Distinguishing the Persons The Father Is Not the Son

Series: God the Father: Knowing the First Person of the Trinity

Real Distinctions in the One True God

At the heart of Christian theology is a glorious mystery: One God in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not poetic language or symbolic metaphor. The Bible teaches real distinctions within the Godhead.

The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. And yet, each is fully and eternally God. Trinitarian orthodoxy affirms that these distinctions are personal, not essential—that is, the three Persons share the same divine essence, but are distinguished by their relationships and roles.

This post focuses on the distinction between the Father and the Son—a relationship rooted not in time or function, but in eternal identity.

One Essence, Three Persons

The Father and the Son are not separate gods. That would be tritheism, a heresy. Nor are they the same person acting in different roles—that’s modalism, another error. Rather, Father and Son are two distinct Persons, sharing one divine being.

This is clear in John 1:1:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The Word (the Son) is with God and is God. Distinction and unity in a single verse.

At Jesus’s baptism, all three Persons are revealed:

• The Father speaks from heaven.

• The Son is baptized.

• The Spirit descends like a dove.

God is not one Person appearing in three forms. He is one being existing eternally in three Persons.

The Father Is Not the Son

The New Testament constantly affirms that the Father and Son are distinct:

• Jesus prays to the Father (John 17:1).

• The Father sends the Son (John 3:17).

• The Son obeys the Father (John 6:38).

• The Father glorifies the Son (John 17:5).

• The Son returns to the Father (John 16:10).

None of this makes sense if the Father and Son are merely different labels for the same Person.

Their names reflect real, eternal relationships—not roles assumed in history. The Father is eternally unbegotten; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father (John 1:14, 18). These are not words of origin in time, but of relationship in eternity.

Eternal Generation of the Son

The doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son teaches that the Father begets the Son—not as a creature, but as an eternal Person of the Trinity. This is a relationship without beginning or end. There was never a time when the Father was not Father, or the Son not Son.

John 5:26 says:

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself.”

The Son is not created. He is eternally generated—true God from true God.

This is why the Creed of Nicaea (AD 325) declares that Christ is:

“Begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father…”

This truth guards the deity of Christ while maintaining His distinction from the Father.

The Danger of Blurring the Distinctions

To confuse the Father and the Son is to distort the Gospel.

If the Father is the Son, then who sent the Son into the world?If the Son is the Father, then whom did He pray to?If the Father and Son are not distinct, then the love of the Father for the Son (John 17:24) is meaningless.

The Gospel hinges on this relationship:

• The Father plans redemption.

• The Son accomplishes redemption.

• The Spirit applies redemption.

Each Person operates in harmony, not redundancy.

Trinitarian Harmony in Salvation

Ephesians 1 shows the beautiful coordination within the Trinity:

• The Father chose us before the foundation of the world (v. 4).

• The Son redeemed us through His blood (v. 7).

• The Spirit seals us for the day of redemption (v. 13).

This is not role-play. It is divine Persons working with one will, for one purpose, in perfect unity and real distinction.

Jesus’s obedience to the Father is not servile—it is the joyful submission of the Son to the Father, in perfect love and eternal harmony.

Why This Matters for Worship and Prayer

If we fail to distinguish the Persons of the Trinity, we lose the richness of our relationship with God:

• We pray to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.

• We worship each Person for their distinct roles in our redemption.

• We grow in awe of the eternal fellowship into which we have been invited.

To call God “Father” is not merely to affirm His authority—it is to confess His eternal identity as the One who begets the Son and sends the Spirit.

Holding to Mystery, But Not Confusion

The Trinity is mystery, but not contradiction. We cannot comprehend it fully, but we can apprehend it rightly. The Scripture is clear: God is one in essence and three in Persons. To confess the Father rightly, we must confess Him as distinct from the Son and the Spirit.

Let us not flatten God into a one-person deity, nor divide Him into three gods. Let us worship Him in truth: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—distinct, co-equal, co-eternal.

Conclusion: Glory to the Triune God

The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. Yet all three are the one true God. In eternity past, they existed in joyful fellowship. In the Gospel, they act in perfect unity. In glory, we will behold the face of the Lamb and dwell forever in the presence of the Father, through the Spirit.

Let this truth shape your theology, your worship, and your life.

“To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” (Romans 16:27)