For Christians the concept of “God the Father” remains an integral part of their faith, worship and belief.
This simple phrase from the first words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven, expresses the very heart and belief of Christianity of a God who is not only the Creator and Sustainer, but also a loving, intimate, and a caring Father made us known by Jesus and later for Eternity.
“God the Father” as Told by Jesus
What does God mean to a Christian in faith? What is about God that every Christian seek Him as “Father” that is held as the core of their Christian belief.
What is so essential that we not only call God as “Father” but build a relationship with God of a son or a daughter as a Christian?
For us Christians and persons of faith before Christianity as seen in the Old Testament glimpses of God’s Holiness, justice, love, and power was seen and lived, but it was only through Jesus that the full nature of God, the Father was made clear.
As the apostle John declared,
“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.” (John 1:18)
The Bible reveals God as Father all throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
In the Old Testament God revealed Himself progressively throughout Scriptures as:
- The Creator (Genesis 1:1)
- The Almighty Judge (Genesis 18:25)
- The Covenant Keeper (Exodus 6:7)
- The Holy One (Isaiah 6:3)
Amidst all this God was a mystery, the unknown One.
God’s presence was veiled in a burning bush (Exodus 3), or the Holy of Holies (Leviticus 16:2).
God’s holiness was so overwhelming that sinful humans could not approach God directly.
Even Israelites sometimes misunderstood God, seeing Him as harsh and judgmental rather than loving.
The sacrificial system of offering animals to God pointed to humanity’s need to appease God for atonement of their sins.
Though in the Old Testament, God is called Father a handful of times…
But it was often in the context of His relationship with Israel.
(Deuteronomy 32:6), here the image of God as Father conveys his power in creation, and covenant.
However, it’s in the New Testament, especially in the teachings of Jesus, where the fatherhood of God is brought for us clearly.
Firstly, Jesus addressed God as His ‘Father’ and also spoke of His own ‘Oneness’ with God …
“…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9)
‘I and the Father are one” (John 10:30)
Unlike the believers in God around, Jesus showed that God is personal, familial, loving, and merciful.
In a way Jesus corrected or revealed the true identity, nature and a relationship of God with mankind.
- Not a harsh judge, but a loving Father
- Not a distant deity, but an involved Savior in a Father
- Not a God who demands works and sacrifice, but a Father who offers grace, mercy, and kinship.
How Jesus speaks about God as ‘His Father’?
- “Our Father”
Jesus refers to God as ‘Father’ over 150 times in the Gospels and also teaches His disciples “The Lord’s Prayer” wherein He advocates them to address God as “Father” and have a relationship with God marked by intimacy, trust and openness.
- Adoption through Christ
The New Testament presents believers as adopted children of God through faith in Christ (Romans 8:15), (John 1:12), further reinforcing God’s fatherhood not only of Israel, but all who believe in Him.
- Provider and Sustainer
Jesus says about His Father…
“Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” (Matthew 6:8)
“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32)
With the above verses, God is described as the generous provider that a ‘Father’ is.
- Revelation of the “Father” by Jesus
In the Scriptures we find a profound and perfect revelation of the ‘Father, by Jesus.
Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9)
Jesus is the exact representation of the ‘Father’ (Hebrews 1:3)
For us believers Jesus had brought us closer to God, building us into a relationship with God of a ‘Father and Son’ and thus we can proudly call God as our ‘Father’.
Understanding “God the Father” through Jesus
Jesus speaks to His disciples how He and God the Father are the same. So everything that Jesus is doing is doing what the Father wants Him to do as now Jesus and God the Father are the same.
Jesus is thus giving us a glimpse of “God the Father” through Him, His life, when He, Jesus dwelt amongst us.
Jesus shows us the very character of God…
So Jesus’ actions and teachings meant that of God the Father.
God is Compassionate and Merciful.
It was His compassion and mercy for the suffering and those in sin that had Jesus heal the blind, devil-possessed, and the mute could now speak.
He forgave the sinful woman in adultery, the physically paralyzed, the one who had denied Him in Peter, all who crucified Him, and many more.
Jesus even illustrates to us the ‘Story of the Prodigal Son” wherein putting at display the very nature of God towards His Son of love, mercy, and forgiveness.
By feeding the hungry and raising Lazarus and the widow’s only son from death, Jesus showed, God’s not indifferent in human sufferings.
God is Near and Personal
Jesus walked among ordinary people, many sinful persons like us. He ate with them, wept with them.
Jesus as God was not a deity of the skies, He was “God with us” (Emmanuel). He was with concern for the people, (turning water into wine), proclaiming repentance so mankind could be saved and be in communion with ‘God the Father’ in eternity.
God is Just and Holy
While Jesus was kind, He also called out hypocrisy, cleansed the temple of wrongdoings at the holy place, and emphasized repentance. He revealed to us a God who is holy and just and who cares deeply about truth and righteousness.
God is Love
God’s love for us humanity was lived in the sacrifice of His only Son, dying on the Cross in atonement for our sins.
God the Father’s love is pure, self-sacrificing and unconditional for us.
Why Jesus is asking us to address the Almighty God as ‘Father’?
This, then, is how you should pray, “Our Father in heaven…”
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He didn’t tell them to begin with, ‘Almighty, Powerful, God’ or ‘My Creator in Heaven’, instead He said, ‘Our Father’.
This seemed radical at the time and remains a core for every Christian belief to call God as ‘Father’.
Calling God the Father means…
Eternal Relationship, Not Just a Religion
By calling God as ‘Father’, Jesus invites us into an intimate, personal, eternal relationship with the Almighty God who is not a distant controller.
He is our father, a loving parent, who loves and cares for His children.
Reflecting Our Eternal Identity
When we call God, ‘Father’, we’re reminded that we are God’s sons and daughters, not mere humans and creations, but family, and extension of God.
This gives us security, value, and purpose.
No Fear and Builds Trust
God the Father, full of love, compassion, and mercy is not to be feared but approached in trust.
Jesus wants that we reach God, not because of our goodness, but because of His grace.
Calling God as ‘Father’, is a gift, a grace of being one with God. We are given a status, a position, in God’s Kingdom of ‘Sons and Daughters of God.”
We should not just be calling God as ‘Father’ in words, it is a relationship that Jesus wants us to build of family and fellowship with God.
We are like the “Prodigal Son” away from the Father in a foreign land, our home and staying is with God.
With our life of virtue and holiness as we live our days on Earth, in teachings of Jesus, let’s start walking back towards ‘Our Father’ who like the Father of the story of the ‘Prodigal Son’ is waiting for us with open arms of love and forgiveness.
Like Jesus, we too can know God not just as Almighty, but as Abba, our loving God the Father.
Amen.
