Abba part 1
To start year 5 of Jesus Rants (and I can't believe it's been that long either!) I want to focus on who God is. There are 4 things in the Bible that God is concretely defined as: Love, Spirit, Light, a Consuming Fire. And those pictures are amazing. We'll probably get into each one of them this year. But that's not where I want to start. Because that's not what Jesus showed us. Look at John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." See the emphasis? He didn't say no man comes to GOD but by Him. He said no man comes to the FATHER. Because the only way to the Father is through the Son. The BEST picture of God is a loving heavenly Father. Jesus emphasized this in John 14:9, "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?". He came to show us God... the FATHER. So that we could know God AS Father, and know ourselves as His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. I'm convinced that the ultimate truth of the universe is, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John 3:35). God loves us--He IS love, there is nothing else He could do--and He has given us all things. Given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Blessed us with all Spiritual blessings. But if we dont know (and believe) this truth, then it doesn't do us a whole lot of good. The truth sets us free... but only when we know it and believe it. And that's where the Holy Spirit comes in. He is the Spirit of truth. He leads and guides us INTO all truth. Look at Romans 8:15, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." It is the Holy Spirit--our love receptor--that equips and empowers us to know God as our Father. And before we start to think about adoption as the idea that we weren't God's sons but now we are... the word is number 5206 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "the PLACING as a son." It is a derivitave of 5087 which denotes an active an upright position. It's more about being trusted with the family business than being part of the family. Galatians 4:6 bears this out, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Did you catch that? BECAUSE we are sons. Not in order to be sons. Luke 3:38 defines Adam as the son of God. Adam's problem was that he didn't know who he was, and he didn't know who God was. He was dark, and void, and without form. Enter Jesus. The light of the world. The only thing that could fill a God-shaped (love-shaped) void. Jesus conformed us to His image. He showed us who we are. And He showed us who God is. By drawing us into Himself and dying on the cross, and then rising again three days later. By giving us His Spirit. The Spirit of truth by which we cry out, "Abba, Father." Those who are led by the Spirit are the Son(s) of God, right? Because that's where the Spirit leads. It leads us into our true identity by testifying of Jesus. By whispering, in that still, small voice, "Daddy loves you. You are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased." That's what eternal life IS; knowing the FATHER and the One He sent. Knowing God as Father, and ourselves as His Son!