The following blog posts are modified from an article I wrote for the Witness about Biblical Fatherhood. You can find links to the other posts in this series below.
Having two small children, five-year-old Elias and three-year-old Lillian, I am coming to grips with the fact that I do not have the ability in of myself to be a “Biblical” father, or even grasp the fullness of that phrase. As a youth pastor, I work beside parents of teenagers and see that the parental task grows more complicated and the stakes higher with time. So I welcome the invitation to write on this subject, not because I think I understand Biblical fatherhood; but because I desperately want to.
I started with my 85 pound Strong’s Concordance, looking up all the Bible passages that deal with fatherhood, from the genealogical emphasis of Genesis to specific admonitions scattered throughout Scripture. As I worked, it became obvious that these human fathers are not meant to be exemplary, but historical. And the admonitions are instructive, but not comprehensive blueprints for Biblical fatherhood.
Biblical fatherhood is a grand concept. It flows from God, the Father; and when men aspire to be Biblical fathers, they aspire to be like him. The examples and specific commands are drops in a tidal wave of his fatherly activity poured out in relation to individuals, groups, humanity as a whole and, most clearly, Jesus.
In other words, the Bible is so saturated with fatherhood that it is hard to declare what is Biblical fatherhood other than to simply point to the Father and Son and say, “that.”
Therefore, the following blog posts will be an examination of the Father’s fatherhood, which I believe is expressed most clearly and helpfully in his relationship with the Son. Stay tuned!
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Other posts in this series:
