BS2A - LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Most of us have an incorrect understanding of who the triune God is. We think of God the Father with the disposition to judge and discipline us. Maybe we see Him as someone who is always watching for when we might slip up and sin. Then we might think of Jesus as one who has a disposition to love us, having given His life for us. And finally, we aren’t sure where the Holy Spirit fits into the picture!
In these verses what do we learn about who Jesus is in relation to God the Father?
Colossians 1:15 / Hebrews 1:2-3
Jesus who was always one with God in eternity, was the exact representation of His Father when He came to earth.
God is the source of all life and therefore referred to as “the living God” in scripture as opposed to idols that have no life in themselves.
Acts 14:15
That’s why Jesus tells us that “the Father has life in Himself”.
John 5:26A
He means that God’s life is not derived from any other being. He has always existed in eternity apart from His creation.
Psalm 90:2
Isaiah says it rather poetically.
Isaiah 40:22
Now since Jesus was with His Father in eternity (John 1:1-2 / John 17:5) and since He was going to be appointed and sent to the world to hold the “office as Mediator”, what did the Father grant to Jesus?
John 5:26B
Commentator Albert Barnes notes that an “appointment to an office” doesn’t prove that the one who is appointed is inferior in nature to him who appoints him. The Son, “as mediator” is subject to the Father; yet this proves nothing about his nature.”
To have “life in Himself” means the right or authority of imparting life to others. Jesus had the same life-giving power as His Father and that’s why He could forgive men of their sins, or heal the sick, or raise them from the dead.
Jesus had “life in Himself” the same way that His Father had “life in Himself” and that meant He could exercise it as He willed. He had only to speak and it was done. This same power was not in the prophets or the apostles. They did their miracles in the name of God or of Jesus. But Jesus operated by His own name, authority, and power.
Despite the fact that Jesus had the same life-giving power that His Father had, while He was on earth what was true?
Philippians 2:6-8
As you read these verses what is the common thread as to what Jesus would or would not do in his time on earth?
John 5:19, 30 / 6:38
The Father had a specific purpose for Jesus coming to earth and Jesus constrained Himself to focus on that mission. What was God’s will for Jesus?
John 6:39-40
Dr. Luke says it another way:
Luke 19:10
Since Jesus was on a mission to do His Father’s will, it meant that He didn’t do anything of His own accord. What did this mean for Jesus?
As you read these verses make a list of what Jesus could do.
John 7:16 / John 8:16, 26, 28, 29 / John 12:49
Over and over and over Jesus says the same thing in different ways to help us understand. For even his own disciples didn’t really understand. Consider Christ’s response to his disciple Philip when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father and they would be satisfied.
John 14:9-11
In Christ’s response to Philip, He gives us something new to consider. What does Jesus state two times?
Reread: John 14:10-11
And then he gives another twist by saying in verse 10: “it is the Father in me, who is doing his work!”
Jesus is like a hand in the living glove of His Father. That is how they operate in one and the same fashion and why Jesus said to Philip:
John 14:9
Jesus knew this concept of the Father working through Him wouldn’t be easy for us to mentally grasp and that’s why His miracles were so important. They were the evidence that the Almighty God was working through His Son.
John 14:11
Q: Why is it important that we understand Jesus and His Father are one and the same?
It’s God’s desire that we know Him!
Isaiah 43:10 / Jeremiah 9:24 / 1 John 5:20
But God is a Spirit and He lives apart from all that He has created. Therefore, the only way we can ever know God is if He chooses to reveal Himself to us. In sending Jesus to be Immanuel (God with us), God was choosing to show us what He is like. He was giving us a life to study that would be the exact image of himself.
Reread: Colossians 1:15
For example: We might wonder if it’s God’s will to heal us. So, we study Jesus’ life and find out that He healed everyone who came to Him. Therefore, we can conclude that God wants to heal us.
Another example: We might wonder if God could ever forgive us after the terrible thing we have done. Then we learn that Jesus went to the cross to die in our place for that very thing. Since He already died for us, we don’t need to die again. Therefore, we can conclude that God has forgiven us and wants us back in His family.
Since Jesus does only what He sees His Father doing, what should be our attitude to Jesus?
John 5:23 / John 8:42
Therefore, when someone says they believe and honor God but not Jesus as God’s Son, they are dishonoring both.
God wants us to know Him and we do that by studying the life of His Son. That’s why this study asks the question “What was Jesus like?”
In the early days of the world how did God communicate with people?
Hebrews 1:1
But now in “these later days” how has God chosen to speak?
Hebrews 1:2
“The Son” spoken of is Jesus. Why is He able to tell us about God the Father?
Hebrews 1:3
That’s why Jesus tells us:
Reread: John 14:8-10
Satan, who is “the god of this world” tries hard to keep us from seeing Jesus for who He is. Who does the Apostle Paul say that He is?
2 Corinthians 4:4b
Because Jesus is the image of God, what does this mean?
Colossians 1:19 / 2:9
Therefore, the more we study Jesus, the more we know about God the Father. And the more we study about God the Father, the more we know about Jesus. As we study the Old Testament and see how God related to His people, we are seeing a picture of His Son. To me it’s an exciting thought that we will never plumb the depths of knowing God or knowing Jesus. They are eternal and therefore there will always be more to know and understand. We will never be bored as we can get with people.
We have a saying that goes like this: “Like father, like son”. Jesus is telling us again and again that He is like His Father! So, let’s see what we can discover about God the Father from scripture in the next several studies.
Next Study: BS2B-Understanding the Father's Holiness