 |
| If you prefer, there is an easy to read and print READER version RIGHT HERE! |
“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” (Matt 6:9)
In what sense is
God our Father?
First,
by the benefits of our Lord and Savior: If we belong to that blessed Elect in
Christ, God is our Father in a similar manner in which He is the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. “14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth.”
(John 1:14) Of course that similarity applies with one great exception: we
are the sons and daughters of God by adoption, whereby our Lord Jesus Christ is
the Son by natural descent. He is of the very same substance with the Father.
Claiming Christ as our dearest brother, we may claim His Father, as well, as
our own. “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all
of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I
will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing
praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I
and the children which God hath given me.” (Heb
2:11-13) Also, “3 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love:” (Eph 1:3-4)
Secondly,
God is the Father of Adam and of all his natural offspring with respect to
Creation and Ownership. The legal genealogy of Joseph is given in Luke 3: “38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” (Luke 3:38) The spiritual fatherhood of God to Adam (and mankind) ended at
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Those who are the legitimate
spiritual children of God today are those who are called and chosen in Christ.
Being ‘IN’ Christ, we have become ONE ‘WITH’ Christ, and with the Father: “One
God and Father of all, who isabove
all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph 4:6) Christ is our wholesome Tree
of Life.
Thirdly,
He is the Father of Mercies which we have received from His abundant
storehouse. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.” (2 Cor 1:3)
Fourthly,
God is the Father of all righteous men and women in respect of adoption and
regeneration wrought in them by the power of His grace. “15 For ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15) “6 One God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph 4:5-6)
Now we
come to, not only the entitlement of our claim on God as our Father, but the
responsibility owed to make the claim valid. The sons and daughters of one
father usually bear a strong resemblance to that father – not only in
appearance, but in conduct and character. The latter is due to being raised
under that father’s tutelage and observing his behavior day-to-day. The sons
and daughters of God are no different. We must bear a strong resemblance to the
One in whose image we are made – not just in physical attributes, but in
spiritual ones as well. We are able to think like our Father because we have
surrendered our incorrigible wills for His, and we remain close by His side to
observe Him all the day along. Since we are the sons and daughters of the King
of Kings, we must deport ourselves as princes and princesses in order to avoid
bringing shame or disgrace upon His Holy Name.
Even
the term, ABBA, evokes a curious affection. It is pronounced the same way
whether read forward or backward. This indicates to me that the love of the
Father must be a two-way channel. Our love, though merely an echo of His, must
flow up-current to His. The word for Father in Romans 8:15 (see also Mark 14:36
& Gal 4:6) is Abba. It only appears in three places, as mentioned above, in
Scripture. It is a combination of the Hebrew word ‘Ab’ meaning to will or
acquiesce, and the Greek word for father, the ending ‘ba’, or ‘bar’, which
seems to suggest that God is the Father of both Gentiles and Jews – no division
of racial claims – consistent with the Father’s Will.
From
ancient days, the father has been the one who provides food, lodging, and
protection for the family. Our Father in Heaven is no different. He provides is
with our needs, but not necessarily our wants. Like the fathers of old, God is
willing to die for the salvation of His sons and daughters – and God has done
just that in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the
Lord’s Prayer of Matthew 6:9-13, we not only have the ‘model’ for prayer, but
also the very ‘form’ our prayers should take. We must remind ourselves that
this is not only an example of a prayer, but is a genuine prayer itself. We are
told by some that we must not repeat a FORM prayer since it is “written down”.
May I inquire whenever it may be wrong to pray the very words of Holy Scripture?
This prayer summarizes every point essential to sincere prayer, and leaves off
the trifling begging for ‘things.’ It omits the will of the suppliant in favor
of the sole will of God to be done. Christ would not have given us a prayer
that was vainly uttered.
The
Lord’s Prayer begins with “OUR Father” not “MY Father”. This indicates that the
prayer is a communal prayer to be repeated by all worshippers to the same end –
His Will be done. The only thing asked for in this prayer is for our daily
bread. That will always be sufficient to the petitioner. If God gives greater
measure, that will be His business. Though a communal prayer, the Lord’s Prayer
also serves as a personal prayer. I have uttered it many times when under
threat or danger, and it has availed the purpose.
The
fact that we refer, in worship, to God as “Our Father” means that we are
collectively One Body in Christ (the Church). We must be agreed on the points
of the Gospel and upon the full Fatherhood of God to us. If we are One in
Christ and, therefore, One in God the Father, how can we be divided by a
thousand different preferences about the work, décor, and table of the Church?
Christ is One with the Father. That means there is no difference in operation,
purpose, or intent between the two and the Holy Ghost. If we are One with
Christ, and therefore One with each other, why do we have such dissension and
division in churches?
Reader,
you are my brother or sister because we have the same Father. We may be many,
but we are One Family in God. We are, in a perfect sense, blood related because
we are joined in love by the sacrificial and redeeming blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ. I consider a fellow believer of far greater blood relations than a
brother or sister of the world who has not placed his/her trust in my Lord.
Christ gave us a sound example of this principle when His mother, Mary, and His
brethren came to see Him on a matter unrelated to His preaching: “19 Then came to him his mother
and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. 20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy
brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 21 And he answered and said
unto them, My mother and my brethren are
these which hear the word of God, and do it.” (Luke 8:19-21) It seems that the brothers of Jesus, and even His mother, Mary,
did not come to listen to His wonderful teaching, and may have doubted much of
what He taught until AFTER the resurrection.
Well, Friends, we live in a time in
which it is very easy to have faith (AFTER the resurrection). The Faith of
Abraham (Before the Advent of Christ) looked forward to the coming Redeemer
with a measure of faith that far exceeds our own. Can we who profess faith not
agree on the historical fact of our Lords death, burial and resurrection and
conduct ourselves accordingly as sons and daughters of our Father God?
