This is a question that many people have wondered about. The Bible has much to say about the nature and relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son that can help provide clarity on this topic.
In short, God the Father and Jesus Christ are two distinct divine persons, yet they are both equally and fully God. This is a central doctrine of Christian orthodoxy known as the Trinity – that God exists eternally as three persons, yet is one God. The three persons of the Trinity are God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit.
While God the Father and Jesus Christ are distinct persons, they share the same divine nature and essence. Jesus claimed equality with God the Father and performed divine works that only God could do, like forgiving sins (Mark 2:5-12). The New Testament affirms Christ’s divinity in passages like John 1:1, which says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This verse identifies Jesus (the Word) as God, yet also distinct from God the Father.
There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), yet the Father is called God (1 Peter 1:2), Jesus is called God (John 20:28), and the Holy Spirit is also called God (Acts 5:3-4). The fact that there is only one God, yet three distinct persons who are all fully divine is the central mystery of the doctrine of the Trinity.
The deity and humanity of Christ is a core Christian teaching. Jesus is not half-God and half-man, but fully divine and fully human in one person. As a man, Jesus prayed to the Father as his God (John 17:1), showing functional subordination of roles in the Trinity. But in nature and essence, Jesus was equal with God as the Son of God (Philippians 2:6).
Jesus referred to the Father as “my God” (John 20:17) to highlight his humanity, but also claimed unity with the Father by saying “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). At the incarnation, Jesus veiled or limited the full display of his divine attributes, but did not cease to be fully God (Philippians 2:6-8).
God the Father and Jesus Christ work in close relationship. The Father sent the Son into the world and the Son willingly obeyed (John 3:16-17). However, this functional submission does not deny Christ’s equality with the Father in essence, glory, and divinity. The Son does the will of the Father because of their unity of purpose while retaining full divine authority and attributes.
In conclusion, God the Father and Jesus Christ are distinct persons with different roles, yet both are equally and fully God. This is affirmed throughout Scripture. The Father and Son share the same divine nature and essence with the Holy Spirit, but are unique persons. Understanding this helps make sense of the unity of God expressed through the diversity of persons in the Trinity.
The Oneness of God in the Old Testament
The Old Testament lays the foundation for understanding God’s oneness. Deuteronomy 6:4 proclaims: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” This verse establishes that there is only one true God.
Isaiah 44:6 states: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” Again, it affirms God’s oneness and uniqueness as the only true God.
While God’s unity and solitary divine nature is clear, some interpretive questions arise from the Hebrew word “Elohim.” Elohim is a plural noun for God used over 2,500 times in the Old Testament. Some see this as hinting at God’s triune nature.
However, scholars widely agree that the plural Elohim when referring to the one true God denotes fullness and majesty rather than number. The singular verb forms used with Elohim affirm God’s oneness. The Old Testament firmly establishes there is only one God.
The Father-Son Distinction Revealed in the New Testament
The New Testament provides fuller revelation of the relationship between the Father and the Son. It makes clear that God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are distinct yet both fully divine.
At Jesus’ baptism, the Father spoke from heaven declaring Jesus to be His beloved Son (Mark 1:11). This shows their distinction as separate persons.
Jesus referred to the Father and prayed to Him, showing they are interacting personalities (Matthew 11:25-27). In John 17, Jesus repeatedly prayed to the Father, demonstrating a clear difference between them.
Jesus stated “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). They are one in essence and nature, but also persons who relate to each other. The Father sent the Son, and the Son obeyed the Father (John 6:37-40). Their functional subordination implies distinct persons.
These and many other New Testament passages reveal that God the Father and Jesus the Son are distinct divine persons who operate in close relationship.
The Deity of Christ Affirmed
While distinguishing between the Father and Son, the New Testament forcefully affirms Christ’s complete deity.
Isaiah 9:6 prophesies that the Messiah would be called “Mighty God.” The exalted descriptions of Christ in Revelation 1:12-18 depict Him in divine terms.
In Colossians 2:9, Paul states “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” in Christ. Hebrews 1 exalts Christ as the “exact imprint of God’s nature.”
John 1:1 declares Jesus to be the Word who was with God and was Himself God. Romans 9:5 calls Christ “God over all.” Titus 2:13 refers to Jesus as “our great God.” 2 Peter 1:1 calls Jesus “our God and Savior.”
The New Testament is abundantly clear that Jesus Christ shares full divine nature and attributes with the Father. He is therefore to be worshipped and honored in the same way as God Himself.
The Three Persons of the Trinity
Putting together the biblical teaching about God’s oneness and the full deity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit leads to the doctrine of the Trinity – one God eternally existing in three divine persons.
All three persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – are called God and credited with divine works (1 Peter 1:2; John 1:1; Acts 5:3-4). The three were together at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16-17).
These persons are distinct – the Father sends the Son, Jesus prays to the Father, the Spirit intercedes between them. Yet all three share the same essence and divine nature.
The pre-existent Christ was present at creation working with the Father (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17). The intimate relationship and cooperative work of the Father, Son, and Spirit points to the eternal unity of purpose within the Trinity despite being distinct persons.
The Incarnation of Christ
The incarnation provides additional insight into how Jesus relates to the Father. To accomplish redemption, the eternal Son took on full human nature in addition to His divine nature (John 1:1-3, 14).
In the incarnation, Jesus veiled some of His divine attributes and prerogatives to experience humanity under the Father’s authority and live a perfect life in obedience (Philippians 2:6-8). He took on the role of a servant to carry out the will of the Father.
As the God-man, Jesus showed the pattern for believers to live in full submission to God. His obedient prayers and functional subordination to the Father provide a model without denying His ontological equality as fully God and fully man forever.
The incarnation allowed Jesus to fully identify with humanity as He carried out the atoning work of redemption. This informs how Christ relates to the Father, not as suggesting inequality of divinity.
Implications of the Relationship Between the Father and Son
Understanding that the Father and Son are distinct yet equally divine persons united in purpose has many important implications.
First, it provides a framework for understanding God’s self-revelation to humanity through sending His Son. God wants us to know Him through Christ’s life and teachings.
Second, it helps us worship God properly – we worship the Father through the Son (John 5:22-23) with reverence for the triune Godhead.
Third, we have confidence to approach the Father through Christ’s work as mediator and high priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus makes intercession for believers before the Father.
Fourth, our redemption through Christ is magnified. Just as the Son submitted to the Father to accomplish redemption, so must we submit our lives to Christ. Understanding Jesus’ willing submission increases our awe at His gracious sacrifice.
Fifth, it models functional submission in the Body of Christ. Just as the Son submits to the Father, believers are to submit to Christ and each other in humility (Ephesians 5:21).
The Father-Son relationship displays the beauty of the Trinity – a model for humanity as we submit to and reflect our glorious triune God.
Objections and Misunderstandings
Some object to the doctrine of the Trinity and the divine Sonship of Jesus Christ on the basis that it allegedly introduces “multiplicity” into God’s nature. However, orthodox teaching upholds monotheism.
The Arian controversy in the third and fourth centuries also centered around objections to the eternal Sonship and full deity of Christ. However, orthodox teaching affirms that while the Son took on a human body, He remained fully divine at the incarnation.
Others misunderstand the Trinity by thinking the Father became the Son, then the Holy Spirit, as if it describes modalism or God playing different “roles.” But Scripture is clear that the Trinity consists of three distinct coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial divine persons sharing the same indivisible divine essence.
Some religious groups like Oneness Pentecostals view God solely in terms of different manifestations or modes, rather than distinct persons. They deny the eternal distinctions between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in their current formulations.
Throughout history, orthodox teachers have upheld the full divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three real persons within the one Being that is God based on the biblical evidence. This charts a balanced course between modalism and tritheism.
Conclusion
Understanding the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son provides deep revelations into the nature of God. The Bible clearly distinguishes the Father and Son as two divine persons while strongly affirming Christ’s full deity and identity within the one triune Godhead.
This helps make sense of the intricate way Scripture presents God’s unity and plurality. The cooperative working relationship of the Father and Son models how believers should relate to the triune Godhead. The incarnation provides the ultimate picture of Christ’s willing submission to the Father in order to redeem humanity.
While mysteries remain, the doctrine of the Trinity presented in Scripture upholds monotheism and the complete divinity of Father, Son and Spirit as equal, eternal and indivisible divine persons united in purpose. Understanding this distinction within relationship for the Father and Son expands our knowledge and worship of God.
