Who Knows The Father?

 Who Knows The Father?


Sometimes we Christians mistakenly (perhaps even accidentally) say that some unbelievers "know" The Father (the First Person of The Holy Trinity), even though we grant that they do not "know" The Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.  This is a mistake that is easily understood; and we should not be too hard on people who (perhaps offhandedly) make it.

 

The brutal truth--and this is often hard for people to accept--is that The Father, the true First Person of The Holy Trinity, is ONLY known by those sinners who, because of sovereign grace, have become atoned-for saints through their God-given regenerative faith in The Son, Jesus Christ the Redeemer.

 

With regard to this, three important things should be stated right up front. . . . First, that Jesus Christ (with The Holy Spirit) is the *Proper*, if you will, (initial) "Know-er" of The Father.  He intimates this, in Jn. 6:46.  Secondly, that only those who are given access to The Son, by The Father, can know Him (The Father), (Jn. 6:37, 44, 65); and then, correspondingly, The Son's atonement then grants sinners access to The Father, (Jn. 14:6b).  And thirdly, that once we are *in* The Son, by grace through faith in Him, we also "know" The Father, even as The Son knows Him, (Jn. 16:15, 26-27).  This final truth is rather startling and amazing, to say the least.

 

What this means, is that *no* one, (I will say that again, "*no* one"), who does not know Jesus Christ "knows" The Father.  This means that they do not pray to The Father; they do not worship The Father; and they are in no way devoted to The Father.  As you have probably discerned, by now, if what we are saying (from the Holy Scripture) is true, then unbelieving people of all stripes, in fact, do *not* have anything positive to do with The Father.  There is no access to The Father, except via The Son.  (This is a universal rule for all people everywhere, no matter what one's religion.)

 

I do not wish to get into a discussion of just how much cognitive and/or intellectual "knowledge" of Christ a person must possess, in order to have access to The Father--but this much we may (and must say): they must be regenerated by The Holy Spirit. Regeneration results in heartfelt accord (agreement with) the preached gospel; and, under ideal circumstances situates the new believer in a local and faithful church congregation.

 

Readers of the Bible--Old Testament and/or New--who do not believe in (hence, "know") Jesus Christ, cannot and do not "know" The Father.  The God of the Old Testament, and the God of the New Testament is the same God; and this God is Triune.  YHWH of The OT is YHWH The Father, YHWH The Son, and YHWH The Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ Himself is the Great "I AM," (see Jn. 8:58).  In reality, every saint who knows One Person of The Trinity knows all Three of Them.

 

The fact that some religions, Judaism and Islam to be specific, share some similarities with vital and true Christianity, does not mean that they share the same God.  Jesus Christ Himself is the Absolute Arbiter of this question.  For sinners, ALL access to God is through Jesus Christ.  There is no other way.

 

It is true that this doctrine makes us extremely repugnant to religious people who do not believe in (nor love) our Lord Jesus Christ.  We understand this; and we accept the consequences--but this truth is simply too important to compromise.

 

Anyone who wants to know, love, worship, and serve The Father may do so--but he or she must understand that this is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

 

Come, experience the warm embraces of The Father.  He will accept all who seek Him on His terms--namely, through faith in His beloved Son.

 

Rev. Mark J. Henninger

Treatise #55

19 December 2025

https://theologicaltreatisesinretirement.blogspot.com

https://henningerdevotions.blogspot.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Do we Know we Are Right?

  How Do we Know we Are Right? Have you ever asked yourself this question?  What gives  us --and, for sake of clarity, I will mean by  "us"  (particularly) those convinced and convicted members of the Reformed expression of the Christian religion-- both  the  "right"  and the  "confidence"  to boldly state that we  are,  with regard to religious debate,  "in the right"?   This is actually a very good, and important question.  I would like to forthrightly  answer  the query; and then seek to work out some of the details (that I am quite certain may be on many people's minds). . . .   The  true regenerated  saints of Christ's church--and in this case, we will include those who are members of any number of orthodox Christian communions (denominations)--know that they are "in the right" because of the  internal witness of the Holy Spirit within them,  (cf. for now Rom...
Read more

What Is Preaching?

  What Is Preaching? Dedicated to all truly-called church ministers of the gospel When I ask the question, "What is preaching?", the context I have in mind is mostly, (but not exclusively), the church's Sunday worship services.  I also hope to address the issue of the goal (or end) of preaching.   Paul's 10th chapter of Romans is probably the most comprehensive treatment of this sublime subject; and his (Paul's) Holy Spirit-inspired injunction of 2 Tim. 4:2a: "Preach the Word!", says it very succinctly.   I believe that preaching is the authoritative verbal presentation of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ in the message of His gospel of grace and mercy.  I also believe that anything short of this, is not preaching at all.  It is also my conviction that every text of Holy Scripture not only  lends  itself to this grand enterprise; but  exists  so as to facilitate it.   Therefore, when a true gospel preacher approach...
Read more

Persecution of Real Christians in America

  Persecution of Real Christians in America Dedicated to all regenerate churchmen in the United States A lot of times we hear people say, "There is no persecution of the church in America."  This statement, though understandable on one level, is  entirely  false.  In fact,  every  truly regenerated (born again) Christian  does  get persecuted; and it depends  not at all  on where we live, or in what era of human history we live.   Here are Paul's Holy Spirit-inspired words of 2 Tim. 3:12: "Indeed,  all  who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus  will  be persecuted," (ESV/italics mine).  This means that if you are a  real  Christian you  will  be persecuted--and it does not matter  where  you live.  There is simply no way around this inevitable spiritual law of the gospel.   Somebody might say, "Yes; but Christians in America are not thro...
Read more