Abba Father
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
|
God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
|
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
|
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are
|
the children of God. (Rom. 8:14-16)
|
The term, "Abba Father" is probably one of the most intimate
|
expressions in the Bible. It is a term of endearment, and really
|
means, "daddy father." The usage speaks of the love, reliance,
|
and intimacy of a child to a father.
|
Paul twice uses this phrase to express our relationship to God
|
as our Heavenly Father. (see also Gal. 4:6) Jesus also addressed
|
His Father in this manner. (see Mark 14:36) Yet how many of us
|
really and truly think of God as our Father? Unfortunately, most of
|
us don't -- although we do believe the FACT that God is our Father
|
in heaven. In practice, however, most of us tend to think of God as
|
an angry judge who is sitting in heaven eager to punish, and who is
|
always on the verge of a temper tantrum. In effect, rather than think
|
of God as a Father to love and revere, we are AFRAID of Him.
|
There is a big difference between what the Bible calls "the fear
|
of the Lord," and the kind of fear most of us have of God. The true
|
"fear of the Lord" is REVERENCE. I place such a high value and
|
worth upon God -- which is really LOVE -- that I obey Him, and treat
|
Him as holy. The wrong kind of fear of God is when I am afraid of
|
Him. It is based on a false concept of God, and what amounts to
|
a bunch of LIES about Him.
|
One good way to express the difference between the true "fear
|
of the Lord," and the wrong fear, is that the true fear makes us want
|
to draw near to God. The false fear makes us want to hide from
|
Him. By this we can know which dynamic is controlling us.
|
The term "Abba Father" leaves us with no room for the wrong
|
kind of fear of the Lord. It is simply not possible for us to say,
|
"Abba Father," and to be afraid of the One to whom we are
|
expressing our love. The two would contradict each other. They
|
don't even belong in the same sentence.
|
Now ask: Would Paul, and Jesus, use such an expression
|
towards our Heavenly Father if He were the kind of God most of us
|
have believed Him to be -- a God to be afraid of? No. They
|
would not. The term wouldn't even be in the Bible with regard to
|
God. Again, "Abba Father," and the wrong kind of fear, cannot be
|
referring to the same Person.
|
The fact is, many of us have been reading things like this for
|
years. We agree that God is our Heavenly Father. Afterall, the
|
Bible says so. And we agree that God is love. But in practice,
|
well, God doesn't seem like He is love. We just don't feel that way.
|
In fact, we feel kind of afraid of God. Our emotions, and perhaps
|
even our thinking, don't seem to jive with what the Bible says.
|
Right here is where we must begin to choose WHO to believe.
|
Do we believe the Truth, or do we believe our emotions and our
|
reactions? Do we believe Jesus Christ, or do we believe what
|
our concepts and human thinking tells us?
|
Fear can be an awful thing. It can color our thinking and our
|
perception. It can make things which are absolute lies seem like
|
they are the absolute Truth -- because fear tends to cr
eate a false |
reality. Fear -- as it pertains to God -- is a lie.
|
God tells us how to handle fear. He says, "Fear not." How does
|
one, "fear not"? Well, there is only one way: By fearing not. Period.
|
In other words, you can't wait to you feel unfearful. God isn't going
|
to act upon you and make you feel unfearful. You must refuse to
|
fear. And the best way to do this is by filling your mind with the Truth.
|
The Truth is, God IS our Heavenly Father. And embodied in the
|
term, "Abba Father" is a picture of a God into which fear cannot fit.
|
So if we truly believe this, we must, at some point, begin acting like
|
it. We must stand in the Truth against all that would come against
|
it, and cry "Abba Father" in our hearts as children to our Father.
|
Comments
Post a Comment