The Name, the Nature and the Revelation
of God the Father
In-depth summary
This article explores who God the Father really is, how He has revealed Himself in Scripture, and what place Lord Yeshua holds in that revelation. Scripture draws a fundamental distinction between the invisible Father and the Son whom the Father sent and who made Him known to humanity. Yeshua Himself calls the Father the only true God, and He makes it clear that eternal life is bound up with knowing the Father and the One whom the Father has sent.
One of the key themes of this study is the personal Name of the Father. Scripture does not give us a personal Name of the Father who has been revealed to humanity and that could capture His whole being. What has been revealed to us is how He relates to us: as Father, and above all as Abba, Father. This is not a limited label. It reveals His relationship with us, His character and His care. When the Bible reveals Him as Father, we see Him as the Source of all things, the Provider, Protector, Caretaker, Sustainer, Guide, and Teacher of His children.
So the word Father says far more than a family tie. The Father is the Head of His family. He is the Source and Head of the heavenly household, and those who come to Him through Lord Yeshua become His children. His fatherhood includes responsibility, authority, protection, provision, guidance, and love. No personal name could ever contain or confine the infinite character of the Father. The revelation Abba, Father does the opposite: it draws us into the relationship He longs to have with His children.
At the same time, the Bible shows that the Father Himself is invisible. No one has ever seen the Father. Yeshua says that no one has seen the Father, and presents Himself as the One who makes the Father known. He is the image of the invisible God, and He says: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” This gives us an important distinction between the invisible Source and the One through whom that invisible God is made visible and knowable.
Following this biblical line, the article also looks at the many appearances of God in the Old Testament. There God is often revealed as YHWH: the visible divine revelation who speaks to people, appears to them, leads them and acts on their behalf. The New Testament brings this revelation to its full meaning in Lord Yeshua. Within the reading presented in this article, YHWH is therefore understood as the visible divine revelation that is ultimately revealed in full in Yeshua. This does not mean that the Hebrew text of the Old Testament literally contains the name “Yeshua” everywhere. It means that, taken together, these passages show a distinction between the invisible Father and His visible revelation.
Lord Yeshua holds a unique place in all of this. He is the sent Son, the Messiah, the Lord, the Mediator and the Way to the Father. He did not come to replace the Father, but to make Him known. His words, His works and His entire ministry point people back to the Father. Even after His resurrection, Yeshua speaks of the Father as “my God” (Jo 20:17 and Rev 3:12). The distinction between the Father and the Son remains, while the Son is at the same time the perfect revelation of the Father to us.
The purpose of Yeshua’s coming, then, is not simply that people believe in Him as an end point, but that through Him they come to the Father. Yeshua reveals who the Father is, makes His character known and brings His children back into fellowship with Him. In the end, the Gospel leads us to the Father as the Source of all things, while Yeshua is the Son He sent, through whom we come to Him.
The Father is the invisible Source and the only true God; Lord Yeshua is His Son, His visible revelation and the Way by which we come to the Father.
This study, then, is not meant to simply list the names of God. It sets out to examine what Scripture actually reveals about the Father. Names and titles such as YHWH, El Elyon, El Olam, El Roi and El Shaddai express different attributes, revelations, and ways in which God acts. They should therefore be kept distinct from the question of the personal Name of the invisible Father. The central point remains this: the Father has made Himself known to us as Abba, Father — the Father who provides, protects, cares, teaches, leads and gathers His family together.
The Father has not given us a personal Name with which to confine His infinite character. He has revealed Himself to us as Abba, Father:
the Caretaker, Protector, Provider, and Head of His family.
In-depth explanation
1. The only true God is the Father
John 17:3 (KJV)
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Here Lord Yeshua speaks directly to the Father and calls Him the only true God. He then speaks of Himself as the One whom the Father has sent. The distinction between the Father and the Son is clear in Yeshua’s own words.
John 17:3 is not the only passage that makes this distinction. Paul uses very similar wording when he speaks of the one God and the one Lord.
1 Corinthians 8:6 (KJV)
“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him;
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
Paul explicitly names one God: the Father. He then names one Lord: Jesus Christ. What’s more, the Father is described as the One of whom are all things, while all things are by Lord Yeshua.
1 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV)
“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of
the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”
Here too a clear order is described: God is the head of Christ. Lord Yeshua, then, is not the Father. He is the Son, who receives His authority and position from the Father.
John 20:17 (KJV)
“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren,
and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”
Even after His resurrection, Lord Yeshua calls the Father “my God.” So this distinction does not
belong only to His earthly ministry. It remains
in His glorified state.
2. The personal Name of the Father has not been given to us
This brings us to an important distinction that is often overlooked. The Bible uses many names, titles and descriptions for God. But that does not automatically mean that every one of them is the personal Name of the Father.
In Scripture, the Father has not given us a personal proper name and told us to address Him by it, the way people address one another by their personal names. What He has given us is a revelation of who He is and how He relates to His children.
Lord Yeshua sums up that revelation in one foundational expression:
ABBA, FATHER.
This means we need to be careful not to treat a familiar divine title as though it were automatically the personal Name of the Father. The Bible does not teach that the Father has handed us a hidden personal name that we are required to use. Lord Yeshua teaches us to know Him and to address Him as Father.
Matthew 6:9 (KJV)
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
Lord Yeshua could have taught His disciples to address God in many ways. Yet His teaching begins with: Our Father.
Mark 14:36 (KJV)
“And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me:
nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
Lord Yeshua Himself addresses God as Abba, Father. That is no accident of wording.
It reveals the relationship between the Son and His Father.
3. “Father” is more than a title
When the Bible reveals God as Father, it is giving us more than a form of address. The word Father also reveals a relationship and a character. A father is the one who gives life, carries responsibility, cares, protects, provides, teaches and leads.
That is why Father describes not only God’s position in relation to Lord Yeshua and to His children, but also the way He acts. He is the Father who cares for His children. He is the Father who protects. He is the Father who provides.
Matthew 6:31-32 (KJV)
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”
Here we see the Father as Provider. He knows what His children need.
Matthew 7:11 (KJV)
“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father
which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Lord Yeshua uses earthly fatherhood as a comparison to reveal the goodness of the heavenly Father. If a human father gives good gifts to his children, how much more will the heavenly Father?
Psalm 103:13 (KJV)
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.”
So the Father is not merely the Source of life. He is a Father who shows compassion, who cares, and who is deeply involved with His children.
“Father” reveals not only who God is to us, but also how He deals with His children:
He cares for them, protects them, provides for them, leads them and carries them.
4. Abba, Father – the most intimate revelation
The word Abba appears in the New Testament in Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6. It is tied to a close, trusting relationship between children and their Father.
Romans 8:15 (KJV)
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received
the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Galatians 4:6 (KJV)
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father.”
Something essential is revealed here. God does not merely want us to know that He exists. Through Lord Yeshua we are brought into a relationship in which we may know Him as Abba, Father.
That is why, within this biblical revelation, “Father” is not an arbitrary title. It is the way in which the relationship, position, and character of the only true God toward His children are revealed.
5. The Father is Caretaker, Protector and Provider
When we read the Bible as a whole, we see that God’s fatherhood takes in many aspects of His character. The Father gives life, sustains His creation, cares for His children, protects those who trust in Him and provides what they need.
The Father as Caretaker
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
The Father is not a distant God. He is involved with His children and invites them to entrust their worries to Him.
The Father as Protector
Psalm 68:5 (KJV)
“A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.”
Here God is described as the Father of those who lack human protection. His fatherhood includes protection, justice and care.
The Father as Provider
Philippians 4:19 (KJV)
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
God provides. The provision comes from God and is carried out through Lord Yeshua. Here again we see the relationship between the Source and the One through whom His provision is carried out.
The Father as Guide and Teacher
Hebrews 12:7 (KJV)
“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons;
for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”
A father does more than provide food and protection. He teaches, corrects and shapes his children. In this, too, God’s character as Father becomes visible.
6. No one has seen the Father
The Father is not only the Source; He is also the invisible God whom no one has ever seen directly.
John 1:18 (KJV)
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
This verse is foundational. No one has seen God. The Son has declared Him. Lord Yeshua is therefore the revelation of the invisible Father.
1 Timothy 6:16 (KJV)
“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”
The Father dwells in unapproachable light. He is the invisible Source whom no one can look upon directly.
John 6:46 (KJV)
“Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.”
Here Lord Yeshua once again distinguishes between the Father and Himself.
No one has seen the Father, except the One who is of God.
7. Lord Yeshua makes the Father visible and known
Because the Father is invisible, God sent Lord Yeshua to make Him known to us.
John 14:9 (KJV)
“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”
Lord Yeshua is not the Father. He makes the Father visible through His own person, His words and His works. He represents the Father perfectly.
Colossians 1:15 (KJV)
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.”
Lord Yeshua is the image of the invisible God. An image makes visible what would otherwise remain unseen.
Hebrews 1:3 (KJV)
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Lord Yeshua is the perfect imprint of God’s being. That is why we can come to know the Father through the Son without claiming that the Son and the Father are the same Person.
8. Lord Yeshua has made known the Name of the Father
Lord Yeshua Himself says that He has made known the Name of the Father.
John 17:6 (KJV)
“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world:
thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.”
John 17:26 (KJV)
“And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me
may be in them, and I in them.”
What exactly did Lord Yeshua make known? The context of John 17 shows that He made the Father Himself known. Here the Name cannot be separated from God’s identity, character and revelation.
The disciples were not simply meant to learn an unfamiliar combination of letters. They were meant to come to know the Father.
John 17:25 (KJV)
“O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee,
and these have known that thou hast sent me.”
Lord Yeshua makes the Father known as Father. This is the revelation
the Son gives to His disciples again and again.
9. The Father has not given us a personal Name, but has revealed Himself as Father
This is why we need to distinguish between a personal name and a revealed designation. Scripture contains a number of names and titles that describe God: El, Elohim, El Elyon, El Shaddai, Adonai and YHWH. Each of these words has its own linguistic and contextual meaning.
But there is a more important point. A personal name that pointed to just one particular attribute or trait could never contain the full nature of the Father. After all, the Father is not only the Provider, not only the Protector and not only the Caretaker. He is all of these at once, and much more besides.
He is the Source of all things, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Provider, the Protector, the Caretaker, the Father, the Judge, the Giver of life, the Source of wisdom, and the One who leads and shapes His children. No human name or limited designation can hold the boundless fullness of His character.
That is precisely what makes Father such a remarkable revelation. The word does not reduce Him to a single attribute. Quite the opposite: it reveals a relationship in which all of these attributes come together. A father is the one who gives life, carries responsibility, cares, protects, provides, teaches, corrects, leads and loves his children.
So when Lord Yeshua teaches us to address God as Father, He is not just handing us a title. He is revealing to us who God is for His children. In the word Father, His care, protection, provision, love, guidance, and authority all come together.
Matthew 6:9 (KJV)
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
Lord Yeshua does not teach His disciples to use a hidden personal name of the Father. He teaches them to pray to Our Father. In doing so, He turns our attention away from a human name that might confine the Father to one particular attribute, and toward the Father Himself.
The Father cannot be reduced to a single attribute. He is not only Provider, not only Protector and not only Caretaker. He is the fullness of all these attributes and infinitely more. That is why the revelation Father suits Him so well: it describes His relationship to His children without limiting His character to one single trait.
The Father has not revealed His personal Name to us;
He has revealed Himself to us as Abba, Father.
“Father,” then, is not a limited human name with which we try to define the infinite God. It is the revelation Lord Yeshua has given us of the relationship in which we may know the only true God: as our Abba, our Father, our Caretaker, our Protector, and our Provider.
The Father is also the Head of His family. He is the Source and Head of the heavenly household, and we who belong to Him through Lord Yeshua are His children. Just as a father carries responsibility for his household, the Father carries ultimate responsibility, authority, and care for His children. He protects His family, provides what it needs, leads His children, teaches them and makes sure they know where they belong. We are not merely creatures standing before a distant God; through Lord Yeshua we are brought to the Father as children, and we may know Him as Abba, Father.
10. YHWH and the visible revelation of God
This raises an important question. In the Old Testament, YHWH — the Tetragrammaton — appears very often. English translations usually render it as LORD. The question, then, is this: should every appearance of YHWH automatically be identified with the invisible Father?
Within the biblical line defended in this article, that is not necessarily the case. Scripture teaches that the Father is invisible and that no one has seen Him, while in the Old Testament and throughout biblical history God did reveal Himself in ways that could be seen and heard.
Exodus 33:20 (KJV)
“And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”
At the same time, there are Old Testament passages in which God appears visibly and speaks with people. That raises the question of who this visible divine revelation is.
John 1:18 (KJV)
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
The New Testament therefore gives us a key: the invisible God is declared and revealed by the Son.
10.a The Father was not the visible God of the Old Testament
An important distinction becomes clear when we set the Old and New Testaments side by side. In the Old Testament, God is very frequently revealed to Israel as YHWH (YHVH). He speaks, appears, leads Israel, makes covenants, gives His commandments and, in many passages, is perceived in a visible way. Yet the New Testament teaches that no one has ever seen the Father Himself.
John 1:18 (KJV)
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,
he hath declared him.”
If no one has seen the Father, while the Old Testament speaks of YHWH appearing visibly, we are left with a fundamental question:
Who, then, was the visible divine revelation who appeared to the patriarchs
and to Israel?
Within the biblical line set out in this article, the answer is: YHWH was the visible revelation of God, who is fully revealed in the New Testament as Lord Yeshua, the Son. The Father is the invisible Source; Yeshua is the One through whom the invisible Father has made Himself visible and knowable.
Colossians 1:15 (KJV)
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.”
Here Yeshua is called the image of the invisible God. This fits with John 1:18: the Father is invisible, while the Son declares Him and makes Him known.
John 14:9 (KJV)
“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me
hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”
With these words Lord Yeshua makes it clear that the Father is not directly visible. Whoever sees Yeshua sees the Father in the sense that Yeshua is the perfect visible revelation of His Father. The Son makes the invisible Father known.
That is why the Old Testament should not be read as though the invisible Father Himself appeared to people bodily or directly. When God manifests Himself visibly, the reader of the Bible needs to take into account the divine representation and revelation through which the Father makes Himself known.
John 6:46 (KJV)
“Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God,
he hath seen the Father.”
This statement of Yeshua is decisive for the distinction. No one has seen the Father. And yet people in the Old Testament saw God and spoke with Him. The visible divine appearance must therefore be distinguished from the invisible Father.
Within this biblical interpretation, this visible divine revelation is connected with YHWH, and YHWH is ultimately revealed to us in full in the person of Lord Yeshua. What was still hidden and partial in the Old Testament is made visible in the New Testament in the Son.
The Father is the invisible Source; YHWH is the visible divine revelation, fully revealed in the New Testament in Lord Yeshua.
This also explains how Yeshua can say that no one has seen the Father, while Scripture still speaks of people who saw God. They did not see the invisible Father in His full divine reality; they saw the divine revelation through which the Father made Himself known to them.
11. Zechariah 3:2 – the LORD and the LORD
We find a striking example in Zechariah 3:2.
Zechariah 3:2 (KJV)
“And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?”
In the Hebrew, the Tetragrammaton YHWH is used here. If both mentions are simply attributed to the same Person without further explanation, the wording becomes remarkable: the LORD speaks and says that the LORD will rebuke Satan.
Within the interpretation defended in this article, this passage is understood as an example of the visible divine revelation pointing to the higher, invisible God.
In other words: when the visible divine representative speaks, He can appeal to the authority of the Father, the Most High.
We should therefore not simply replace the name YHWH with “Lord Yeshua,” as though that were the literal translation of the Hebrew text. That would go further than the text itself. But within this biblical interpretation, the passage can be read as a distinction between the visible divine revelation and the divine Source who stands above Him.
John 5:30 (KJV)
“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just;
because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
We find this same relationship directly in Lord Yeshua’s own words: He does not act
independently of the Father, but according to the will of the Father who sent Him.
12. Lord Yeshua is the One sent by the Father
The Bible repeats again and again that the Father sent Lord Yeshua.
John 8:42 (KJV)
“Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.”
John 6:38 (KJV)
“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
The Father is the God who sends. Lord Yeshua is the One who is sent. This relationship is one of the most consistent patterns in the Gospel of John.
John 12:49-50 (KJV)
“For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”
Lord Yeshua speaks what the Father gives Him. The Father is the Source of the message;
Lord Yeshua proclaims that message perfectly to the world.
13. The Father gives Lord Yeshua His authority
Lord Yeshua holds great and unique authority. But He Himself says that this authority was given to Him.
Matthew 28:18 (KJV)
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
Who gave Him that power? The Father.
John 5:26-27 (KJV)
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”
The Father is the Source. The Son receives life and authority from the Father. This does not diminish the greatness of Lord Yeshua in any way; rather, it shows clearly where His divine authority comes from:
the Father gives it to Him.
14. Lord Yeshua still has a God after His resurrection
One of the clearest passages is found in Revelation.
Revelation 3:12 (KJV)
“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
These are the words of the glorified Lord Yeshua. He speaks of my God. This makes it clear that the Father and the Son remain distinct even after the resurrection.
Revelation 1:1 (KJV)
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass…”
Even the revelation of the end times is described as something God gave to Lord Yeshua.
15. The Father is the Source of all things
1 Corinthians 8:6 (KJV)
“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him;
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
This verse contains a remarkably important structure:
- Of the Father are all things.
- By Lord Yeshua are all things.
The Father, then, is the ultimate Source. Lord Yeshua is the Mediator and the Lord through whom all things are carried out and brought into being.
1 Corinthians 15:28 (KJV)
“And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him
that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.”
The ultimate goal of God’s plan is that God may be all in all. The Son
subjects Himself to the One who put all things under Him.
16. The Father is the ultimate destination of our worship
Lord Yeshua does not teach us to stop at Him without knowing the Father. He brings us to the Father.
John 14:6 (KJV)
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Lord Yeshua is the Way. The destination is the Father.
1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV)
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Once again the biblical structure is clear: one God and one Mediator.
Ephesians 2:18 (KJV)
“For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
Through Lord Yeshua we have access to the Father. That is the whole purpose of His work as Mediator.
Lord Yeshua is the Way to the Father. He reveals the Father, represents
the Father and brings us back to the Father.
17. The Name of Lord Yeshua and the Name of the Father
There is also a notable difference between what Scripture says about Lord Yeshua and what it says about the Father. Of Lord Yeshua, Scripture speaks of His revealed Name — and even of a Name that is not yet fully known.
Revelation 19:12-13 (KJV)
“His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
This shows that the Name of Lord Yeshua has a heavenly dimension that has not yet been fully revealed to us. At the same time, the Bible does not teach that the Father has given us a personal name that we must use to address Him.
The Father is revealed to us as Abba, Father. That word holds His relationship with us, His care,
His protection, His provision and His authority.
18. “Father” is the revelation of His character
So when we speak of the “Name” of the Father, we need to understand what Lord Yeshua means when He says He has made the Father’s Name known. He did not make the Father known through a single word, but through His whole life.
John 14:10 (KJV)
“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you
I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”
Lord Yeshua reveals the Father through His words and through His works. The Father works through the Son.
John 10:37-38 (KJV)
“If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works:
that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”
That is why we can say that Lord Yeshua reveals the Father perfectly. His works show the character of His Father.
The Father is made known to us through the Son: His character, His will,
His love, His care and His plan of salvation become visible in Lord Yeshua.
19. Why “Abba, Father” is the right revelation
When we read all the passages above together, a coherent picture emerges. The Father is the only true God. He is the invisible Source of all things. No one has seen Him. He sent Lord Yeshua. Lord Yeshua knows Him, reveals Him and brings us to Him.
The Father has not given us a personal Name that we must use to identify Him. Instead, Lord Yeshua teaches us to know Him as Father and to address Him with confidence as Abba, Father.
And “Father” means far more than a formal title. It describes His relationship with us and His character. He is the Caretaker, because He cares for His children. He is the Protector, because He is their refuge. He is the Provider, because He knows what His children need. He is the Sustainer, because all things exist from Him. He is the Teacher and Father, because He shapes and corrects His children.
Matthew 6:32 (KJV)
“(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”
This is the God Lord Yeshua has taught us to know.
20. The complete biblical line
The biblical revelation can therefore be summed up as follows:
- The Father is the only true God.
- The Father is the Source and origin of all things.
- The Father is invisible and has never been seen directly by anyone.
- The Father sent Lord Yeshua.
- Lord Yeshua is the Son, the Messiah, the Lord, and the Mediator.
- Lord Yeshua makes the invisible Father visible and known.
- Lord Yeshua receives His authority from the Father.
- Lord Yeshua still calls the Father His God after His resurrection.
- Lord Yeshua teaches us to address the Father as Abba, Father.
- The Father is, for His children, Caretaker, Protector, Provider, Sustainer and loving Father.
- Lord Yeshua is the Way by which we come to the Father.
The Bible does not lead us away from the Father through Lord Yeshua,
but straight to the Father through Lord Yeshua.
21. Conclusion
So the central question is not only: “What is God’s name?” The deeper biblical question is: Who has God revealed Himself to be for us?
Lord Yeshua gives a clear answer. He reveals His Father. He calls Him the only true God. He calls Him Father. He addresses Him as Abba. He teaches His disciples to pray to Our Father. He says that no one has seen the Father. He declares the Father. He does the works of the Father. He speaks the words of the Father. He was sent by the Father. And in the end, He brings those who follow Him to the Father.
That is why we must keep the distinction between the invisible Father and the visible revelation of God in Lord Yeshua. We must also distinguish between personal names, titles, descriptions and attributes. The Father has not given us a personal Name to use, the way a human being has a proper name. What He has given us goes much deeper: the revelation that He is our Father.
And “Father” is not an empty word. It reveals His character: He is the Father who cares, protects, provides, sustains, leads, teaches and loves.
The only true God is the Father.
His personal Name has not been revealed to us; His relationship and character have been revealed to us as Abba, Father.
Lord Yeshua is the Son and the perfect revelation of the invisible Father, and through Him we come to the Father.
Frequently asked questions
According to the Bible, has the Father revealed a personal Name to us?
Scripture does not give a personal Name of the Father that Lord Yeshua instructs His disciples to use. Lord Yeshua teaches them to address God as “Our Father,” and He Himself addresses Him as “Abba, Father.”
What does “Abba, Father” mean?
“Abba, Father” describes an intimate relationship between God and His children. It reveals Him as a Father who cares, protects, provides and leads His children.
Is “Father” just a title?
Within the biblical revelation, “Father” is more than a formal title. It describes God’s relationship to His Son and to His children, and at the same time it reveals His character as Caretaker, Protector, Provider and Sustainer.
Why does Lord Yeshua call the Father the only true God?
In John 17:3, Lord Yeshua speaks directly to His Father and calls Him “the only true God.” He then refers to Himself as Jesus Christ, the One sent by the Father.
Is Lord Yeshua the Father?
No. Lord Yeshua speaks with the Father, is sent by the Father, calls the Father His God and says that the Father is greater than He is. At the same time, Lord Yeshua is the unique Son, the Messiah, the Lord and the perfect revelation of the Father.
Why does Lord Yeshua say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father”?
Because Lord Yeshua reveals the Father perfectly. John 1:18 says that no one has seen God and that the Son has declared Him. Lord Yeshua makes the invisible Father visible through His words, His works and His character.
How should we understand YHWH?
YHWH is the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, rendered as LORD in many translations. It is important not to automatically attribute every passage containing YHWH directly to the invisible Father without examining the context. In the view of this article, YHWH is connected with God’s visible revelation (Lord Yeshua, in both the Old and the New Testament), while the Father is the invisible Source and the only true God.
What is eternal life, according to Lord Yeshua?
According to John 17:3, eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent.
Why do we need Lord Yeshua if our goal is to come to the Father?
Because Lord Yeshua Himself says: “No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He is the Way, the Mediator, and the revelation given by the Father, through whom we come to know the Father.