Hello Beloved,
Let us continue our study of the names and titles for Jesus. Last month, we considered the title of Jesus’ name as “Mighty God.” The previous months, we considered the name of “Wonderful” and “Counselor.” This month we will examine the name of “Everlasting Father.” As with the names “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” and “Mighty God;” “Everlasting Father” is descriptive of the Immanuel child who is “God with us.” In Isaiah 9:6 we read, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” Isaiah 9:6 (ESV).
The first thing we must do when discussing the title of Jesus as “Everlasting Father” is to dispel any misunderstanding that there is no distinction between Jesus as “the Son” and “the Father” in the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity. The Bible clearly articulates that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4) who reveals Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). An ancient heresy called “modalism” claimed that God merely revealed Himself in different modes at different times. In one instance, God would reveal Himself as Father. In another instance, God would reveal Himself in the mode of Son. And yet, in another instance, God would reveal Himself as the Holy Spirit. The idea of “modalism” has long been rejected by the orthodox Church, though there are some traditions of Christianity that still accept this belief today.
The idea of Jesus as the “Everlasting Father,” from Isaiah 9:6, is better understood as the “Father of eternity” or “one who is eternally a Father.” The term “Father” would designate a “quality” of the Messiah in this context. The Messiah acts toward his people like a father. It is said of many kings in the ancient texts that they were a “father” to their people. This quality can be seen in Psalm 103:13; “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him" Psalm 103:13 (ESV). In a similar manner to that of the character of the good shepherd, the “Father” guards his people and supplies their needs. Elmer Towns claims that another way to perceive this text in relation to the Messiah is that He is like the “founding father” of eternity, giving birth to time and history. Towns would claim we should perceive “Father” in a similar manner to the way we look at the pioneers and founding fathers of our nation. Given the attribute of eternity, the title “Everlasting Father” most definitely speaks to the deity of Jesus Christ.
What a perceived conundrum! This “Child” of Isaiah 9:6 is actually an “Everlasting Father.” Consider the thought posed in this next paragraph:
When a young mother has her first babe, if it whimpers and cries she thinks that pains and diseases are about to seize it. But the grandmother, that has had the care of her own children and her children's children, is not troubled when she hears a child cry. Now God is the everlasting Father of nations. For thousands of years he has been educating them towards manhood. There is no possible fantasy, or error, or deceit that is not perfectly familiar to him. There is not a road of prosperity or of adversity that he does not know. There is not a path that nations have ever trod, or that they will ever tread with which he is not acquainted. And, you that are distressed, where is your God? Are you men that have faith in God when the sun shines, and that have no faith in him when it is cloudy? (Bible Illustrations - Heartwarming Bible Illustrations.)
Until next time, this is Pastor Daniel writing, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”