Monday, July 20, 2009

Can You Call God, "Father"?

While others claim that everyone is the child of God, God’s Word declares in Romans 8:14-16:


“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” {NKJV).


Who are the “sons of God”?


The Bible says, “…as many as are led by the Spirit of God.” You cannot find a sentence or phrase in the Bible which says, everyone in the world is led by or has received the Spirit of God.


And we, who have received the Spirit, we are able to cry out “Abba, Father.”
We are able to call God as “Father” not because we have just an ideal physical father in this world.


Wether we grow up without knowing any father, or we have an undesirable earthly father, we can still call God, “Father” — not just from our throat, not just from our lips, but even from the heart, because of His Spirit who enables us!


As we also read in Galatians 4:4-6:


“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”


You may be able to call God, “Abba, Father” from the heart, not because you just decide, or you exercise your human will to do so. But God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your heart. And as God’s Word tells us in Romans 5:5:


“…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”


God’s Spirit does not force us to say, “Father.” Through His Spirit, genuine love for Him blossoms in our hearts that we are able to affectionately call upon Him, “Abba,” or “Papa,” or “Daddy,” etc