What does it mean that the Father is the first Person of the Trinity?

Answer

The term “Trinity” is not explicitly used in the New Testament, but Christians believe it is the most fitting description of God, who exists eternally as three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (see Galatians 4:6). The Trinity is often referred to as the Father (first Person), the Son (second Person), and the Holy Spirit (third Person).

The designations of first, second, and third for the Persons of the Trinity do not imply varying levels of importance or significance. The Athanasian Creed carefully emphasizes the equality of the Persons within the Godhead: “We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. Yet the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty co-eternal. . . . Within the Trinity, none precedes or follows another; none is greater or lesser than another, but all three Persons are co-eternal and co-equal.”

While each Person of the Trinity is ontologically co-eternal and co-equal, they interact with humanity in a specific hierarchical manner, each fulfilling a distinct role. In the New Testament, the term “God” typically refers to God the Father.

The Father is considered the “first Person of the Trinity” because in the Trinitarian formula of Matthew 28:19, the Father is mentioned first: “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.” The order of the formula itself contributes to the Father being identified as the “first” Person. Additionally, there are other reasons why the Father is recognized as the first Person of the Trinity.

The Father is also referred to as the “first” because HHe has the first priority within the economic Trinity. This is similar to how a human father is considered the head of a household. The Father sent Jesus into the world «As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. », (John 6:57), and Jesus came in obedience to the Father and lived on earth in submission to the Father. “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” «Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. », (John 5:19). It is the Father who raised Jesus from the dead «This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. », (Acts 2:32) and raised Him to the right hand of power, and it is the Father who will be glorified in the drama of redemption (Philippians 2:9-11).

So, the Father is the first Person of the Trinity because He is listed first and also, within the economic Trinity, He holds the place of leadership, like the father of a household.