Source Ministries International

JESUS said, “I and the Father are one. … If you have seen me,

you have seen the Father” (John 14:9, John 10:30).

Paterology is the theological term for the study of God the Father. We must know and understand the role of God as Father because God is Father. Moses first mentioned God as Father with these words in Deuteronomy 32:6 ESV, “Is not He your father, who created you, who made you and established you?” The Apostle Paul referred to God as Father when he said, “There is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him” (1 Corinthians 8:6 NASB). Jesus Himself made more than 150 references to God as a father.

How did Jesus refer to God? He called Him Abba, Daddy God, the ultimate term of personal intimacy and affection. One example of this is Mark 14:36. “Abba, Father,” Jesus said, “everything is possible for You. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”

It is one thing to know God, but quite another to know Him as Father-Abba-Daddy. Such a term of endearment is rare on planet Earth.

One person I counseled said, “I don’t want to hear anything about God the Father. Jesus is OK. He was a friend of sinners, and He helped people. But my father was not very good, so talking about ‘father’ is too painful for me. I just don’t trust fathers!”

All earthly fathers are flawed. Even the best fathers have their weaknesses, and they all, at times, have failed. But not Daddy God. He is the perfect Father. There is simply no comparison to our amazing Daddy God! So what is Father God like? This is the age-old question.

That is why Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (John 14:8-12).

In John 1:18, we are told that, “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.” However, Jesus Christ wants to do more than just show us the Father. He wants to connect us with the Father, so that we might know Him as our Father too! Jesus died and rose again in order that He and the Father might come to us and abide with us forever! And that’s what makes our Heavenly Father so amazing for us: when we receive Christ He actually becomes our Daddy God!

The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are distinctly different in one significant way. It all has to do with the way God relates to mankind. God is the same, but His relationship with mankind is uniquely different. In the Old Testament, God was the caretaker, but in the New Testament, He becomes our father! In the Old Testament God is the creator, the sovereign ruler, the protector, provider, leader, and guide. But God was detached from us, far removed from us, in another realm, inaccessible to us.

But God’s care for us is excellent. Therefore, He wanted to do so much more for us. God realized that what we really needed was a Heavenly Father. He wanted us to be a part of His forever family. Therefore, God came to us in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. Now through Christ, we can become a part of God’s Heavenly family. Which means that in union with Christ, God becomes our amazing Daddy God!

Why am I telling you this? Because most earthly fathers relate to their children more like God did in the Old Testament. They are merely caretakers. While this is an honorable task, it does not meet the needs of children. Children must have a true father, one who will love them and accept them unconditionally. They require a Daddy who will nurture them, spend time with them, and show an interest in them. They need a Daddy who will have compassion on them, forgive them for their faults, and restore them when they fall. They want a Daddy who will treat them with respect as true family members, not as servants, slaves, or mere house guests, but as sons and daughters.

That is exactly what Abba Father does. Only God is a good, good Father! He’s one of a kind, for as Jesus said in Matthew 19:17, there is none good but one-God Himself. And now the Lord Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to have a relationship with God.

Christ provided a way for us to be connected to God, so that we might have a personal relationship with God as our Father, our very own Daddy God. Now, through Christ, you can be born into God’s family. That is why you must be born again. It is essential for you to be born of the incorruptible seed of God the Father. The Spirit of God is the seed of God (1 Peter 1:23). And “in Christ,” who is the living Word, you can be born again by the incorruptible seed of God.

Consider John 20:17 where Jesus said to Mary, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17).

It is finished! The great transaction is complete. Now God can become your Father, your Daddy God. But you must receive Him!

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ ” (Romans 8:15)

“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6)

Through His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus has made it possible for God to be your Father too. You now have a direct connection with Holy God on the most personal level possible, as your Abba Father. Calling Almighty God Daddy is not something that should be taken lightly. This is a great privilege that came at a great price, and that has resulted in a great opportunity for you. Use it respectfully and wisely!

“Furthermore we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them: shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?” (Hebrews 12:9)

“And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8:5).

It is time to submit yourself totally to the Lord God Almighty as your Abba Father and trust Him completely with your life. He loves you unconditionally. Receive His love and love Him wholeheartedly. The results will be amazing!

In John 14:23, Jesus made an astounding promise. He said that if you love Him, then He and the Father would come to you and make their abode in you. Thus, the perfect Father, who has become your Daddy God, will take up residence in you. So now, He can express His fatherly attributes through you, thus enabling you to function in the perfection of your Heavenly Father. Like Father, like son is now your heritage in Christ!

Dr. Lewis Gregory © 2017

LISTEN: Like Father, Like Son – Do you bear the family likeness? Whose image is expressed in your life?  https://www.sourceministries.net/go/2012/06/like-father-like-son/