Fathers, it can be asserted, play a key role in all our lives. If you had a good dad, it shows; if you had a bad one, it shows; and if you didn’t have one around at all, that shows too. The fact is, everyone seeks after the approval of some kind of father figure, whether your physical parent or a substitute you put in his place. In light of that—and because Father’s Day was a few weeks ago—I thought I would share a few simple ideas on the role of an earthly father, from the perspective of God’s Word.
When you’re looking at the New Testament, fathers are addressed several times, and arguably the most important aspect of the whole thing is in how the title is used to refer to God. When Jesus Christ introduces prayer to His disciples, He tells them to address God as the “Father in Heaven”, and that’s a consistent motif through the rest of the Scripture. Principle among those references you’ll find the book of Ephesians, with several passages calling God “Father”. In fact—I’m seeing this more as I’ve been studying the book recently—many of the points in Ephesians are based on the idea of God’s Fatherhood and how that affects all peoples for all time.
So, because of all those things adding up, I thought I’d write on the topic briefly from the perspective of Ephesians 3, and particularly verses 14-21. In this section, the apostle Paul is offering up a prayer for his readers, asking God (the Heavenly Father) to work with them, and that’s where we pick up: here are three simple points on fatherhood, drawn from the example of God Himself.
What Does the Bible Say About Being a Father?
We won’t do an intense study of the whole passage, but rather take simple lessons from right off the top. There are probably other points that could be made here, but I’ll just be addressing these few.
A Father Has Children
Is that really necessary for me to say? Yes, I think so! Despite all of us knowing this inherently—it’s in the basic definition of dad, after all—it bears addressing here. See, a dad can’t be a dad without children and the unique relationship that brings with it. A dad will be a man with or without children, but you can’t be a father without having children. There’s nothing quite like that relationship, and nothing you can substitute in to change that fact. Nothing is comparable to actually having to raise little humans to maturity. You can have good relationships with other people’s children if you want to, but if you don’t live with them then it’s a totally different relationship.
The reason that we need to emphasize this point is that it’s a focus on the relational aspect of the whole thing. It’s not just the fact that physical kids have been born into a physical location, but the idea of that totally unique relationship between a parent and child. The first thing that fathers need to remember is that their job is built around that special relationship, and nobody can truly fill that role but them. A dad is going to be called upon to highlight that relationship, to work with his children because of that relationship. Without recognizing the base relationship, we don’t have anything else to say about fathers.
When God deals with us, it’s based on our relationship to Him; when we deal with our children, it should focus on our relationships with them. This isn’t the only emphasis we ought to have, but failing to see it makes us miss out on all sorts of things vital to the core point of fatherhood.
A Father Passes His Name On To His Children
You see it in Ephesians 3.15, a Bible verse that teaches us that God passes His name onto His children, and you see that replicated in our human relationships as well. Obviously, a person’s last name generally comes from his father, and that’s the literal inheritance. But with that name comes a reputation and often a recognition of who it’s connected to. I bear my dad’s last name, which connects me to both him and his dad. If they’re known as good, my reputation (with those who met them) is good! If they’re known as terrible, my reputation is trash. Either way, my dad’s name has had an impact on me and how I’m viewed by other people.
The reason this point is so important to mention is that many people living today live entirely for themselves, to such an extent that we often don’t consider how our actions affect other people. This is especially important to consider when your reputation sets expectations for the line of people following you! My grandfather was a gospel preacher who did work in many different areas of the country, to the extent that now many people know my family’s name. I’ve been around this country quite a bit, and most every place I’ve been there’s someone who knows one of my family members. My grandfather’s good reputation has passed on to me, though I haven’t done anything to deserve it! But the legacy continues on through his name, and through my dad’s name, and it will through mine as well. Fathers cannot afford to live selfishly: the “name recognition”, if you will, is too valuable an asset to ignore.
When God deals with us, one of the first things He does is give us His name. In the Old Testament, He calls Himself “Jehovah”, lets Israel be called the “Children of God”, and uses His reputation to protect them. In the New Testament, God comes down to earth as Jesus, titles Himself “Christ”, and we call ourselves Christians because of it. He has a name that He has passed on to us, and as such we benefit from the good reputation it provides! Now it’s our job to live up to the name of “Christian”, just as it’s my job to live up to the family name. In patterning our fatherhood after the true Father of all, make sure you emphasize giving a good name to your children, that they might be blessed by the benefits.
A Father Gives His Children Blessings
The primary blessing any earthly father should give their children is to teach them about the love of God. The greatest gift anyone can receive is a relationship with God, so the greatest gift a dad can give would be helping his children to know God. Any other blessing—food, shelter, education, etc.—loses its meaning if they’re not backed by knowing God. Without God, what do we have? A life lived without God isn’t going to be a life worth living! God created us, which gave us purpose: go without God and you get life that doesn’t ultimately matter. Without God, it doesn’t matter how physically well-off I am, because I don’t have a reason for existence! So if you, as an earthly father, want to give something good to your children, why not start by connecting them with a purpose in life? Go ahead and fulfill the physical blessings too, but start with the most important one!
When God deals with us, He gives us purpose. God Himself is the purpose! There’s no greater gift that a father can give than to give his children a reason for living. Fathers gave life to their children originally! They need to be part of making that life mean something, and that’s only accomplished by helping the kids know the God behind the life they have. That’s the true role of a father! So get your priorities straight and communicate what really matters.
Conclusion
None of this should be a surprise, if you’re a Christian. Maybe it’s expressed in a new way, but they’re concepts we’ve all heard before. I don’t have any new revelations! But I hope it’s an interesting (if very simplified) view on a bit of fatherhood, and I pray you can get some value out of finding the meaning behind the role.
