As we celebrate Father’s Day, we will be looking at God as Father and what that means for us today.
God identifies as Father
God created everything including the family. God designed the family to reflect His glory. In creating the family, God created fathers to be the ones who would most reflect Who He is. Of all the titles that God gives Himself, Father is one of His most common titles. In revealing God to us, Jesus chose to reveal Him to us as Father. Many of Jesus’ illustrations feature God as a father.
The father’s importance
In light of this, we can conclude that just as God is the most influential Being in our lives, so earthly fathers are of great importance in the life of every person. Almost all of the problems in our society have one thing in common, absent fathers. In evangelism, leading fathers to faith in Christ results in the entire family coming to faith in Christ 97% of the time. A child’s view of God is largely shaped by their earthly father. An absent father gives a child a view of an absent God. An angry father gives a child a view of an angry God. A loving father who is active in the lives of his children gives a child a view of an ever present, loving God.
Matriarchal society and churches
In our society the role of fathers is greatly dismissed. This is seen in custody battles as well as the almost complete absence and disdain for male teachers, day care workers, etc. However, this thinking has largely infiltrated conservative churches as well. Even churches that proclaim they are patriarchal or complementarian have a matriarchal view of fathers in the practical outworking of their theology. We have distorted the Bible’s teachings on gender to make women the ones responsible for the raising of the children. However, the Bible gives this tasks to fathers (Ephesians 6.) As Christians we must proclaim the importance of fathers in the lives of their children.
Fathering the fatherless
Father’s day is a painful day for many people. For many people the deepest scars they have are from their fathers. Some men are monsters; unfortunately some of them have children. Many people have been molested, abused, neglected, or abandoned by theirs fathers. This means two things. First, we must teach them of the perfect Father, God. We must show His love and grace in the Gospel. Two, Christian men must step up to be the picture of God the Father that these hurting people need. Men should be pursuing foster care and adoption. Men should be helping single moms and protecting young women who do not have fathers actively involved in their lives. Men should be constantly on the lookout for how we can influence children to know Who God the Father is.
Application:
Will you honor the fathers in our church?
Will you stress the importance of fathers in our society?
Will you as a man show the love of God the Father to the fatherless?
Will you proclaim the Gospel as it displays the perfect Father?
Will you believe in Jesus and be adopted into God’s family?
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