God the Father

Anyone even vaguely familiar with Christian jargon knows that we refer to God as "the Father". There is also "the Son" and "the Holy Spirit". We use these terms to differentiate between persons of the Godhead because, in truth, "the Son" is also God and "the Holy Spirit" is also God, so we can easily get confused. Thus, we apply to the God of the Old Testament the term that Jesus applies to the God of the Old Testament: "Father".

Viewing it from a primarily idealistic approach, the term has various connotations. Fathers are not primarily nurturers. In human experience, that's generally the mother's job. In theological terms, the Holy Spirit is known as "the Comforter". Instead, fathers are typically the ones who provide the discipline. They are the providers. They are the model of manhood for the male children and the model of manhood for the female children. I differentiate because male children would typically emulate the male model while female children would see in their fathers the model for a husband. Fathers are normally the protectors, the front line of defense for a family. A good father is devoted to his family, although that devotion may look a little odd. He is away during the day, for instance, not because he wants to be away, but because he is working hard to provide for the family. He appears to be the stern one at times not because he's mean, but because he cares about the discipline of the children. He allows his children (especially boys) to do things that Mom would consider reckless not because he doesn't care if they get hurt, but because he's trying to expand their abilities and train them to handle tougher situations in life. And so it goes.

In what sense, then, does God refer to Himself as "Father"? Well, the term is used to correlate our concept of "father" with some of the ways in which He relates to us. You know ... go from the known ("father") to the unknown ("God"). So God as Father is the one, according to Hebrews 12, that disciplines His children. He does it, as a good father does, not out of anger, but out of love. As Father, He is the provider. What we tend to forget, in fact, is that He is the only genuine provider. We have all heard the term, "providence". The term means "to be provident". (I know ... "Thanks, Stan ... we wouldn't have known that.") It means to provide for future needs or events. When capitalized, Providence means the provision of God. Simply put, Providence simply references God's provision for us. That comes in the form of providing what we need as well as providing guidance and correction. In Gen 22:14, Abraham named a place after Him, calling it "Jehovah-jireh" -- "the LORD who provides". One of God's key characteristics is Providence. And, of course, God serves as our model. We are told, "You are to be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." He is holy and expects holiness of us. And the Bible refers to God as our security and salvation. He is described in the Psalms this way: "God is our strength and refuge in the time of trouble" (Psa 46:1) and "The LORD is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped" (Psa 28:7) (just to show a couple verses). There is no better protection than that of the Sovereign God. Of course, there are many times that we may think that God is not going about this role correctly, but that's simply because we don't understand ... like human fathers.

It is little wonder, then, that Satan has "fathers" on his hitlist. If he can demean and denigrate "fathers", what do we conclude about God the Father? If a child grows up without a father, what does "God the Father" mean to him or her? If a child grows up with an abusive father, what does he or she know of God the Father? Twist the image of "father" in human life and you can twist the intent of the term "God the Father" in spiritual life. Satan has been so effective here that you might start to wonder about the wisdom of using the term as it relates to God. If fathers have become such a poor example of what fathers should be -- being either absent or abusive -- is it wise to tell people that God is our Father?

It's a funny thing. No matter how far out fathers get, it seems like most of us have this ingrained, innate sense of what a father should be. You all felt, I suspect, that even while I was describing the idealistic father earlier, you knew that fathers weren't good at that to a large part. Nonetheless, you all could relate to the concept of the ideal father. Whether or not you had such a father or knew such a father, you all knew that these are some of the traits of a good father. Thus, while Satan has succeeded in a large part in subverting fatherhood in humans, God has retained in our hearts what a good father looks like. And that ideal, whether our own fathers came close or not, remains as a valid, viable image of what God the Father is ... taken to perfection.

Children need fathers. They need good fathers. They need mothers, to be sure, but the balance of father and mother is key to a child, so much so that mothers who are without husbands are encouraged to find male role models for their children. And it is undeniably clear that the optimum arrangement for a growing child is a loving mother and father. Fathers are essential. Satan has worked to diminish that, but it can't be completely removed. And God, despite all our modern difficulties with faulty fathers, shows Himself to be the ideal Father. He disciplines and trains, provides and protects, models and molds us. It's a good thing in this world to have a genuine, good Father.