When we think of what God is like, it is mind blowing (we
do not have the capacity to fully understand), and yet heart warming. There
is so much more than most realise encapsulated in the simple affirmation of
the Apostles' Creed: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of
heaven and earth.
A father is naturally the source and the
security of his children. Do not be distracted from the truth by the
inadequacy and failures of human fathers. We shall see that the
Father generates and preserves His sons.
God the Father has one only begotten Son, but many
adopted sons. There is a wonderful parallel between His relationship
to the Son and the sons.
I. AS A FATHER TO HIS ONLY SON
(i) God generates Him. See
Hebrews 1:5, (Psalm
2:7;
Hebrews 5:5) and
John 1:14 and
3:16. We do not know exactly what it means that He generates the
Son, but we know what it does not mean. The Son did not come into existence
with the virgin birth. He did not start to exist at any point in history. He
is eternally begotten or eternally generated.
(ii) God preserves Him. This we can understand and
yet it is still quite, quite amazing. See
Acts 2:22-27. Through all the hard things of His life the Father
made sure that it turned out brilliantly!
II. AS A FATHER TO HIS MANY SONS
(i) God generates. Everything owes its
existence to God - it is created.
(On the evolution debate it must be said that the
pronouncements of unbelieving scientists will vary from one generation to
another, but the word of God endures. We can just wait and see what over the
years emerges from the scientific community. But we must engage in the
debate. We must bring biblical doctrine to bear on scientific evidence or be
seen as irrelevant. The main issue is this: is the universe made by
deliberate design or is it an arbitrary accident? It seems clear which is
the more credible.)
Men have been made (generated) by the will of the Father,
but more specifically those who are adopted sons have been re-generated by
God.
(ii) God preserves. He has not brought into the
world and then abandoned as an earthly father might. He cares for protects
and promotes the interests of His children. See the beautiful expressions of
this in the
Catechism Q/A 1 (cf
Matthew 10:29-31) and
Q/A
26 (cf
Romans8:28;
Genesis 50:20)
How privileged are the sons of God to be even as is the
Son of God in our relation to the Father!
Whereby learn:
(a) Be born
again (John
1:12). Possess the privilege.
(b) If are a
son of God, do not worry. He will be a Father to you.
