11. Who is God the Father?

Key Verses / Passages

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

He (God) is before all things, and in him all consist. Colossians 1:17

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Discussion

In our previous devotional, we had an overarching look at the Holy Trinity and found that the 1st person of this 3-folded personage of God is God the Father. So, with that in mind, let’s have a delve into unpacking who God the Father is.

In the book of John (4:24), we see that “God is Spirit,” which refers to the fact that we cannot see God the Father, but we can experience Him. God the Father is the powerful and divine Spirit who created the Heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1). In the New Testament book of Colossians (1:17), the Apostle Paul writes that “in God, all things consist. The word consist means ‘to have their being’ or to be ‘held together’. This reveals to us that God the Father is a divine, all-powerful, invisible spirit that holds everything together.

Knowing that God the Father is all-powerful, in the Bible, God the Father’s character is expressed in 2 ways: as a creator and as a caretaker.

Creator: The ‘creator’ side of God the Father is seen in the beginning of time in Genesis Chapter 1, where “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth”. This affirms the fact that God the Father is all-powerful and everything (including Jesus and the Holy Spirit) belongs to Him.

Caretaker: God the Father, as our caretaker, suggests to us that he wants to be our personal and intimately loving Father who knows us and does life with us. The word ‘Abba’ in Aramaic means ‘Father’, which describes the most personal form of affection between a child and a father. God wants to be our ‘Abba’ father – a father who is so close to us and intertwined with us.

Knowing that God is our loving Father means He wants to relate to us as His children and help us grow by teaching valuable lessons found in the Bible.

God as our father wants:

·         Us to pray to Him as ‘God our Father’ (Matthew 6:9).

·         To save us from all our sins through His Son Jesus Christ John 3:16).

·         To provide for our every need. (Philippians 4:19).

·         Prepare a future for us and for our future generations (Jeremiah 29:11).

·         Offers comfort and support (Psalm 91:1-4).

·         Guides through wisdom (James 1:5).

·         Encourages and affirms us (Isaiah 41:10).

·         Shows us how to rest (Genesis 2:2).

·         Disciplines us with love (Hebrews 12:4-11).

·         Disciplines us through conviction (feeling Godly sorrow for wrongdoing) (2 Corinthians 7:10).

·         Offers forgiveness (Isaiah 43:25).

So, in summary, God the Father is the all-powerful Spirit who is the creator of all and personally cares for us, teaching us to grow and become more like Him.

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Reflection / Questions

·         Have you experienced God as a loving father?

·         What father-like lessons (seen in the list above) has God taught you? Which ones are you yet to experience?

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Prayer

Dear God, thank you for being my loving Father who desires to guide me and do life with me. Thank you for being the creator of all things and for also wanting to teach me valuable lessons to grow me. I ask that you continue to speak to me and show me more of who you are.