Why We Must Restore True Fatherhood to Humanity

After salvation, the greatest need of our lives is for the presence and guidance of a father.

Fatherhood is the foundation on which God built the family, which is the fundamental cell of society. Earthly fathers are meant to represent our heavenly Father.

Sadly, too often, that does not happen. Sin and rebellion lead people to live far from their heavenly Father and His ways. As a result, in a number of families, the father is missing or uninvolved in his children’s lives. Or worse, he demonstrates the opposite of the love of God.

We are a society of orphans who cry out for identity, protection, wise counsel, and material and spiritual nourishment.

Due to the lack of a father figure to correct and guide them, and in their desire for a sense of belonging, many young people end up in gangs. Others search for love in misguided ways, only to be rejected or abused. At worst, they end up being prostituted, sexually assaulted or even killed.

Ultimately, only God the Father can provide these essentials for us. We must restore true fatherhood to humanity!

When we receive Christ, we enter a new relationship with our heavenly Father. “God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4-5a).

“And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond-servant), but a son; and if a son, then also an heir through [the gracious act of] God [through Christ]” (Gal. 4:6–7, AMP).

We were supernaturally reborn to be sons and daughters of God! Understanding this truth is the key to finding our identity and purpose in life.

The Meaning of ‘Father’

“For you have not received the spirit of slavery again to fear. But you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father'” (Rom. 8:15, MEV).

To better understand the fatherhood of God, let’s take a close look at the word Abba in “Abba, Father.” Abba is an Aramaic term that expresses a close relationship between a father and child. It denotes the idea of a child crying “Daddy!” when he wants to be in his father’s arms. The Greek word for father is patḗr, but that term is more formal, denoting respect and reverence for the head of the family.

Both Abba and Pater reflect the qualities and functions of God the Father, who is the source of all things and imparts life to us. When Moses was chosen by God to lead His people, he asked the Lord in whose name he should appear before them. The Lord answered, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). This phrase comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to be” or “to exist.” It signifies “one who exists by His own desire and who is eternal.”

Made in God’s image, the human father—under the sovereignty of God the Father—is designed to be the source, protector, provider, teacher, cultivator, sustainer, patriarch and defender of his family. He carries the burden of the home, affirming his children as he encourages, leads, models and governs them.

The Revelation of the Father

After the first human beings sinned, God promised that in the fullness of time, He would send His only begotten Son to redeem His people and manifest His fatherhood. And the Father did so! “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).

From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus began to manifest the nature of the heavenly Father. However, one day, Jesus’ disciple Philip asked Him to reveal the Father. “Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you such a long time, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, “Show us the Father”‘”(John 14:9).

When we have both heard and received the revelation of the Father, our relationship with Him changes.

For several years, Jesus had taught His disciples about the fatherhood of God, but this truth hadn’t yet been revealed to them. The same is true today. Many people have not had a good experience with their natural father, so they cannot accept God as their heavenly Father. We can understand the fatherhood of God only when we receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit that we are God’s children and He loves us.

Two of the three temptations Jesus experienced in the wilderness after He was baptized were aimed at challenging His identity as God’s Son. Satan said, “If you are the Son of God” (Matt. 4:3b). However, Jesus defeated the devil by the Word of the heavenly Father, saying, “It is written” (See, for example, Matt. 4:4, 6). When we have both heard and received the revelation of the Father, our relationship with Him changes. We enter His presence confidently, as children go before a loving father with the assurance that he will hear and answer their requests.

The Father’s Blessing

“The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22).

The Bible teaches that God disciplines those He loves. In the same way, He commands fathers to lovingly correct and discipline their children, not to mistreat or curse them. The blessing given by a father to his children protects, preserves and provides for them. To be blessed is to be supernaturally empowered to prosper, even against all odds.

As our Father, God is our protector. He nourishes our soul, provides for us, is the God of our salvation, “trains our hands for battle,” sustains us in times of crisis, advocates for our cause, carries our burdens, givens value to our lives, encourages us when we are weak and leads us to green pastures and quiet waters. Remember, He is faithful even when we are unfaithful (see 2 Tim. 2:13.)

The World Needs a Father!

The psalmist said, “If my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me in” (Ps. 27:10). There is only one solution to the lack of fatherhood in our lives. It is this revelation: God is my Father. I am His child, and He loves me. If you go to the heavenly Father, He will not reject you. This is His promise: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not abandon you. I will not leave you” (Josh. 1:6b). {eoa}

Active in ministry for over 20 years, best-selling author Apostle Guillermo Maldonado is the founder of King Jesus International Ministry—one of the fastest-growing multicultural churches in the United States—which has been recognized for its visible manifestations of God´s supernatural power. He is a spiritual father to 400 churches in 70 countries, which form the Supernatural Global Network. He is also the founder of the University of the Supernatural Ministry (USM). Apostle Maldonado has a doctorate in Christian counseling and a master’s degree in practical theology. He resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife and partner in ministry, Ana, and their two sons, Bryan and Ronald. Visit whitakerhouse.com/book-authors/guillermo-maldonado/.

Article based on I Need a Father! © 2015 by Guillermo Maldonado, published by ERJ Publications. Used by permission.