God, the Father, loves you. I mean, really loves you.

Why Is It Hard to See God as a Loving Father?

The idea of God as Father is difficult for some people. We may have trouble seeing God as loving and good due to a difficult relationship to our own earthly father. Perhaps we misunderstand God as being angry, vengeful, disappointed, or unknowable.

However, God is revealed as a loving Father in the Scriptures. It is an important theological premise in the Christian Church. We see it in the teaching of Jesus in many places. So how do we reconcile these tensions? This is important, because there is a significance of God as the Father of not only His Only Begotten Son, but also of those who would call upon God as his children.

What Does It Mean to Call God Our Father?

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he started with two simple words “Our Father…” To the first century Jew, this was a radical statement. Not only was Jesus revealing God as His Father, but he was also inviting others to see themselves as having God as their Father. No pagan god could offer such a relationship.

The Scriptures show us a God who deeply loves the Son, and all His children. 1 John 3:1-3 says, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”

John was putting an emphasis on this family that Jesus invites us to join. The relationship is not with a distant, cold, inanimate thing. Rather, it is an invitation to know the deep love of a father who cares for his children. The word used here for “love” is agape. This Greek word for love means a self-sacrificing and self-giving love. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in an ever-giving relationship of agape love. That love is lavished on us. John said love makes us children of God. The love that is given is not limited by our obedience or lack of obedience. The Father loves because we are his.

Does God Still Love Me When I Disobey?

I realize that many of us find this sort of love hard to fathom. It can be difficult for someone who is a new follower of Jesus and for someone who has been following Jesus for a long time. We may feel like he doesn’t love us because we have not always lived in obedience to him. We may feel like we are far from home. Seeing God as the father, as revealed in Scripture, reminds us that all is forgiven and we are loved. We are welcomed into a family of faith. Hear me clearly:

You are loved by God, Your Heavenly father
You are a beloved daughter
You are beloved son

The Good News of the Gospel is that we have a loving Father who will pursue each of us and offer forgiveness and grace to us. All of us. Every time. Paul tried to help the church in Rome see this in Romans 2:4: “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?”

An Exercise: Naming What God Loves About You

I want to invite you to do an exercise with me. Or maybe you want to try this with someone who needs to see God’s love for themselves. Take a moment to do the following (feel free to write these down somewhere):

Think of a good movie or book you discovered recently. Think of three things you liked about it.

Got that? Okay, now think of an actor or character you like. Think of three things about that person.

Now think of a family member or friend. Maybe it is a spouse or child or grandchild. Think of three things you love about them.

I have a feeling that these things are pretty easy for you. Now, let’s think about how God would answer that question about you. We have seen above that God loves you with an infinite love. There are countless things that He loves about you. So, take a minute to write down ten things that God loves about you, dear child of God. When you have your ten, write down ten more. Keep going until you get to a hundred.

The truth is, God loves you – really loves you. If you’re having trouble coming up with finishing that list, talk to Him about it. He will show you. He is more ready to tell you what they are than you are ready to ask. Read the Scriptures. Pray. Be still before Him and listen. Go live in God’s Love for you today.