“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby ye cry, Abba Father.” – Romans 8:15 (KJV)
Words like ‘father,’ ‘mother,’ ‘son,’ and ‘daughter’ stand for the richest relationships in human life because without them, we would not exist. But we can go much further than that! Wise and good parents raise us in loving families, which help us develop and mature into whole people. We should be grateful!
What does the Bible say about God being our “Father?” God is known as Father through Jesus the Son. Jesus came and preached the Kingdom of God. He spoke of His ‘Father,’ as ‘Abba, ’ an intimate word for ‘Daddy.’ In Israel today, you can hear little children calling out ‘Imma’ (Mummy) and ‘Abba’ (Daddy).
Jesus was highlighting His relationship with the Lord of all, knowing that this God is not aloof and distant, but close at hand – He is not distant. The Jews felt that God’s name was too sacred to be used, even to be uttered, so whenever they came upon the word ‘Yahweh’ in the Bible, they used ‘Lord’- but Jesus called him ‘Father’ – even ‘My Abba.’
Two events had to happen before God could be known as our Father:
- Jesus, the Son of God, had to come as a man and reveal God to us through His ministry, i.e., His death, burial, and resurrection had to be completed.
- It had to become personal to us. We cannot become God’s family without the Holy Spirit entering our lives and starting the new creation within us. This is revealed in the account with Nicodemus and Jesus. (John 3:1-21).
The Bible speaks much of God’s love and care. The term ‘Father’ means that God looks after us as a real parent should. He provides for us, He defends us, He loves us. We should not hesitate to use such a term for our God. Jesus saw it as important and handed it down to us. He lived His life, aware and confident, that He could not drift from His Father’s care and love. We must be careful not to pray, “Our Father,” and live as though we are orphans.
Read: John 3:3-6; Luke 11:1-2
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 74:18-23; Acts 12:20-25; Acts 13:1-12; 1 Kings 3:16-28; 1 Kings 4; 1 Kings 5