and the Father are One.’ The other typical mention is in the context of the Trinity, such as Matt 28:19, ‘…baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ This hints to part of the answer of the Father’s role, but there is still a large gap to be uncovered in regards to the responsibilities of the Father in the Trinity. What is the function of the Father in regards to the relationship with the Son? The answer can be seen in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. The Father carries the position of an almost parental authority and by extension, sets the direction for the Son and his role in the redemption of mankind. This is not a permanent, but a functional subordination for the purposes of Jesus completing God’s mission on earth.

Theological Perspectives

Initially, OT God, frequently referred to as the Father, was worshipped as the sole creator of the universe as the concept of Trinity was not too well established. There were examples of the Spirit starting in Gen 1:2, and more throughout the OT, but the incidents of the Spirit were mostly events where the Spirit came upon individuals of standing such as the Judges Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson, Kings such as Saul and David, and numerous prophets. There were even possible examples of theophany such as the three visitors to Abraham in Gen 18 and Jacob’s wrestling opponent in Gen 32 which some scholars point to as early visits by the Son.

The Father was nevertheless seen as God, the I Am, without any indication in the OT that this was a shared partnership with the two other Persons. The person of God the Father was due to the relationship that God established as the loving parent of Israel, watching over the people and protecting them from their enemies. The position of God the Father was also for his position as the Creator of the universe, from whom all things are made for his children, and also with comparisons of his love for the people of Israel while they progress on the path that He set out for them. However, there is no mention in the OT of the Son himself, merely a couple of notices, first as ‘a son’ in Isa 9:6, ‘For to us a child is born, a son is given…’ or in reference to David in Ps 2:7, ‘I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me. “You are my Son…’.

Because of this, the establishment of the Triune nature was not introduced until the New Testament. The introduction of the Son in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the gospels alluded to the Triune nature of the Godhead. The gospels and the epistles begin touching on the formation of the Trinity and the responsibilities of the three persons. This idea of responsibilities was expounded on starting with the Apostles and continued into the Patrician Era. Paul referenced the Greek word oikonomia which loosely translates into ‘household law’ and applies this idea into Eph 1:14 where God’s plan was initiated by the Father, achieved by the Son and realized in the believer through the Spirit. Irenaeus also confirmed this belief in his work, The Anti-Nicene Fathers, where he referred to ‘the Son indeed working, and the Spirit ministering, while the Father was approving, and man’s salvation was accomplished'. Others see Jesus as the Son, providing the catalyst for the saving of mankind, while the Spirit comes into believers and provides guidance, direction, and a line of communication for the believers. The tasks and responsibilities for the Father on the other hand are not so well established or addressed.

There are two very important actions that the Father takes that help set up the Trinity. First off, as the Father, he begat the Son. This can be plainly seen in the Nicene Creed of 325 states that Jesus as the Son was begotten and not made. This is also seen in Augustine’s The Trinity, where he states that the relationship with the Father showing the Son is not less nor equal but he was ‘intimate that he is from the Father’, a point clarified by Augustine that Scripture shows Jesus was ‘begotten’ and ‘sent’. This is most familiarly supported in John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’ (NKJV). This ‘begotten’ relationship between God the Father and the Son is not the typical relationship between a parent and offspring as inferred. This is also not readily reconcilable with the nature of the three persons co-existing from the beginning.

Along these same lines, the origin of the Holy Spirit is a product of the love for the Father for the Son and vice versa. Again, this seems contradictory to the co-existence premise, but it does not negate the idea that the three persons were indeed extant from the beginning. All of this definitively indicates that there are three distinct persons but of one substance. This unity can be seen in the divine action of revelation. Revelation originates with the Father, proceeds through the Son, and is completed by the Spirit. But the Father’s role towards the Son can be further broken down into greater detail that shows is he does much more.

Theological Position

As the Father his primary role seems to be the Supreme Authority in the Godhead and he initiates all actions of God. This encompasses the planning, creating, directing and supervising. There are numerous indicators in the OT and the NT for God’s planning. This is most directly seen in the Book of Isaiah, he states in Isa 14:26 that God’s plan is ‘determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations’, and in Isa 46:10, ‘I have made known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come…’, and in Isa 55:11 ‘…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire to achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’, just to name a few. To see evidence of God’s creating, one needs look no further than Gen 1 and 2 to see the scope of which God has created all things.

God as the director and supervisor can be seen most importantly in the actions of the Son. If one looks at the story of Jesus, you will see that the Father sent the Son to be the savior of humanity, as Jesus states in John 3:17, ‘For God did not send his son into the World to condemn it but to save the world through him.’. There are numerous other verses that Jesus notes being sent by the Father, such as John 5:37, and John 16:5. But it goes much farther than merely showing that Jesus was dispatched from Heaven. Jesus was sent to complete his mission of glorifying God and doing the work of the Father on Earth as he was directed. Jesus repeatedly states that he is doing God’s will and not his own. Furthermore, Jesus shows his love for the Father by submitting himself to the will of God and God’s plan[11]. Jesus’ death was a necessary first step on God’s design of salvation that was initiated by the Father for mankind. This closing curtain of the first act is best seen in the words of Jesus in John 17:4, ‘I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do’. Jesus’ subsequent death was an act of obedient love of the Son for the Father. Per God’s plan, Jesus established his death as the reconciliation mankind needed to bring us back to the Father as mentioned in Col 1:22, ‘But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight…’.

Continuing the plan of God, the Father also raised him after the crucifixion, an action that was repeatedly stated in Acts, such as Acts 2:24, ‘But God raised him from the dead…’. The resurrection of Jesus by God is done specifically for God’s plan of salvation and can also be seen in many places in Romans, such as Rom 10:9, ‘For if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved’.

After the ascension of Jesus, God then exalted him to be supreme over all things in the universe. This is supported by Phil 2:9-11, ‘Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’. There are many other verses that proclaim Jesus as the supreme authority over everything, such as Eph 1:19-22, Col 2:10, and 1 Pet 3:22. Jesus’ ascension was not the solitary post-resurrection action by the Father on the part of Jesus. The Father also responded in love to the sacrifice of the Son by glorifying Jesus upon his return to Heaven per 1Pet 1:21, ‘who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God’.

Objections

The largest hindrance to this idea is that by accepting the Father as the Supreme Authority of the Godhead is that it seems contrary to the Triune nature of the Father, Son and Spirit as equals in the Godhead. There are many instances where Jesus is identified as carrying the same attributes as the Father, such as omniscience (Matt 11:27, 1 Cor 4:5, Col 2:2), omnipotence (Matt 28:18, Col 2:10, 1 Pet 3:22, 2 Pet 1:16), holiness (Mark 1:24, John 6:69, Heb 7:26) to name a few. More pointedly, Jesus is also compared as equal to God in Heb 1:3, ‘The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…’ to show that there is not a true demotion of Jesus as a lesser person in heaven.

As a matter of fact, it is Jesus who deliberately subordinates himself to the Father while on Earth in order to fulfill his duty and purpose for God’s plan as delegated by the Father to the Son as the Sacrificial Lamb. Jesus himself states in numerous verses that his task on Earth is to do the will of God, working for his glory at the expense of his own desires or beliefs (see John 8:28-29). This includes giving himself up for crucifixion because the Father had deemed it so. This is most famously seen in Phil 2:7-8, ‘Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.’ What we actually see is the divine Son being dispatched to the world on his own volition, imbued with our humanity, then upon his crucifixion and resurrection, returning to his exalted position at the right hand of God as claimed by Stephen in Acts 7:56, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’.

Integration

This relationship between the Father and the Son can be seen as a model for all human relations. The relationship shows that the Father and Son have an undying, unlimited love. One of the hazards of being in a position of authority is that the leader (being depraved and full of sin) will abuse his position by being iron-fisted, arrogant and demanding, in an unloving and selfish way. Therefore, this model is most useful for all of our relations, especially husband/wife relations. This relationship can be duplicated whereupon the husband is the functional authority in the relationship, mirroring the position of the Father, and the wife can be seen as the obedient Son. Their love for each other should not be based on their respective positions but as a method of equality such as the Triune nature of the Father and Son. Each person of the Trinity is equal in nature, attributes, characteristics and essence, but the husband has his responsibilities relevant to his person and the wife has the responsibilities relevant to hers.

To reinforce this attitude, Paul directs wives and husbands on being mutually loving and considerate for the other in Eph 5:24-25, ‘Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.’ This is also seen in Col 3:19, where Paul simply states, ‘Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.’ At its most intimate level, Paul notes in 1 Cor 7-4, ‘The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone, but also to his wife’. So also did Jesus’ body not belong to him alone but also to the Father, and Jesus willingly gave up his life at the Father’s request so that all mankind can benefit from his sacrifice.

This level of love and joy can also be transferred into other relationships as well. Parents and their children can also benefit from the archetypal relationship between Father and Son. Repeatedly Paul compares the pure love of a father or mother for their children to the love of God for his people. Pushing this paradigm outside of the family, you can begin to see the true aspects of this standard in looking at how veterans of intense combat lay their lives down to save or protect their foxhole mates. The classic example of this is selflessly throwing oneself on a grenade so that their buddies will not be harmed, or drawing fire from the enemy so the rest of the unit can escape, usually at the cost of their own lives. As Jesus said in John 15:13, ‘No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.’

One last example of how the model of the Father’s relationship with the Son can benefit us is through the idea that being a leader and also a follower is good as it is expressive of God himself. It flies against all convention in our modern society which values individuality, unconventionality, and rejection of authority. Viewing the submission of Jesus to the Father is viewing a relationship that is filled with love, joy and selflessness, and should be emphasized to the fullest. This should help us stay grounded while looking at our relationships and embrace the thought of giving up for another as Jesus did for all of us.

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible there are examples of God, Jesus and the Spirit and the actions that they take to push forward God’s Design for mankind. The Trinity is an incredible entity and quite unlike any other object of worship. With three separate but equal persons, sharing the same essence, characteristics and attributes, the Trinity has laid out the plan for our being, existence, and salvation into an eternal life. For Christians, we cannot avoid the fact that the Trinity lies at the heart of our understanding of God and thus is central to the message of the Bible itself.

As with most discussions on the Triune God, the focus has been and continues to be Christological and Pneumatological, as this deals with the Soteriology of the NT. This is indeed a major issue for Christians and their salvation is dependent on the Son and the Spirit successfully completing their tasks in our world so that we may be with God in Heaven for all eternity. But this is also not to say that the Son and Spirit were the taskmasters who oversee the process of saving grace or the acceptance of the Gospel. Every unit needs someone who will provide the planning, operation, supervision and final disposition of the Grand Design for the world and our universe.

In every company in the business world there is a leader and group of followers. These individuals are not made differently or superior to others from a metaphysical standpoint. Each one is a creature of their own accord, independent and self-fulfilling. Each one has similar capabilities so they are all pretty much the same, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. However, each one will acquire or develop unique talents and abilities as they grow, with some being focused on one aspect of the operation and others focused on another set of operations. It is when all of the individuals are working together that they accomplish more than the sum of their parts. In order to coordinate all of the individuals in a company, a leader has to emerge so the company can survive and thrive, working towards the same goal.

This is the same idea with the Trinity. The Father has his own taskings, the Son has his own taskings and the Spirit has his own taskings. Working in unison, the three persons realized the plan that was laid out for our salvation. As the Father, God plans and sets up the foundation for our salvation. This begins the process that will end with our dwelling with God for all eternity. The Father was the Planner, the Son was the Accomplisher, and the Spirit was Applier of salvation for all believers[17]. Without the Father’s planning, guidance, leadership and supervision of the Trinity, all might be lost.

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beitzel, Barry J. and Walter A. Elwell, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Book House, 1988. (appr 2 pgs combined total)

Elwell, Walter A., ed., Baker Topical Guide to the Bible, New International Version, Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 1991. (appr 4 pgs combined total)

Enns, Paul, The Moody Handbook of Theology, Chicago IL, Moody Press, 1989. (3 pgs)

Erickson, Millard J. Introducing Christian Theology, 3rd ed., edited by Arnold Hustad, Grand Rapids MI, Baker Academic, 2015. (10 pgs)

Geisler, Norman, Systematic Theology in One Volume, Minneapolis MN, Bethany House, 2011. (4 pgs)

Giles, Kevin, Jesus and the Father: Modern Evangelicals Reinvent the Doctrine of the Trinity, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Press, 2006. (274 pgs)

Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Grand Rapids MI, Zondervan Press, 2000. (12 pgs)

Hodge, Charles, Systematic Theology in Three Volumes, Vol 1, Grand Rapids MI, Eerdmann’s Publishing Co., 1979. (9 pgs)

Ware, Bruce, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, & Relevance, Wheaton, IL, Crossway Press, 2005, (158 pgs)