God: Father First

When I make an introduction, I usually preface it with my relationship to each party. I know Lisa from dance and Anne from lacrosse.

Jesus does the same thing. When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, He introduces the Twelve to the first person of the Trinity with the term “Father.”

Jesus knew God first as Father.

Not Creator.

Not God Almighty.

Not Yahweh.

Abba. Dad.

Because “Dad” speaks to who God is at His core.

A loving Father.

And what do loving fathers do? They bring children into the world and love them.

Don’t misunderstand. Creation and creatures weren’t necessary for God. He didn’t need something to do or someone to love. He wasn’t lonely without us.

Father, Son, and Spirit are complete. The love between the members of the Trinity is perfect. Yet it is the nature of a Father to give life and to love. And so He did.

God the Father breathed life into a creature called man. When man rejected God’s love, the Father loved him enough to provide redemption through the Son. And the Father pours His love and His Spirit into and onto who accept His gift of grace. You and me.

A creator can create without love.

A sovereign can reign without love.

An almighty being can be all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present without love.

But a True Father cannot father without love.

So, it’s Father first.

Because creation, life itself, came from His love.

Because God rules in perfect love.

Because God’s perfect power, knowledge, and presence can find expression in no other way but love.

Take a few moments to worship Him now.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NjEYtaD-Ywg

Questions:

When you first learned of God, what attribute did you associate with Him?

If you were to describe God, what word comes to mind?

Does your perception of God line up with Scripture? (Even the OT speaks of God’s fatherhood.)

Tweetables:

“Dad” speaks to who God is at His core. A loving Father. Click To Tweet
A creator can create without love. Click To Tweet
A True Father cannot father without love. Click To Tweet
It’s Father first. Click To Tweet

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