God as Father

Photo source: dreamicus.com

I recently told my sister that my life--our lives--would be radically different if we truly understood the first two chapters of Ephesians.  In this epistle, Paul teaches such a rich theology of who we are in Christ: our forgiveness, reconciliation, adoption as sons*, and the unspeakable inheritance and spiritual blessings we have in Christ.

Today, however, I'd like to tease apart one aspect of this mind boggling identity we have as believers in Christ, and that is our adoption as sons.  Theologian J.I. Packer speaks to this in his classic, Knowing God:

“'What is a Christian?' The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father…Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption…The truth of our adoption gives us the deepest insights that the New Testament affords into the greatness of God’s love. Were I asked to focus the New Testament message in three words, my proposal would be adoption through propitiation, and I do not expect ever to meet a richer or more pregnant summary of the the gospel than that."

My pastor would say it this way: salvation is good, adoption is better.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray in light of this truth: Our Father, who art in Heaven.  The content and our entire posture of our prayers ought to be grounded in this truth.  It would seem that our entire biblical theology--what we know and believe about God--pivots on our understanding of this reality of God as Father.

So what exactly does this mean at street level, in our daily lives...in our all day-to-day moments?

Well, allow me to offer my humble perspective in bullet point fashion:

1. Access--we have insider access to the listening ear, and to the very heart, of the King of the Universe.  Let me give you an example of what this looks like: I can remember being a child and visiting the corrugated cardboard box factory where my father worked as general manager.  He gave me a tour of the factory floor, and I remember it being exhilarating to walk by all those big, loud machines and then leave the the factory behind and enter into the office space, straight to the big boss's office--his office.  And not only that, but I could see my family's portrait--a picture of my face--displayed on his desk for everyone to see.  That brings me to my next point...

2--Relationship--we not only have access to the King, but we are His beloved child!  As Ephesians explains it, we who were once far off have been brought near in Christ, grafted into one family as Jews and Gentiles.  In fact, Paul states that God is our Abba Father--Abba being translated as Daddy (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6). We are brought near indeed!  You can see this relationship so vividly in Jesus's parable of the prodigal son: the Father awaits the return of his wayward and rebellious son, and runs out to meet him, hugging him and kissing him and instructing his servants to clothe him in a robe, place a ring on his finger, and prepare a feast to celebrate his return (Luke 15:11-32).

3--Position--as sons, we have an inheritance to the estate of the master.  In biblical times, the first born son would receive a double portion of the inheritance and would inherit his father's role as head of the family.  This is Christ's position, the "first born over all creation" (Colossians 1:15-16).  As Christ followers, we share in His inheritance of the Father, as co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Let me close by telling you about a very moving testimony.  I recently watched an animated biography of a Christ follower whom I believe offers the best example of someone who truly embraced and lived in light of this theology of sonship.  His name was Kaboo, although he would later take the English name of Samuel Morris.  Kaboo was born a prince in Liberia, Africa, but was captured as a boy by a warring tribe.  Miraculously, he escaped from being burned alive at the stake and later was brought to a missionary church and heard the gospel.  He became a Christian and from that time forward, he always referred to God as "my Father."  He attended the missionary school and learned English, desiring to travel to America to learn more about God so he could return one day and preach the gospel to his native people.  Throughout his testimony, when he faced any decision or obstacle, Samuel Morris would say "my Father will enable me to..." or "my Father will provide...." Perhaps, being a prince himself, he was able to truly understand what sonship meant--this concept of having access, relationship, and position with the King of Kings.

How about you, dear friend?  Do you see God as your Abba Father who loves you, and has given you the position and access of a beloved son?  If so, does your daily life reflect this security?  Do your prayers speak to this?  If you are like me, I would venture to say no.  Let us take a moment and reflect upon our adoption as sons in a fresh way today, and ask God to teach us more about this crucial aspect of our Christian walk.  I truly believe that it will be transformative for our lives and hearts if we do!



*Note: some women would prefer to interject "daughter" here, but they would sorely miss the point! In biblical times, only the son would be the heir of the estate and enjoy the full rights of inheritance from his father.  This Greek construction--adoption as son--is one word and hardly puts down women, but just the opposite!  It elevates us all to the position of heir!