Fatherhood
Within Christianity, there is an emphasis on a relationship with God. How people understand this relationship can vary widely. What this means to a large section of Christians in America is to read your Bible, pray a lot, and treat God like he is your pal. I think one of the grossest phrases people say when praying is referring to God as "Daddy." The primary argument for this phrase comes from an argument from Romans 8:15 where St. Paul says, "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." The word Abba is Aramaic, meaning "Father." The claim is that the familial closeness of the term is akin to "Daddy" in English. However, this is a grave simplification of the term. While the word does convey the closeness and intimacy of a loving father, it also conveys authority, respect, and sovereignty.
The first occurrence of the idea of God as “Father” comes during the dramatic scene, captured in Exodus 4, when Moses thunders to Pharaoh on the Lord’s behalf: “Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.… Let my son go that he may worship me” (Exodus 4:22 – 23). From that iconic confrontation forward, to refer to God as “Father” is associated in the Jewish mind with the promise of liberation — freedom from slavery and oppression. Following this, when Moses is given the Ten Commandments, we are told how children should relate to their father; they are to "honor your mother and Father." This concept of liberation is key to Paul's argument here in Romans. We are not being brought back into bondage but liberated as sons and daughters of God. It is our relationship to God, in our union with Christ through the Spirit, that we are freed from the bondage of sin and death. The adoption as sons and daughters means that we receive the inheritance of eternal life, and our identity is that of the family of God.
The terminology of God as our Father is referenced by Christ when he teaches us to pray "Our Father." There is a familial closeness and a lovingness given to us through our relationship with God as "our father." However, the emphasis here is not that we can use cheap words like "Daddy," the focus is on his sovereignty and his ability to rescue and protect. The familial closeness of the term expresses the reality that we are not just tangentially joined to God or seen as a tertiary attachment. No, we are sons and daughters. All that is God's is made ours.
When it comes to the bondage of sin in our lives, there is a temptation to feel as though falling back into sin is the easy thing to do, while turning toward God and living according to his will is a difficult and burdensome task. To a degree, this is true; we have made it so that it is easy to sin and hard to turn towards God. But we are wrong in the sense that we associate God's way with a burden and sin with ease of life. It is quite the opposite; sin is not only a burden, it is bondage. Christ is the one who says, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt 11:28-30). It is easy and light because we have been joined to Christ and he who bore "our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). The Father has rescued us from the bondage of sin and death, set us free, and joined us to himself. The wicked trick of sin is that it gives the temporary illusion that makes freedom seem like bondage and bondage freedom. This is why it is hard to turn towards God amid sin, not because God is calling us to an impossible task, but because we believe the lie that we are still shackled and sin is holding us back. The more we struggle and try and do it ourselves the further we will get sucked in. The Father is the one who sets us free, through Christ, and it is the work of the Spirit in our lives that "beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Freedom is there, the chains are broken, and the doors open, but we must recline upon the breast of Christ and grasp hold of the reality.
As Father's Day approaches, I am reminded that God as Father is not simply a nice title to make God look not-so-intimidating; rather, God shows us what true fatherhood looks like. Fatherhood should reflect closeness and paternal love, but it also reflects the one who protects, rescues, and calls us to the truth about ourselves. We must remember, though, that God does not prefigure earthly fathers. We are not God but are meant to reflect him and point others to the God who rescues and redeems. The title of God as our Father should lead us to awe, worship, devotion, and reverence, where we seek to honor him, not call him trite names.
Hope you have a blessed Father's Day weekend,
Fr. Aaron