Trinity: Do you know God as your father?
Trinity: Do you know God as your father?
Posted on June 4, 2008 Updated on June 4, 2008
God the father
In the Old Testament, there is a reaching out toward God as Father. He is spoken of as a Father in the sense of Creator. God compares Himself to a father “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13) (see also Isaiah 63:16; Jeremiah 3:4 and 19,
Hosea 11).
In prayer, God is addressed as Jesus Lord, Lord God Almighty, My God and the like 6:9) but not as Father. There is a dramatic change when Jesus came to earth to show us the Father.
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus distance from prays an amazing prayer for Himself, for His
disciples, for all believers and especially for a unity among His followers that mirrors the unity in the Godhead. As you read through religious the prayer in John 17, ask yourself what it reveals of our intimate relationship with God. What does Jesus call God?
Quite simply, Jesus calls God Father. That comes six times (vs 1, 5, 11, 21, 24, 25). Jesus speaks as a mature son to his Father and his prayer shows the unity and intimacy they enjoy as he prays for the unity of all believers.
– so that they may be one as we are one (vs 11)
– that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you (vs 21)
– that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me (vs 23)
Throughout all the gospels, Jesus referred to God as Father. Sometimes, He does speak of God and the Kingdom of God (e.g. Matthew 19:26; Luke 10:9) but far more often He speaks about God as the Father or as My Father, (Luke 2:49; John 6:44 & 46). In prayer, Jesus always addressed God as Father (e.g. Mark 14:36) except when he quoted Psalm 22 from the cross and cried out ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Mark 14:34)
At Jesus’ baptism and at the transfiguration, God spoke from heaven calling Jesus His Son. “You are My Son, whom I love” (Luke 3:22) “This is My Son, whom I have chosen”. (Luke 9:35)
Jesus taught us to pray ‘Our Father’ (Matt. 6:9). As Christians we are comfortable to call God “Abba, Father”. We do not always realise that this is only because Jesus, the Son of God introduced God to us as Father. In the Old Testament ordinary people stood at a distance from God. Only the high priest was
allowed into the presence of the Lord in the Holy of Holies once a year to represent the
people. When Jesus came he offended the religious leaders by his intimacy with God as
Father (John 5:17-18).
Source:
‘Families for life Bible Study notes and Sermon Outlines’ by David and Janet Cunningham. Family Impact. Read the full text at: http://www.familyimpact.org.za
