{"id":45675,"date":"2019-05-07T11:22:32","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T18:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/?p=45675"},"modified":"2022-06-02T08:05:22","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T15:05:22","slug":"understanding-god-the-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/understanding-god-the-father\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding God the Father"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It can be hard (or to be honest, impossible!) to wrap your mind around the Trinity. So let’s take one quick, clear look at who God the Father is with an NIV Study Bible<\/a> excerpt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God the Father is <\/strong>Our<\/strong><\/em> Father<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, <\/em>Abba, Father. Romans 8:14-15 NIV<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

God is Not Everyone’s Father<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

God is the Father of all in the sense that he created all and his love and providential care are extended to all (Mt 5:45<\/a>). But not all are his children. Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews of his day, \u201cYou belong to your father, the devil\u201d (Jn 8:44<\/a>). People become children of God through faith in God\u2019s unique Son (Jn 1:12<\/a>), and being led by God\u2019s Spirit is the hallmark of this relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He Became Our Father Through Adoption<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Greek word for adoption into sonship occurs four other times in the New Testament (Romans 8:23<\/a>; 9:4<\/a>; Gal 4:5<\/a>; Eph 1:5<\/a>). Adoption was common among Greeks and Romans, who granted the adopted son all the privileges of a natural son, including the inheritance rights. Christian are adopted sons by grace; Christ, however, is God\u2019s Son by nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"God<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He Became Father to the World Through Creation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

God is the creator of the heavenly bodies, which give light to the earth, but, unlike them, he does not change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God\u2014children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband\u2019s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13 NIV<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Membership in God\u2019s family is by grace alone \u2013 the gift of God (Eph 2:8-9<\/a>). It is never a human achievement, as v. 13<\/a> emphasizes; yet the imparting of the gift is dependent on human reception of it, as the words \u201cdid receive\u201d and \u201cbelieved\u201d make clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cchildren of God\u201d (v. 12<\/a>) have been given a new openness and relationship with God that was not theirs as a result of their natural birth (John 3:3, 5<\/a>;\u00a02Co 5:17<\/a>;\u00a0Gal 6:15<\/a>;\u00a0Titus 3:5<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"NIV<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Did you enjoy this NIV Study Bible<\/a> excerpt? Get notes like these every time you read God’s Word in the Olive Tree Bible App \u2014 even without an Internet connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also<\/strong> get this Study Bible as part of the NIV Bible Study Pack<\/strong><\/a> – a curated selection of study tools to help you get the most out of the Word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
GET IT TODAY<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
NIV STUDY PACK<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It can be hard (or to be honest, impossible!) to wrap your mind around the Trinity. So let’s take one quick, clear look at who God the Father is with an NIV Study Bible excerpt. God the Father is Our Father For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":49540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5341],"tags":[8590],"class_list":{"0":"post-45675","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-topical","8":"tag-niv-study-bible-revised"},"yoast_head":"\nExcerpt: Understanding God the Father - Olive Tree Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It can be hard to wrap your mind around the Trinity. 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