Who's Your Daddy?

Ah, the father-child relationship.  Talk about a topic with a boxcar load of baggage.  Our earthly dads impact our view of our heavenly Dad.  

But here in Galatians chapter 4, Paul let's us know that our relationship with Father God is perfect.  It is one of deep intimacy and rich inheritance.  When we come to trust in Jesus, we have no doubt about that loving relationship.

Paul begins by saying, "And because you are sons" (v6).  Don't fly past this.  Once we accept Christ as our Savior, our standing with God changes immediately.  

Our status goes from rebel slave to redeemed son.  We need to understand that if He's saved us, we ARE sons.  It is a statement of fact.  It is a present reality.  

And this is no sexist statement meant to exclude the ladies.  As a matter of fact, it is just the opposite.  In the first century, the eldest son sat on the pole position when it came to status and inheritance.  

The apostle is saying that regardless of whether you are a man or woman, we have the status of the first born son in our relationship with God.  We are sons.

As a result of this new relationship with our heavenly Father, "God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts" (v6).  The Greek verb here is εξαποστελλω/exapostello.  

Hmm.  This is the very same word Paul used back in Gal 4:4, "God sent forth (Gr. εξαποστελλω/exapostello) His Son.”  

It means to send out (εξ-/ex-) as an apostle or hand-picked representative (-αποστελλω/-apostello).  Just as God sent His Son to redeem us, He also sends His Spirit to our hearts.  The Holy Spirit is also God's divinely chosen ambassador to each one of us (1Cor 3:16).

The Spirit's mission is to let us know that we have an intimate relationship with our heavenly Dad.  His assignment is from God is to come "into our hearts, crying, 'Abba!  Father!'" (v6).  Paul uses the Aramaic word “Αββα/Abba.”  

Aramaic is the language Jesus spoke during His earthly ministry.  It was the language of the street in Palestine.  Aramaic was a mixture of Hebrew and the languages of the nations which conquered the Jewish kingdoms, particularly Assyria and Babylon.

While the word "Abba" means father, it certainly means much more.  The best equivalent in English would be Daddy or Poppa.  

Not only did Jesus bring a radical new teaching that God is our heavenly Father, but He took it a step further.  He's addressed God the Father as "Abba" at His darkest hour (Mk 14:36).  

Peterson's paraphrase does a fantastic job of letting us in on a very intimate conversation between a Son and His Dad.  “Papa (Gr. Αββα/Abba), Father, You can--can't you?--get Me out of this" (Mk 14:36 MSG).

Paul lets the Galatians know that as followers of Jesus, God sends His Spirit to each one of us so that we can experience that kind of rich relationship with our heavenly Dad.  

God the Father isn't the stern disciplinarian that is just waiting for us to step out of line.  

God the Father is not a workaholic, absentee parent.  

God the Father is not the silent, disconnected man who doesn't want to be bothered.  

We've let our fallen human fathers influence how we see our perfect heavenly Father.

He's our Abba.  He's our Daddy.  He's our Pop.  He wants to hear from you.  He wants to show you His love.  He wants to spend time with you.  

He corrects us out of His great care for us.  He wants His best for us.  That's what it means when His Spirit cries, "Abba!  Father!"

When it comes to your relationship with God the Father, who's your daddy?  Remember, He's your Abba.

We can't miss the appearance of the Trinity in this verse.  There They are.  Spirit.  Son.  Father.  One God.  Three Persons.  

While there is no explicit definition of the Big Three in the Bible, there are wonderful snapshots like we see here.  It is the perfect relationship.  It is the perfect community.  

In "Mere Christianity," CS Lewis described their association as a dance.  And God's Spirit is inviting each of us to join in and trip the divine fantastic.

Paul sums up this amazing change in our status.  "So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God" (v7).  

I'm no longer a slave because Jesus has purchased my freedom from the slave market with His precious blood (Gal 4:5; 1Pet 1:18-19).  

And as a son of my heavenly Dad, I'm now entitled to heavenly inheritance.  "Heir" is the Greek term κληρονομος/kleronomos.  This is someone who receives what is promised or is rightfully theirs.  

And since God is unswervingly faithful, I can take my promised inheritance to the bank.  It's as good as gold.  Or better yet, it's as good as God.  

Paul makes a very similar statement about the role of God's Spirit pointing to the new relationship we have with our heavenly Dad in Romans 8:15-17.  

It's no coincidence that this is the same chapter that's been called the Heavenly Will.  Romans 8 is a breathtaking and mind-blowing essay on the blessings of our relationship with our Abba Daddy through Jesus. 

Again I ask, when it comes to your relationship with God the Father, who's your daddy?  Remember, He's your Abba.

©2012

Jay Jennings

One God. One Dad. And He's ALL That!

One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4:6).

All alone in a dark Roman dungeon, the Apostle Paul paints a fabulous portrait of the unity of the Godhead and His church.  With a crystal clear picture of who He is, what He's done and the unbreakable bond we have in Him, there's absolutely nothing can tear us apart.  In Ephesians 4:4-6, he explodes in wonder over how the Father, Son and Spirit are completely integrated and intertwined with the church.  The man from Tarsus has already introduced two Members of the Trinitarian starting lineup: the Spirit (Eph 4:4) and the Lord Jesus (Eph 4:5).  Last but not least, he announces the third Member: "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (v6).  

In one flick of his pen, Paul goes from distant and omnipotent God over the universe to intimate and loving Dad in the home.  Not one OR the other.  He's both.  God is the ultimate sovereign deity ruling and reigning over His creation.  And He's also the caring and personal Dad who we can run to when we need Him.

One God.  One Dad.  He’s ALL that!

Throughout this entire passage, Paul repeatedly uses one word.  "One."  Seven times.  This is the little Greek word heis.  It means one only, a single one or a certain one.  The apostle doesn't want his Ephesian friends to forget that we worship "one God" (v6).  A single God.  God, the One and Only.  

The writers of both the OT and NT make it VERY clear that there is one and only one God.  This is the idea of monotheism.  It's kind of a big deal.  OK, it's a REALLY BIG DEAL!  Don't believe me?  Let's drop in on the Israelites just after God sprung them from pulling a 400 year shift as slaves in Egypt.  Fresh back from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments hot off the presses, Moses announces to God's people, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Dt 6:4). God, the One and Only.  Jesus backs that up when challenged one which one of God's commands is the most important (Mk 12:29).  God, the One and Only.  King David prays, "There is none like You, and there is no God besides You" (2Sam 7:22; 2Chr 17:20).  God, the One and Only.  David even writes a song about it, "You alone are God" (Ps 86:10).  God, the One and Only.  And the list goes on and on and on and on: Dt 4:35; 32:39; Ps 83:18; Is 43:10; 44:6; 45:14, 18; 46:9; 1Cor 8:4-6.  God, the One and Only.

But our one and only God is not some distant deity who cranked up His creation and headed off on a long vacation.  He's our "Father" (v6).  He's intimately involved with caring for you and me.  He becomes our heavenly Dad when we place our trust in His Son Jesus.  It was Jesus' talk of God as His Dad that got Him in hot water with religious muckity mucks of the day.  All the top Jews hit the ceiling when this crazy talking Carpenter from the boondocks claimed Yahweh was His Father.  And Jesus took this idea of God as Father even further when He taught His crew to pray to their heavenly Dad (Mt 6:9).  The First Member of the Trinity is not just Jesus' Dad but our Dad too!  Just as our Big Brother called His Dad by the intimate nickname "Abba" (Mk 14:36), so can we (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6).  He's our Dad, the One and Only. 

One God.  One Dad.

Then Paul writes a phrase that seems, well, kinda weird.  He tells us that God is the "Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (v6).  I don't know about you, but that's a little tough for me to wrap my tiny brain around.  Clearly, the key word is "all."  The apostle pulls the trigger on his machine gun and fires it off four times.  This is the Greek adjective pas.  It describes the totality of something, the entirety, the complete number or amount.  Everyone.  Everything.  Absolute.  The highest degree.  

The dude from Tarsus contrasting our singular, one and only God and Father with the totality of His intimate presence and involvement with His church and His creation.  Over how much of the universe does God rule over?  Every last inch.  Throughout how much of the universe is God involved?  Every last inch.  In how much of the universe is God present?  Every last inch.  Think of it this way.  Take a look around.  Our All Over God has His divine fingers in every bit of what you see.  The sky.  The stars.  The grass.  Your neighborhood.  Your workplace.  Your home.  All of it. 

One God.  One Dad.  He’s ALL that!

This isn't the only time Paul mentions this idea.  "Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ through whom are all things and through whom we exist" (1Cor 8:6).  And in some of the last words he wrote before his own execution, the apostle wanted his buddy Tim to know the critical importance our one and only God.  "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus" (1Tim 2:5).

He is the sovereign God high above His creation.  He is our loving and intimate Father.  Not one or the other.  He's both.  

One God.  One Dad.  And He’s ALL that!