ABBA , FATHER.

To begin our exploration into God as Abba Father, let’s begin by understanding what “Abba” means in definition. As stated from Dictionary.com, “Abba” is the defining term for father in the Aramaic language, spoken by Jesus and Paul as an intimate term to characterize their personal relationships with God. It is also a term of reverence for bishops and patriarchs within the Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopian churches.

We will view most here the definition of Abba as father in Aramaic, as this is how it is shared in the three scripture verses in the New Testament:

Mark 14:36: “And He [Jesus] said, ‘Abba Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.’”

Romans 8:15: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’.”

Galatians 4:6: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba Father!’”

The scripture from Mark is stated by Jesus, while the verses from Romans and Galatians are shared by Paul. Both had deep relationships with God that emerged in miraculous ways, and both met one another in a miraculous way. Hence, this would explain one reason why they would share the same intimate name for God that is not mentioned by any of Jesus’ disciples or those found in the Old Testament.

With countless names of God in the Bible, why is Abba Father only referenced by Jesus and Paul? To answer this question is to look more at what Jesus and Paul represent in the Christian faith.

One is the Son of God and savior for all mankind; the other was one determined to destroy the belief about Jesus and who He is until Jesus changed his life on that dusty road to Damascus.

The two men couldn’t be more different in the eyes of those around them, but in the eyes of God they were created from the same cloth; closer than physical brothers as they had become spiritual brothers for eternity.

Their stories display deep connections with God, following guidance to live lives on earth that placed them in danger but facing that danger knowing God conquers all in the end.

With Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul having their obvious reasons for seeing God in an intimate manner compared to others in the Bible, why should God be viewed as Abba Father to several of us who may not have had the transformation encounters that our Savior and His beloved follower had? Why should we also praise God as our Abba Father when we are not Jesus and we may not have witnessed God while temporarily blind as Paul did?

Well, each one of us was created in God’s image, similar to how Jesus was fashioned to represent God on earth (even though He was one and same with God in heaven). Making us as Himself was God’s plan from the beginning, as quoted from Genesis 1:27 (NKJV): “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Knowing that we are made in the same image as God, this establishes an unbreakable bond we share with the Father and a solid form of intimacy that cannot be replicated with any other “god” or human. The potter made the clay, us, and with the making of us, He put time, attention, and love into us that He also placed within our Lord and Savior Jesus and in our beloved apostle, Paul.

Abba Father Knows Our Greatest Strengths and Weaknesses – And Loves Us