A Biblical study on the Father as Source and Lord Yeshua as His perfect revelation
Summary
One of the questions that causes a great deal of confusion is how Lord Yeshua can at the same time be the visible revelation of
God and yet be distinguished from the Father, the invisible Source.
Scripture speaks about Lord Yeshua in several different ways. He is called the Image of the invisible God. He says that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father. At the same time, He continually speaks of the Father as the One Who sent Him, Who has given Him power, Who teaches Him, and Who is greater than He.
These statements need not contradict each other when we distinguish between Source and revelation, origin and representation, Father and Son.
The Father is the invisible God, the ultimate Source from Whom all things are. Lord Yeshua is the Son Who has come forth from the Father, through Whom the Father makes Himself perfectly known and through Whom God’s will, glory, character, and authority become visible.
Therefore the following two statements can both be true at the same time:
- The Father is the invisible Source.
- Lord Yeshua is the perfect visible revelation of that Source.
THE VISIBLE GOD.
The key does not lie in explaining away one of the two truths, but in taking seriously both lines that Scripture itself provides. This article explains step by step how Lord Yeshua can visibly reveal the Visible God, without Him therefore being the original Source Himself.
Lord Yeshua is the Son of the Father, the Image of the invisible God, and the perfect visible revelation of the Father to creation.
In-depth Bible study.
1. The difference between the Source and the revelation of the Source
The heart of this subject begins with a simple but fundamental distinction. The Source is the One from Whom everything proceeds. The revelation is the One through Whom that invisible Source becomes visible, knowable, and understandable. The Bible uses various images for this. God is invisible, but He makes Himself known. He speaks, acts, sends, reveals, and works. The greatest and perfect revelation of the Father becomes visible in His Son.
John writes:
John 1:18
No one has ever seen God. The only begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
The meaning of this is important. The Father is not seen directly by man in His invisible glory. The Son makes Him known. That does not mean that the Son is the Father without distinction. It means that the Son reveals the Father to creation.
Therefore a distinction must be made between:
- the Father as Source;
- Lord Yeshua as Son;
- the Father as the invisible God;
- Lord Yeshua as the visible Image;
- the origin;
- and the revelation of that origin.
This line also returns in John 6:57, John 8:42, John 16:27–28, and 1 Corinthians 8:6.
The heart of the subject begins with one fundamental distinction:
- The Source is the original, invisible origin of everything.
- The revelation is how that Source becomes visible, knowable, and approachable within creation.
The Source remains greater than Its revelation.
A simple comparison:
- The sun itself is the source of light.
- The light that becomes visible on earth truly comes from the sun.
- Yet the light is not literally the entire sun itself.
So something can come forth entirely from the source and yet remain distinct from the source from which it proceeds.
2. Why Lord Yeshua is called the Image of the invisible God
One of the clearest texts on this subject is found in Colossians.
Colossians 1:15
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
This verse does not say that Lord Yeshua is the invisible God Himself without distinction. It says that He is the Image of the invisible God. That distinction matters.
An image makes visible someone who would otherwise not be visible. The image points to the one it depicts. The image is therefore not meaningless or merely a symbolic representation. It truly represents the one it depicts. Colossians 1:16–17 then goes on to show how unique the Son’s position is: through Him all things were created, He is before all things, and all things hold together through Him. Therefore Lord Yeshua cannot be reduced to merely an ordinary prophet or man.
- His position is unique.
- He is the Image.
- He is the Firstborn.
- He is before all things.
- Through Him are all things.
And yet Paul, in that very same chapter, continues to distinguish the Father from the Son. In verse 12 the Father is named as the One Who has qualified believers to share in the inheritance. The text thus holds together both the exalted position of the Son and His distinction from the Father.
Just as someone makes an invisible thought visible through words, so the invisible Father made Himself visible through Lord Yeshua.
When it is said that Lord Yeshua is “the visible God,” this does not automatically mean that He is the original Source Himself.
It means that:
- the invisible God became visible through Him,
- God’s character became visible through Him,
- God’s will became visible through Him,
- God’s glory became visible through Him.
Lord Yeshua thus functions as the perfect visible revelation of the invisible Father.
3. Lord Yeshua makes the Father visible
The best-known passage on this subject is found in John 14. Philip asks Lord Yeshua to show them the Father. Yeshua’s answer is extraordinarily powerful:
John 14:9
Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father?
Whoever sees Lord Yeshua sees the Father. But what does Yeshua mean by that?
The next verse gives the key:
John 14:10
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father, Who dwells in Me, He does the works.
This is especially important. Lord Yeshua does not merely say that He and the Father are connected. He also explains how the Father becomes visible in Him:
- The words come from the Father.
- The works are done by the Father.
- The Father remains in Him.
That is why Yeshua can say:
“Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.”
The Father becomes visible in the Son. This is precisely the distinction between Source and revelation.
The invisible God cannot be seen directly
Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that the Most High God is invisible. No one literally sees the infinite Source in His full essence. That is why revelation is necessary.
The Father makes Himself known through:
- His Spirit,
- His Word,
- His power,
- and ultimately through Lord Yeshua.
Lord Yeshua is therefore not the origin of the Father, but the visible manifestation of what proceeds from the Father.
A son can fully bear the image of his father
An important Biblical principle is that a son bears the image of his father. That does not mean that father and son are the same person.
A son can:
- bear the same character,
- reflect the same nature,
- receive the same authority,
- represent the same name,
- and yet originate from his father.
When people saw Lord Yeshua, they therefore saw the image of the Father. Not because Lord Yeshua was the Source Himself, but because the Source worked fully visible through Him.
The difference between “God” as a title and “the Source” as origin
Much of the confusion arises because the word “God” can have different meanings.
Sometimes “God” refers to:
- the highest origin of all things,
- the Father as absolute Source.
But sometimes “God” refers to:
- divine authority,
- divine representation,
- divine revelation,
- or visible manifestation of God’s presence.
When Lord Yeshua is called “God,” this means within this explanation that: the Father becomes fully visible and active through Him. Not that Lord Yeshua is automatically identical to the original Source without distinction.
Why “visible God” does not mean “the ultimate Source”
This is the most important point of the entire subject.
“Visible God” means:
- God visibly revealed,
- not necessarily the original invisible Source Himself in total fullness.
Just as:
- an image truly shows someone,
- without literally being the entire person themselves.
Lord Yeshua shows the Father perfectly.
He makes the Father visible.
He reveals God’s being to creation.
But the Father remains the ultimate origin of all things.
4. The Father speaks and works through Lord Yeshua
John 14:10 prevents us from immediately having to interpret the statement “whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” as: “Yeshua and the Father are the same person.”
The second half of the verse gives a different explanation. The Father is the One Who remains in Yeshua and does His works. Elsewhere, too, Yeshua speaks in this way about His dependence on the Father.
He says:
- John 5:19; the Son can do nothing of Himself, but only what He sees the Father doing, He does likewise.
- John 5:26; just as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.
- John 5:27; the Father has given Him authority to execute judgment.
- John 5:30; Yeshua says that He can do nothing of Himself and that He does not seek His own will, but the will of the Father.
This is not the language of a Son acting independently of the Father.
It is the language of receiving, being sent, obeying, and representing.
5. Everything Lord Yeshua has, He has received from the Father
This principle runs throughout the Gospel of John.
Yeshua says:
- John 7:16; His teaching is not His own, but His who sent Him.
- John 12:49–50; He has not spoken on His own, but the Father has commanded Him what He should say and speak.
- John 17:7–8; everything the Father has given Him, Yeshua has received.
Therefore we can say that Lord Yeshua is the perfect revelation of
the Father without saying that He is the original Source of all things.
- The Father gives.
- The Son receives.
- The Father sends.
- The Son is sent.
- The Father speaks.
- The Son speaks what He receives from the Father.
- The Father works.
- The Son does the works of the Father.
This distinction is not diminished by the greatness of the Son.
It is precisely what makes His unique position understandable.
The Father gave everything to Lord Yeshua
Lord Yeshua did not arise independently, apart from the Father. On the contrary: everything Lord Yeshua has, He received from the Father.
That includes:
- life,
- power,
- authority,
- glory,
- judgment,
- truth,
- and dominion.
That means:
Lord Yeshua does not reveal the Father independently of Him, but precisely because the Father lets everything work through Him.
The Father thus remains the highest origin, while Lord Yeshua becomes the perfect bearer and revelation of that origin.
6. The Father as the only true God
One of the most important texts for this subject is found in Lord Yeshua’s prayer.
John 17:3
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
Here Lord Yeshua speaks directly to the Father. He calls the Father “the only true God” and then calls Himself the One Who has been sent by Him:
- The Father is the Sender.
- The Son is the Sent One.
- The Father is the Source.
- The Son is the One Who comes forth from that Source and is sent by the Father.
This verse must therefore be given an important place when we think about the relationship between Father and Son. This does not mean that Lord Yeshua would be unimportant or merely an ordinary man. The opposite is true. Precisely because the Father has sent Him and has given Him His glory, authority, and power, the Son holds a unique position.
7. One God: the Father, and one Lord: Lord Yeshua
Paul gives a remarkably clear formulation:
1 Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, of Whom are all things, and we for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom are all things, and we through Him.
Note the words “of Whom” and “through Whom”. The Father is described as the One of Whom all things are. The Son is described as the One through Whom all things are.
This distinction is extraordinarily meaningful. The Father is the ultimate Source. Lord Yeshua is the Son through Whom the Father carries out His work. This once again shows the same Biblical structure:
from the Father — through the Son.
This formulation aligns with other texts in which God the Father is identified as the origin, while the Son is described as mediator, executor, and representative.
See also Ephesians 4:6 and Hebrews 1:2.
8. Lord Yeshua is not “just a creature”
When it is said that the Father is the Source and Lord Yeshua comes forth from the Father, a wrong conclusion sometimes arises. Then Yeshua would merely be one creature among other creatures. But that does not follow at all from the Biblical data. Colossians 1:15 calls Him the Image of the invisible God and the Firstborn over all creation. The verses that follow place Him above the entire creation.
- Colossians 1:16–17: speaks of all things being created through Him and of the fact that He is before all things.
- Hebrews 1:2, calls Him the One through Whom God made the world.
- Hebrews 1:3, describes Him as the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature.
- Hebrews 1:4–6, then shows that His position stands above the angels.
Therefore His unique origin must be taken seriously.
The Biblical question is not simply:
“Is Yeshua God, or is Yeshua a creature?”
The deeper question is:
What position does Scripture give the Son in relation to the Father?
And there we see an exceptional position: the Son is from the Father, bears the image of the invisible God, receives power and glory from the Father, perfectly represents the Father, and stands above the entire creation.
9. “God” as a designation of divine authority and representation
Another source of confusion is the use of the word God. In Scripture the word can be used in various contexts. The most important distinction for this study is that a title or designation of divine authority does not automatically mean that the one who bears this title is identical to the Most High Source. In John 10 Yeshua Himself refers to Psalm 82 when speaking of people who are called “gods.”
John 10:35–36 shows that the use of such language in Scripture does not by itself mean that every person so designated is the Most High God.
At the same time, Lord Yeshua is described in a far higher and more unique way than ordinary human representatives.
John 1:1, John 20:28, Hebrews 1:8, and other passages must therefore be read in their full context.
At the same time, these texts must not be detached from the many passages in which Yeshua identifies the Father as His God and Father, such as John 20:17 and Revelation 3:12.
The Biblical testimony must be taken as a whole.
10. The Father is greater than the Son
One of the clearest statements of Lord Yeshua is found in John 14:28:
“My Father is greater than I.”
This statement stands alongside the statements in which Yeshua perfectly reveals the Father. That means that revelation and origin are not the same concept. The Son can perfectly represent the Father and yet say that the Father is greater. That fits exactly with the distinction we make in this article:
- The Father is the Source.
- The Son is the perfect revelation of the Source.
- The Father sends.
- The Son is sent.
- The Father gives power.
- The Son receives power.
- The Father gives life.
- The Son receives life and then gives it to whomever the Father gives to Him.
See among others John 5:21–27 and John 17:2.
11. Whoever sees Lord Yeshua sees the Father
This does not mean that the Father literally walked around in human form. Scripture says precisely that God is invisible.
- John 1:18 says that no one has seen God.
- 1 Timothy 6:16 speaks of God as the One Whom no one has seen and Whom no one can see.
Yet the Father was able to make Himself perfectly known in His Son. That is why John 14:9 is so important. When someone saw Lord Yeshua, he saw the Father revealed. Not because the Son was the Father as a person, but because the Father let Himself be fully known through the Son.
Yeshua is:
- the Image of the Father;
- the representative of the Father;
- the bearer of the Father’s glory;
- the Speaker of the Father’s words;
- the doer of the Father’s works;
- the One Sent by the Father.
That is why He is the perfect visible revelation of the invisible God.
12. Unity does not necessarily mean being an identical person
Lord Yeshua’s words about His unity with the Father are sometimes read as though Father and Son must therefore be one identical person. But Scripture also uses the concept of unity for people. In John 17 Yeshua prays that His followers will be one.
- John 17:21–23 uses unity in a sense of connectedness, agreement, and shared glory.
Yeshua prays that His followers will be one just as He and the Father are one. That does not mean that all believers become one person. The unity between Father and Son can therefore be understood as a perfect unity of:
- will;
- purpose;
- truth;
- love;
- glory;
- obedience;
- and working.
This also explains John 10:30:
“I and the Father are one.”
This unity stands alongside the ongoing distinction between
the One Who sends and the One Who is sent.
The unity between Father and Son
The unity between the Father and Lord Yeshua does not have to mean that they are exactly the same person.
Unity can also mean:
- complete agreement,
- complete connectedness,
- perfect obedience,
- shared will,
- shared glory,
- and complete revelation of the Father through the Son.
That is why Lord Yeshua could visibly show the Father without Himself being the original Source.
13. Lord Yeshua reveals not Himself, but the Father
This is an important distinction. The purpose of Yeshua’s ministry was not to replace the Father. He came precisely to make the Father known. In John 12:44–45 belief in Yeshua is linked to belief in the One Who sent Him. Whoever sees Yeshua sees the One Who sent Him. John 13:20 also expresses this representation: whoever receives the one who is sent receives the one who sent him. This principle explains why the Son can speak so fully on the Father’s behalf. A perfect representative speaks on behalf of the one who sent him.
- When Yeshua speaks, He speaks the words of the Father.
- When Yeshua works, the Father works through Him.
- When Yeshua reveals the Father, the invisible Father is made visible to man.
14. Where does the Holy Spirit fit into this?
Many people, when considering this subject, wonder where the Holy Spirit fits into the whole. This is mainly because in many theological systems the Father and the Holy Spirit are presented as separate persons. Within this explanation, however, a different distinction is made.
The Holy Spirit is not a second or separate source alongside FatherGod.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of FatherGod Himself.
That means:
- not another entity,
- not a separate being,
- and not a second divine person alongside Him.
The Holy Spirit is the invisible active presence, power, breath, and life-outshining of FatherGod Himself. Just as a human being is not separate from his own spirit, so FatherGod is not separate from His Holy Spirit. There is therefore no distinction between:
- FatherGod,
- and the Holy Spirit.
It is not a matter of two separate entities, but of one and the same divine reality. The Father is the eternal Source, while His Holy Spirit is His living presence and working that goes out from Him and fills all things.
When the Holy Spirit works:
- FatherGod Himself works,
- FatherGod Himself speaks,
- FatherGod reveals Himself.
The Holy Spirit is therefore not an independent person alongside the Father, but the Father’s own Spirit through Whom He is present, active, and visibly at work within creation. Within this explanation, the following picture emerges:
- FatherGod is the eternal invisible Source.
- The Holy Spirit is His own living Spirit and active presence.
- Lord Yeshua is the visible revelation who has come forth from that Source and through Whom the Father became visible to creation.
The same care is needed when we speak about the Holy Spirit. Within the line of this study, the Holy Spirit is not presented as a second source alongside the Father. Scripture speaks of the Spirit of God. See among others Genesis 1:2, Psalm 51:11, Romans 8:9–11, and 1 Corinthians 2:10–11.
Paul makes a particularly interesting comparison in this regard:
- 1 Corinthians 2:11 says that no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
Just as the spirit of a man knows the inner things of that man, so the Spirit of God knows the things of God. Therefore the Holy Spirit can be spoken of as the Father’s own Spirit. This means within this explanation:
- FatherGod is the eternal Source.
- His Holy Spirit is His own living and active Spirit.
- Lord Yeshua is the Son and the visible revelation of the Father.
Here too all the relevant texts must be read together, including John 14:16–18, John 14:26, John 15:26, and John 16:7–15.
15. The Father works through the Son
When we bring all the lines together, a remarkably consistent pattern emerges.
- The Father is the Source.
- The Son comes from the Father.
- The Father sends the Son.
- The Son reveals the Father.
- The Father gives the Son authority.
- The Son exercises that authority.
- The Father works through the Son.
- The Son speaks what the Father gives Him.
- The Father glorifies the Son.
- The Son glorifies the Father.
- We see this especially strongly in John 17.
Yeshua prays:
- John 17:1–2 — the Father has given Him authority over all flesh.
- John 17:4 — He has finished the work the Father gave Him to do.
- John 17:7–8 — everything the Father has given Him, He has received.
- John 17:18 — as the Father has sent Him into the world, so He sends His disciples.
- John 17:22–24 — the glory the Father has given Him plays a central role.
It is therefore difficult to separate the Son from the Father. But it is equally wrong to remove the distinction between Father and Son altogether.
The Biblical line holds both together.
16. The Son is visible, the Father is invisible
Here the various texts come together.
- The Father is invisible.
- Lord Yeshua is visible.
- The Father is the Source.
- Lord Yeshua is the revelation.
- The Father sends.
- Lord Yeshua is sent.
- The Father gives.
- Lord Yeshua receives.
- The Father works.
- Lord Yeshua does the works.
- The Father is the only true God.
- Lord Yeshua is the Sent One, the Son, the Lord, and the Image of that invisible God.
Therefore there is no logical necessity to choose between two extremes:
- either Yeshua is merely a man,
- or Yeshua must be identical to the Father.
Scripture gives a third and much richer description:
Lord Yeshua is the unique Son of the Father, through Whom the Father perfectly reveals Himself.
17. Two extremes must be avoided
Extreme 1: Reducing Lord Yeshua to merely a man
This does not do justice to Scripture. Colossians 1:15–17, John 1:1–3, Hebrews 1:2–6, and other texts place Him in a unique heavenly position. He is not just a prophet among other prophets.
- He is the Son.
- The Image.
- The Firstborn.
- The Lord.
- The One through Whom God carries out His creative work.
Extreme 2: Fully identifying Father and Son with each other
This too creates problems with countless texts.
- Yeshua prays to the Father.
- He is sent by the Father.
- He receives power from the Father.
- He receives glory from the Father.
- He says that the Father is greater than He.
After His resurrection He calls the Father “My God” (John 20:17). In Revelation the glorified Yeshua even speaks several times of “My God” (Revelation 3:12).
Therefore the distinction between Father and Son must be maintained.
18. The Biblical balance
The Bible gives us no reason to make Lord Yeshua smaller than He is. But neither does the Bible give us reason to make the Father and the Son one person without distinction.
The Biblical balance is:
- The Father is the Source.
- Lord Yeshua is the Son.
- The Father is invisible.
- Lord Yeshua is the visible Image.
- The Father sends.
- Lord Yeshua is sent.
- The Father gives.
- Lord Yeshua receives.
- The Father works through Him.
- Lord Yeshua does the works of the Father.
- The Father is revealed through the Son.
That is not a diminishing of Lord Yeshua. It is precisely what makes His unique position visible.
19. Why this subject matters
This subject is not merely a theoretical discussion. It touches directly on the question:
- Who is the Father?
- Who is Lord Yeshua?
- How has God revealed Himself to mankind?
- Who sent Lord Yeshua?
- From Whom did He receive His power and authority?
- To Whom did He pray?
- Who, according to His own words, is the only true God?
When these questions are answered without first imposing a system on the text, a clearer picture emerges.
- The Father remains the highest Source.
- Lord Yeshua remains the unique Son.
- The Son makes the Father visible.
- The Father works through the Son.
The glory of the Son is therefore not diminished. On the contrary: precisely the perfection with which He reveals the Father explains why He holds such a unique place.
Practical application
As believers we should therefore not only ask:
“What do people say about Yeshua?”
But above all:
“What does Lord Yeshua Himself say about His Father?”
Read and study especially:
and compare these chapters with:
There a much fuller picture emerges than when a single isolated verse is used to prove an entire doctrine.
Summary
Scripture presents Lord Yeshua as far more than an ordinary man.
- He is the Image of the invisible God.
- He is the Son.
- He is the Firstborn over all creation.
- He is before all things.
- Through Him are all things.
- He is the One Whom the Father has sent.
- He has received power and authority from the Father.
- He speaks the words the Father gives Him.
- He does the works the Father does through Him.
And when people see Him, they see the Father revealed. But at the same time the Father remains distinct from the Son.
- The Father is the only true God.
- The Father is the Source from Whom all things are.
- The Father is the One Who sends the Son.
- The Father gives the Son power.
- The Father is greater than the Son.
Therefore “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” does not have to mean that the Son is the same person as the Father. It means that the Son makes the Father perfectly visible. The most fitting summary is therefore:
- The Father is the invisible Source.
- Lord Yeshua is the perfect visible revelation of that Source.
- The Father works through the Son, and the Son reveals the Father to creation.
This distinction does not diminish Lord Yeshua in any way. It shows precisely how unique His position is.
Questions and answers
Is Lord Yeshua God?
Scripture uses divine language for Lord Yeshua and describes Him in extraordinarily exalted terms. At the same time, Scripture distinguishes between Him and the Father. Therefore every text must be read in its context.
Why does Yeshua say: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father”?
Because He perfectly reveals the Father. John 14:10 itself gives the explanation: the Father remains in Him and does His works.
Is Lord Yeshua then merely a representative?
No. His position is unique. He is the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn over all creation, and the One through Whom all things are.
Is the Father the same person as Lord Yeshua?
The many passages in which the Father sends Yeshua, speaks to Him, gives Him power, and is addressed by Him show a real distinction.
Why is John 17:3 so important?
Because there, in His own prayer, Lord Yeshua addresses the Father as “the only true God” and calls Himself the One Who has been sent by the Father.
What does 1 Corinthians 8:6 mean?
There Paul distinguishes between one God: the Father, of Whom are all things, and one Lord: Lord Yeshua, through Whom are all things. The formulation “of Whom” and “through Whom” is important for the distinction between Source and executing/revealing Son.
Why is the distinction between Father and Son important?
Because it prevents us from using texts about Yeshua’s divine glory to suppress the many texts in which He distinguishes Himself from His Father.
What, ultimately, is the core point?
Not that Lord Yeshua is made lesser, but that His own Biblical position is recognized:
He is the Son of the Father, the Image of the invisible God, and the perfect visible revelation of the Father to creation.