Why is God referred to as a Father?
Whose Father is He? How does He act as a Father to each of us?
Whose Father is He? How does He act as a Father to each of us?
What should we learn from this important
aspect of God?
The
book of Revelation chapter 4 gives us a glimpse of God’s throne.
In
verse 8 impressive created beings address the One on the throne as Lord God
Almighty.
Two
verses later 24 elders fall to the ground, remove their crowns and cast them
before the throne. They do so to demonstrate great humility and to recognize
the Almighty as the One who created all things.
The
Bible reveals God to be all powerful—a Being of great strength. Psalm 62:11
says, “God has spoken once, twice I have heard
this: That power belongs to God”.
Further,
Hebrews 12:29 records, “Our God is a
consuming fire.”
Even
though God is shown to be the omnipotent Creator and ruling authority who must
be respectfully revered, He also describes Himself as a Father.
That
title carries several revealing connotations that give clarity and insight into
God’s character and plan for mankind.
Many meanings of “father”
-
The word father is used to describe one who passes on
life or who creates, originates or founds something.
For
example, James Naismith is the “father” of basketball because he created the
game over 100 years ago.
Abraham
is called the father of the faithful since the promises of eternal life through
faith originated with him (Romans 4:16).
We
each have a physical father who gave us life, and thus it is customary in most
cultures to carry the surname of our male parent, and most naturally call him
“Dad” or “Father.”
-
However, being a father does not always project something positive. Jesus told
some of the hypocritical people of His day, “You
are of your father the devil” (John 8:44).
He
did not mean Satan had given them physical life, but that they were following
his example of spiritual wickedness. Satan is the father of lies and murder,
inspiring others to do the same.
-
God the Father, on the other hand, is the source of truth and love (John 17:17; 1 John 4:16).
Father through creation
Ephesians
3:14-15 states, “For this reason I bow my knee to the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”
These
two verses show that God’s overall household or family is both in heaven and on
earth.
Through
creation, God is the Father of both
-
the angelic world (Job 1:6; 38:7)
and
-
humans (Malachi 2:10; Luke 3:38).
Almighty
God is responsible for everything that exists; thus He rightfully is a Father
to all who have life (1 Timothy 6:13). So, it was natural for the apostle Paul
to refer to God as the head of a vast family.
God
reveals to us that He was also a Father to the children of Israel, that is,
Abraham’s family grown large through Isaac and Jacob.
God
refers to Israel as His firstborn (Exodus 4:22), meaning He is the One who gave
these former slaves life and identity as a nation, calling them His own.
In Jeremiah 31:9 God says, “For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”
Jesus: His own begotten Son
Jesus
Christ is the Son of God in a unique and special way. He is identified as the “Son of the Most High God” (Mark 5:7).
Psalm
2:7 says, “You are My Son, today I have
begotten You.” Jesus referred to God as His Father on numerous occasions.
The very well-known John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”
Adam
and Eve were created by God from the dust of the ground and given life by God,
but they did not have a mother, nor were they conceived.
Jesus
Christ is the only Being that was born of a virgin by God’s own Spirit
overshadowing Mary, resulting in a conception (Luke 1:35).
Jesus
is literally the only begotten Son of God. All other humans have a physical
father. So God is a Father to Jesus in a way that He is not to any other living
being.
Our spiritual Father
Though
we all have physical life when we enter this world, God plans to offer all
human beings the chance to experience an additional spiritual beginning that
can result in eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
This
aspect of the gospel message reveals how, through repentance, baptism and the
receiving of God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), God Almighty can actually become
our Father in a very personal way.
He
becomes our Father, and we become His children, when we are spiritually
converted. Romans 8:14 tells us, “For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
The
apostle Paul tells us in Romans
8:9, “You are not in the flesh but in the
Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
Of
course, we are still literally flesh, but Paul was speaking of this from God’s
perspective.
-
We begin our spiritual life as babes (1 Peter 2:2),
-
but we are to grow in Christian maturity until our death or until Christ
returns (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
Through
this new life based on God’s Spirit living in us, we can begin to not only
grasp spiritual truths and values (1 Corinthians 2:9-11), but also have a very
personal, close relationship with God our Father.
Paul
says that we are now able to address Him as “Abba,
Father” (Romans 8:15).
Personal relationship
The
Holman Concise Bible Commentary says,
“Abba is the transliteration of the
Aramaic term for father, implying great familiarity and intimacy.”
Easton’s
Bible Dictionary says
it is “a term expressing warm affection
and filial confidence.”
God
reveals through the New Testament that we can have a warm, affectionate,
personal relationship with Him that goes far beyond just acknowledging Him as
the One who created us and who gives us beneficial rules to make our lives
happy and complete.
We
are children in God’s eyes and enjoy the special connection and love only a
father and his children can enjoy. We are not just servants having a master,
but sons and daughters having a Father.
This
brings us back to the first chapter of Genesis, where Moses records God’s
desire to “make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness” (verse 26).
Christians
are able to share in the divine nature of God Himself (2 Peter 1:4)!
A loving Father
God
reveals Himself to mankind in the role of a Father
in several contexts. The
most important is that of a spiritual Father.
Thus,
Christians experience a God who expresses all the qualities of a loving Father.
-
He gives us life (John 3:3);
-
He loves us (John 3:16);
-
He rewards our efforts (Hebrews 11:6);
-
He communicates with us through His Word (John 17:17; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13);
-
He corrects us lovingly (Hebrews 12:3-11); and, most important,
He
will grant us the ultimate gift of life—eternal life in His Kingdom through His
grace (Roman 6:23; Ephesians
2:5)— if we repent of our sins and obey His commands (Acts 2:38).
To
experience God as a personal, caring, loving Father, you have to receive Jesus
Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. You become a child of God and begin
the fulfillment of the reason you were created by God.
Say
the following prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner
and my sins have separated me from you.
I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my past
sinful life and live a new life pleasing to you.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid
sinning again.
I believe that your son, Jesus
Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my
prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of
my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank you that
according to your Word, I am now Your child, and I am born again.
Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life.
Please use me for
Your glory.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.”
Related
Posts:
lyrics
Like a father feeds his children
Like a shepherd leads his flock
The Lord will always guide us
Show us where to walk
And in times when we have plenty
In times when we have not
He is our Provider
And His mercy never stops
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
From the morning to the evening
Like a shepherd leads his flock
The Lord will always guide us
Show us where to walk
And in times when we have plenty
In times when we have not
He is our Provider
And His mercy never stops
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
From the morning to the evening
'til the sunrise again
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
He is the great "I Am"
As we come into His presence
Confessing Him as Lord
His Holy Spirit leads us
And He feeds us by His word
We're seated at His table
Partaking of His love
Children of His kingdom
Purchased by His blood
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
From the morning to the evening
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
He is the great "I Am"
As we come into His presence
Confessing Him as Lord
His Holy Spirit leads us
And He feeds us by His word
We're seated at His table
Partaking of His love
Children of His kingdom
Purchased by His blood
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
From the morning to the evening
'til the sunrise again
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
He is the great "I Am"
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
From the morning to the evening
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
He is the great "I Am"
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
From the morning to the evening
'til the sunrise again
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
He is the great "I Am"
He is the great "I Am"
He is the great "I Am"
He is the great "I Am"...
Like a shepherd He leads us
Like a father He feeds us
He is the great "I Am"
He is the great "I Am"
He is the great "I Am"
He is the great "I Am"...
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