Chapter 8
OUR
HEAVENLY FATHER
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask him?” -- Luke 11:13
“Your heavenly Father,” what a delightful name for our God this
is. The Lord Jesus Christ teaches us that his Father is our Father. He who is
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is our heavenly Father. Do not fail
to observe the fact that each of the three Divine Persons is mentioned in this
one sentence. God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is speaking about God the
Father sending God the Spirit to his elect. -- "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask him?”
We
have already seen the clarity with which the Scriptures teach the doctrine of
the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity, though plainly and unmistakably
revealed in the Word of God, is a doctrine far beyond the reach of our puny
brains. Precisely because it is such a magnanimous doctrine, it is a doctrine
about which confusion abounds. This is nothing new. Throughout the history of
the church, heretics have denied the doctrine of the Trinity. Many of those
heretics who openly deny or craftily pervert the doctrine of the Trinity are
embraced by many as brethren in Christ!
There
are some among the papists who would include the virgin Mary (a sinner saved by
grace just like we are) in the Godhead. Mormons and Russellites
(Jehovah’s Witnesses) deny the eternal Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Others
of differing sects of heretics deny the doctrine of the Trinity and teach that
the names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only varying
representations of the one God. Some go so far in their abominations as to
teach that when sinners are saved by the grace of God, they themselves become
divine!
I
have no interest in trying to answer all the questions and objections raised by
such heretics against the doctrine of the Trinity. But I do want to help you to
know what God has revealed about himself in his Word. If we would understand
anything at all about the distinct works of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, we must not fail to recognize that each of the three Divine Persons in
the eternal Godhead is a separate, distinct Person from the others. The Father
is not the Son or the Spirit. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. And the
Spirit is not the Son or the Father. Each is distinct from the other. Yet, the
Lord our God is one (Deut. 6:4; Zech. 14:9; Mark 12:29; Eph. 4:5; 1 John 5:7).
There
are some works ascribed to all three of the Divine Persons, because the Father,
the Son, and the Spirit are one God. Yet, there are some works ascribed
specifically to each of the Divine Persons alone, because each is a distinct
Person within the eternal Godhead. In this study we will meditate upon the
distinct works of God our heavenly Father. There are certain works distinctly
ascribed to God the Father in Holy Scripture which cause believing hearts to
adore him and rejoice to look up to heaven and call him, “our heavenly Father”.
We commonly speak of the first, second, and
third Persons of the Trinity. We
call God the Father the first Person, God the Son the second Person, and God
the Spirit the third Person. Some ignorantly imagine that to mean that God the
Father is the primary Person in the Godhead and that the Son and the Spirit
secondary Gods. That is not the case at all. The three Persons of the Holy
Trinity are in all things equal to and co-existent with one another. This
division (first, second, and third persons) is made simply because our puny
brains must have some order in which to think of the infinite God. Let me show
you fifteen things that God the Father, our heavenly Father, has done, is doing,
and shall hereafter do for his chosen.
1. Our heavenly Father is the eternal Father of the eternal Son
(John 1:14).
I
will say no more about this great mystery than is plainly revealed in the Word
of God. As the Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father from
everlasting to everlasting, full of grace and truth, so God the Father is the
Father of the Son from eternity. There never was a time when the Son began to
be the Son or the Father began to be the Father. Yet, Christ is the eternally
begotten Son of the eternally begetting Father. We know no more about the
subject than that; and even that is too profound a mystery for us to
comprehend. I do not pretend to understand it; but I often contemplate it with
utter amazement.
2. We understand and rejoice in
the fact that our heavenly Father
created the heavens and the earth and all that dwell therein (Heb. 1:1-2).
The
creation of all things is ascribed to God the Father. He is here described as
creating the worlds by his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That does not mean that
the Son was the mere instrument by whom the Father created all things, but that
the Father and the Son together are the co-efficient cause and Creator of all
things.
3. Our hearts rejoice to know
that it is our heavenly father who dictates
and rules all the affairs of providence (Rom. 11:33-36; Isa. 46:9-11; Dan.
4:35).
He who is the Captain of the ship of Time, he
who sits at the helm of the ship and steers the course of all things, according
to the map of his own sovereign purpose, to their appointed destiny is our
heavenly Father. Sometimes we have nothing but this to fall back on. But when a
person can fall back on this, “My Father did this,” he needs nothing else to
fall back on! With confident hearts, in the face of the most tragic of events,
believers can and should say, with old Eli,
“It is the Lord; let him do what
seemeth him good” (1 Sam. 3:18).
4. Not only does our heavenly
father rule all things in providence, he
does it according to his own eternal purpose of grace in sovereign
predestination.
Do not be afraid of or ashamed of the Bible
doctrine of predestination. He who predestinated all things is God, our
heavenly Father. He did it from eternity. He did it for the salvation of his
elect sons and daughters. And he will never alter his purpose or turn away from
the people of his love, for whom he predestined all things (Eph. 1:11; Rom.
8:28-31).
5. God’s eternal purpose of
grace in predestination, and his execution of that purpose in providence is
according to our heavenly father’s sovereign
choice of his people unto salvation in Christ before the world began in eternal election (Eph. 1:3-6; 2 Thess.
2:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:2).
Here again is a display of the distinct
persons within the Godhead. The Father chose us to salvation in the Son and
through the sanctification of the Spirit to the obtaining of the glory of
Christ.
6. Not only did the Father
choose to save us, it was our heavenly Father who found a way to save us that is altogether consistent with and
honoring to his own glorious holiness, justice, and truth.
Love chose us; but justice demanded
satisfaction. Mercy resolved to spare us; but truth said, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Grace cried, “Forgive;” but holiness insisted, “Without holiness, no man shall see the
Lord. It must be perfect to be accepted.” Our Heavenly Father looked upon
his darling Son (who was willing to live as a man and die as a Substitute for
us), and the Father himself willing to sacrifice his dear Son for us, looked
upon his chosen and said, Eureka – “Deliver him from going down to the pit: I
have found a ransom" (Job 33:24; Ps. 89:19-29).
“Love found a
way to redeem my soul,
Love found a
way that could make me whole;
Love sent my
Lord to the cross of shame,
Love found a
away - O praise His name!”
7. Our heavenly Father entered into a covenant with his Son on
our behalf for the saving of our souls.
In Hebrews 13:20, this covenant is called “the everlasting covenant.” Frequently,
it is called “the new covenant.” It
is a covenant made in eternity between God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit; but it was made for us. In so far as the benefits and blessings of
it to us are concerned, it is an unconditional
covenant. The Lord God said, “I will love them freely… I will be their
God; and they shall be my people.” This everlasting
covenant of grace is a sure covenant,
a covenant which infallibly secured and guaranteed to God’s elect all the
blessings of salvation and eternal life in Christ (Jer. 31:3, 31-34; 32:38-40;
2 Sam. 23:5).
The only condition to the
covenant and the blessings of grace and salvation promised in it was the
obedience of the Son of God as our Substitute unto death (Heb 13:20). Be sure
you understand that there was never the slightest possibility of failure on his
part. He was willing to obey. He was able to obey. And he did obey his Father’s
will even unto death, even unto the shedding of his blood, the blood of the
everlasting covenant.
8. Having found a ransom for
our souls, our heavenly Father gave his
chosen into the hands of his Son, as sheep into the hands of a shepherd, and
trusted him with the salvation of our souls and the glory of his own great name
(John 6:39; Eph. 1:12-13).
If God the Father has trusted his glory to
his dear Son as our Substitute and Savior and trusted the salvation of our
souls to his hands, we can and should trust him with our immortal souls and
with all that concerns us. If the Father trusted him, he is a trustworthy
Savior.
9. Moreover, our heavenly
Father has adopted us into his family
as the sons of God from eternity (1 John 3:1-2; Gal. 4:6-7).
John Gill wrote, “This is a
privilege that exceeds all others; it is more to be a son than to be a saint;
angels are saints, but not sons, they are servants; it is more to be a child of
God, than to be redeemed, pardoned, and justified; it is great grace to redeem
from slavery, to pardon criminals, and justify the ungodly; but it is another
and an higher act of grace to make them sons; and which makes them infinitely
more honourable, than to be the sons and daughters of the greatest potentate
upon earth; yea, gives them an honour which Adam had not in innocence, nor the
angels in heaven, who though sons by creation, yet not by adoption.”
10. Having chosen and adopted
us, our heavenly Father accepted us in
Christ from eternity (Eph.
1:3-6).
Be
sure you do not fail to grasp the teaching of Holy Scripture regarding the
matter of the believer’s acceptance before God. Our acceptance is in Christ.
Our acceptance is from everlasting to everlasting. Our acceptance is absolute
and unconditional. Our acceptance means that God the Father, our heavenly
Father, looks upon us in Christ as perfect in him, and has done so from
eternity. He declares, “It must be
perfect to be accepted!”
11. Being “accepted in the beloved,” our heavenly Father has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
Christ from eternity and has promised to bless us forever for Christ’s sake
(Eph. 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:9).
The Lord God commanded Aaron, his high
priest, to bless his people symbolically (Num. 6:23) because he had sworn from
eternity, for Christ’s sake, saying, “I
will bless them” (Num. 6:27).
12. If you want to get some idea
of just how great his blessings are, try to get hold of this. -- Our heavenly Father has given his own dear
Son for us and to us (2 Cor. 9:15; Isa. 49:8; John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; 8:32; 1
John 4:9-10).
The Father gave us his Son
in promise before the world began. He gave us his Son in the fulness of time in
the incarnation to fulfill all righteousness for us. Our God gave us his Son as
a sin-atoning Sacrifice and Substitute at Calvary. Our heavenly Father gave us
his Son in regeneration, forming his Son in us by the power of his Holy Spirit.
And he will give us his Son in resurrection glory when he brings us into heaven.
13. Our heavenly Father gives his Spirit to all his elect.
He does not give his Spirit to some of his
elect and withhold his Spirit from others. The Father gives the Spirit to all
the chosen and to all the Redeemed according to his covenant promise and upon
the basis of Christ’s intercession (Gal. 3:13-14; John 14:16; 16:8-15). The
Holy Spirit is given to every chosen, redeemed sinner as a Sanctifier,
Convincer, Comforter, Strengthener, Teacher, Enlightener, Illuminator, Guide, and Seal.
14. Our heavenly Father graciously and effectually teaches chosen
sinners, causing us to come to Christ for salvation and life (John 6:44-45;
Tit. 2:11-14); and he teaches us his
will and his way as we seek it for his glory (Pro. 3:5-6).
15. It is God, our heavenly
Father who keeps us in the way of life
and grace by his omnipotent, sovereign power (1 Pet. 1:5).
How
we ought to rejoice to know that our final salvation, our perseverance and
preservation, depend not upon our strength, but his, -- not upon our
faithfulness, but his, -- not upon our resolve, but his (Ecc. 3:14; Phil. 1:6;
1 Thess. 5:24).
“He will keep
me `til the river
Rolls its
waters at my feet.
Then He’ll
bear me safely over,
Where my
Savior I shall meet!”
What
a privilege is ours to be the sons and daughters of God Almighty! To lift our
hearts to heaven, beholding God upon his throne, and say, “Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name!” "For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children
of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”
(Rom. 8:15-17).