This is a common question that arises when considering the nature of Jesus Christ and His relationship to God the Father. At first glance, it may seem strange that if Jesus is God, He would refer to another (the Father) as “My God.” A full understanding requires examining what the Bible says about the Trinity and the incarnation of Jesus.
The Dual Nature of Christ
A key point is that Jesus Christ has two natures – fully God and fully man. This is a core doctrine of Christian theology known as the hypostatic union. When Jesus took on human flesh, He remained fully divine, but He also took on a full human nature (Philippians 2:5-11). This means that Jesus could operate in either His divine or human nature.
An example of His human nature is when He experienced hunger (Matthew 4:2), thirst (John 19:28), tiredness (John 4:6), sorrow and grief (John 11:35). These are common to the human experience, but not to the divine nature. Jesus’s divine nature was evident in His miracles, authority to forgive sins, knowing people’s hearts and thoughts, and power over nature and spiritual forces (Mark 4:39, Luke 5:24, John 2:25, Matthew 9:4).
So when Jesus refers to the Father as “My God”, He is speaking from His human nature and position, not His divine nature. As a man on earth, Jesus prayed to God, relied on God, and submitted Himself to the will of God. This did not negate His divine nature but demonstrated His human nature.
Jesus Has a Unique Relationship with the Father
While on earth, Jesus had a unique relationship with God the Father. Jesus directly called God His Father, which was radical to His Jewish audience that considered this blasphemous (John 5:18). However, He stated that He alone could reveal the Father and make Him known to people (Luke 10:22, John 1:18). Jesus also spoke of His equality with the Father in authority and intrinsic divine nature (John 5:17-26, John 10:30-39).
So when Jesus refers to the Father as “My God” He is acknowledging this special father-son relationship within the Godhead. The Father sent and commissioned the Son, and as the Son, Jesus loved, honored, obeyed, and glorified the Father (John 20:17, John 17:4-5). Part of Christ’s mission was to demonstrate through His humanity how people ought to relate to God.
Jesus Operated Within the Trinity
We must remember that while on earth Jesus operated within the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By calling the Father “My God” Jesus was also testifying that as a man He was dependent on, obedient to, and empowered by the Spirit of God (Luke 4:14, Acts 10:38). The co-equal, co-eternal persons of the Trinity work together, with Christ fully submitting Himself to carry out the divine will (John 4:34, Hebrews 10:7).
So even though Jesus was God incarnate, He prayerfully submitted to the Father as His Head and Source, being filled with the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s work. He set the perfect example of living in godly dependence and obedience to the other members of the Trinity.
Jesus Took the Position of a Servant
The passage Philippians 2:5-11 gives us critical insight into Christ’s voluntary submission during His earthly ministry. Though being equal with God in every way, Jesus “emptied Himself” or veiled His divine majesty to take on the lowly position of a servant. He accepted limitations in His incarnate state and temporarily let go of His privileges, prerogatives, and rights as God to serve humanity.
As the perfect servant, it was only fitting for Christ to refer to God the Father as “My God.” He assumed this humble stance to submit to the Father’s will in providing atonement for sin on the cross. The passage concludes by saying that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess He is Lord, indicating His absolute deity.
Jesus Was the Son in His Humanity
A final perspective is that when Jesus called the Father “My God”, He was identifying with His human role as the Son. This human sonship was eternally ordained within the Trinity but took on flesh at a point in time (Romans 1:3-4, Galatians 4:4-5). By virtue of the incarnation, the preexistent Son of God in eternity past also became the human Son of God in time and space.
From His birth onward, Jesus grew into greater awareness of His identity and mission (Luke 2:40,52). Although fully God, He learned obedience by the things He suffered, identifying with humanity as the Son of Man and Son of God (Hebrews 5:8, John 1:51). His sonship relationship with the Father did not undermine His deity but rather allowed Him to fulfill the Father’s redemptive plan.
Bible Verses to Understand This Further
Here are some other Bible passages that provide insight into Jesus calling God His Father:
- Isaiah 9:6 – The Messiah would be called the “Everlasting Father” indicating His deity.
- Micah 5:2 – The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem yet His “goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” proving His eternal preexistence as God.
- John 8:58 – Jesus said “Before Abraham was, I am” identifying Himself with the name of God in Exodus 3:14 meaning the self-existent eternal One.
- John 10:30 – Jesus said “I and the Father are one” indicating His unity and equality with the Father.
- Colossians 1:15-19 – This passage calls Jesus the “image of the invisible God” and says “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him.”
- Titus 2:13 – Refers to Jesus as “our great God and Savior.”
- Hebrews 1:3 – The Son is described as “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”
So in summary, Jesus calling God His Father does not undermine His claim to deity but rather affirms it. He submitted Himself to carry out the Father’s redemptive plan, setting the pattern for how humanity can relate to God in humility and obedience by the power of the Spirit.
Answering Objections
This view may encounter objections like:
- Objection: Doesn’t calling the Father “My God” show Jesus is not God?
- Answer: No, it simply shows He submitted His human will to the Father while on earth. He had both a human and divine nature.
- Objection: Doesn’t this mean there are three Gods?
- Answer: No, the Trinity is three co-equal persons of the one God – Father, Son, and Spirit.
- Objection: This seems confusing, like modalism or some heresy.
- Answer: Orthodox Christianity has affirmed this view for centuries based on Scripture. It preserves monotheism while explaining Jesus’s relationship to the Father.
Conclusion
In calling God His Father, Jesus was not denying His own deity but operating in submission within His earthly human nature and role. He maintained an equality with the Father in essence, yet voluntarily surrendered His privileges to serve humanity. This relationship models how we can relate to God in humility and obedience. The biblical view of the Trinity provides a framework for understanding how Jesus could be both fully God and fully human, unified with yet distinct from the Father and Spirit.
