Notes of Faith August 6, 2025

Abba, Father

And [Jesus] said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.”

Mark 14:36

One of the most obvious differences between the Old Testament and New Testament is how God is referred to. In the Old Testament, God is called the Father of the nation of Israel or of certain individuals 15 times (although father imagery is sometimes used). But in the Gospels, God is referred to as Father some 165 times! And the apostle Paul refers to God as Father some 40 different times in his epistles.

It is thought by scholars that Jesus, and most of His contemporaries, spoke Aramaic, a dialect of Hebrew. The word they would have used for “father” was the Aramaic word abba, a personal and intimate word. When the New Testament was recorded in Greek, most occurrences of abba were translated with the Greek word pater—but abba is preserved in three instances: Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15-16, and Galatians 4:6. Each of these verses reflects a level of personal intimacy which abba conveys. It has been suggested that abba is the equivalent of the modern word “daddy”—the way a child addresses his father.

When you address God as Father in prayer, reflect on the fact that you are His child, adopted into His forever family (Galatians 4:4-7).

A Christian is one who has God as his Father.

J. I. Packer

Too many people do not have an intimate relationship with their earthly father. This comes from a variety of complicated reasons but nevertheless leaves a child without the intimacy and understanding of the father relationship. Even a good earthly father cannot come close to the relationship that God the Father provides for all, even those who do not believe in Him. The provision of breathable air, water to drink, rain for food to grow, is given to all, regardless of faith or unbelief. God the Father seeks intimacy with the only thing created in His image…YOU! May we come to know and pursue a true “father-child” relationship with our heavenly abba!

Pastor Dale