Foundations of Faith
GOD THE FATHER
“What shall I do now,” Mike wondered to himself. “I’ve really made a mess of my life.” And he had. He had borrowed $25,000 from his father with the idea of starting a business partnership with his best friend in a distant city. But the deal turned sour, and instead of returning the money to his dad, he bought a cool red sports car with it. He had a neat time with his car, made lots of friends with it–until he totaled it one night while intoxicated. Miraculously, he escaped injury. However, since he had paid so much for the car he couldn’t afford collision insurance. So now he had nothing! Zilch! “Dad’s going to be furious when he finds out his $25,000 is totally gone, with nothing to show for it. But I guess I can’t hide it from him forever.”
Mike returned home and told his dad everything. “What can I do to make it up to you? he asked his father. “I’ll get a job, and in my spare time I’ll paint the house, inside and out, and take care of the yard. I’ll do the washing and ironing for Mom and scrub the floors every week.”
“Mike,” Dad replied comfortingly, “I can tell from your attitude that you have learned some very important lessons of life. If you want to do those things, I’m not going to stop you, but I just want you to know that I accept you back, no strings attached. You are my son, and I love you with all my heart! I am thankful to God that you didn’t get killed. Let’s get your mom and sister and go out to the steak house and celebrate your homecoming!”
This parable is, of course, a modern-day version of Christ’s parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. One of the lessons pictured for us in that parable is the love of God the Father for his children, even for those who backslide into sin and displease the Father.
God is the Father of all who believe in His Son for salvation. Do you, my Christian friend, ever spend time thinking about the relationship you now have with God? Let us consider the different layers of God’s blessings upon true, born-again Christians:(1) we have been delivered from an eternity in the lake of fire and outer darkness (that is in itself worth everything, isn’t it?); but more than this, (2) we have been given the assurance of eternal life in heaven with Christ Himself, rather than eternal nothingness (wow! that is really gracious of God!); but even more, (3) God has brought us into relationship with Himself–all three Persons (remember what you learned about the Trinity in the last two issues?). As God the Father He has made us His children, His sons (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 2:13; 3:1). As God the Son He has made us members of His body and in heaven we will be His bride. As God the Holy Spirit He has come to us and dwells within our minds and hearts so that He might continually be able to teach us, guide us, remind us, and warn us.
1. He has affection for us, is our Friend (John 16:27).
2. He chastens us, that is, He instructs us by allowing us to experience trials and testings–“the school of hard knocks”–and helping us to learn to respond properly (that is, with trust and dependence upon Him) to these problems (Heb. 12:5-11; John 15:1,2). Note in Heb. 12:9,10 that in contrast to the chastening our parents give us (sometimes inconsistent, or unfair, or extreme, or in anger), our heavenly Father’s chastening of us is always “for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness.”
3. He holds us in His hand, keeps us safe and secure for all eternity (John 10:29), and never forgets us (Isa. 49:15).
4. He gladly hears and responds to our prayers and petitions (Matt. 6:9; 7:11; 18:19; John 15:16).
5. He is merciful and compassionate (2 Cor. 1:3,4; Psa. 103:10-13).
6. He teaches us and reveals to us His will for our lives (Matt. 12:50; 16:17).
7. He rewards our faithfulness to Him (Matt. 6:4,6,18). (See Assignment 9)
God is the Father of the Second Person of the Trinity, also known as the Son of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall consider this relationship in the next issue in connection with God the Son.
God is the Father of the nation of Israel. “Thus saith the Lord, Israel is My son, even my firstborn” (Exod. 4:22). “Is not [the Lord] your Father who has bought you?” (Deut. 32:6). “Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer” (Isa. 63:16; 64:8). This fatherhood refers to the parental care that God showed to the nation of Israel as a whole, and does not mean that every individual Israelite was a born-again child of God.
God is, by creation, the Father of all mankind. Adam was “the son of God” (Luke 3:38), having been created by God. The Prophet Malachi wrote, “Have we not all one Father? has not one God created us?” (2:10). The Apostle Paul, speaking to unbelievers in Athens, said, “We are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29). The sense in which God is Father of all mankind is very limited and restricted compared to the wonderful blessings of His being Father of the believers in Christ.
Running the Race
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER AND OUR HUMAN FATHERS
What is your human father like? Does he remind you of your heavenly Father? “Not much,” some of you may be thinking. “Oh, I know he loves me and all that, but he’s always so busy and doesn’t have time for me. And he’s awfully strict sometimes. And he favors my two sisters over me. And he sometimes blows up when he doesn’t get his way.” Other fathers may be even worse–verbally, emotionally, physically, and even sexually abusive to their children.
How can you properly relate to God as your Father if you have experienced a negative relationship with your human father? If your father doesn’t love you, is it possible for you to know God as a loving Father? Yes, just as it is possible to relate to Christ as Lord even if you have a mean and cruel employer. The key is to study what the Bible says about God as Father. Several references are given earlier in this issue as starters; then you might use a Concordance to find other biblical references to the Father. Identify those areas in which your human father is unlike your heavenly Father and ask God for help in reflecting Him before your children if and when you should become a parent. Finally, ask God for the ability to identify any sinful ways in which you respond to your father’s negative or abusive behavior –such as bitterness, evil-speaking, or self-pity.
Assignment 9: Read Matthew 6; write out portions of six verses that tell what the Father will do for us, and portions of two verses that tell what the Father won’t do for us.