Who is the Father?

¹⁹ So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” (John 8:19)

So, who is He? Nothing is out of His dominion

He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. (Psalm 18:11)

He is the God and Father of all,

God comes from Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
His splendor covers the heavens,
And the earth is full of His praise. (Habakkuk 3:3)

Teman and Mount Paran are references for Esau, Jacob’s brother who lost the blessing.

He is often confused with the Son, or forgotten completely which makes it difficult to understand verses like these,

¹³ I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (1 Timothy 6:13-16)

When they met the Father in the time of Moses, fear.

¹⁸ All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” ²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” ²¹ So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was. (Exodus 20:18-21)

But when Moses saw the Son,

⁵ The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. ⁶ Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; ⁷ who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” ⁸ Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. ⁹ He said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.” (Exodus 34:5-9)

And as to whether there is a distinction,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:2)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:2)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:3)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father. ³We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, (Colossians 1:2b-3a)

References

John 8:19

Psalm 18:11

Habakkuk 3:3

1 Timothy 6:13-16

Exodus 20:18-21

Exodus 34:5-9

1 Corinthians 1:2

2 Corinthians 1:2

Galatians 1:3

Ephesians 1:2

Philippians 1:2

Colossians 1:2-3

²³ Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:23)