Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Col. 1:26-28.
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BIBLICAL STUDIES RESOURCE
Upholding the Accuracy of the God-Breathed Word
The Ryburn Christian Clarion, 420 Ryburn Avenue, Suite C-2, Dayton, Ohio 45405-2552, U. S. A.;
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IT IS THE details of the Word of God that add depth and richness to an understanding of the Scriptures, and it is the doing of God’s Word that actually makes it “living and real” to us. Since the fall of 2003, The Ryburn Christian Clarion has endeavored to reach the people of God with an intriguing look at the precision of The Word, and the loving God Who authored it.
Through a loose association of Bible scholars and students from across America and Europe, most of them average believers like you and I, the Clarion presents and upholds the accuracy of the God-breathed Word, sparking interest in babes in Christ, and reminding well-seasoned saints of the body of knowledge that has been bequeathed to us as “able ministers of the new covenant.” (II Cor. 3:6a)
Published 4 times a year in English and twice a year in Spanish, the Clarion is free of charge, and may be received by individuals or, in multi-packs, by home fellowships and ministries. From start to finish, it is researched and written, formatted and edited, produced, promoted, distributed, and financed solely by God’s children. It is also an open forum for those who wish to share the Word of God in a print format. Our “God’s Matchless Word” column is open to submitted articles that deal primarily with the basics, while our “For Your Spiritual Enrichment” column provides a regular space for essays, testimonies, original Christian poetry, book and music reviews, letters and e-mails to the editor, etc.
Check out our website to view or download our current English and/or Spanish issue, as well as recent back issues. Whether you desire only to read the Clarion, or to submit an article or send financial support, we give thanks to the Father that you’ve found your way to this site, and pray that we may be a blessing and an enhancement to your life. May God richly bless you.
In His love and grace,
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The Ryburn Christian Clarion
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(The following article originally appeared in the Winter, 2007 issue of The Ryburn Christian Clarion. Please visit our website at www.godslivingroom.com to read other studies in the depth an accuracy of God’s Word.)
“ ‘ABBA, FATHER’ ”
by Nathan R. James
DID YOU EVER ASK yourself, “Why did God create the earth?” I have asked that, and I’ve seen the answer in God’s Word. In Genesis, we see clearly that the world was made for mankind. Indeed, even the stars, so very far away, are there for us.
Genesis 1:14-15
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
The sun, moon, and stars were all made for mankind, to give us light, and seasons, and days, and years, and to be signs showing God’s master plan. The stars announced the birth of Jesus Christ. That’s how the wise men knew to come looking for “…he that is born King of the Jews….” (Matt. 2:2) It wasn’t because God lacked servants that He made the earth. He had the angels to serve Him, and to acknowledge Him as God. What was it then that God gained in mankind? It was the father-son relationship. That is something God did not have with the angels.
Hebrews 1:5
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
God’s heart’s desire was fulfilled in mankind, but not in every man or woman. Although some teach that everyone is a child of God, that is not what God says in His Word. God has said that Jesus Christ is His firstborn. Christ, Whose birth was foretold in the Scriptures, and heralded from the sky, was the first to truly be God’s Son. He is called the “only begotten” Son of God (John 3:16) because He is the only one who is God’s Son by physical birth. The Scriptures testify to the closeness of the Father and the Son.
John 11:42a; and 16:32
And I knew that thou hearest me always:…
Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
Jesus Christ had great confidence in His relationship with His Father, and He and God looked forward to a whole family of sons.
Romans 8:29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Who now makes up this family; who are these “many brethren”? They are the men and women whom God knew would believe in Jesus Christ. These are the sons for whom God lovingly prepared the earth. When you and I believed and confessed Jesus as the Lord, we became born again. Now, we are brothers of Jesus Christ and, truly, sons of God. The Lord has left us a phrase in The Word that highlights the closeness of the father-son relationship, which He so longed for throughout the ages. This phrase is, “Abba, Father.”
It is rather amazing that the word abba has been preserved, even carried into our modern English Bibles. Abba is an Aramaic word, and it was transliterated into Greek letters when it was written in the Greek manuscripts. It was later transliterated into English letters. It is a foreign word that God has preserved to draw our attention, and it shows us something amazing.
The Greek word for father is pater, and it has a broad usage. Pater could mean a father, or an ancestor, or a respected elder, or the inventor/originator of something. It was also used as a title of honor for teachers and members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of ancient Israel. The Hebrew and Aramaic word that is equivalent to pater is ab. It is very formal, and could be used in many ways, similar to those mentioned for pater. Abba (from ab), on the other hand, was used very specifically of one’s actual father. It is more intimate, like the English word “daddy.” Some scholars say that Jesus, Who spoke Aramaic, not Greek, referred to God as His abba frequently. Speaking to God in such an informal and familiar way would have been seen as disrespectful by the religious leaders of the time. That’s because the Jews never spoke to God as their father. Throughout the Old Testament, the believers’ relationship to God was that of servants to their lord. Jesus Christ, however, was God’s only begotten Son. He had every right to call His Father, “Daddy.”
There is only one place where abba is recorded in the Scriptures as being spoken by a man to God. That is in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus Christ prayed privately to His Father before His crucifixion.
Mark 14:36
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
This is not flowery, poetic speech. This is not a lengthy and ornate prayer. This is God’s Son coming to His Father with a heavy heart, saying, “Father (Dad), if there is any other way….” If it were possible, Jesus didn’t want to be scourged and mocked; He didn’t want to be beaten and crucified; He didn’t WANT to die. He went to God with the simplicity of a child to his father, his daddy. “Nevertheless,” he said, “not what I will, but what thou wilt.” He made His decision to follow God’s plan.
Although this is the only place in the Bible where Jesus is recorded as saying, “Abba, Father,” amazingly, this phrase occurs two more times in The Word. Upon whose lips has God put these words?
Galatians 4:6
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
We, who have been saved according to Romans 10:9, and are born again of incorruptible seed (I Peter 1:23), are now sons of God (I John 3:2). The essential part of this is the holy spirit that God gave us at the moment we believed. It is a “sonship” spirit, and it is by this spirit that we can call God our abba.
The final occurrence of abba is in Romans 8. Here, again, we are told about the spirit we have received. In the King James Version, it is called the “…Spirit of adoption (huiothesia),….” “Adoption,” however, is a poor translation of the Greek word huiothesia. The problem is that we don’t have an exact English word that matches it. It actually means the quality or state of being a son, “sonship.” The term was applied to adoptions during ancient Roman times, and that sense of the word has carried over into our English Bibles. According to Roman law, a man would give the huiothesia to another, thereby making him a son by adoption.
Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption [or “sonship”], whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Interestingly, under the law of the times, one could legally disown a son by birth. If the son was a disappointment or a disgrace, the father could disown and disinherit him. If the man, however, picked out someone and made him his son by giving him the huiothesia, he could never disown him. The thinking may have been that he knew what he was getting into.
Brothers and sisters, God knew what He was getting into when He made us His sons. He knew who we were, and who we would become. He foreknew us, as it states in Romans 8:29. He chose us, knowing full well what blessings we will be to Him in the ages to come. We can never disappoint God, and He will never disown us. God has written it in His Word, which He magnified above all His name (Ps. 138:2b). We are children of God, and no matter what happens, we can come to Him with open hearts and child-like simplicity. Just like our Lord and elder brother, Jesus Christ, by the spirit, we, too, can say, “Abba, Father.”
(Mr. Nathan R. James was brought up in a Christian home, but it wasn’t until 2001 that he became active in ministry service. In 2005-06, he participated in The Fellowlaborers program offered by Christian Family Fellowship Ministry of Tipp City, Ohio. Presently, he serves as CFFM’s chief audio engineer.)
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2. San Diego Biblical Studies Fellowship, "Bless Net" teaching and/ or Monthly Newsletter, email: office@sdbiblicalstudies.com
3. Christian Family Fellowship Ministry newsletter, http://www.cffm.org/doc/i_newsletter.shtml