There Is One God And Father Series

A. We’ve been studying the seven ones that equal unity from Ephesians 4:4-6.

1. In our text for this series, Paul declared: 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

2. So far in the series, we’ve been blessed to explore the one body, the one Spirit, the one hope, the one Lord, the one faith, and the one baptism.

3. Today, we will explore the one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

B. Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote says: “Nothing is certain except death and taxes,” but a similar quote that is also true says: “There are two sure things in life: #1 – There is a God. And #2 – You are not Him!”

1. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament affirm the truth that there is only one God.

2. Deuteronomy 6:4 says: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

3. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, He replied, “The most important is Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mk. 12:29-30)

4. James wrote: “You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe – and they shudder.”

C. I firmly believe that God is one and that there is no one else like Him.

1. I also believe that God exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2. This unity of the three into one has been called “the trinity.”

3. The word “trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible and was first used by Tertullian, a theologian and church leader in the last decade of the 2nd century.

4. The word is a combination of the word “three” (tri) and one (unity), and when used to describe God simply means that there is only one God who exists in three distinct persons.

5. Although I believe it is important to use biblical terms to describe biblical things, it isn’t wrong to use non-biblical terms as long as they accurately reflect what is found in the Bible.

6. The word “Bible” is not found in the Scriptures, it is a transliteration of the Greek word “biblion” which means an ordinary “book” or “scroll.”

7. Other non-biblical words that we use that can be helpful in our understanding of God are “omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient” which mean “all powerful, present everywhere, and all knowing.”

D. Nevertheless, the whole idea of the one God existing in three persons can be quite confusing.

1. The story is told about a father who was talking with his children about God and the triune nature of God and he asked them a trick question.

a. He asked his kids: “Considering the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which of them is God?”

b. His four-year-old daughter answered, “The tallest one.”

2. We tend to think of the tallest person being the one in charge, but that’s not always the case.

3. We all know that the right answer to that father’s question is that all three of them are God.

4. We might not be able to understand it completely or be able to explain it clearly, but it is true.

E. The three members of the Godhead each play different roles in God’s eternal purpose.

1. In our series on the 7 ones of Ephesians 4, we have already devoted a sermon to God the Holy Spirit who is the one Spirit and God the Son who is the one Lord.

2. Now let’s turn our attention to the one God who is God the Father.

F. Let’s focus in on the description that Paul gave for this one God – He is the Father of all, He is above all, He is through all, and He is in all.

1. I believe that each of these descriptors are significant and instructive.

2. Let’s talk about each of them in the order that Paul presented them.

G. First of all, Paul says that God is the “Father of all.”

1. One of the greatest things about our understanding of God in the Bible is that God is our loving Father.

2. Certainly God is also our King and our Judge and our creator, but how wonderful that He is our loving Father! Amen!

3. The Bible declares that “God is love” – not just that “God loves” – because God is love, we can know that He is a perfect Father.