Have you been correctly taught about God who is the Father, and the Lord Jesus who is the Son of God? Have you been taught that Jesus is God or that Jesus is the Son of God? Have you been taught that Jesus is God or that Jesus is Lord? Are you aware of the difference? Do you think there is more than one God? Let’s begin…
As I read through my newsfeed and see many people’s posts it bothers me that many people have still not come to know GOD as Father. I see some people calling Jesus the Father and calling themselves children of Jesus although Jesus calls us his friends(John 15:15) and Jesus calls us his brothers(Matthew 28:10). I see other people in their posts making no reference to the Father but only mentioning Jesus, but never mentioning the Father of Jesus and the Father of all of us who believe in Jesus(John 20:17).
Interestingly enough when you read the Epistles written by Paul you can see that Paul always mentions both Jesus and GOD the Father at the beginning and end of almost every epistle that he writes. Do you know both? Do you mention both?
Let’s look at a few examples:
Romans 1:7
“To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Here Again:
Ephesians 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”
Here Paul tells us that God is both the God and Father of Jesus Christ. Jesus also told us the same thing while on earth and from Heaven in John 20:17 (on earth) and Revelation 3:12 (from Heaven), but I’ll get more into that later.
You will see a similar reference at the beginning of almost every book of the Bible that Paul writes.
For more examples, you can read 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Ephesians 6:23-24, Philippians 1:2 and so forth, the beginning of all Pauls Epistles are written similarly.
I remember watching a sermon from Derek Prince in which he said that he did not receive the revelation that GOD was his Father until after 40+ years of his ministry. He said he knew about Jesus, but he never knew GOD as Father. Derek Prince said he had read the Bible countless times and read the scriptures about the Father GOD, but he did not have direct experience with the Father GOD. He only had the verses but he did not experience the verses about GOD as Father.
Here is a quote Derek said in his sermon titled “Do you Know GOD As Father?” I believe this sermon is available on YouTube in multiple language translations as well as English.
“Charismatic and evangelical Christians love to quote the words of Jesus in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Yet I believe that many of us have only apprehended the first half of that verse. A way only has meaning if it leads to a destination. Jesus is the Way, but the Father is the Destination. Multitudes of Christians are still on the way, and have never arrived at their destination. They have never come to know God as a Father, personally; missing the real point of the coming of Jesus”. – Derek Prince
This is a teaching I’ve wanted to elaborate on for a while but, because I see everyone divided on this matter and I didn’t want to cause unnecessary division, I choose to wait and lay a foundation of other teachings first so the points here are not misunderstood. What’s commonly taught in the Christian church today is that Jesus is God, and that God is Triune(One God made up of three equal persons), however, the plain reading of the Bible teaches something a little different.
So let’s begin reading the scriptures so I can show you exactly what I mean.
Have you read Luke 18:19 and Mark 10:18? Jesus says something quite interesting that seems to be often glossed over in these two verses.
Luke 18:19
“So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.”
Mark 10:17-18
“Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? ”So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. “
Here Jesus distinguishes himself from God Almighty and questions the rich young ruler on why he called him good, because no one is good except God. I wonder if people have read these verses or if they simply ignore them. I do my best to stick to the plain reading of scripture because I find when man adds his own interpretations and explanations to the verses that they add to the words of Jesus and cause confusion. Let’s just read the Bible for what it says, the New Testament was written plainly, so anyone could read it and come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. If more was needed to be said in this verse Jesus could have said it, but this is all he said, so let’s deal with that.
Do you know that the Bible says that Jesus has a GOD that is above him? And that the God above Jesus is the same as your God? Let’s read it:
John 20:17
“Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”
The explanation of the arrangement is given plainly in 1 Corinthians 11:3
1 Corinthians 11: 3 – “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ(Jesus), the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ(Jesus) is God.”
God>Jesus>Man>Woman>(Child). This is the plain reading of the scripture. There is no need for interpretation.
These things are written after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, but if you want to read it even more plainly than this… While in Heaven Jesus Himself said that in Heaven, He STILL has a God. Let’s read the words of Jesus in revelation from Heaven.
Revelation 3:12 – “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”
Jesus said this to Mary while he was on earth(John 20:17) and Jesus again said the same thing to John while he is in Heaven(Revelation 3:12). This is the plain reading of the scriptures.
For further expansion on this matter, you can see here what Paul wrote to Timothy.
1 Timothy 2:5
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus”
One GOD and One Meditator between GOD and Man.
Another way this can be said is ONE GOD and One High Priest between GOD and Men(Hebrews 4:14-16). The Bible says that Jesus is our High Priest who meditates between us and GOD.
If you want to see this written even more plainly take a look at 1 Corinthians 8:6.
1 Corinthians 8:6
“yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
This says there is ONE GOD and ONE Lord. If you read the Old Testament you will see that the word ’LORD’ is always written with ALL capital letters when referring to GOD which is different from the “Lord” used in the New Testament.
You can see that plainly in the book of Psalms when David is Prophesying about a future event.
Psalm 110:1
“The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
In the original English translations, this says “The LORD” said to “My Lord”
One “LORD” Uses ALL capital letters and the other “Lord” with only a capital L. These are two different usages of the word. One used to describe Jesus and the other used to describe “The Father in Heaven”
Did you know that Jesus calls us his brothers? We are brothers with Jesus because we have the same GOD and the same Father. Let’s read it:
Matthew 28:10 –
“Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Did you know that Jesus said he didn’t come to earth to do his own will, but rather the will of the Father in Heaven? Let’s read it:
John 5:30
“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who SENT Me.”
John 6:38
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who SENT Me.”
Jesus says that he was SENT to earth. Do you know what the Bible says about the one that is SENT somewhere in relation to the one that sends them?
John 13:16
“Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is SENT greater than he who SENT him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
John 4:34
“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who SENT Me, and to finish His work.”
Jesus says that the SENDER is greater than the one who is sent by the sender. We know that GOD is the one who SENT Jesus because Jesus plainly tells us that in the scriptures written above. Jesus also plainly tells us that the Father in Heaven is greater than He(Jesus) is.
John 14:28
“You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.”
For those that rebut to say “Jesus only said that because he was on the earth”. That’s not true because I also showed you the verse in Revelation in which Jesus says that the Father in Heaven is GOD above him even in Heaven.
For those that say “But the Bible says Jesus and GOD are one”
Yes indeed. The Bible also says when we believe in Jesus we are also ONE with GOD and Jesus.
John 17:21
“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Does that then make us all the same person? Or give us as humans the same status with GOD or Jesus? Because we are one with Jesus and GOD when we have faith in Jesus. Certainly not.
The Bible also says a Husband and Wife are to become ONE.
Markus 10:8
“and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.”
Does that mean the husband and wife are exactly the same? Or does it mean that the husband and wife are joined in purpose and united in the soul? Isn’t the husband Head of his wife?
Doesn’t the Bible say GOD is the head of Jesus? I’ll refer you back to 1 Corinthians 11:3 again:
1 Corinthians 11: 3 – “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ(Jesus), the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ(Jesus) is God.”
Do you know that GOD says that Jesus is the servant of GOD? Thereby that makes GOD the Master of Jesus, and so as I just referenced the servant is not greater than his Master.
Matthew 12:18 – “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.”
When Peter preaches the gospel look at how he began his sermon:
Acts 2:22
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—
Does your Bible teacher preach the gospel like Peter does or does he preach in a contrary way to Peter?
Peter when he preaches calls Jesus a “Man” and he says that GOD did miracles through Jesus. Paul also calls Jesus a man in 1 Timothy 2:5 that meditates between us and GOD(as our High Priest). Therefore when we Pray to GOD and fellowship with GOD Jesus is our mediator.
Do you know how the Bible instructs us to pray? I’ve often wondered if the reason some people aren’t getting their prayers answered is because they do not pray the way the Bible teaches them to pray.
Does the Bible teach us to pray to Jesus or to pray to GOD the Father? The Bible says pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. Here I will show you:
Matthew 6:6
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Jesus says “Pray to your FATHER in Heaven”. Jesus is on earth teaching people to pray to the Father in Heaven.
Jesus while on Earth told his disciples to go into their rooms and pray to their Father in Heaven. When in the Garden Jesus was praying to HIS Father, and then told his disciples to wake up from their sleep and also pray to their Father in Heaven(Luke 22:46). If Jesus and the Father were exactly the same the disciples would be praying to Jesus on earth. Jesus would not need to tell them to wake up and pray to the Father in Heaven, Jesus would say “Pray to me I am right here”. But that’s not what is said. Jesus was praying to his Father saying “Not my will but your will be done(Luke 22:42)” and Jesus woke up the disciples up from their sleep and told them to also pray to the Father in Heaven just like Jesus was praying to the Father.
For this final portion, I’ll copy a segment from my previous post titled “Do You Pray According To The Teachings Of Jesus?”
John 16:23
“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
Jesus said that you would not ask him for anything. Jesus said you will ask the FATHER in the name of Jesus. Jesus himself said you will not ask him, but you will ask the Father.
In the same chapter, Jesus goes on to say:
John 16:26-27
“In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.”
Jesus said he would not ask the Father for you. Jesus said you will ask the Father yourself because the Father also loves you.
Therefore Jesus taught us to pray to GOD Father in Heaven, Jesus does not in the Bible tell us to pray to Him (Jesus). Jesus said we will not ask Him, but we will ask our Father in Heaven using the name of Jesus because Jesus is the way to GOD.
Therefore we Pray “In the name of Jesus…Heavenly Father.”
And then we end our prayer “In the name of Jesus Amen”
This is stated even more clearly when the disciples ask Jesus “Can you teach us how to Pray?” And Jesus responding telling them how to pray saying this:
Matthew 6:9-10
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.”
Therefore the clear and plain teaching of Scripture from Jesus’s own words teaches us to Pray to the Father in Heaven while using the name of the Son(Jesus).
Jesus himself makes this clear in John 17:3 in which he says:
John 17:3
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
A second witness of the same is given in Jude 1:4 which says:
Jude 1:4
“Ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is more to be said on this matter and more scriptures that perhaps I will get into in another post on another day, but that is all for now. Share this post if you feel led to. Like and Comment Below. Thank you All.
May God the Father of us, Bless you all who are in Christ Jesus the Lord of us.
Amen.
Eddie Fews