2 Corinthians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.
It’s one of those foundational beliefs that separates us from the rest of the religious world. I’m talking about the Fatherhood of God and the Sonship of Christ. It’s a distinction that Jews and Muslims will not accept. It’s a spiritual fact that distinguishes who we are as a people of faith.
Some people and pastors think that this is not important and in the interests of political correctness and language equity, they would rather that we stop calling God “Father” and instead use the neutral term of ‘Creator.’ The difficulty with this is that the First Christians, who died for their faith, saw this as a basic belief that distinguished Christ from other would be Messiahs and spiritual leaders.
We may think that this distinction is unimportant in a modern cosmopolitan world. We may be able to compartmentalize our beliefs into acceptable cultural phrases to suit the world. We may be able to do all of these things and change ourselves, but we will never be able to change that basic eternal and sacred relationship that Christ has with God. Jesus is His Holy Son and God is His Almighty and Everlasting Father.
The apostle Paul knew this fully, understood it, and proclaimed it in his wonderful letters. Christ in the Gospels continually referred to God as Father and even Daddy (Abba). If this wasn’t true, then Christ was deceiving Himself and His followers. And how could He even call out for mercy upon those who crucified Him, with the famous words: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” if this was not the case?
The Fatherhood of God maintains who we truly are as Christians. If we reject it, then we are molding God into our own acceptable form and shape. The word for that is idolatry.
Prayer: Father God, we glorify Your Son Jesus Christ in ways that the world does not understand and in words that our Western society finds hard to accept. You sent Your son to the world to show us how committed You were and are towards granting eternal salvation for those who truly believe in Your Son. Help us to once again tear down the barriers of our own making and to cherish You as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and all compassion. In Your Holy Name and by Your Sacred Title we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.
Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called “Apple Harvest.” If you would like to see a larger version of the print, please click the following link:
Pastor Stuart has limited edition, signed, and matted prints available.
