CELEBRATING ABBA FATHER

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 – Romans 8:15

What an amazing truth: that I can call God “Daddy”! What a privilege, what a holy honour – to call the Almighty God, “Daddy…my Father…Abba, Father”! At best, the Old Testament portrayed God as Father to His people, Israel, not the Father of individuals. Aware of the gorge between a holy God and sinful human beings, pious Jews dared not address God as Ab (Hebrew) or Abba (Aramaic for Daddy), but Jesus broke the box. He shocked many of His contemporaries by referring to God as His Father and by inviting us His followers to call God “Father.” For example, He taught us to pray thus: “Our Father who is in heaven…” (Lk.11:2a). He has also put His Spirit in us, to be able to confidently call God “Dear Father”!

Ponder on this: the first recorded words of Jesus, spoken to His earthly parents, are these: “…Why is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Lk.2:49). In John’s Gospel, Jesus referred to God as His Father more than one hundred and fifty times! “Abba, Father” was the Son’s anguished heart-cry in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk.14:36). The writer of Romans confirms that: “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” (Rom.8:15). “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6). These reinforce our Identity as His sons.

Fatherhood implies Sonship. The New Covenant profusely describes believers as sons of God: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (Jh.1:12); “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom.8:14). Today, I celebrate Abba Father, my tender, compassionate, and immeasurably gracious Father. The Father of Israel is my Father. The Father of Jesus is my Father. No earthly father can ever measure up to the paternal excellence of my Abba Father. He treats me, not as I deserve but as a son worthy of His extraordinary grace and His faithful, fatherly affection.

I’m extraordinarily privileged to call God “Abba, Father”! I am absolutely dependent on Him like a little child. I warm up to His tender affection, security, and intimacy. I am free to run to Him as a child to his Daddy, yet still offer Him the highest respect and obedience. I no longer have the spirit of a fearful slave, but that of an adopted son, warmly embraced in the Father’s bosom. I celebrate my Abba Father for the relationship I have with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, and by the power of His Spirit. By His grace, I’ll cherish and grow in this relationship throughout time, and for all of eternity. Amen!