The idea of fatherhood is one that is central to our worldview as Christians. First and foremost, it’s how the scriptures describe God, and our relationship with Him. Although there are a few references to God as the father of Israel in the Old Testament, it’s not until the New Testament that we truly become aware of God the Father. In the revelation and incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, we get a full picture of God the Father. Moreover, we learn the incredible and almost unfathomable truth: that we get to be adopted into the family of God as sons and daughters. We get to call God our father, and He receives us and takes care of us as His children. This is one of the most prominent ways the Gospel is explained in the New Testament and is central to understanding our relationship with God and how we should live.
But, on this side of heaven, fatherhood is also an important idea. And to be clear, it’s more than an idea, it’s a huge responsibility and calling for millions of people. Being a father is one of the greatest gifts God has given men. It’s why we at Faith Driven Consumer™ (FDC) believe in traditional values like family and fatherhood. We believe in them because they are part of God’s plan and revealed to us in His Word. And, while not every man is called to be a father, it remains one of the greatest ways we can reflect God’s plan for His creation and His people. It’s one of the ways we reflect God Himself. In fact, since God is the first father, and indeed, the author of fatherhood itself, we should take this responsibility seriously and recognize it for the spiritual (not just biological, sociological, or economical) responsibility that it is. It also means that in order to know how to be a good father, we have to look to God and His Word to find the specific purpose and design of fatherhood and the family.
Biblical fatherhood, then, is about mirroring God in our actions. It’s about being the leader of our families in a way that reflects God’s design for creation and that imitates God’s actions as our own heavenly father. This is an incredible responsibility, and quite obviously one that we can’t 100% live up to. Still, this is what we are called to strive toward, all the same. But at this point you might be asking, “what can I learn from God about being a father? I mean, being God and being an earthly father are pretty different. And, it’s not like He’s going to take me out for coffee once a week and give me some pointers on being a dad.” That’s probably true (although if God has been taking you out for coffee weekly, please email us and tell us about it immediately…). However, the scriptures reveal the character of God and provide full of stories about how God interacts with us, His children. So although you’re probably not going to get a one-on-one sit down where God gives you advice on how best to teach your son to throw a baseball, we have the words of God Himself found in the bible, and they tell us what kind of father He is, and by extension, what kind of father we should be.
So what can we learn about fatherhood from God in scripture?
Love. First, we learn that God loves. In fact, 1 John 4:8 says that it isn’t just something He does, instead, it says that “God is love.” God is a loving father, not because He sometimes does nice things for His children, or because He sometimes feels loving towards us, but because He is love, itself. Love originates and flows from Him and we get to be the primary recipients of this love as His sons and daughters. This should encourage us to do, and be, likewise. Biblical fatherhood is first and foremost about love. Therefore, we should love our children with an unconditional love that doesn’t disappear when we are having a bad day. And, it doesn’t diminish when they disappoint us or even when we must discipline them. Love is the basis of biblical fatherhood.
Discipline. That brings us to the second thing we can learn from God about being a good father: a good father disciplines his children. Now, admittedly, this one is less popular in our current cultural climate. Our culture has largely rejected the idea that children, or people in general, should experience negative repercussions for their actions, or at least not from any authority figure. We don’t like authority, and we certainly don’t like negative consequences. But, regardless of the method of disciplining, we learn from the scriptures that God disciplines us for our own good. And, in the same way, we are instructed to discipline our children. But we should remember that discipline is not retribution. It’s not an opportunity to get back at your children for doing something wrong or making you angry. Biblical fatherhood and the biblical picture can’t be that because of the first point we mentioned: God is love. So, that is the challenge for fathers: discipline your children in love, for their own good. How can we ever hope to understand that tension correctly and achieve such a difficult balance? By reading the scriptures and learning how God disciplines us, loves us, and redeems us all for His glory and for our good.
Security. One of the most important roles a father plays in the life of his family is that of caretaker. Fathers are entrusted with many responsibilities, but one that is both practical, as well as biblical, is the responsibility to provide safety and security for your family. Now, there are times when bad things happens or accidents occur that can’t be prevented. Further, there may be persecutions or other hardships that extend to the family because of living rightly in a fallen world. These are the areas that we give to God as we trust in Him (the perfect father). But just as God is a father who providentially and sovereignly looks out for us and protects us from evil, so are we to protect our own families. This can be practical like making sure your family is safe each night before bed. Or it can be safety and security in regard to the spiritual health of our families. There are times when a father must consider what is best for the souls with which he is entrusted, and that might occasionally require difficult decisions. Protecting your family could mean making an unpopular decision about what kinds of things you allow your family to be exposed to. But, if you are seeking God’s plan, and not your own, and you are loving your family well, you can feel empowered to take up this responsibility and protect them.
There are countless other biblical principles of fatherhood we could discuss. And, since God’s goodness is truly inexhaustible, we will never run out of lessons to learn about being a good father. But this week we simply wanted to highlight what the bible says about fatherhood in hopes that any father reading this will be encouraged and empowered to be all that God has entrusted you with. At FDC we take fatherhood seriously. We take the family seriously. We believe you are a vital part of what we are trying to accomplish by God’s power and God’s grace. Our culture is suffering from a lack of leadership, a lack of strong families, and a lack of integrity. God has given Christian men an opportunity to shine brightly against this bleak backdrop and demonstrate to the world the love of God the Father. So, to all the fathers out there reading this today, thank you for who you are and what you do, and we pray that you will persevere in the amazing responsibility God has given you.
Happy Father’s Day.
