God as Father...
Here is what the Bible says
Psalm 2:7-I Will become your father a reference to us as children of God backed up in Hebrews 1:5
Psalm 89:26-God is refered to as Father, Rock, and Savior.
Isaiah 9:6- God is refered to as our everlasting father, wonderful counselor, and the prince of peace.
Malachi 2:10-God is our father, in our creation. This mention is reinforced in Verse 15.
But the real key reason is how Jesus refers to God.
Jesus refers to God as our father when speaking of whom we pray to in praying the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, and Luke 11:2-4.
John 1:18-Jesus is refered to as coming from the right side of the father.
John 5:18-The Jews tried to kill Jesus for saying that God was his own father.
John 6:45-46-Jesus refers to those who learn from him and he learned from God the father.
John 8:54-Jesus says his glory comes from the Father.
John 10:36-Jesus was sent by his Father.
John 13:3-Jesus claimed authority from his father.
John 16.27-Jesus says his father loves us, because we loved him.
John 20:27-Jesus states that he will return to his father.
Acts 2:33-Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father.
Romans 1:7-God is refered to as our father.
Romans 15.6-God calls on us to glorify God the Father
I Corinthians 1:3-Paul greets from God the Father.
Similar references are made to God as Father in I Cor 8:6, I Cor 15:24, 2 Cor 1:2-3, 2 Cor 11:31, Gal 1:1 and Gal 1:3-4, Eph 1:2-3, Eph 1:17, Eph 4:6, Eph 5:20, Eph 6:23, Phil 1:2, Phil 2:11, Phil 4:20, Col 1:2-3, Col 3:17, I Thes 1:1, I Thes 1:3, I Thes 3:11, I Thes 3:13, 2 Thes 1:1, 2 Thes 1:2, 2 Thes 2:16, 1 Tim 1:2, 2 Tim 1:2, Titus 1:4, Plus 13 more such refernces. This makes a total of at least 61 times that I could find that God is refered to as Father.
Do these texts say that God has male-sex organs, No. But what these texts do say is that God has revelaed himself to us as a Perfect loving heavenly father. It is to deny the perfect of attributes of God. For God is embodied in Love (I John 4:9, Jeremiah 31:3, Ephesians 4:1-5, Romans 8:35-39, John 3:16, Song of Solomon 8:6-7, Mark 10:45, and Romans 5:6-8). This love is infinite, and rooted in God's wonderful grace. This grace is centered in the work of Jesus Christ dying on the Cross for our sins as stated in Romans 5:6-8. This is in direct contrast to Total Depravity of Man (Romans 5;12-21, Romans 8:7-8, Romans 14:23, Romans 3, Romans 7:18, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6).
So when one uses the argument how can somewhat abused by her father call God "Father". The answer is given by contasting the total goodness of God with the total depravity of man (Galatians 5:16-26). Compare the perfect love of God, with the distorted love often put forth by Man. The problem with a question like this is that it poses God's revelation as insufficent, when the real focus should be on the deffiency of man.
Conclusion: The terms used to define Gender in our culture, are defined by our ability to reproduce. This is not a quality we associate with God. It should also be noted that God is hard for us to describe in our modern thoughts. To call God father sheds truth into the light of our relationship with him. The Bible does teach God that both Adam and Eve were created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-28). But God reveals himself to us in Scripture as our father. This is a perfect, loving heavenly father this doctrine can not be distorted by those who seek to associate God with situations that come from the depravity of Man. The reasons often given for refering to God as mother are (Some human situation makes one hostily inclined towards fathers or males... i.e. Sexism, Abuse. It also sometimes done to thumb noses at what other people believe or have believed...(ie I don't want to be like Fundamentalists). These situations take us away from the true focus of God's true loving nature revealed as Jesus Christ, who revealed God as Father. These situations seek to blur the references to God as Father by Jesus, with the depravity of human situations. This is why I refer to God as Father.
Psalm 2:7-I Will become your father a reference to us as children of God backed up in Hebrews 1:5
Psalm 89:26-God is refered to as Father, Rock, and Savior.
Isaiah 9:6- God is refered to as our everlasting father, wonderful counselor, and the prince of peace.
Malachi 2:10-God is our father, in our creation. This mention is reinforced in Verse 15.
But the real key reason is how Jesus refers to God.
Jesus refers to God as our father when speaking of whom we pray to in praying the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, and Luke 11:2-4.
John 1:18-Jesus is refered to as coming from the right side of the father.
John 5:18-The Jews tried to kill Jesus for saying that God was his own father.
John 6:45-46-Jesus refers to those who learn from him and he learned from God the father.
John 8:54-Jesus says his glory comes from the Father.
John 10:36-Jesus was sent by his Father.
John 13:3-Jesus claimed authority from his father.
John 16.27-Jesus says his father loves us, because we loved him.
John 20:27-Jesus states that he will return to his father.
Acts 2:33-Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father.
Romans 1:7-God is refered to as our father.
Romans 15.6-God calls on us to glorify God the Father
I Corinthians 1:3-Paul greets from God the Father.
Similar references are made to God as Father in I Cor 8:6, I Cor 15:24, 2 Cor 1:2-3, 2 Cor 11:31, Gal 1:1 and Gal 1:3-4, Eph 1:2-3, Eph 1:17, Eph 4:6, Eph 5:20, Eph 6:23, Phil 1:2, Phil 2:11, Phil 4:20, Col 1:2-3, Col 3:17, I Thes 1:1, I Thes 1:3, I Thes 3:11, I Thes 3:13, 2 Thes 1:1, 2 Thes 1:2, 2 Thes 2:16, 1 Tim 1:2, 2 Tim 1:2, Titus 1:4, Plus 13 more such refernces. This makes a total of at least 61 times that I could find that God is refered to as Father.
Do these texts say that God has male-sex organs, No. But what these texts do say is that God has revelaed himself to us as a Perfect loving heavenly father. It is to deny the perfect of attributes of God. For God is embodied in Love (I John 4:9, Jeremiah 31:3, Ephesians 4:1-5, Romans 8:35-39, John 3:16, Song of Solomon 8:6-7, Mark 10:45, and Romans 5:6-8). This love is infinite, and rooted in God's wonderful grace. This grace is centered in the work of Jesus Christ dying on the Cross for our sins as stated in Romans 5:6-8. This is in direct contrast to Total Depravity of Man (Romans 5;12-21, Romans 8:7-8, Romans 14:23, Romans 3, Romans 7:18, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6).
So when one uses the argument how can somewhat abused by her father call God "Father". The answer is given by contasting the total goodness of God with the total depravity of man (Galatians 5:16-26). Compare the perfect love of God, with the distorted love often put forth by Man. The problem with a question like this is that it poses God's revelation as insufficent, when the real focus should be on the deffiency of man.
Conclusion: The terms used to define Gender in our culture, are defined by our ability to reproduce. This is not a quality we associate with God. It should also be noted that God is hard for us to describe in our modern thoughts. To call God father sheds truth into the light of our relationship with him. The Bible does teach God that both Adam and Eve were created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-28). But God reveals himself to us in Scripture as our father. This is a perfect, loving heavenly father this doctrine can not be distorted by those who seek to associate God with situations that come from the depravity of Man. The reasons often given for refering to God as mother are (Some human situation makes one hostily inclined towards fathers or males... i.e. Sexism, Abuse. It also sometimes done to thumb noses at what other people believe or have believed...(ie I don't want to be like Fundamentalists). These situations take us away from the true focus of God's true loving nature revealed as Jesus Christ, who revealed God as Father. These situations seek to blur the references to God as Father by Jesus, with the depravity of human situations. This is why I refer to God as Father.
posted by Stew at 2:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home