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The Father-Son Relationship (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe relationship between the Father and the Son is marked by a distinct hierarchy, where the Father is consistently shown as the greater of the two. Jesus Himself declares that the Father is the only true God and that He was sent by the Father, indicating a greater/lesser dynamic. The Father is the Source of all things, providing the Son with what He needs to fulfill His role as the Channel through whom all is accomplished. The Son, as the image of God, is the sole representation permitted by the Father to portray Him, reflecting the Father's character, attitude, purpose, and virtues such as wisdom, mercy, and kindness. The Son reveals the Father to us, and to know Him, as Jesus states, is eternal life. The Father gave the Son the disciples to work with, and the Son passed on the words given to Him by the Father, further illustrating the Father's supreme authority. The Son's purpose, as the Expression or Word, is to guide and direct others toward the Father through word, example, and various manifestations. Throughout history, the Son has appeared in multiple forms to mankind, always submitting to the Father's purpose, whether as a slave, a wayfarer, or the Captain of the Lord's host, yet intrinsically remaining God while outwardly adapting to the Father's will. The Son's obedience and humility, even to the point of death on the cross, exemplify His submission, and He is exalted above all except the Father, who remains the Absolute Deity over Him.
The Father-Son Relationship (Part Eight)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe relationship between the Father and the Son is a central focus, revealing a profound unity and distinct roles within Their shared purpose. Jesus Christ, as God, shares the same Spirit with the Father, demonstrating that They are one in mind and perfect agreement, though not one person. This unity is the goal toward which They draw us, as Jesus prayed in John 17 that we be one as They are one. The New Testament overflows with details of Their relationship, often described in family terminology, with Jesus named as the only begotten Son and the Father as the Supreme Being. Their connection is further illustrated by the term Elohim, which can indicate either the Father or the Son, or both, depending on context, and has been associated with the concept of family due to Their perfect harmony. The Father and the Son are both of the God kind, equal in nature as uncreated, eternal spirit Beings, yet distinct in authority and function. The Father is greater in ranking, as Jesus Himself declared, and the Son submits to the Father's greater responsibility, even after His resurrection, acknowledging the Father as His God. This hierarchical arrangement is clear in numerous scriptures, showing that all things flow from the Father through the Son, who carries out Their devised plan as our Lord, Savior, and Head of the church. Jesus' role includes preparing us for the Kingdom of God, while the Father remains the ultimate authority, the Absolute God with no God beyond Him. Despite Their equal nature as God Beings, the functional distinction ensures that the Son answers to the Father, reflecting a divine order that we are called to emulate in our own roles and responsibilities.
The Father-Son Relationship (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe relationship between the Father and the Son reveals distinct roles and a clear hierarchy. The Son, though of the God-kind, has a God, whom He calls His Father. On the stake, as recorded in Matthew 27:46, He cried out, "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" demonstrating that He acknowledges a superior Being. In John 20:17, after His resurrection, He told Mary Magdalene that He must go to "My God and your God," indicating that He shares the same God as humanity. Scriptures such as I Corinthians 11:3 affirm that God is the Head of Christ, establishing the Father's authority over the Son. Further, in Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul describes two distinct personalities, naming the Father as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and stating that the Father appointed the Son as Head of all things to the church, showing a superior appointing a subordinate. The Son's glory lies in His absolute submission to the Father, a principle evident in His words, "The Father is greater than I," and in His acknowledgment that the Father sent Him. He also declared, "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father," emphasizing that He is a distinct Being who perfectly complements and reveals the Father. The Son's submission is a consistent theme, as seen in His prayer, "Not My will, but Yours be done," highlighting His deference to the Father's will. This submission is further illustrated in moments of personal struggle, such as in Matthew 11:25-27, where He accepted the Father's decision to conceal revelation from certain people, despite His own efforts to reveal it. Even in His uniqueness and giftedness, He unreservedly acknowledged the Father's sovereignty, moment by moment, setting an example for all to follow. The Father's uniqueness lies in His position as the Supreme God, answering to no one, while the Son clearly recognizes a God above Him. The Son's role as Mediator, visible and audible to mankind, contrasts with the Father's invisibility and inaudibility, further distinguishing the two. In His ultimate act of submission during the crucifixion, the Lesser yielded to the Greater, ensuring the fulfillment of Their purpose. This act of submerging His will to the Father's, even when it was not easy, underscores the profound nature of Their relationship and the Son's unwavering commitment to the Father's plan.
The Father-Son Relationship (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Father and Son are two distinct Personalities with unique responsibilities in Their shared purpose, cooperating so seamlessly that They appear as one, though They are clearly two. The Father is the greater, the Source from whom all begins and the Object toward whom all moves, while the Son is the Channel through whom all is accomplished, serving as the Mediator between the Father and mankind. The Son, identified as the Image of the invisible God, has always interacted with humanity, revealing the Father's nature so that we might know Him, for knowing the Father and the Son is eternal life. Through the Son, we see the Father's power, wisdom, and flawless character, especially in the Son's ultimate form as a man, displaying God's sacrificial and serving nature even to the point of death for His creation. The Son's role as Mediator highlights His unique relationship with the Father, being neither the Absolute Deity nor merely human, but the divine link between God and man. Derived from the Father's Spirit and possessing a human body, the Son communicates directly with the Father while understanding human conditions, needs, and potential, a combination the Father does not possess. Though the Son shares the same nature as the Father, reflecting His character so closely that seeing the Son is akin to seeing the Father, They are not identical, for the Son is a separate, unique Being. The Son's perfect submission to the Father underscores His role, revealing the Father's will through His words and actions, always pointing toward the Father as the Source. The relationship between the Father and Son is presented through likenesses and contrasts, essential for the Son to reveal the Father while remaining distinct. If the Son were not like the Father, He could not reflect Him; if They were identical, the Son would be as inscrutable as the Father, whom we cannot see or hear. Thus, the Son, as Mediator, must be both similar and dissimilar to the Father, visible and audible to reveal the invisible and inaudible Deity in a way that matches what the Father would do or say. The Son's unique designation as the only begotten Son, generated directly from the Father with a spiritual pre-existence, sets Him apart from all others, emphasizing a relationship with the Father that no other being shares. The Father identifies the Son as the beloved Son in whom He is well pleased, marking a special bond distinct from all other sons of God, whether angels or men.
The Father-Son Relationship (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe relationship between the Father and the Son is foundational to understanding Their distinct roles and unity. The Father is the Source of all things, the Object toward which all creation moves, while the Son, Jesus Christ, is the Channel through whom the Father's purpose is carried out. They are two distinct Beings, both rightly called God, yet They are not co-equal, as Jesus Himself testifies that the Father is greater than He is. The Father initiates, and the Son executes His commands in perfect agreement, a distinction consistently shown in Scripture. Their unity is one of character, purpose, and plan, without contradiction to Their differing levels of authority and responsibilities. Jesus prays for believers to become one with the Father and the Son to the same degree that They are one, yet remaining distinct beings, just as Jesus is not co-equal with the Father. All contact with the Father is through the Son, who reveals Him to those chosen, acting as the Conduit for both physical creation and spiritual redemption. The Father remains invisible and inaudible by choice, directing focus to the Son, who is the Image of the invisible God. Jesus, as this Image, manifests the Father's nature, love, wisdom, power, mercy, and grace, reflecting His glory and character. While no one has literally seen the Father, the Son provides the true representation, unlike any human depiction which diminishes the Father's transcendence. Through the Son, believers are transformed into His image, and thus into the image of the Father, sharing in a relationship akin to that of Christ with the Father, yet remaining distinct beings.
The Father-Son Relationship (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJesus emphasizes the profound relationship He shares with the Father, a oneness that defines Their unity in purpose and plan for mankind's benefit. He declares that if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father, illustrating a deep connection that is not easily achieved but is essential for spiritual unity with God. This relationship is central to understanding Their shared essence, as He states that the words He speaks and the works He performs are not of Himself but come from the Father through the Spirit that proceeds from Him. He assures His disciples that He will not leave them alone, promising to come to them by means of His Spirit, the invisible force that motivates and empowers attitudes and conduct glorifying God. Jesus further reveals that He will manifest Himself to those who love Him and keep His commandments, reinforcing that it is He, not another, who dwells within us as the hope of glory. Both the Father and the Son, being Spirit and holy, are united in essence, living in us to guide and prepare us for God's Kingdom, demonstrating Their inseparable bond in fulfilling God's purpose.
The Father-Son Relationship (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Father and the Son, though both uncreated, exhibit a distinct relationship within Their plan, where the Father is the Source and the Son is the Means. The Father issues orders, while the Son submits, is sent, and carries them out. The Father remains in the background, unseen and inaudible to human perception, whereas the Son is seen, heard, and serves as the Revealer of the Father. The Son declares that the Father is greater, that the Father provides Him the words to speak and the judgments to make, and that the Father is the true Author and Power behind His mighty works. In all matters, the Son defers and submits to the Father, demonstrating a clear superior/inferior dynamic in Their operations, though not in Their nature or being. The Son's submission to the Father offers a profound example for us, revealing God's will and purpose. Jesus always did the Father's will, living for it as His ultimate purpose, and this pattern is set for us to follow in our relationship with the Father. Through His life, the Son sacrificed Himself completely, never permitting Himself to sin, and His ongoing submission was not merely a one-time act but a constant way of living. This sacrificing not only reveals the Father to us but also underscores the reason for the Son's success in fulfilling His mission, showing us how to achieve a deep, abiding relationship with the Father. The Father is the Giver, and the Son is the Receiver, commissioned by a Superior and subject to Him. The Son is sent by the Father, never the reverse, and the Father commands while the Son responds in submission. This arrangement amplifies Their relationship, where the Son serves and worships the Father as His God, acknowledging Him as greater. The subjection of the Son to the Father is a lasting dynamic, continuing even as God's purpose unfolds, with the Son remaining subject to the Father indefinitely.
The Purpose of Relationships
Sermonette by Ryan McClureThe marriage covenant was designed to bring incomplete components of the God image together in one flesh, from which other relationships developed.
Christ's Revelation of the Father
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJohn 1:1-3 reveals Jesus' pedigree as the Logos (Spokesman), whose function was to declare or reveal the Father. He had existed with His Father from eternity.
Hebrews (Part Two): Who Was Jesus?
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)If we understand the function of the Old Covenant as explained in Leviticus, we will better understand the New Covenant and not reject the law of the Savior.
Hebrews (Part One)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIn terms of spiritual insight, Hebrews is a pivotal book, whose function is to bridge the purposes and themes of the Old and New Testaments.
Preternatural, Natural, Unnatural, Supernatural (Part One)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God, before He created Adam and Eve, preternaturally planned the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to save humanity from the curse of sin and death.

Four Warnings (Part Three): I Never Knew You
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughChrist's third warning in the Sermon on the Mount is to beware of hypocrisy, professing to do things in Jesus' name but habitually practicing lawlessness.