Sunday: The Heavenly Father
Daily Lesson for Sunday 8th of December 2024
The Gospel of John is written from the standpoint of the overall biblical narrative, beginning with our origins. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Or: In the beginning the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created the heavens and the earth. They are the Source of all that exists. They created the universe, including the beings who inhabit it. On our planet there was a special creation of life, and the most special of that creation was humanity. And God’s purpose for creating humanity was that we should live in loving harmony with Him and with one another.
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Unfortunately, Lucifer brought sin into this world. Sin is, among other things, a disruption of our relationship with God. It misrepresents who God is. Thus, Jesus took upon Himself our human nature in order to restore knowledge of God and to bring salvation to humanity.
While here, Jesus submitted His life to the Father, living according to His guidance. He said, “ ‘I and My Father are one’ ” (John 10:30, NKJV). “ ‘The Father is in Me, and I in Him’ ” (John 10:38, NKJV). “ ‘If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me’ ” (John 10:37, NKJV).
What were some of the roles of the Father, as described in the following passages?
John 3:16-17; John 6:57
John 5:22,30
John 6:32; John 14:10,24
John 6:45
John 15:16, John 16:23
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These verses present the Father in close connection with Jesus Christ, His Son. The Father has intimate contact with our world and a deep investment in our salvation. What does this truth teach us about God’s love for us? |
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The "Father" metaphor for God is used throughout the Bible and is not just a New Testament notion.
The picture that I get of God, the Father from these quotes is one of love and care.
What is the Father like? Beyond the metaphorical references, Jesus is the "Polaroid picture" (remember those?) of the Father. It develops before your eyes as you learn more about the life of Jesus. He is not the big brother trying to mitigate or diminish the wrath of an angry Father God. Jesus is the express image (snapshot, characteristicly) of the Father. He Himself, told Philip that if you've seen him, you've seen the Father. John 14:9
Jesus was present with the Father in the beginning (of creation) in John 1, as the preincarnate Word who created all things. In John 1:1 the Word was with God and was God. In Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God is hovering over the waters. This "Spirit," must be an entity, not an impersonal force or power. Genesis 1:26 shows plurality using the pronouns of "us" and "our" as first person pronouns referring to a group representation, in conferring about the creation of man. I belive that our minds are too finite to grasp the infinite complexity and majesty of what, or more properly, who, the scripture refers to as the Godhead.
At any rate the Father is far better, majestic, and loving than the devil has advertised Him as being. Remember that Jesus said that "the Father Himself loves you." John 16:27; John 3:16
Attempting to answer the question: “What does this truth teach us about God’s Love for Us?”, these thoughts came to mind:
God wants man to again receive eternal life and shows that He cannot do different than to love and show merecy for His creation.
His Love is present in all creation because of 'WHO HE IS' – the I AM. He is Love personified in Jesus Christ and manifested and established in the balance and harmony of all that He created. Though, the Father's Love is not void of Justice - love enhanced through/by 'justice' fosters the environment that sustains life.
I see mankind to reflect a special purpose in this creative process. I consider that, as God created man in His Image, He chose to testify to His sentient beings – matter, created and capable of spiritual awareness to know and interact with his Maker – to know ‘Who He IS”, He multiplies/replicates His creative, sustaining Love through/by man's life.
His Love is altruistice but at the same time purposeful. Accepting that God the Father is the Creator of all things" – the Great I AM – I ask:
"If God is the Creator of all things" - can anything opposed to His Creation come from Him?
"If God is Love” – can anything ‘destructive’ come from Him?
"If God is Truth” – can any untruth come from Him?
"If God is Life” – can anything diminishing Life come from Him?
"If God is Spirit expressed through love" - can man establish another god - self - and live - no!
I consider His call "to love Him with all our heart and all our being, and to share His Love with others", not an 'act' to be lightly disregarded by man. I believe this to reveal to man the Truth about ‘Life’ – that it is His Love which keeps His creation in perfect harmony – the ‘powerfully creative manifestation of 'I AM''.
In harmony with the Spirit of Truth and Justice, this 'Love', in its creative form, holds the universes and all that is within them together, reflecing a perfect creation – because of WHO He IS LOVE, personified for the benefit of man by Jesus Christ His Son.
The theology of the Seventh day Adventist pastors has crossed the Tiber(the river separating the mainland Rome and the Vatican). Saying and supposing that 3 being were present in creation is both rejection in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. This is my evidence
In Genesis 1:26
" And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
(Genesis 1: 26)
The one God must be speaking to here, is a person in the image of God. And Bibilically that is His Son (Jesus)
" In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
(2 Corinthians 4: 4)
" Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:"
(Colossians 1: 15)
From the above verses, the Bible confirms that it is Christ who is the Image of God, in which man was to be made in. Challenge to the author,if God was talking to two Christ and the Holy Spirit, where in the Bible do we get that the Holy Spirit is is the Image of God??
In the Spirit of Prophecy, Sister White clearly teaches that God was speaking to His Son.
But when God said to His Son, "Let us make man in our image," Satan was jealous of Jesus. EW 145.1
You have interpreted the Scriptures as you wish and then feeding the flock of God your thoughts(false)
It's important to approach theological discussions on the nature of the Godhead with humility and an open mind. While it's natural to defend one's beliefs, it's also important to be willing to consider alternative perspectives and engage in respectful dialogue. I grew up in the church when the nature of the Godhead was a very divisive discussion and one thing that was very clear to me is that when we call those opposed to our view as wrong disrespectfully, we have forgotten the very fundamental tennant of our Christianity. "God is love."
I was going to write a lot more on this topic but time is short today. I will urge those who want to understand the Seventh-day Adventist Journey on this topic to read this paper by Gerhard Pfandl. When we know the history, we can perhaps be a little more tolerant of those who believe differently to us.
The Doctrine of the Trinity Among Adventists
Excellent summary!
Sister White also referred to the Godhead as the Heavenly Trio.
Jesus has promised: 'I will not leave you comfortless, but I will come to you.'
In another place he said: 'But the Comforter, who the Father will send iny name,..
. He will guide you into all truth.' He referred to the Spirit as another (of the same kind) Comforter.