ABBA, Father

Romans 8:14-15

 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received  brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

It was a scene that repeated itself almost every day when my children were little. They’d hear their dad’s truck pull in at the end of the day, and run as fast as they could to meet him at the door – launching themselves into his arms with joy as soon as he walked in the house.

Not everyone has such joyful memories of their dads. My dad died when I was 17, and his loss left a void I have felt my entire adult life. Some of you have also lost your fathers to death; others to divorce, neglect, or strained relationships. Some of you, in this broken world, have suffered terribly at the hands of your fathers. Even good earthly fathers, ones who’ve built healthy relationships with their children, are flawed. These tragic losses and failings of our earthly fathers can deeply shape our view of God our heavenly father.

Our passage today tells us that we are the adopted children of God and we can call him Abba Father. Abba was an Aramaic word that showed great respect for the position and authority of fathers and elders in the community; but it was also a name used by children that showed love and affection for their dads. It was the name Jesus gave to God, his Father.

To fully live as the children of God, we have to let Holy Spirit reframe our understanding of fatherhood through the lens of Scripture. We have to learn who the Bible says God is. Only then can we begin to love and trust Him as our Father. Only then will he become our Abba.

The psalmist says that God is “Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. (Psalm 103:9) This quote comes from Exodus 34:6, where God himself says that He is “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”

The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 gives us a visual of this compassionate and gracious father. A father different from anything the ancient world had ever seen. Jesus’ listeners would’ve been expecting to hear that the father had stoned or banished his prodigal son forever for bringing such disgrace on his family. But instead, we have a father lifting his robes and running to meet his son before any harm could come to him. A picture of a father restoring the honor of his son and “adopting him” back as a valued member of his family.

This is the radical way our heavenly Father loves you and me. His love runs so deep that he sent his one and only Son Jesus to redeem us from our slavery to sin, so that He could adopt us as his children. A love so wide that we will never come to the end of it. A love so pure that nothing can change it.

Take a moment today to meditate on the limitless love of God. Pray that the Holy Spirit will fill you with deep love and affection for your good and gracious Abba, Father.