The Intimate Relationship With Abba Father

God the Father desires an intimate relationship with every one of us; so close that we can call Him daddy (Abba)!

Aleph Beth – Father

Aleph is the Hebrew letter for A while Beth is the Hebrew letter for B, but together, the letters or word, AB, means Father. When you put your trust in Jesus, God becomes your heavenly Father. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom 8:14-17). To be given such love and shown such mercy is the ultimate joy for every believer. For the Creator of the universe to send His Son to suffer and die for us is the greatest expression of love ever. Then, to adopt us, and regenerate us to make us His own children is so amazing.

God’s Spirit

As children of God we have been given His Spirit, Who empowers us to live in obedience. Yes we still suffer in this world that is groaning to be released (Rom 8:19), but even our suffering can be used to bring us into maturity and bring us spiritual victory. God loves us and nothing can ever change that. No circumstance and no action on our part will ever stop Him from loving us, yet we should not use that love and mercy as an excuse to not seek to grow. His great love for us should compel us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. Because we are led by the Spirit, we should seek to be changed as He makes us more into the image of Christ, and because we are the children of God, our lives should reflect His goodness and His holiness. We are called to greatness. We are chosen to be conformed to the image of Christ. Because He is holy we are called to be holy in our daily living. All of this can happen because the Spirit of God is our light, power, and guide. Why not pray, “Jesus be the center of my heart. Jesus be the one Who guides my every decision and Who inspires me to love. May my heart, mind and soul be focussed on the single minded ambition to love and live filled by the Spirit of God and shining His light into the darkness of this world. May I not let my light be snuffed out or my heart given to another.” God desired that relationship with ancient Israel, and inspired Jeremiah to write, “I said, ‘How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me” (Jer 3:19).

The New Covenant

Under the Old Covenant relationship, the nation of Israel, so named because they descended from Jacob who was renamed Israel, were considered by God as His own children, yet they rebelled and refused to live under His authority. The Old Covenant was made with the nation and this stipulated that they would live in the land under His blessing as long as they obeyed. Today, under the New Covenant, we are made children of God individually through faith in Jesus. We are given a new birth (John 3:3-7) and transformed by His Spirit from the inside to make us totally new people for God (2 Cor 5:17-21). This is a covenant that depends, not on our obedience, but on the obedience of Jesus, which has been credited to our personal account. The nation of Israel could go in and out of their blessings, but there were always those who, even in the midst of national apostasy, loved God and stayed loyal to Him. There was always a remnant He has reserved unto Himself. Daniel and his three friends were still under the blessing of God, even though they suffered with everyone else as they were taken as slaves to a foreign land. God told Elijah that there were others who had not yet bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18).

License to Sin?

It’s easy for many Christians today to misunderstand the difference between the two covenants. They might end up living under the old one if they’re not careful. Because the Israelite nation lost its national blessing when the disobeyed, some Christians think that God will reject them every time they sin, but our covenant is dependent upon Jesus Who obeyed. It’s not based upon our performance, thankfully. Of course, the other extreme is using God’s abundant grace and mercy as a license to live as they please. Those who are living in step with The Spirit of God are open to be changed by Him and are keen to obey. The Apostle Paul addresses this when writing, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom 8:13-14).

Run to the Father

Salvation is not up for loss, but every time a believer in Jesus deliberately sins, a little bit of their conscience dies and a little bit of their spirit is quenched by disobedience. Confidence to approach Father God for help is diminished. Hope in the hard times is not so easy to access. Our punishment has been taken by Jesus, but joy can be lost when we turn our faces from worship to indulging in the sinful activities of death. If you ever find yourself in this position, fearful and lacking hope, because you have been living by the dictates or appetites of your sinful nature, what are you to do? Simple; remember that God is your loving Father and you are His child. Then run into His loving arms, knowing that you are loved and forgiven. Knowing that you are loved and completely accepted as a child of God should destroy any shame we have. When shame is defeated, you don’t have to run and hide or to turn to an addictive habit for comfort. Turn to your Father…Father God. He is always willing to forgive.

Conclusion

Knowing that you are loved and empowered will give you courage to be strong and stand your ground when life gets tough. You are a son or a daughter. You belong to Father God and you can cry our Abba Father any time of day or night. We are given the Spirit of Sonship by which we cry “Father God, help me.” When we run back to Him we find that He was standing right besides us all the time waiting to hug us and pour over us His eternal love.

Here is some related reading for you: 10 Awesome Attributes of God

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible : English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Carol Elliott became a Christian in her teens and attended the Irish Baptist College. The author is in her late fifties, is married, and has two grown children. Mrs. Elliott presently attends Exchange Church in Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Tagged as: Abba, Father, forgiveness