Historical Posts

God, the Father – The “First Person” of the Godhead

One of the most commonly held misconceptions about God, the Father is that many people think of Him as the “Head” of the Godhead. But, there is no such thing as a hierarchy in the Godhead. Jesus often spoke of the unity of the Godhead, when He made statements like, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). In John 14:8-12, Jesus spoke to His disciples about His equality with the Father, saying, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me.” John 5:18 adds this footnote: “he…said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.”

It is true that the Bible says that Jesus yielded His will to the Father’s (Hebrews 5:8-9), but one must consider the fact that the Christ is both human and divine. It was the Lord’s humanity that had to be obedient to the Father. It does not mean that Jesus is, in any way, inferior to the Father.

The same may be said about the Holy Spirit. In Acts 5:1-11, the story of Ananias and Sapphira is meant to show us that lying to the Holy Ghost is just as wicked and sinful as lying to the Father. Peter said, “Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost…thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:3-4). Here, the Holy Spirit is likened unto God, the Father, as an equal. There is no hierarchy in their relationship.

The concept of three beings that share the office of “God” is difficult us, in the modern world, to understand. In the ancient world, most civilizations were governed by kings and queens in a monarchal system. Sometimes, two or more rulers would form a “co-regency,” meaning that they would share power over the land. This happened a few times in Israel and Judah, usually when one king was very old, he would name a successor and the two would reign simultaneously for a while. There would be only one throne, but two would share the office of “king.” The Godhead works in a similar way. There is only one God, but there are three beings who share the office.