Celebrating God’s Role as Father

Father’s Day is a time to honor our Dad’s. As we honor our earthly Father,’s can you think of a better day to honor our Heavenly Father?

God is portrayed throughout the Bible as The Father. We see him in The Old Testament, as the Father of the Nation of Israel. As seen in several OT passages for example in Deuteronomy 32:6,  “Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?”.

According to the HELPS-word Studies, Abbá – “Father,” also used as the term of tender endearment by a beloved child – i.e. in an affectionate, dependent relationship with their father; “daddy,” “papa.”

Jesus refers to God as Abba father in the following New Testament passages.

And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” – Mark 14:36

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself  bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” – Romans 8:15-16

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

The concept of the Fatherhood of God is used over 165 times in the New Testament and 15 times in the Old Testament. We also see the use of the term Father in the earliest church councils. The Apostles Creed  begins, ”I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”  Jesus even used the term Father when He modeled for us how to pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name.”

God the Creator of the Universe is Father to the Jewish nation of Israel, He is the Father to Jesus our Savior and He is Father to us all. We are all His precious children and He loves us with an everlasting love. 

This Father’s Day as we honor our earthly Father’s let us remember that we are all God’s children and that He is our loving Heavenly Father. One way that we can honor our Heavenly Father for Father’s day is to love his children with the same love we have for Him. 

To all of the Dad’s out there, have a happy Father’s Day!