How can I understand God as Father?

TL;DR:

The Bible calls God our Heavenly Father. As our Father, God loves, cares, disciplines, protects, and provides perfectly for all of His children (those who have believed in His Son, Jesus Christ).

Throughout the Bible, God is referred to as a Father (Psalm 89:26; Matthew 6:9) who made people in His own image (Genesis 1:27). God’s attributes as a Father include being good, merciful, kind, loving and compassionate (Psalm 103:8, 116:5). God is a Father who protects and provides for His children. While God is slow to anger, in His love He disciplines His children, training them up to live in His righteousness and share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:5-11). God is a faithful and forgiving Father even when His children are unfaithful and rebel against Him (2 Timothy 2:13, Daniel 9:9). The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 is a beautiful picture of our relationship with God as a Father to a son. God is the Father that runs to us, embraces us, and celebrates when we come to our senses and come back home to Him.

In the Old Testament, we see God as Father to the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 31:9), a people His chose to be His children, although they continually rebelled against Him. In the New Testament, we see Jesus, the only begotten Son of God the Father, who come to earth as the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). Jesus told His disciples, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father!” (John 14:9). In Jesus, we see His love for His Father, His obedience to do His will, and His love for people. Jesus’ greatest demonstration of love was His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, even while we were sinners and children of the devil (Romans 5:8). His death and resurrection made salvation possible for all people and those who put their faith in Jesus become children of God the Father and join His family, the church (John 1:12). Jesus is the only way for people to get to God the Father (John 14:6, 1 Peter 3:18).

from the old testament

God is a Father to the fatherless (Psalm 68:5).
God relates to us as a Father as a potter works with the clay (Isaiah 64:8).
God is a compassionate Father (Psalm 103:13).
God is an Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6).
God is a Father who lovingly disciplines His children (Proverbs 3:11-12).
God is a faithful Father (Isaiah 63:16).
God is a Father to the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 3:19-20).

from the new testament

God is a perfect Father (Matthew 5:48).
God is a Father we can pray to (Matthew 6:9).
God the Father cares about all of creation (Matthew 6:26).
God is our Father in heaven (Matthew 23:9)
God is a Father who gives good gifts (James 1:17).
God is a Father who loves His children (1 John 3:1).
God is the one and only Father of all creation (Ephesians 4:5-6)
God the Father sent Jesus His Son (John 1:14).
Jesus is the visible image of the invisible Father (John 14:9-11, Colossians 1:15).
Jesus is one with God the Father (John 10:30).
Jesus is the only way to God the Father in heaven (John 14:6).
God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
God is our Abba Father (Romans 8:15).
Believers are the sons and daughters of God the Father (2 Corinthians 6:18).
God the Father lovingly disciplines His children (Hebrews 12:5-11).

implications for today

Some of us may wrestle with the thought of God being a Father because of our own relationship or lack of relationship with an earthly father. Sin has caused many fathers to abandon or abuse their children. The sin of fathers has destroyed marriages and ruined families. However, God is a perfect Father who loves and takes care of all His children. God is a Father to the fatherless. He cares deeply for the widow and the orphan. God is trustworthy who will never fail us or abandon us in our time of need (Hebrews 13:5). God cares for us more than we can even care for ourselves and knows us better than we know ourselves (Luke 12:6-7). The good news is that God loves you and sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to save you from your sin (Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:10). “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT). Jesus died and rose again from death to pay the full penalty for your sin. By faith in Jesus, you can become a child of God and belong to a family called the church (John 1:12). As Christians, it is comforting to know we have a Father in heaven who loves us, will never leave us, takes care of us and actually wants us now and for all eternity.

understand

God is a perfect Father who loves, provides, disciplines, and cares for His children.
Jesus reveals God the Father through His life, death, and resurrection, making salvation and adoption into God’s family possible.
Believers in Christ are children of God, assured of His eternal love, care, and presence.

reflect

How does understanding God as a loving and perfect Father challenge or encourage your view of Him?
In what ways can the failures of human fathers interfere with our understanding of God as our heavenly Father?
How have you experienced God’s care, provision, or discipline in your life?
How does knowing you are a child of God through faith in Jesus impact your daily choices and identity?

engage

How can we help each other grow in trusting God as our perfect Father despite past experiences with earthly fathers?
What aspects of Jesus’ relationship with His Father inspire us to deepen our connection with God?
How does understanding God as Father shape the way we interact with one another as members of His family?