Furthermore, He is available and ready to have with them an intimate relationship which has been made possible through Christ ( Ephesians 2:13 ). God being a Father means that He cares and provides for the needs of His children, just as an earthly father does. Also, Jesus called God Father eighteen times in the Sermon on the Mount alone, and in fifteen of those instances He said, “your Father,” (addition, mine) thus teaching His disciples to look at God as their Father ( Matthew 5:1-8:1 ). This claim, parenthetically, aroused intense indignation among the Jews who consequently sought to kill Him ( John 5:18 ). In the gospel accounts, Jesus used the word “Father” to claim that the God of Israel was His Father and affirm a unique personal relationship He had with Him ( John 5:17 ). When the New Testament speaks of God as Father, the emphasis, however, is placed on relationship. The prophet Malachi exclaimed, “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?” ( Malachi 2:10 ) The Israelites viewed God as One who brought their nation into existence.
In Old Testament scriptures, the Fatherhood of God is spoken of in the sense of originator. God is often identified in the Bible as Father.
The term “Father” in the title above is a reference to the first Person of the Godhead, as He is distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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