WHY IS GOD THE FATHER THE ONLY TRUE GOD?

“My Father is GREATER THAN ALL.” (John 10:29)

“Father … you are the ONLY TRUE GOD.” (John 17:1-3)
“I go unto the Father: for my Father is GREATER THAN I.” (John 14:28)

What did Christ mean in His prayer when He said His Father is THE ONLY TRUE GOD? What did Christ
mean by saying the Father was greater than He? Why did Christ NEVER say that He Himself was the only
true God, or that the Holy Spirit was the only true God? It is because God the Father is that Supreme
Being, that ONE GOD the Bible clearly speaks of from whom ALL LIFE flows. The Father is THE SOURCE of
all LIFE and POWER. Even the life and power of Christ comes from the Father.

John 5:26 “For as the Father HATH LIFE IN HIMSELF; so hath He GIVEN to the Son to HAVE LIFE IN
HIMSELF;”
Don’t you find this a bit strange from a “Trinitarian” point of view? If Christ as a person never had a
beginning and was always “God”, then why would He need anything to be GIVEN to Him? Especially to
have life in Himself. According to the Trinitarian belief, Christ ALWAYS had life in Himself. So why would
the Father need to GIVE Christ His life? When you turn away from the teaching of man and embrace Bible
truth, it all becomes very clear.

In 1 Corinthians 8:6 the apostle Paul said that the “one God to us” is THE FATHER, who is THE SOURCE of
all things. AND there is “one Lord Jesus Christ” BY WHOM are all things. The Bible clearly tells us that
Jesus is the “begotten SON OF God”, begotten of the Father before anything was created. And that the
Father GAVE His Son to have life in Himself. So clearly the Father is the great source of all life, including
the life of His Son, and it is through His Son Jesus that the Father creates and does all things. Thus making
the Father the “only true God” as He is the great source of all life.
We see this theme of God the Father GIVING power, life and people to Christ all throughout John 17 and
other scripture. In His prayer, Christ emphasized SEVEN times that the only true God GAVE US to HIS SON.

The Scriptures confirm that the Father GIVES ALL things and power into Christ’s hands.
(1) John 17:1-2 “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee, as THOU hast
GIVEN HIM POWER over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast GIVEN Him.”
(2) John 17:6 “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.”
(3) John 17:9 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for THEM WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN ME; for
THEY ARE THINE.”
(4) John 17:10 “And ALL MINE ARE THINE, and THINE ARE MINE; and I am glorified in THEM.”
(5) John 17:11 “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy
Father, keep through thine own name THOSE WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN ME, that they may be one, as we
are.”
(6) John 17:12 “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: THOSE THAT THOU GAVEST
ME I HAVE KEPT, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”
(7) John 17:24 “Father, I will that THEY ALSO, WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN ME, BE WITH ME where I am;
that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of
the world.”
Matthew 11:27 “ALL THINGS ARE DELIVERED UNTO ME OF MY FATHER: and no man knoweth the Son,
but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal him.”

John 3:35 “THE FATHER LOVETH THE SON, and hath GIVEN ALL THINGS INTO HIS HAND.”
Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME in heaven
and in earth.”

1 Corinthians 15:27-28 “For HE HATH PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET. But when he saith all things are
put under him, it is MANIFEST that HE IS EXCEPTED, WHICH DID PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIM. 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.”

Just stop and think about this again for a moment. Why does Christ need anything GIVEN to Him if He is
the only true God Himself? Can you show me one scripture verse that says the Father had something
GIVEN to Him? No, because the Father is THE SOURCE of all. This is why He is the “only true God.” And
Paul even confirms above in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christ will be SUBJECT to the Father once all is done.
This doesn’t “demote” Christ as some people think. This is simply PLAIN TRUTH, and it is ONLY through
TRUTH that we can be sanctified – John 17:17. Christ is still the DIVINE SON OF God the Father, who is
“glorified WITH the Father.”

In His prayer, Christ said He had GLORY WITH His Father BEFORE the world was; and that the disciples
have BOTH KNOWN SURELY that He CAME OUT from the Father, [just as Proverbs 8:22-25 confirms] AND
believed the Father sent Him. What does it mean that Christ had glory with His Father and came out from
His Father before anything was made? Well, Christ said the Father GAVE to Him to have LIFE IN HIMSELF.
Paul confirmed that it PLEASED THE FATHER that IN CHRIST ALL FULNESS should dwell, and this includes
all the fulness of THE GODHEAD, which is THE DIVINE NATURE and GLORY of THE FATHER. Thus, THE
FATHER GAVE His OWN DIVINE LIFE AND NATURE to His Son BEFORE the world was.
John 17:5 “And now, O FATHER, glorify thou me with thine own self with THE GLORY which I HAD WITH
THEE BEFORE the world was.”

John 17:8 “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and THEY have received them,
and HAVE KNOWN SURELY THAT I CAME OUT FROM THEE, AND they have believed that thou didst send
me.”

Colossians 1:19 “For IT PLEASED THE FATHER that IN HIM should ALL FULNESS DWELL;”
Colossians 2:9 “For IN HIM DWELLETH ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY.”
Christ the Word RECEIVED THE FATHER’s DIVINE LIFE AND NATURE when He was BEGOTTEN of the
Father, which is why John says He was WITH God and WAS God in the beginning. Paul confirmed Christ
was EQUAL WITH God because He was in THE FORM (Greek: NATURE) OF God. Then the Word USED HIS
FATHER’s DIVINE LIFE IN HIMSELF to CREATE all things. This is how God created all things THROUGH HIS
SON.

Thus, GOD THE FATHER is THE GREAT SOURCE of ALL LIFE and is both THE CREATOR and THE
OMNIPOTENT GOD, because the Word [Christ] USED HIS FATHER’s LIFE IN HIMSELF to CREATE all things.
John 1:1-4, 14 “In the beginning WAS THE WORD, and the Word was WITH GOD, and the Word WAS
GOD. The same was in the beginning WITH GOD. ALL THINGS were MADE BY HIM; and WITHOUT HIM
WAS NOT ANY THING MADE that was made. IN HIM WAS LIFE; and THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN . ...
And THE WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld HIS GLORY, THE GLORY AS OF THE
ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER,) full of grace and truth.”

Philippians 2:5-6 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in CHRIST JESUS: who, being in THE FORM
(Greek: NATURE) OF GOD, thought it not robbery to be EQUAL WITH GOD:”

Hebrews 1:1-2 “GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by
the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by HIS SON, whom HE HATH APPOINTED HEIR OF
ALL things, BY WHOM also HE MADE THE WORLDS;”

1 Corinthians 8:6 “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.”
“ALL THINGS CHRIST RECEIVED FROM GOD, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry
for all created beings: THROUGH THE BELOVED SON, THE FATHER’s LIFE FLOWS OUT to all; THROUGH
THE SON IT RETURNS, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, TO THE GREAT SOURCE OF ALL.” (Desire
of Ages, 21.2)

Thus, THE FATHER is THE SOURCE of ALL POWER and is both THE ETERNAL GOD and THE KING of the
universe THROUGH HIS SON, because we are THE GIFT of the Father, and because Christ EXECUTES the
purposes of the Father

John 10:27-36 “MY SHEEP hear my voice, and I know them, and they FOLLOW ME: and I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of MY HAND. MY FATHER,
which GAVE THEM ME, IS GREATER THAN ALL; and no man is able to pluck them out of MY FATHER’s
HAND. I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered
them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that
thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are
gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; say
ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I SAID, I
AM THE SON OF GOD?”

Hebrews 2:13 “And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I AND THE CHILDREN which GOD
HATH GIVEN ME.”

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name SHALL be called Wonderful, Counsellor, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVERLASTING
FATHER, THE PRINCE OF PEACE.”

The Bible confirms we are the CHILDREN that GOD GAVE to His Son. The reason Isaiah says Christ is our
everlasting Father and our Lord and our God is because we are THE GIFT of HIS FATHER. The Father GAVE
us to Christ and Christ executes the purposes of HIS FATHER, and Christ is our Father IN HUMANITY.
John 20:28-31 “And Thomas answered and said unto him, MY LORD AND MY GOD. Jesus saith unto him,
Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet
have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written
in this book: but these are WRITTEN, THAT ye might BELIEVE that JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF
GOD; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
“JESUS is NOT ONLY OUR SHEPHERD; He IS OUR “EVERLASTING FATHER.” And He says, “I know Mine
own, and Mine own know Me, even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father.” John 10:14,15, R. V.
What a statement is this!—the only-begotten Son, He who is in the bosom of the Father, He whom God
has declared to be “the Man that is My fellow” (Zechariah 13:7),—the communion between Him and THE
ETERNAL GOD is taken to represent the communion between Christ and His children on the earth!
BECAUSE WE ARE THE GIFT OF HIS FATHER, and the reward of His work, JESUS loves us. He LOVES US AS
HIS CHILDREN.” (Desire of Ages p. 483, par. 2-3)

“THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might
SET FORTH THE TRUE POSITION OF HIS SON and show THE RELATION HE SUSTAINED TO ALL CREATED
beings. THE SON OF GOD SHARED THE FATHER’s THRONE, and THE GLORY OF THE ETERNAL, SELF-
EXISTENT ONE ENCIRCLED BOTH. About the throne gathered the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng
—“ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11.), the most exalted
angels, as ministers and subjects, rejoicing in the light that fell upon them from the presence of THE
DEITY. Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven THE KING DECLARED that NONE BUT CHRIST, THE
ONLY BEGOTTEN OF GOD, COULD fully enter into HIS PURPOSES, and TO HIM it was COMMITTED TO
EXECUTE THE MIGHTY COUNSELS of His will. THE SON OF GOD had wrought the Father's will in the
creation of all the hosts of heaven; and TO HIM, AS WELL AS TO GOD, their HOMAGE AND ALLEGIANCE
WERE DUE. CHRIST was still to exercise divine power, in the CREATION OF THE EARTH and its inhabitants.
But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God's plan, but would EXALT
THE FATHER’s GLORY and EXECUTE HIS PURPOSES of beneficence and love.” (Patriarchs and Prophets,
p.36.2)

In conclusion, the Father is the only true God because He is the Source of all life and power, even the
source of life and power of His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is why the Bible says that the
Father is the “one God” (1 Timothy 2:5, John 17:3, 1 Cor.8:6). This is why the Bible says that the Father is
even the GOD OF CHRIST (John 20:17, Revelation 3:12). And the HEAD of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3). The
Father truly is the God of the universe and Jesus Christ is His divine Son, into whose hands the Father has
GIVEN all things.

"Our heavenly Father is the God of the universe, and Christ is the divine Son, the One equal with the
Father." (Ms49 - April 14, 1906, pgr.26)

John 17:1-3 …’FATHER … this is life eternal, that they might know THEE THE ONLY TRUE GOD, AND Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent.’