The Father and Jesus Compared
The New Testament consistently distinguishes the one God, the Father, from Jesus Christ, his Son and Messiah. This comparison gathers representative passages so readers can examine that distinction directly in Scripture.
At a Glance
- The Father is presented as the one God and the God of Jesus.
- Jesus is presented as God’s Son, Messiah, Lord, mediator, and exalted representative.
- The comparisons below explain how this page understands that distinction across key passages.
How to read this comparison
Each panel asks one question, summarizes what the cited passages say about the Father and Jesus, and offers a brief explanation. This page presents a biblical Unitarian reading; readers are encouraged to examine every passage in its full context.
Three Foundational Comparisons
1. Does each worship another?
God the Father
Worships no one. He is the God whom others worship.
Jesus Christ
Worships the Father. See John 4:22; Mark 14:26; Hebrews 2:12.
In John 4:22 Jesus includes himself among those who worship: “we worship what we know.” Mark 14:26 records Jesus and his disciples singing a hymn, and Hebrews 2:12 applies to Jesus the words, “in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” Together, these passages distinguish Jesus from the God he worships.
2. Who is called the one or only God?
God the Father
Identified as the one God. Representative passages include Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10; 44:8; 45:18, 21; Mark 12:29; John 5:44; John 17:3; and 1 Corinthians 8:4–6.
Jesus Christ
Distinguished from the one God and identified as the Messiah, Son of God, and Lord.
Jesus calls the Father “the only God” (John 5:44) and “the only true God” (John 17:3). Paul likewise writes of “one God, the Father” and “one Lord, Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:6), maintaining a distinction between them.
3. Does each have a God?
God the Father
Has no higher God; he is repeatedly identified as God in the absolute sense.
Jesus Christ
Calls the Father “my God.” See John 20:17 and Revelation 3:12.
Jesus speaks of “my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). The apostles similarly refer to “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3). These statements present the Father as the God of Jesus.
Relationship and Authority
4. Does each have a Father?
God the Father
Is the Father and is not described as having a Father.
Jesus Christ
Has a Father, repeatedly identified as his God and Father.
The apostles speak of “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3; 11:31; Colossians 1:3; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3). These passages distinguish Jesus from the Father whom he calls God.
5. Is each described as begotten?
God the Father
Is not described as begotten; he is presented as the eternal source.
Jesus Christ
Is described with the Greek term monogenēs, commonly translated “only,” “unique,” or “only begotten.”
John 1:18 contains an important textual and translation question: manuscripts and translations vary between “only Son” and “only God.” Both readings use monogenēs. Readers should compare translations and consult the textual notes while observing that the verse distinguishes the one who makes God known from the Father he reveals.
6. Who occupies the central throne?
God the Father
Is portrayed on the throne as the supreme authority.
Jesus Christ
Is exalted to God’s right hand. See Psalm 110:1; Mark 16:19; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; and Colossians 3:1.
The repeated image of Jesus at God’s right hand distinguishes him from the One seated on the throne while expressing the authority God has given him. Matthew 20:20–23 likewise presents the Father as the one who prepares places of honor in the kingdom.
7. Was each a prophet?
God the Father
Sends and speaks through prophets; he is not presented as one of them.
Jesus Christ
Is identified as the promised prophet like Moses. See Deuteronomy 18:15–19 and Acts 3:22–23.
In Acts 3, Peter applies Moses’ promise to Jesus: God would raise up a prophet and place his words in that prophet’s mouth. This presentation distinguishes the God who commissions from the Messiah he commissions.
8. Was each exalted to a higher position?
God the Father
Is the one who exalts; Scripture does not portray him as being promoted by another.
Jesus Christ
Is exalted by God because of his faithful obedience. See Acts 2:33; Philippians 2:8–11; Hebrews 1:9; and 2:7–9.
Peter says Jesus was “exalted at the right hand of God” (Acts 2:33). Philippians 2 likewise says that, after Jesus humbled himself in obedience, “God highly exalted him.” His lordship brings glory to God the Father.
9. Did Jesus explicitly call himself God?
God the Father
Is repeatedly and directly identified as God, including by Jesus.
Jesus Christ
Most often identifies himself as the Son of God, Son of Man, Messiah, and the one sent by the Father.
The Gospels do not record Jesus saying the exact words “I am God.” Passages such as John 1:1, John 10:30–36, and John 20:28 are central to the wider debate and should be read carefully in context. In John 10:36, Jesus answers the blasphemy charge by stating, “I am the Son of God,” while continuing to distinguish himself from the Father who sanctified and sent him.
10. Can each be tempted?
God the Father
Cannot be tempted by evil. See James 1:13.
Jesus Christ
Was genuinely tempted, yet remained without sin. See Matthew 4:1–11 and Hebrews 4:15.
James says that God cannot be tempted by evil, while the Gospels and Hebrews describe Jesus undergoing temptation. This comparison treats those statements as a meaningful distinction while affirming Jesus’ complete faithfulness.
11. Can each die?
God the Father
Is immortal and incorruptible. See Romans 1:23; 1 Timothy 1:17; and 6:16.
Jesus Christ
Truly died and was raised from the dead by God.
Jesus’ real death is central to the gospel (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4). The apostles proclaim both that Jesus died and that God raised him, distinguishing the mortal Messiah from the immortal God who vindicated him.
12. Who is identified as the one God?
God the Father
Is identified as the one God in passages central to biblical monotheism.
Jesus Christ
Affirms the one God and is distinguished as God’s Messiah and Lord.
The Shema declares that the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), and Jesus affirms it in Mark 12:29–34. Jesus calls the Father “the only true God” (John 17:3), while Paul writes of “one God, the Father” and “one Lord, Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:4–6). This page understands those texts as identifying the Father as the one God and Jesus as the Lord Messiah through whom God works.
13. Who is the mediator?
God the Father
Is the one God to whom reconciliation is made.
Jesus Christ
Is the mediator between God and humanity.
First Timothy 2:5 states: “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The verse distinguishes the one God from the human Messiah who mediates between God and humankind.
14. Has each been seen by human beings?
God the Father
Is described as unseen and dwelling in unapproachable light.
Jesus Christ
Was seen, heard, touched, and witnessed by many.
John 1:18 says that no one has seen God, and Jesus says that no one has seen the Father except the one from God (John 5:37; 6:46). By contrast, the apostles testify that they saw and touched Jesus (1 John 1:1–3). Jesus makes the unseen God known.
15. What role does each have in creation?
God the Father
Is the ultimate source and Creator of all things.
Jesus Christ
Is described in several New Testament passages as the one through whom God works.
Scripture frequently attributes creation to God (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 44:24; Acts 17:24). Other passages speak of all things coming through Jesus Christ (John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2). This page reads that language in terms of agency: the Father is the source—“from whom are all things”—and Jesus is the appointed agent—“through whom are all things” (1 Corinthians 8:6).
16. Who is identified by the divine name YHWH?
God the Father
Is identified on this page as YHWH, the God of Israel and the Father of Jesus.
Jesus Christ
Does not explicitly call himself YHWH; he speaks of the Father as his God.
Some New Testament writers apply Old Testament passages about YHWH to Jesus, and Trinitarian readers understand these as evidence that Jesus shares the divine identity. This page reads them as the language of agency and bestowed authority: the Messiah represents the God who sent and exalted him. Readers should compare passages such as Psalm 110:1, Joel 2:32 with Romans 10:9–13, and Isaiah 45:23 with Philippians 2:9–11.
17. Does each know all things?
God the Father
Knows the appointed times and purposes hidden from others.
Jesus Christ
Says that the Father knew something the Son did not: the day and hour of his return.
In Mark 13:32 Jesus says that no one knows the day or hour—not the angels and not the Son—but only the Father (compare Matthew 24:36). This page understands that statement as a real limitation in Jesus’ knowledge and another distinction between the Son and his God.
A Six-Passage Reading Path
For a focused overview, read these passages in order and note how each one speaks about God, the Father, and Jesus.
The confession of the one God.
Jesus affirms Israel’s confession.
Jesus addresses the Father as the only true God.
God raises and exalts Jesus as Lord and Messiah.
One God, the Father; one Lord, Jesus Christ.
One God and one mediator, Christ Jesus.
Common Questions
Does distinguishing Jesus from God diminish Jesus?
Not in this article’s view. Jesus is honored as God’s unique Son, Messiah, risen Lord, mediator, and appointed ruler. The distinction identifies the source of his authority and the God whom his ministry glorifies.
Are the Father and Jesus being presented as opponents?
No. The New Testament presents them in profound unity of purpose: the Father sends, authorizes, raises, and exalts the Son, while Jesus obeys, reveals, and glorifies the Father.
Why do some translations differ in important verses?
Translation choices can reflect textual variants, grammar, and theological interpretation. John 1:18 is one example. Comparing several translations and consulting their footnotes helps readers see where genuine questions exist.
What should I do with passages that appear to point another way?
Read them in their literary and historical context, compare them with the clearest passages, and consider the strongest interpretation offered by each viewpoint. The goal is a conclusion shaped by the full biblical witness.
Continue Your Study
Explore related passages and the broader case in these Historical Faith studies.
Read the Evidence in Context
This comparison is an invitation to study, not a substitute for it. Read each passage in its surrounding chapter, compare translations, and ask how Jesus and the apostles identify the Father, the Son, and the one God they proclaim.
Publication note: Originally published in 2017; substantially rewritten and redesigned in 2026.
Comments below may refer to wording or formatting from an earlier version of this article.
Join the Discussion
Questions and thoughtful disagreement are welcome. When commenting, please engage the cited passages directly and treat other readers with patience and respect.
Absolutely brilliant – these columns and the red and green buttons are a good idea!
Thanks very much for this work!
If you, disciples, have seen me. you have seen the Father. He came to His own, the Jews, but His own received Him not.
May I ask, Who owns a nation?
Yahusha is a “spitting image” of His Father! JUST LIKE many sons on earth look EXACTLY LIKE their earthly fathers! This verse does NOT by any means imply that the SON is ALSO His Own FATHER. That’s absurd!
Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Just like an earthly father can NOT father himself to be his own son, just so this same earthly physical law applies to our Heavenly Father and His Son! – 1Co 15:46
I do not hold the same views as you. I hold to a Trinity, although many of the points you have made here I previously at some point asked myself.
This topic is fascinating. One of the difficulties in this is, if you examined the Trinitian claim, the reason Jesus could not say out right He is God is because, that would mean the Father is God and Jesus is God. Such claims would be interputed as Unitarian, with Jesus = Father = God. Clearly Jesus and the Father are expressed as different persons in the scripture.
The New Testament writters went to great lengths to show both oneness and the different roles and relationships between the Father, the son and the Spirit.
I don’t read Greek so will defer to good authorities on begotten question in John 1. I will point out that the flesh of Jesus in the Trinity was begotten of Mary and Jesus we would say is the only son of the Father, in the sence he proceeded from the Father as the Word externally. I will try to illustrate this the best I can.
My thoughts are always my thoughts. I didn’t create my thought life, they are a part of me, they maybe very different from how I physically behave. My thoughts life helps me reason with myself about differing ideas. It’s almost an inner personality that’s at work within me. I do communicate my thoughts against my reasoning before I physically act. God’s thoughts are clearly far greater than yours or mine.
Another example is our flesh and Spirits clearly wrestle. We must subject our flesh, crucify it ect… So we can walk according to the Spirit. We see clear examples of different wills, wants and desires inside of us. They have a relationship with one another. Yet in the idea state one is put to death so they can work in harmony.
God similarly has three persons that can work in harmony as the Father spends the Son, who reveals the Father. The Father and Son spend the Spirit whom reveals the son. The Spirit searches the mind of the Father and reveals it to the Son.
The Bible reveals three persons in God that work in unity, taking different roles and submitting not because one is of greater significance or value than another but, so they can work together as one in unity.
Marriage is the same concept. Man is not superior to woman but, is chosen to lead. Not to oppress or Lord over women, but to serve and Love. The have equal value but differing roles. Men cannot give birth to life but women can.
God doesn’t need an agent. His has a person called the Word of God that is and has always been God’s agent for changing, building and restoring the world. When God needed a perfect man, the Word became flesh, putting on humanity so, he Himself could be God, Mediator and Servant. He had power in Himself to bring together both parties because He became both parties. He had the interest of both perfect represented. He was the perfect High Priest and mediator. Hence the Blood of Jesus is called God’s own blood.
I won’t go on anymore. Just wanted to share my stance. Thank you for your time and may God guide us to all truth.
The fact that the Lord Jesus is the proper recipient prayer demonstrates that He is God.
Most Christians (to include myself) pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. How does this prove the Trinity?
I wrote that it demonstrates the Lord Jesus is God.
1 Kings 8:38-39 (NASB)
whatever prayer…is made…then hear in heaven….for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men.
Only God fully knows the hearts of all so only God is the proper recipient of prayer.
The Lord Jesus is the proper recipient of prayer which demonstrates the Lord Jesus is God.
No, it doesn’t demonstrate that he is God. People can pray to Baal, but that doesn’t make him God.
The reason you have to come up with these arbitrary rules is that NOWHERE in the Scripture does it say “Jesus is God.” Not in John 1 or John 20. Not in Colossians 1 or Philippians 2. Not a single place. But over and over again YHWH is called the one God very clearly with an “IS” statement.
The Biblical authors weren’t trying to keep a special secret. You just read that INTO the text because it’s what you’ve been taught. If you’d never have heard of a trinity, you wouldn’t read it into the text.
It’s a shame people refuse to actually read the Scriptures, cover to cover, to see what they say instead of traking bits and pieces out of context to try and prove what they don’t say.
I wrote, “the Lord Jesus is the proper recipient of prayer” to which you countered by referring to the fact that people can pray to Baal.
That is my point. Baal was prayed to, but it was “not proper” to do so.
The Lord Jesus is the proper recipient of prayer which demonstrates He is God. That is the difference.
It’s a shame you resorted to an argument which I already refuted in my first post.
Hi just came across this site. Excellent work. I see you address Trinitarians, I am a Oneness Pentecostal. How would you deal with them. They both believe Jesus is the god/man howbeit in different ways..
You’re missing a couple characteristics:
Is worshipped? God the Father (Yahweh) YES Jesus Christ YES
[Only God] Exodus 34:14, Matthew 4:10 [Jesus worshipped] Matthew 2:11, 14:33, Luke 24:52, John 9:38
Is “the First and the Last”? God the Father (Yahweh) YES Jesus Christ YES
Isaiah 44:6, Revelation 1:11,17
You did not deal with the evidence presented. Instead, your two suggestions don’t teach the doctrine of the Trinity.
Because others outside the Father and Jesus were worshiped in the Bible, the worship of Jesus is not a valid argument. Also, the word ‘worship’ in Hebrew and Greek doesn’t have the same meaning in western culture.
A search in the Old Testament for the word ‘worship’ (Hebrew Lemma: חוה) produces 170 results. But a search in most translations of the Old Testament in English produces fewer results. The ESV only uses the word ‘worship’ 111 times. This divergence is because there is no English equivalent word for the Hebrew word חוה (lemma).
The Old Testament is unwavering that man was not to worship any other god. It says, “14 “(for you shall worship [Hebrew lemma: חוה] no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)” (Ex 34:14). This verse is just one of many where the Hebrew lemma חוה is used to donate worship that was only to be applied to God.
Most Christians are not taught in Trinitarian churches that humans are sometimes worshiped in the Bible. One verse of many says, “8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage” (1 Sa 24:8).
On the surface, this verse as translated does not communicate that king David worshiped King Saul (‘paid homage’). But Hebrew has the same word ‘worship’ (Hebrew lemma חוה) that was to only be applied to God (Ex 34:14). So king David fell down and worshiped King Saul. There are several such verses in the Old Testament. Here are just a few: 1 Samuel 28:14, 2 Samuel 2:9, 1 Kings 1:53, 1 Chronicles 29:20, etc.
David’s worship of King Saul appears to contradict verses such as Ex 34:14 where only God was to be worshiped. But there is no contradiction. Most Christians interpret the Bible with a western mindset far removed from the historical culture when written. Man was not to worship any person as God. The worship of others not as God was not forbidden. While exclusive worship as almighty God only belonged to God.
This thread continues into the New Testament. The wise men bowed down and worshiped Jesus (Matthew 2:11). But they worshipped Jesus as the messiah. A messiah is not God. A messiah is sent and anointed by God. The Old Testament is explicit that the messiah would not be Yahweh: Deuteronomy 18:15-18, Micah 5:4, Psalm 2:2,7, 45:7,89:26, 110:1, Isaiah 42:1-3, 53:6, 61:1, Jeremiah 30:9.
In Philippians 2, after describing how God exalted Jesus because of his faithfulness, it instructs how Jesus is to be worshipped: “11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Php 2:11). Jesus should be worshipped because God exalted him. It gives great glory to God the Father when Jesus is worshipped as Lord.
I don’t have time now to expand in detail on your claim for the “first and the last.” The short answer is that Jesus is “first and the last” in the context of the one who died and lives (Revelation 1:18, 2:8), while the Father is the “first and the last” in the context of the exclusive God (Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, 48:12). One should not mistake Jesus for the Father.
How in your viewpoint do you deal with the “I AM” claims that Jesus made if he is not God?
Hi Connie,
The teaching that Jesus quoted the personal name of God (“I am”) in John 8:58 and applied it to Himself is respectfully in error. The phrase “I am” is not a name. No author applied it as such in the Bible. If I say “I am who I am” this does not make it a name. God is stating that He is who He is. God has one exclusive name. It is Yahweh (Deuteronomy 4:35).
The Greek phrase Ἐγώ εἰμι (“I am”) is found 47 times in the New Testament. Others in the New Testament used the phrase “Ἐγώ εἰμι” without any reference to Yahweh (Exodus 3:14). This includes the disciples (Matthew 26:22), Judas (Matthew 26:25), false Christs (Mark 13:6, Luke 21:8), the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:19), the former blind man (John 9:9), the Apostle Peter (Acts 10:21), and the Apostle Paul (Acts 22:3, 26:29). Because the phrase “Ἐγώ εἰμι” was regularly used in sentence with no reference to Exodus 3:13, one should exercise exceptional caution applying it to Exodus 3:14. Even in the English language we use the phrase “I am” within sentences. A search in Koine Greek indicates that Jesus used the phrase “Ἐγώ εἰμι” 39 times. Not one use is a quote or illusion to Exodus 3:14.
Jesus stated earlier in the chapter that the Jews were seeking for a reason to kill Him. Jesus stated why: “you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you” (John 8:37). In John 8:40, Jesus provides another reason why the Jews wanted to kill Him, “but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God…” Notice he heard this truth from God. Not that he is almighty God.
This background information is essential for understanding John 8:58-59. Because the Jews were already seeking a reason to kill Jesus, his statement in John 8:58 to pre-exist Abraham (“58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was I am”) further infuriated them. While it is possible that Jesus is claiming to exist in the mind of God before Abraham, I prefer the interpretation that Jesus had a pre-human existence in another life form.
Another important point should not be overlooked. Trinitarians who believe that the Jews were seeking to kill Jesus because He claimed to be the “I am” of Exodus 3:14, take sides with those in the context (John 8) who wanted to kill Jesus. As I former Trinitarian I did not realize I sided with a false argument made by those who wanted to kill Jesus.
It’s also not certain that the accusers stated that he was making himself God (in the absolute sense). It could be they were accusing Jesus of making himself “a god.” Koine Greek did not have an indirect article “a.” The context and grammar spoken at that time in history would decide how the word “god” was understood.
The context of John 8:57 contains a question posed to Jesus about His age in relation to Abraham. I think that Jesus is saying in verse 58 that He lived BEFORE Abraham (“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am”). I think that Jesus’ claim of preexistence to Abraham (who some Jews believed was their father) was the point of the conversation where the Jews could no longer hold back their hatred and furry.
In Christ!