The Primacy of the Father

The statement in the Book of Genesis, "Let us make man in our image and likeness," simple as it is, is the introduction to the greatest mystery that has perplexed men right from the time of its revelation, which is the Triune God as was dealt with in the previous discussion. This statement, aside from being the primal introduction to the divine mystery is also the key that unlocks the enigma known as man, for he is the image and likeness of this ultimate mystery. The first of such riddle, which was dealt with in the above section, is the internal life of God and the second, which is the subject of the present section, is the external life of the Triune God, which started when he, in human language, stepped out of his internal life and created two realities, visible and invisible, temporal and eternal. This work continues as he deals with his creation in accord with his plan, which is to ultimately bring these two realities into one realm, as the temporal finds fulfillment in the eternal, as the former is but the seed-ground of life that will eventually populate the supernatural order to perfection; for as it is, heaven though perfect in all sense except for the fullest number of the Elect that the Father desires to have with him for all eternity. It is as Jesus said: “My Father is at work until now, and I am at work as well.” (John 5: 17) At the dawn of time when the natural evolutionary forces had reached a conducive environmental condition to the life of the most complex creature God had in mind, the long-term work began with the aim of filling-up heaven to perfection with a new breed of living souls. It was at this point when the natural order which was about to be crowned of its reason for being that the voice rang: "Let us make man in our image and likeness." Here, the speaker who was the Father urged the Son and the Holy Spirit to participate in the great task of creating a new breed of being who was to be the apex of creation, as he was to be the true reflection of the Triune God. It was not a command, as the phrase used, “let us” unlike the formula used in the Decalogue, which is “Thou shall”, denoted that the Speaker was enjoining the other Two Persons to participate in the free and deliberate enterprise of creating their human image and likeness; needless to say, to be done in love, for as was said earlier, love is the essence of God. It was not a solitary move on the part of the Father though he was the instigator or the prime mover, but a communal act of the Blessed Trinity, whose image and likeness was to be the unique constitution of this newcomer, for the latter would have three levels of being, namely, the body, mind and soul. The body with the procreative power to multiply and fill the earth, as by doing so, will fill-up heaven to perfection in accord with God’s plan for his kingdom, corresponds to the Father, the Creator who willed man to participate in the unparalleled task of bringing forth heirs of the heavenly kingdom which is under the kingship of the Son, united as one body though countless by the Holy Spirit of love. The mind with the prowess of understanding the natural realities, both visible and invisible, that came into existence through the Word, corresponds to the Second Person; as this need to understand is essential to the task of continuing the work of creation began by the Triune God; as all the materials available to man for this divinely appointed task came into existence through the Word. This is an on-going task, in obedience to God who subjected the natural order to his steward of creation, none other than his human likeness. This singular undertaking challenges man to harness the wealth of the planet and to re-create or transform these into things beneficial to the life of men; for creation is not a one-off wonder but a never-ending process that has to keep up with man’s evolving consciousness about his being, the world around him, and his unique place in the divine plan. And lastly, the undying soul with the ability to be united with the life-giving spirit of the Almighty corresponds to the Holy Spirit who confers supernatural knowledge of the truth, just as he divinizes and consecrates to holiness the creature from dust, for without the in-dwelling of the Spirit, man cannot be the true image of God. This divine election, reserved only for the apple of God’s eye whom he

dearly loves, was symbolized, right from the start of life, by the presence of the tree of life in Eden, which from the beginning man was to be blessed of its life-enhancing fruit, which the Church defined as charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity; as man is created not only to live the life pleasing to God but in the most fundamental sense, spend his years by giving truism to the essence of God, which is love. Man’s vocation is to love in the here and now, and in the life to come, to persist in love, and to live in absolute fullness in the kingdom without end. Going back to the statement above, it speaks so eloquently of the workings of the Holy Trinity and the inter-relationship of the Three Divine Persons. While it is true that the Father has primacy, for he is the prime mover of all actions, and yet the other Two participate in all the acts, for God is one and indivisible, as the Three move in one accord. It was the Father's will to 'go out' of the internal life and create the natural order with man as its apex, after creating the supernatural realm of heaven, as these all happened through the Word of God and the life-giving Spirit of the Almighty. It was the Father's will to create man in the image and likeness of the Triune God, which as stated above is mirrored in man’s three levels of being-- body, mind and soul; as these three in one person, each with the designated role to play in the life of the creature, yet interdependent of each other, as one level cannot be separated from the others, as one is essential to the realization of the others, as sickness on one level affects all, for each one is but a facet of the whole person, who needs all three levels to complete it. All three gifts, moving as one unit, assisting each other in a seamless and harmonious fashion, all toward the fulfillment of man’s extraordinary role in God’s plan, is but the true reflection of the divine mystery that gave him life as the crowning glory of creation, and as such, man is but the personification of the mystery of the Trinity, in a finite kind of way, especially because he is an imperfect being, whose mode of life is to be or in a word, changing or becoming into the likeness of the love-force that gave him life, in thought, word and deed. This divine formula for the hybrid creature from dust, underscored by man’s overall weakness, that of a being created lower than the angels, highlights his need for God, as God is essential to his realization, as his transitory life is but the invitation to grow in age, grace and wisdom. Noteworthy that this same track happened to the Incarnate Word, as written in Scriptures. “Jesus, for his part, progressed steadily in wisdom, age and grace before God and men.” (Luke 2: 52) It was also the Father's will to save him when he lost his way by upending God’s plan for him, which threw his three levels of being in total disarray, and consequently was excluded from the life of God; for it is written "and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life," [Genesis 3: 24]; as from then on, man’s access to the Holy Spirit had been denied, of course with exceptions, all in accord with the Father’s plan for his kingdom. But the Father’s primacy goes deeper than merely instigating the action, for in truth, the whole plan of action is his design right from the start, participated by the Son and Holy Spirit. In other words, the prime mover who is the Father, is also the primary source of all actions, which is right and fitting, for the plan from beginning to its conclusion is but a step by step unfolding of the Father’s will, as each step is integral to the overall divine scheme, in spite of its perplexing nature when it came to pass in the temporal sphere. The above statement should deal a death blow to the notion that each person of the Trinity has distinct roles to play, as if they are independent of one another though united in purpose, and all toward the same end. If one follows this erroneous train of thought, it would lead to a simplistic view of the Triune God, which is more or less patterned after man’s way of thinking specifically the perception of roles in his master plan, all geared toward his life-goals; just as these roles, which come with the much-coveted title that signifies success, are earned through intense competition. In the human sphere, roles are clearly defined as if they exist independently from others, which might come in handy, as roles falsely become the summation of personhood. This false notion is the very definition of pigeon-holing, which at an early age, indoctrination starts, as children are trained to see roles as distinctly compartmentalized, with no overlapping; and as such the father is the bread winner, the mother is the housekeeper, etc. This human model is the total opposite of the workings of the Three Persons, as they are not only united in substance, and the Spirit that binds them and the unanimity of will but also in the oneness of action, as

no action is exclusive to One Person, as no designation is proper to each one of the Three. And thus to think that the Father as the Creator, the Son as the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit as the Sanctifier are false designations, for creation, redemption and sanctification are all inclusive acts of the Holy Trinity, meaning that these acts are done by the Three Persons, as all Three are participants in the act of creation, redemption and sanctification, as they will be at the conclusion of time when the temporal sphere will see its own demise. Though it is true that it was the Second Person who incarnated as man and thus rightly termed as the Savior, and the Third Person who descended as fire on the Apostle and who gave them power to proclaim the Word of God, and yet it is also true that these two mysteries were acts of the Father through the Son and the Spirit, as the Son and the Spirit cannot do anything without the Father, for it is his will that they are bound to uphold. And thus, when we say that God is one, it is but the proclamation of the divine truth persisting on all levels—substance, will, action and the unbreakable force of love that binds them as one. It is as Jesus said, "I solemnly assure you the Son cannot do anything by himself-- he can do only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and everything the Father does he shows him." [John 5: 19-20] This statement provided a clear insight into the inner working of the relationship between Father and Son, as his words acknowledged the primacy of the Father in all things, including his work as the Savior of the world. In fact, the blow by blow account of the salvific plan of the Almighty was laid out ages ago when the prophets of old under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit announced the coming of the Messiah who could be recognized by his fulfillment of the biblical account about the One who was to be sent into the world and save God’s people from their sins. Jesus said: "God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." [John 3: 17] In the same breath, Jesus acknowledged that the authorship of the Good News of salvation that he was proclaiming belonged to the Father, saying: "My doctrine is not my own; it comes from him who sent me." [John 7: 16] He continued "It is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of what he has given me; rather, that I should raise it up on the last day. Indeed, this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life. Him I will raise on the last day." [John 6: 39-40] It is also the prerogative of the Father to call those whom he wishes to save, for as Jesus said: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." [John 6: 44] This should not be surprising, as the Lord God sees the heart as the true measure of worth and as such, he preferred David over his brothers and Jacob over Esau, as it is written: “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Says the Lord: yet I loved Jacob but hated Esau.” (Malachi 1: 3) The Father participated in all aspects of Jesus’ ministry, even the choice of Peter as head of the Church, as attested by Jesus’ response to Peter's profession of faith: "Blest are you, Simon son of John! No mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father." [Matthew 16: 17] This response was the signal to Jesus that Peter was the Father’s top pick for the job, which he made official by designating Peter as the Rock on which he would build his Church. And about God's prophetic message to the prophet Joel about the outpouring of his spirit, Jesus had this to say, "Wait, rather, for the fulfillment of my Father's promise, of which you heard me speak. John baptized with water, but within a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." [Acts 1: 4-5] This outpouring of his Spirit was the culmination of the Father’s salvific plan for men, which the Father had promised ages ago. Finally, since it was the Father’s decision to bring creation into existence and so it follows that it will be his decision when to end it, just as Jesus said, "As for the exact day or hour, no one knows it, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father only." [Matthew 24: 36] How is it possible for the Son not to know since He is co-substantial with the Father? Does the Father hold any secret from the Son, if that is at all possible? There is only one answer and that is, that the knowledge of the end of time and the second coming of the Son of Man is not yet available to all the citizens of the heavenly realm, including the Son because the Father has not made that decision yet. Once He did, that decision will pass into the domain of knowledge, available to all, as the Son and the angels have roles to play in that event, as Jesus said: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, he will sit upon his royal

throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.” (Matthew 25: 31- 2) There are three factors that will determine the end according to Jesus. First: In the story about the large dinner that a man was giving, the head of the house said: "I want my house to be full." [Luke 14: 23] It is written in the Book of Revelation: "I saw before me a huge crowd which no one could count from every nation and race, people and tongue. They stood before the throne and the Lamb, dressed in long white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, "Salvation is from God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb." [Revelation 7: 9-10] God created man to share in his divine life through the in- dwelling of his Holy Spirit and he wants this inestimable blessing on as many as will respond to his invite, for as Jesus said: “The Son of Man who has come, not be served by others, but to serve, to give his own life as a ransom for the many.” (Matthew 20: 28) At what point in time will the “many” be the equivalence of fullness in the Father’s eyes? No one knows, not the Son nor the angels, for it is an indeterminate number that speaks of the perfect number of the Elect that only the Father has the prerogative to define, for it was his decision, in oneness with the other Two Persons, to create the eternal kingdom, the domain of which should hold the perfect number that pleases him exceedingly. Since this is a secret that is unknowable to man, Jesus had this to say: “Stay awake, therefore! You cannot know the day the Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24: 42) Second: The second factor that determines the end is based on Jesus' proclamation: "The good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a witness to all the nations. Only after that will the end come." [Matthew 24: 14] All will be given a chance to share in that glorious moment when the children of God will be revealed, as each one is given the opportunity to accept or reject the gospel of life. Paul wrote: "It is the power of God leading everyone who believes in it to salvation." [Romans 1: 16] It has been more than 2000 years since the end had been announced, which might tempt some to think that it is not in the realm of possibility, for even the early believers had the wrong interpretation, thinking that it would come in their own lifetime. Peter had this to say about the Last Judgment: “The Lord does not delay in keeping his promise—though some consider it “delay”. Rather, he shows you generous patience, since he wants none to perish but all to come to repentance. The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and on that day the heavens will vanish with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and all its deeds will be made manifest.” [2 Peter 3: 9- 10] Jesus underlined God's merciful love for his people in the parable of the lost sheep, where the shepherd searched diligently even for one sheep, as one amongst many is not an insignificant number, as all the members of the flock must be accounted for, even the very least who is lost. “Who among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wasteland and follow the lost one until he finds it? And when he finds it, he puts it in his shoulders in jubilation.” [Luke 15: 4-5] The same idea in the parable about a woman who lost a silver piece. “What woman, if she has ten silver pieces and loses one, does not light a lamp and sweep the house in diligent search until she has retrieved what she lost? [Luke 15: 8] God’s work of searching for the lost continues, though this time, again in accord with his design, he has workers in the vineyard who continue the task of proclaiming the Gospel of Salvation to the ends of the earth. Jesus said to Peter, "You are 'Rock', and on this rock I will build my church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it." [Matthew 16: 18] The Church, which is the community of the faithful is the visible sign of the Triune God’s never-ending work of saving men. By the fact that we are created in the image and likeness of God, so too must we be co-savior of the world. Jesus, just before the Ascension said: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation." [Mark 16: 15] And so, bring the world to its glorious end, for it is written: "As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me and every tongue shall give praise to God." [Romans 14: 11] And in the Book of Revelation: "He shall wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the former world has passed away." [Revelation 21: 4] Third: The last factor that will determine the end of the world is God's love for his people. It was love that caused him to create man and it is also love that will cause him to end creation, and so bring man home to the love feast that awaits him in the hereafter. Jesus said, "Those times will be more distressful than any between God's work of creation and now, and for all time to come. Indeed, had the Lord not shortened the period, not a person would be saved. But for the sake of those he has chosen, he has shortened the days." [Mark 13: 19-20] The Father’s merciful love will cause him to spare his chosen ones from the great tribulation that is to come, for as Jesus said, he will shorten the period of testing. Ah, the triumph of love even to the very end of time, ushering the conclusion of the realm gone awry by men’s sinful perversion.