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In Christianity, God is called "Father" in an unheard-of sense: he is not only Creator; he bears an eternal relation to his only Son; which implies an exclusive and intimate familiarity: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27).
Trinitarian Christians (which represent the vast Christian majority) describe the Godhead as a Trinity, in which the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one god having a single "substance", but three distinct "persons". A minority of Christians, and many historical Christians, have described the Father as either a distinct Being (tritheism), or as a different "manifestation" of a single Being (modalism).
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2 Relationship with humanity 3 Related articles |
Characteristics of God the Father
The titles of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are at times used interchangeably. They are thought to share many of the same superlative characteristics, such as omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnibenevolence (all-benevolent); however, there are certain unique characteristics ascribed only to the person of God the Father.
In Eastern Orthodox theology, God the Father is the "source" or "origin" of both the Son and the Holy Spirit; in Western theology, all three hypostases or persons have their origin in the divine nature instead. The Cappadocian Fathers used this Eastern Orthodox monarchian understanding to explain why trinitarianism is not tritheism: "God is one because the Father is one," said Basil the Great in the fourth century. In the eighth century, John of Damascus wrote at greater length about the Fathers role:
Fatherhood
In the New Testament, God the Father's relationship with the the person of the Son is as a father to a son and heir (Hebrews 1:2-5). According to the Nicene Creed, the Son (Jesus Christ) is "eternally begotten of the Father", indicating that their Father-Son relationship exists outside of time, and is not tied to an event within time or human history.
To religious pluralists, God the Father's relationship with humanity is as a father to children. Thus, humans in general are sometimes called children of God, possibly because they are all created by God. To Christians, God the Father's relationship with humanity is that of Creator and created beings. Christians call themselves adopted children of God: But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, burn under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:4-7)
Gender
Though the vast majority of Christians consider him to be asexual, God the Father is generally ascribed masculine gender roles. He is thought to be dominant (not submissive), powerful (not weak), fatherly (not motherly), dispassionate (not emotional), and present (not absent), and he is generally referred to by the masculine pronoun He.
From the late twentieth century onwards, many Christians have become uncomfortable with the traditionally male representation of God and have sought to angrogenize God by de-emphasising or eliminating gender-specific references to God, as well as his masculine traits. Some of these indiviuals and groups prefer the expression "God the Creator" in place of "God the Father".
Another approach has been to feminize God by emphasising God's feminine qualities such as submission, motherhood, emotions such as love and empathy, and absence, or by referring to God as "she" or "God the Mother". (See, e.g., Isaiah 49:15 and places in the Bible where God is referred to by the feminine word Eloah). In some sects of Gnosticism and Mormonism, God the Father is thought to be male and masculine; however, a separate Goddess is postulated who is female and feminine.
See God and gender.
Ontology
Much as been written about the Being, or ontology, of God. Typically, Christians assert that God the Father shares the same "substance" with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, that is, a single divine nature, as well as a single divine will, so that they are three "persons" (Greek hypostases), yet one God. This form of God's existence is often referred to as the Trinity; "Holy Trinity" is also a form of personal address used when praying to God as He exists in three persons.
Relationship with humanity
Like other forms of theism, God the Father of Christianity is thought to take an active interests in human affairs. Thus, many Christians believe they can communicate with him through prayer, either to praise him or to affect his behavior. For some Christian sects, the person of God the Father is the exclusive addressee of prayer, often in the name of Jesus Christ. The Lord's Prayer, for example, begins, "Our Father who art in Heaven...."