Describe Him: Father

He is our Father.  But we were His enemies.  For Him to be our Father, we had to be made sons and daughters. 

How did He become our Father?

Romans 5:6-8 calls us without strength, ungodly, sinners, enemies.  Nothing we do can make us His children. 

Rather, it is Christ’s death for us at the time when we were most helpless and estranged from a holy God that has made it possible for us to be His children.

1 John 3:1 declares our adoption as sons being entirely because of God’s love toward us.

What was the incredible demonstration of God’s love that has made our adoption possible? 

Christ’s death and resurrection was the payment that made it possible for us to go from being God’s enemies to being His children.  His blood satisfied the Father’s righteous demands for the punishment of sin. 

How do we become His children?  

John 1:12 says we become the sons of God by believing on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is that simple.  It is in believing the Gospel message we become God's children.

Once a son, always a son. Nothing can change our position as sons and daughters.  The blessings of God being our Father are vast and incredibly great. 

As our Father, He still demonstrates His love toward us in many ways.  Yet these ways aren’t always happy, warm, fuzzy feelings: God also shows His love to us by correcting us.  Hebrews 12:5-8 affirms the chastening of the Lord as a sure sign of  His love towards His children.  If the Lord does not punish and correct us when we go astray, the Bible says we are illegitimate and not His children.  Thus, there are no exceptions: If He is our Father, He will chasten us.

Why does He, in love, correct His children?  Verses 10-11 give the hope and comfort needed when in the midst of chastening: “…that we might be partakers of his holiness”  and to yield “the peaceable fruit of righteousness…” He wants us to become more like Him. Wow.

Once we were God’s enemies.  Christ sacrificed His life so we, through His blood, are now reconciled with God and call Him “Abba, Father.”   Now we are His children and fellow-heirs with Christ.

What greater love than this could there ever be?