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"In His law he meditates day and night" Psalm 1:2
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Is God “Father” or “Effeminate?”
Volume 12, Number 9
Wayne Burger |
June 17, 2007 |
Meditating on the Word
"In His law he meditates day and night" Psalm 1:2
"Meditating on the Word," edited by Wayne Burger, is a work of the Columbine church of Christ, 7453 S. Zephyr Ct., Littleton, Colorado, 80128. E-mail: burgpreach@prolynx.com -- Suggested topics are welcomed.
Vol. 12 No. 9 June 17, 2007
Is God “Father” or “Effeminate?”
When Jesus spoke the prayer in Matthew 6, He was proclaiming for all time that mankind can have a special relationship with God as a chlld has with his own father. After his resurrection, Jesus re-emphasized this possible relationship when He announced, “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20:17). Paul told us that with the Holy Spirit as our guide, we can address God as “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15) in the same manner that a little child addresses his hero, his mentor, his comfort, his father.
What a marvelous illustration. Everyone knows that fathers are protectors, servants, comforters, encour-agers, and wise men. What a great thing to see God in this way – as father. Everyone knows this! Everyone rejoices!
Well, not everyone. In our society today, there is a very poor view of fathers. Many children grow up without knowing their own fathers. Many grow up with a man in the house in the position of father who may not behave like a father. There is much abuse in homes by so-called father, uncle, stepfather, mother’s boyfriend. Even in Christian homes there can be fathers who do not do well in that role.
So many children grow up with a lousy idea of what a father is. Then they come to the Bible and read that God is supposed to be a Father to them, and they do not rejoice. They read that he is the great comforter, but they receive no comfort. They read that He is the great guide, but they have never seen a man as a great guide. The idea of God as “father,” which should make all men everywhere rejoice, comes across as an empty promise.
There is a debate on the Internet in a forum that I contact on a regular basis over the idea of God being a masculine being or a feminine being. It is in part of the forum in which only women are allowed to respond. The majority of the women feel that since the world, for the most part, has an unhealthy view of fathers we ought not promote the idea of God as Father, but ought to promote Him as more effeminate. After all, they conclude, women are more genuine, caring, concerned, generous.
What is the Church supposed to do? How do we respond when father is no longer a revered office?
First, we need to educate people that we are in the midst of a battle. The Devil attacks us constantly. We are required to wear our armor at all times. We need a God who, like fathers, can protect his family from the attacks.
Second, we need to show the world what great fathers are like. As Christian fathers we must live our lives in such a way that the world “may see our works and glorify our Father in heaven.” We must give them an example of fatherhood so that they can see the benefit of God as Father.
Third, we as a church must become the fathers to fatherless families. “Pure and undefiled religion” happens when the Lord’s Church takes care of fatherless families. We become what they lack.
God is our Father! Let us rejoice. Let us share our joy with the world.
Bob Whiddon, Jr.
An added note:
It is interesting and unfortunate that the recent NIV Bible, known as TNIV (Today’s New International Version, I think, is what it is called) has gone to a gender neutral view of God. They are getting rid of the idea that God is masculine by removing the masculine pronouns. Along with that, they are also getting rid of God as Father and Jesus as Son. Brethren, we are living in a trying time for true New Testament Christianity. Even “our” Bibles are attacking truth.
Wayne Burger
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” I John 3:1.
The Kind of Church
God Does Not Want Us to Be
The commercials are eye-catching. The products have differed, but the aim of the ad has been the same. Sit people, blindfolded, before a TV camera. Parade a line of tastes and smells before them and them choose their favorite. Of course, the camera keeps only the records of the consumers who pick their product over the others. How many others, whose experiments lay dead on the cutting room floor, choose “the leading brand” over the competitor paying for the commercial? All of that is neatly set aside, thanks to the selective wonders of technology.
How many religious groups parade themselves before God in each generation? From His exalted throne up in heaven, He discards with perfect omniscience all who carry with their faith in Christ, their intense morality, or their evangelistic zeal the doctrines of men (cf. Matthew 15:13). He claims only one religious group, the one for which His Son gave His life (Acts 20:28), the one founded upon the foundation of Christ (Matthew 16:18), and the one following the pattern He has left them (John 16:13).
Within the one body (Colossians 3:15) He claims, however, are individual congregations who in time depart from His doctrine, lose their distinctiveness, or drift from their evangelistic direction. When this happens, even these are in danger of rejection (John 12:48). Churches in Asia Minor felt this sting (cf. Revelation 2:5). What kind of church does God not want us to be?
God does not want weary churches. Paul warns against weariness in well-doing (Galatians 6:9). It is possible to find the narrow way so difficult to travel that a congregation finally gives up on doing right. The right way is rarely the easiest way. The opposition of the world pressures God’s people, and faint-hearted saints must strive to endure.
God does not want weakened churches. He abhors church leaders who are so afraid of losing “contributors” that they kowtow to them. His wrath is kindled by preachers so pensive about their pension that they fall prey to tickling the ears of the worldly (2 Timothy 4:3). He has difficulty stomaching a lukewarm membership, made tepid in failing to be distinct (cf. Revelation 3:16). As always, those who stand for nothing will fall for anything.
God does not want worldly churches. He warns against it (James 4:4). When churches try so hard to look like the world to the world, they ultimately fail to reach it. They have nothing to offer it which it does not already have. But, in the process, they lose God’s acceptance.
God does not want “wanting” churches. Belshazzar was “weighed in the balances” and “found wanting” (Daniel 5:27). The goal of any church is to get beyond this stage of “wanting” (i.e., lacking) maturation and completion (James 1:4). But, what about churches who are not trying to grow, win souls, train her males to be preachers, elders, deacons, and teachers, and train her females to be strong, convicted, pure, and holy Christian women, and learn more and more of God’s Word?
God does not want wasteful churches. American churches have the overwhelming majority of the money, trained preachers, facilities, schools, persons of influence, healthy bodies, and like resources. That we are not “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) is surprising. No church, in these affluent circumstances, should struggle to meet unchallenging budgets. Brethren should not be begged and prodded to do personal work. Involvement and commitment should be assumed traits of born-again people! We are sitting on a gold mine of opportunity and material wealth. We must be able to stand before the King some day and make a good accounting of our stewardship of these things.
Opportunities abound before us (Galatians 6:10). Let us blossom into the churches the Father wants us to be (James 1:27) -- Jesus died for us to be (cf. Titus 2:14), and the Spirit teaches us to be (Revelation 2:7ff). God wants a willing, working, waiting, and watchful church. At all costs, let us avoid becoming a church God does not want us to be.
Neal Pollard
Columbine members, Neal is to be our guest speaker at our annual Family Retreat. Make your plans to attend. He will have some good things to say. Our theme this year is “The Family: God’s Unit for Society.”
Wayne Burger
“He has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).
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