God the Father

Why does God have the title of Father? Whose father? How does God fulfill the role of Father in our lives? And what should we learn from this important facet of our Creator? 

Chapter 4 of the book of Revelation vividly describes the throne of God. Verse 8 tells of impressive creatures constantly praising him with the name "Lord God Almighty," and two verses later we see 24 elders bow down and cast their crowns before his throne. These are all displays of humility and praise to the Almighty Creator of all things.

The Bible describes God as an absolutely powerful and strong Being. In Psalms 62:11, for example, we read: “Once God spoke; I have heard this twice: that power is from God ”(emphasis added). And Hebrews 12:29 tells us that "our God is a consuming fire."  

But while God is the omnipotent Creator and Lord of all, to whom we owe respect and reverence, He also describes himself as a Father. And as we will see, all the meanings of this title are very revealing as to the character of God and his plan for humanity.

Meanings of "father"

The word "father" can refer to who gave life to another person or who created, originated or founded something. James Naismith , for example, is known as the "father" of basketball for having invented the game more than 100 years ago. And Abraham is called the father of the faithful because the promise of eternal life through faith began with him (Romans 4:16).

On the other hand, we all have a physical father who gave us life, whom we call "father" and from whom our surname comes —as is the custom in most parts of the world.

However, having the title of father is not always a positive thing. On one occasion, Jesus told a group of his contemporaries that he was characterized by his hypocrisy: "You are of your father the devil" (John 8:44). This does not mean that Satan gave them life; it means that they were following their example of spiritual deviation. Satan is the father of lies and murder because he inspires others to do the same as him.

God the Father, on the other hand, is the source of truth and love (John 17:17; 1 John 4:16).

Father by creation

In Ephesians 3: 14-15 we read: "For this cause I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name."

In other words, everything in heaven and on earth is under the authority of God. As the Creator of all, God is the Father of both angels (Job 1: 6; 38: 7) and men (Malachi 2:10; Luke 3:38). From Him comes everything that exists; He is the Father of all living things (1 Timothy 4:16). No wonder then that Paul has referred to God as Head of a large family.

More specifically, God is also shown to be the Father of the people of Israel — descendants of Abraham along the lines of Isaac and Jacob. It was He who brought them out of slavery to give them life and identity as a nation and call them their firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). In Jeremiah 31: 9 God states, "I am Israel a father, and Ephraim is my firstborn."

Christ: His only begotten Son

But unlike other human beings, Jesus Christ is the Son of God in a very particular way. The Bible identifies him as “Son of the Most High God” (Mark 5: 7) and God Himself tells him “My son is you; I begot you today ”(Psalms 2: 7). Furthermore, Jesus Christ referred to God as his Father on many occasions. And we cannot forget the well-known John 3:16: "Because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son."

True, God created Adam and Eve from the dust of the earth and gave them life; but none of them had a mother or were conceived. Jesus Christ is the only Being that has been born of a virgin, conceived in the womb of Mary by the Spirit of God (Luke 1:35). This literally makes him the only begotten Son of God. With the exception of Christ, all human beings have physical parents. Therefore, God is the Father of Jesus Christ in a way that is not for any other being.

Our spiritual Father

But the message of Jesus Christ reveals to us another very interesting aspect of the role of God as our Father. Although we are all physically born already, God wants to give us the opportunity for a new spiritual beginning that could eventually lead us to eternal life in his kingdom.

Through repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38), Almighty God can become our Father in a very special way. He becomes our Father and we his children when we are spiritually converted; "For all who are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God" (Romans 8:14).

In Romans 8: 9 Paul tells us: "But you do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you." Of course we live according to the flesh in the literal sense! But here Paul is speaking from God's point of view. Our spiritual life begins from the smallest; at first we are just babies (1 Peter 2: 2) who must grow in spiritual maturity, until the moment of death or until Christ returns (1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17).

The basis of this new life is that God puts his Spirit within us. With his Spirit we can not only begin to understand spiritual truths and principles (1 Corinthians 2: 9-11), but also have a very close and personal relationship with our Father. So much so that, as Paul says, we can now call him "Abba, Father!" (Romans 8:15).

A personal relationship

According to the Holman Concise Biblical Dictionary , "Abba is the transliteration of 'father' in Aramaic and implies special familiarity and intimacy." And the Easton’s Bible Dictionary tells us that this word “expresses warm affection and filial trust.”    

In the New Testament, God reveals to us that we can have a personal, warm and intimate relationship with Him — one that goes far beyond simply recognizing Him as our Creator, who gives us beneficial laws for our happiness and fulfillment. God truly sees us as his children and allows us to enjoy the connection and love that can only exist between a father and his children. Now we are not just servants of a Lord; we are children of a loving Father.

This no doubt reminds us of the first chapter of Genesis, when God says, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (v. 26). God wants His children to become like Him even in nature! (2 Peter 1: 4).

A loving father

God is the Father of humanity in many ways. But his most important role is that of spiritual Father. For a Christian, God truly is a loving Father with all that that entails. It gives us life (John 3: 3); loves us (John 3:16); he rewards us for our effort (Hebrews 11: 6); he speaks to us through his word (John 17:17; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1: 5; 1 Thessalonians 2:13); he corrects us with love (Hebrews 12: 3-11); And, more importantly, he will give us the gift of eternal life in his kingdom through his grace (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2: 5), if we repent of our sins and obey his commandments (Acts 2: 38).