God Has Always Been Father
By Barry Adams
Matthew 6:9-13
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. NIV
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. NIV
There are over 300 descriptions of the character and nature of God found in the Old Testament. Some of the names we are most familiar with are Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim, and El Shaddai. But there are many other names of God that were used to describe His majesty, His holiness and His power.
However, when Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago, He only used one name alone to describe the character and nature of God. And that name was 'Father'. In a religious environment where the Pharisees of the day could not even say the name 'Yahweh' out loud, Jesus taught the every day people to address God as their Father in heaven.
He even told His listeners, to pray in secret to their Father because He knew what they needed before they even asked for it (Matthew 6:6-8). Jesus also reminded them that if their heavenly Father feeds the birds of the air, how much more will He look after them (Matthew 6:25-32).
It is important for us to understand the earth-shaking ramifications of how Jesus taught us to call God, 'Our Father'. If we realize that all these references to God being our Father were still in the Old Covenant because Jesus had not yet died and rose again, this means God has always been our Father even before our conversion.
To better appreciate this, all we have to do is go back to humanity's origins and we will see that Adam and Eve were God's children (Luke 3:38). So if they were God's children, then that means He was their Father. Since we know that God never changes (Malachi 3:6), this clearly means that He still had a father's heart for them after they left the garden. And He has had a father's heart for all humanity ever since.
We can see the threads of God's fathering heart towards Israel in these passages...
Deuteronomy 32:6
Is this the way you repay the Lord, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator who made you and formed you? NIV
Isaiah 64:8
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. NIV
Jeremiah 3:19-20
19 “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. 20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord. NIV
When we have eyes to see it, we will begin to appreciate at a deeper level that God has always been Father. It is important to be reminded that when Adam and Eve left the garden, God didn't change... they did. Though they decided to reject God's fathering heart, His steadfast love has always remained the same not only for them but for the entire human race.
So when we declare that there is one God and Father of us all, we are simply declaring the biblical truth found in 1 Corinthians 8:6... But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created,and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live. NLT
The Apostle Paul reiterates this in his amazing prayer in Ephesians 3:14-15 with a declaration of God's fatherhood throughout the universe when he prayed...14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. NIV
The truth is that God fathered every one of us in the physical realm (Isaiah 64:8) when He fashioned us in His own image (Genesis 1:27). And it was God Himself who knit us together in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13) and brought us forth on the day we were born (Psalm 71:6).
While this is biblically clear, for some reason, the idea of God fathering the human race seems to be controversial. It is as if we are afraid to acknowledge God's fathering of humanity in case it negates our need for salvation. But my question is, if we all didn't originate in the heart of God, where did we come from?
The Bible is the story of a Father who lost His children in a garden and then sent His Son to get us back. It is that simple, yet that eternally profound. Jesus' death on a cross and His glorious resurrection made a way for us to experience a new birth by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3) so we could truly know at a heart level that His Father was our Father (John 20:17).
God has always been Father and He will always be Father throughout eternity. That is who He is. Our response to His fathering love will not change that one way or the other. The only thing that is at issue is how will we respond to His continual outpouring of love? Will we respond to His invitation to believe and receive the free gift of His beloved Son? My hope and prayer is that we would all realize that this has been Father, Son & Spirit's desire all along and cry out... Abba! Father! (Romans 8:15-17)
John 1:11-13
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. NIV
However, when Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago, He only used one name alone to describe the character and nature of God. And that name was 'Father'. In a religious environment where the Pharisees of the day could not even say the name 'Yahweh' out loud, Jesus taught the every day people to address God as their Father in heaven.
He even told His listeners, to pray in secret to their Father because He knew what they needed before they even asked for it (Matthew 6:6-8). Jesus also reminded them that if their heavenly Father feeds the birds of the air, how much more will He look after them (Matthew 6:25-32).
It is important for us to understand the earth-shaking ramifications of how Jesus taught us to call God, 'Our Father'. If we realize that all these references to God being our Father were still in the Old Covenant because Jesus had not yet died and rose again, this means God has always been our Father even before our conversion.
To better appreciate this, all we have to do is go back to humanity's origins and we will see that Adam and Eve were God's children (Luke 3:38). So if they were God's children, then that means He was their Father. Since we know that God never changes (Malachi 3:6), this clearly means that He still had a father's heart for them after they left the garden. And He has had a father's heart for all humanity ever since.
We can see the threads of God's fathering heart towards Israel in these passages...
Deuteronomy 32:6
Is this the way you repay the Lord, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator who made you and formed you? NIV
Isaiah 64:8
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. NIV
Jeremiah 3:19-20
19 “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. 20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord. NIV
When we have eyes to see it, we will begin to appreciate at a deeper level that God has always been Father. It is important to be reminded that when Adam and Eve left the garden, God didn't change... they did. Though they decided to reject God's fathering heart, His steadfast love has always remained the same not only for them but for the entire human race.
So when we declare that there is one God and Father of us all, we are simply declaring the biblical truth found in 1 Corinthians 8:6... But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created,and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live. NLT
The Apostle Paul reiterates this in his amazing prayer in Ephesians 3:14-15 with a declaration of God's fatherhood throughout the universe when he prayed...14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. NIV
The truth is that God fathered every one of us in the physical realm (Isaiah 64:8) when He fashioned us in His own image (Genesis 1:27). And it was God Himself who knit us together in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13) and brought us forth on the day we were born (Psalm 71:6).
While this is biblically clear, for some reason, the idea of God fathering the human race seems to be controversial. It is as if we are afraid to acknowledge God's fathering of humanity in case it negates our need for salvation. But my question is, if we all didn't originate in the heart of God, where did we come from?
The Bible is the story of a Father who lost His children in a garden and then sent His Son to get us back. It is that simple, yet that eternally profound. Jesus' death on a cross and His glorious resurrection made a way for us to experience a new birth by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3) so we could truly know at a heart level that His Father was our Father (John 20:17).
God has always been Father and He will always be Father throughout eternity. That is who He is. Our response to His fathering love will not change that one way or the other. The only thing that is at issue is how will we respond to His continual outpouring of love? Will we respond to His invitation to believe and receive the free gift of His beloved Son? My hope and prayer is that we would all realize that this has been Father, Son & Spirit's desire all along and cry out... Abba! Father! (Romans 8:15-17)
John 1:11-13
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. NIV