The concept of God being our Father is found throughout Scripture – although it is directly mentioned much more in the New Testament than in the Old. God as 'Father' is mentioned just 15 times in the entire Old Testament (though aspects of his fatherliness are often mentioned without direct use of the term 'Father'). In the Gospels, however, Jesus Himself refers to God as His Father over 165 times, with this practice being continued through the letters of Paul, Peter, James and John and on into the culture of the early Church.

Drawing a Family to Himself

References to God as Father often take one of two forms. The first group of scriptures refer to God as Father in a creational sense, as the ultimate Source of all that exists and as Sovereign over all our lives. Whatever happens in life, in the nations and in the course of human history, God is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, in total control of all that happens (e.g. Isaiah 64:8; Mal 2:10; John 1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 4:6).

The other group of scriptures refer to God's Fatherhood in a more intimate, familial sense - as Father of His sons and daughters, of those He has drawn out of the world, unto Himself. For the Apostles and the early Church, following Jesus' lead, God's Fatherhood is expressly personal; He was always already Father of all Creation – but He also desires and purposes to be Father of an eternal family.

Jesus' Example

Despite their prevalence in the New Testament, this second group of scriptures can be traced throughout the whole Bible. God's desire to draw a family to Himself is from eternity. E.g.:

I myself said, 'How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.' I thought you would call me 'Father' and not turn away from following me. (Jeremiah 3:10)

Yet, it is through Jesus that we get our closest insight into the intimacy, identity and devotion that come from experiencing God as our Abba. Not only did Jesus constantly refer to God as His Father, He also modelled sonship perfectly, walking in devoted love for and dependence on the Father for everything. Jesus shows us that God desires to father us personally, individually and intimately – and for us each to take our places as unique, beloved children in His Kingdom family.

Taking his cue from this, through the letters Paul refers often to "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ", to our "adoption as sons" (Eph 1:5), to our position as "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ" (Rom 8:17), who is "firstborn among many brothers" (Rom 8:29). When we pray "Our Father" as part of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus is reminding us of our calling to belong to His Divinely ordained family, which is growing every day with new additions.

Each and every one of these additions is adopted irrevocably – no longer fathered by satan, but born again, fathered by the Lord Almighty. This is what we are holding out to those who don't believe – the opportunity to become children of God!

Like Little Children

If this is true, then we must all always come to the Father as little children (e.g. Matt 18:2-4; Luke 10:21-22). The beauty of entry into the Kingdom is that it is not based on intellectual expertise or spiritual insight – it's based on simple, childlike faith.

As we discover more and more of God's Father heart, we end up wanting all the more to be near Him, and to become like Him. What a contrast to the world, where children often set out into life with the express intention of getting as far away as possible from their parents and to avoid becoming like them at all costs (only to discover later on that they cannot escape their ancestry quite so easily!)!

God's intention is to conform us to the very likeness of His Son, who is Himself one with the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are being changed from glory to glory, becoming 'chips off the old block' in the best and most perfect way possible! And as this happens, as that first line of the Lord's prayer becomes reality in our lives, so the world looks at us and sees the likeness, the reflected glory, of the Father in His children. Amen!

Suggested readings: John 1:1-15, where God's Fatherhood of all Creation and His desire to father an eternal family are displayed side by side. Also Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the lost son.

Author: Frances Rabbitts