What makes God known as “Father”? The straightforward explanation is that this is how Scripture refers to God; for instance, Jesus instructs us to address God as “Our Father” in the Lord’s prayer. Matthew 6:9 explains. But it’s also beneficial to delve a little bit more. Why does the Bible refer to God as “Father”?
This begs the questions, “Who is God, and what is His like?”
Jesus, the Word, is God
According to John 1:1–2, “The Word existed in the beginning and was both God and the Word.” He was there in the beginning with God. To put it another way, before the universe was created, there existed God and the Word; both are aspects of God, but they are also separate entities. According to John 1:14, “the Word became flesh” alludes to Jesus’ incarnation, or the time when He took on the form of a man. Jesus, the Word, is thus God.
Then, in John 5:19–23, Jesus addresses Himself as “the Son” and speaks of his “Father,” referring to God (5:18). What makes God a father, then? For that is the nature of God, who has always existed as both Father and Son (as well as the Holy Spirit, according to John 15:26).
Trinity
This concept of God’s nature is known as “the Trinity.” A helpful term for the God of the Bible is “Trinity,” which denotes the existence of a single God existing in three separate Persons. Therefore, it isn’t quite accurate to state that God is Father. It is preferable to refer to God as three Persons, the Father being one of them (God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Because He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible refers to Him as “the Father” (Ephesians 1:3).
God wants to be our Father
However, wonderfully, the Father isn’t just the Father of His Son, Jesus Christ. We can become His children, that is, we too can call this God, “our Father.” In the Old Testament, when God was about to rescue Israel out from slavery in Egypt, He said “This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son…” (Exodus 4:22). So God calls Israel His son! However, through the Old Testament, we see that Israel wasn’t a good son, rather they were a rebellious, disobedient son (e.g. Psalm 106:7; 106:43; Isaiah 1:2; Ezekiel 2:5).
Therefore, God is gathering a new people for Himself, including both Jews and non-Jews (Mark 12:1-12). In Galatians 4:4-7 we read:
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
This is Christianity’s amazing good news. Paul states at the beginning of verse 3 that the Galatians were captives to this world. God, however, sent His Son, Jesus, into the world after that. They too are children of God, with God as their Father, because Jesus redeemed a people for Himself via His death on the cross and welcomed them into His family. Since they are now God’s sons (children) and no longer his slaves, they can address him as “Abba! Father!”
That we can make amends with the God who created the planet and the skies, who created us and is our owner, and that we can address Him as Father and become His own children is truly wonderful news!
