5 Benefits in Understanding God as Abba Father
Holy Spirit is restoring theology—more specifically, He is restoring right theology of the Father.
Theology comes from the word theos which is Greek for “God,” and -ology which is from the Greek word logos meaning “word.” Most literally then the word theology means “words about God” or “the study of God.” If theology is “the study of God,” then it’s safe to say that He is breathing on “the discovery of God.”
Saint Augustine (of the fifth-century) defined theology as “Rational discussion respecting the deity.” A. H. Strong, the great twentieth century theologian said that theology is “the Science of God and of the relations between God and the universe.” Charles Ryrie, a popular theologian, says theology is “thinking about God and expressing those thoughts in some way.” Millard Erickson, a modern theologian says that theology is simply “the study or science of God.”
“(Theology) used to be called ‘the queen of the sciences.’ It was understood to be the first among pursuits of knowledge, since it was believed that all other pursuits were vitally linked to its dictates… Why was it held in such high esteem then? Because theology itself provides a foundation for your philosophy and worldview, which in turn sets inclinations for your heart, actions, and decisions in all situations. Everything is affected by your theology.” (www.bible.org)
Jesus, Who is “perfect theology,” spoke immensely about the Father, calling Him Abba, the most cherished term of endearment. God as Father is a major theme in the scriptures, especially in the NT. Jesus spoke of God in many different attributes, yet God as Father overwhelmed and dominated Jesus’ revelation of what God is like.
In the OT, “father” is used 613 times, only 4 of those used for God. In the NT, “Father” is used 419 times, 268 of those used for God. As we see, most OT use was speaking of earthly fathers, whereas the NT use was centered around our heavenly Father.
In the book of John alone, Jesus intimately refers to the Father 107 times. Furthermore, in John 17 (the glorious prayer of restoration and belonging), Jesus uses the word “Father” 8 times.
We have approximately 25,000 words that Jesus spoke recorded in the Bible. Of those 25,000 words, Jesus taught about the “Father in heaven” at least 181 times. This means 1 out of every 140 words (1 of every 7 sentences), Jesus was speaking about His Father. Jesus’ central purpose therefore, was to restore humanity back to right relationship with Abba Father and the revelation therein.
5 BENEFITS IN THE REVELATION OF ABBA
It gives us a lens to look through (shaping the way we understand scripture, the way we relate to people, and the way we view the world). If “theology” is first the study of God, then how we see God determines how we will see all things following. In other words, if the river head isn’t in right order, then the rest of the river just won’t flow right. If the foundation of the house if off level, the walls that accent it won’t stand up right.
Our perception (view) of the master determines our stewardship. In Matthew 25:24-25, Jesus gives us a glimpse of this—the “one talent” servant had a distorted view of the Master, saying “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.” The. Greek word “hard” is skleros meaning “hard, harsh, rough, stiff” toward men; therefore of things they are “violent, rough offensive, intolerable.” I wonder if we’ve received a view of God that is harsh, rough, stiff, and immovable. This just isn’t consistent with the life of Jesus (where He was tender, moved with compassion, pliable, and merciful). The root word, skelos, is where we get the word ‘leg.’ Perhaps when we have an unhealthy view of the Father that isn’t consistent with Jesus, it messes up our walk.
We function much better when we understand that He prepares, protects, and provides for us (especially in times of testing and trials). David said, “He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5). David penned this after a breakdown of what the Great Shepherd did—He provides more than enough, causes us to rest, leads us into righteousness, restores, revives, and son on. It’s time we start fighting from the feast. Fighting is the exertion of strength, but feasting is the renewal of it. There’s a loud rhetoric of “who will take a stand,” when maybe the Father is saying, “who will take a seat?”
It causes us to draw close to Him in union and fellowship. When we understand that Abba is good, trustworthy, and desires face-to-face communion, we will be much more likely to engage with Him. This is true in any form of friendship and family. Abba was a term of endearment, the most intimate Aramaic word—used to describe a child sitting on their fathers’ lap. When a son called his father “abba,” it signified the deepest level of intimacy and fellowship. It’s time we take our Father out of the western courtroom, and put Him back into the living room (house). Maybe we remove the gavel from His hand, the robe off His back, and the somber look off His face—replacing it with a posture of rest and a smile of delight.
It gives us clearer understanding of our design and purpose—specifically that of sonship. Jesus is the clearest picture of what it means to walk as a mature son, and His overwhelming view of God was that of a Father. Sonship isn’t a reality independent of Abba revelation, but one that’s directly entwined with it. Thus, when we see the Father rightly, we see who we are as His children. Furthermore, discovery of the Father takes you back to the beginning of His intended purpose.
-RA
