The Role and Work of God the Father
The Role and Work of God the Father
The concept of God as Father is deeply rooted in biblical tradition. In Scripture, the title "Father" is used to describe God's relationship to his people and to Jesus Christ. The position and authority of the father as the head of the family are expressly assumed and sanctioned in Scripture, serving as a likeness of that of the Almighty over his creatures [1].
The Father is described as the creator and sustainer of all things. According to the patristic tradition, God the Father and His Word have formed all created things by their own power and wisdom [5]. This creative work is not limited to the initial act of creation but is an ongoing process, as indicated by the statement "my Father worketh hitherto" (John 5:17). The Father's work includes providential care, guiding and governing the world and its events [7].
In relation to Jesus Christ, the Father is described as the one who has sent the Son into the world. The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does, entrusting Him with significant works (John 5:20) [2]. The Father's role in the life and ministry of Jesus is further emphasized in the promises made to the Redeemer, including the preparation of a body for Him and the gift of the Spirit without measure [8].
The Father's work is also characterized by His role as a judge and a source of comfort. He is described as "a father to orphans and a judge for widows" (Psalm 68:5) [3]. This highlights the Father's care for the vulnerable and His role in upholding justice.
In Christian theology, the Father is understood as the first person of the Trinity, working in harmony with the Son and the Holy Spirit. The patristic tradition emphasizes the unity and cooperation between the Father and the Son, with the Son doing nothing of His own will but obeying the Father's commands [6].
The understanding of God as Father has been developed throughout Christian history, with various traditions emphasizing different aspects of His role and work. The Reformed tradition, for example, highlights the Father's sovereignty and providential care, while the patristic tradition emphasizes the Father's relationship to the Son and the Holy Spirit [4, 8].
The biblical concept of God as Father provides a foundation for understanding His role and work in the world. As the creator, sustainer, and judge, the Father is actively involved in the lives of His people, guiding and caring for them. The Father's relationship to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit underscores the complexity and richness of the divine nature, highlighting the unity and cooperation within the Trinity.
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Father — The position and authority of the father as the head of the family are expressly assumed and sanctioned in Scripture, as a likeness of that of the Almighty over his creatures. It lies of course at the root of that so-called patriarchal government, (Genesis 3:16; 1 Corinthians 11:3) which was introductory to the more definite systems which followed, and which in part, but not wholly, superseded it. The father's blessing was regarded as conferring special benefit, but his malediction special injury, on those on whom it fell, (Genesis 9:25,27; 27:27-40; 48:15,20”
- John “John 5:20 (BSB) — The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.”
- Psalms “Psalms 68:5 (LEB) — A father to orphans and a judge for widows is God in his holy habitation.”
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 1:17: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,.... In what sense God the Father is the God of Christ; see Gill on Eph 1:3. The Father of glory; or the glorious Father; who is glorious in himself, in the perfections of his nature, and in the works of his hands; and as a father, he is a glorious father to Christ, and is a father to him, as he is to none else; and has been honoured and glorified by Christ, and from whom Christ as man has received much honour and glory: and he is a glorious father to the saints, to whom he has shown inexpressible love, by adopting them into ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 1: Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus — CHAP. XVIII.--GOD THE FATHER AND HIS WORD HAVE FORMED ALL CREATED THINGS (WHICH THEY USE) BY THEIR OWN POWER AND WISDOM, NOT OUT OF DEFECT OR IGNORANCE. THE SON OF GOD, WHO RECEIVED ALL POWER FROM THE (part 1): 1. And such or so important a dispensation He did not bring about by means of the creations of others, but by His own; neither by those things which were created out of ignorance and defect, but by those which had their substance from the wisdom and power of His Father. For He was neither unrighteous, so”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 5: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian — CHAP. XXXI. ARGUMENT.--BUT THAT GOD, THE, SON OF GOD, BORN OF GOD THE FATHER FROM EVERLASTING, WHO WAS ALWAYS IN THE FATHER, IS THE SECOND PERSON TO THE FATHER, WHO DOES NOTHING WITHOUT HIS FATHER'S D (part 3): Him to be from no source nor beginning, but rather the beginning and source of all things. Moreover, the Son does nothing of His own will, nor does anything of His own determination; nor does He come from Himself, but obeys all His Father's commands and precepts; so that, although birth proves Him to he a Son, yet obedience even to death”
- Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 33:29: Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man. This is a summary or recapitulation of what goes before, from Job 33:15; God is an operating Being, he is always at work in a providential way: "my father worketh hitherto", Joh 5:17; sometimes on the minds of men in dreams and visions; and sometimes by affliction; and sometimes by his prophets, messengers and ministers of the word; he works with and by these, and all according to the internal workings and actings of his mind, his eternal purposes and decrees, which are hereby brought about: and these he works "often”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 72: The Promises made to the Redeemer. Such, in general terms, was the work which the Son of God undertook to perform. The promises of the Father to the Son conditioned on the accomplishment of that work, were, (1.) That He would prepare Him a body, fit up a tabernacle for Him, formed as was the body of Adam by the immediate agency of God, uncontaminated and without spot or blemish. (2.) That He would give the Spirit to Him without measure, that his whole human nature should be replenished with grace and strength, and so adorned with the beau”