Because of the favor of God the Father toward his divine Son, he has decreed that all history and everything in the universe revolve around him.
The gospel is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, and that salvation is all-encompassing. God is on a mission not just to save you and others, but to save his creation, to save the universe from bondage to evil and decay.
History is not random and pointless. The history of mankind and all created things is heading purposefully toward a consummation. God predestined it before anything existed. He wrote the plot, and the entire gospel story is unfolding with an epic climax in view, followed by “happily ever after.”
At the center of the plot is a person, and it is not some entertainer, sports star, or politician. There is a hero in this story, a champion. The story revolves around him and is for his glory. In the end, he will get everything that can be gotten: songs of praise, accolades, thanks, adoration, loyalty, riches, power.
That person, of course, is Jesus Christ, the Lord, the unique Son of God the Father. Before time began, with infinite favor, the Father determined that his divine Son would be at the center of everything, at the head of everything, at the pinnacle of everything. In the end, Jesus will be the only Savior of all that is saved and the final judge of all that is condemned.
If you do not understand God the Father’s favor toward God the Son, then you do not understand God.
Here are eleven signs of the unique favor of God the Father for Jesus.
11 signs of the favor of God the Father for his divine Son
1. The Father created all things through his Son.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1–3, 14, ESV).
2. The Father announced his unique favor for his Son at his baptism and transfiguration.
“When Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16–17).
“Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him’” (Matthew 17:5).
3. The Father chose the Son as the only redeemer for lost humanity through his blood shed on the cross.
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
The Father “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:9–10).
4. The Father gave glory to the Son before the foundation of the world.
Jesus prayed, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).
5. The Father raised the Son from the grave and vindicated him.
The Father “raised [Jesus] from the dead and gave him glory” (1 Peter 1:21).
6. The Father gave the church to his Son for the Son’s glory.
“[The Father] put all things under [the Son’s] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22).
Jesus prayed concerning his disciples, “All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them” (John 17:10).
7. The Father gave the Son authority over all creation.
After his resurrection, “Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20).
8. The Father exalted the Son in the ascension.
“[The Father] raised [Jesus] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:20–23).
9. The Father will unite all things in the Son.
The Father made “known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:9–10).
10. The Father gives all judgment to the Son.
“The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son…. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:22, 27).
11. The Father determined before the foundation of the world that every knee will bow to the Son to acknowledge him as Lord.
“God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11).
Our way and God’s way
Our way: Lost souls want to ignore Jesus. They want to diminish his importance, to dethrone him. Lost souls dishonor Jesus by treating him as unnecessary, ignoring his sacrifice for them, rejecting his teaching, and disobeying his command to submit to him as Lord.
Misguided Christians, too, may dishonor Jesus by seeing him as merely one option in finding one’s way to God, that there are other ways to God and one religion is as good as another. While they have chosen to believe in Jesus, they do not want to exclude other people of other religions, and so they dishonor Jesus by believing faith in him is unnecessary.
God’s way: The Father uniquely loves, favors, and glorifies his Son and requires mankind to do the same. The Father’s plans for human history center on Jesus. Jesus is the only Savior for sinners. He is preeminent. He is Lord. Those who reject Jesus as Lord offend and reject God the Father.
Life principle: The Father wants us to honor, worship, love, and communicate with the Son. This glorifies and pleases the Father for this was the Father’s intent. There is no competition between the Father and the Son.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)