Some Thoughts on the Fatherhood of God

Or, turning a recent lesson into a post-not-a-book.

In studying about "God the Father," it is somewhat surprising to find that in many theological texts, the Fatherhood of God is not treated in a systematic fashion, certainly not in any way comparable to "God the Son." The subject is primarily as it relates to the development of Trinitarian doctrine. In some ways, this is understandable; it is not the least bit controversial to say, "The Father is God." No one disagrees with that.

When we casually think about the subject, we tend to view the Father as "God in the Old Testament." Actually, God is rarely called "Father" in the OT; it is through Jesus Christ that we really come to know him as such. Important OT references to the Fatherhood of God include Deut. 32.6, Isa. 64.8, Hosea 11.1, and Exod. 4.22

Feminist theologians have raised concerns about the depiction of God as Father, particularly as it is used to reinforce patriarchical dominance and communicate the idea that maleness or men are somehow more like God and women somehow less. It is important to remember that in Gen. 1.27, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Both are equally created in the image of God. It is from Gen. 1 and 2 that we should get our ideas about how God intends the relations between men and women, not Gen. 3 onwards with the Fall and its aftermath.

The solution to traditional views of God the Father and the problems it can produce is not through the "balancing out" of our view of God by highlighting the "Motherhood" of God. There are a few feminine analogies or depictions of God in Scripture such as Isa. 66.13 and Lk. 23.37. We should always be hesitant, however, to project sexual imagery onto our understanding of God; we need less, not more, of this. God is unique, one, and Other; he does not contain the sexual dimorphism or division present with the human race and created order of life.

Jesus told us to call God "Our Father," and so we should not hesitate to do so, but our understanding of God's Fatherhood should accordingly be formed by Jesus' teaching, including his anti-domination and hierarchy sayings such as Matt. 23.1-12 and Mark 10.42-45. The Fatherhood of God must be understood as primarily analogy and metaphor, not as something literal. Israelite religion showed considerable restraint and did not take the idea of a "male God" as far as what the pagan religions did with fertility gods, spawned demigods etc.

In Hosea 11.1, God says of Israel, "Out of Egypt I called my Son." Recall that Hosea is best known for his prophetic illustration of God's relationship with Israel via his relationship with his adulterous wife, Gomer. In the same book, then, we see God depicted as both Israel's husband and father. This should be a clear signal that God as Father is essentially metaphor and should not be pushed too far.