Abba Father: Its Meaning and Wonderful Implications

When we call God “Abba Father”, we must act with filial reverence to Him.

Abba Father. Of all the names God has in human history, God’s title as “Abba” is His most distinguished.

Jesus Himself invited us to call Abba whenever we pray.

He calls us to be sincere, humble, and obedient to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

He created us in His image and likeness.

We became His children when we accepted Christ Jesus into our lives through baptism.

This unique relationship is why Jesus tells parables of fathers who care for their children, regardless of what they do.

But it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by God’s nature as Abba.

Don’t worry; once you know what Abba means, you will understand your familial relationship with Him.

What is the Meaning of Abba Father in the Bible?

The Aramaic word “Abba” is multifaceted.

It reflects the concept of believers as God’s children and emphasizes intimacy and filial piety.

Jewish families use this term to call their fathers and other important mentors and leaders in the community.

The Ethiopian, Syrian, and Coptic Churches also use this to address their patriarchs and bishops. 

In biblical tradition, Abba Father refers to our rich relationship with God, helping us to describe God as both a loving parent and a divine authority.

In the Old Testament, we know Him as our creator and purveyor of needs.

We depend upon Him for our day-to-day sustenance.

Whatever we have in life comes from Him.

But we also owe Him our unconditional love and unwavering obedience.

There are many stories in the Old Testament where people suffered because they turned away from God. David’s fall,

Moses dying before the Israelites arrived at the Promised Land, and the destruction of the Kingdoms of Judea and Israel after the corruption of their kings are just a few.

Ancient Hebrews and Palestinians know God as the strict but loving father of their nation.

In the New Testament, our relationship with God as Abba Father changes.

Christ Jesus introduces the New Covenant.

Instead of hundreds of laws Jews need to memorize and keep, Christians only need to love God with all their heart, mind, and soul.

And we also need to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.

Jesus taught us how to address God intimately by calling Him Abba Father in prayer, which reflects a close and personal relationship.

This develops one’s faith and deepens our relationship with God and His Church.

Abba here is deeper and more emotionally close than the Old Testament term.

As Jesus and the Apostle Paul discussed, Abba refers to our personal relationship with God. 

The definition of Abba Father consists of two elements:

  • Intimacy—God loves us so much, to the point of sacrificing His only begotten Son to redeem us from the fatality of sin.

He is also open to our deepest and most sincere concerns. As Jesus says, “Ask, and you shall receive.” 

  • Obedience—God demands our full commitment to Him.

We should live with Him as the center.

Whatever you do, you should behave without defaming His Holy Name.

You must offer everything in life to His greater glory and trust His Will. 

Abba in the Old Testament

Abba Father in Isaac and Abraham’s story

The word Abba first comes into the Bible in the story of Isaac and Abraham.

In Genesis 22:7, Isaac calls out “Abba” to Abraham as he follows his father in the climb up the Mountain of Moriah.

He carries wood, flint, and a knife in anticipation of a sacrificial offering to God.

He had complete faith in his father, never uttering a word of discontent in the long, arduous journey.

Isaac obeyed Abraham even when Abraham told him to put himself on the altar with the organized firewood.

He believed that his father knew best, even when he was placed in grave danger. 

Indeed, Abraham did this in obedience to God’s decree of sacrificing his firstborn.

After proving his unconditional commitment to God, God gave Abraham a lamb to slaughter in place of Isaac.

This is a foreshadowing of God’s ultimate act of love for humanity – Jesus’ death on the cross to cleanse us from the slavery of sin.

Abba Father in the Old Testament Prophets’ eyes

The ancient prophets of Israel invoked the title of Abba unto God.

They exhorted the Israelites to return to God, who loved them so much.

God’s love back then was revealed in His discipline towards His people and His patience with those who disobeyed Him.

David declares to his congregation as the Father of Israel forever (1 Chronicles 29:10).

Isaiah writes about the everlasting name of Abba Father, our redeemer (Isaiah 63:16).

He also exhorts us to acknowledge God as the maker of our lives, that He is the potter who molds us according to His Will (Isaiah 64:8).

Jeremiah calls upon the Israelites to obey God, the Abba Father, for He shall lead them to safety and prosperity (Jeremiah 3:19) as they humble themselves and pray to Him (Jeremiah 31:9).

Abba in the New Testament

In the New Testament, Abba denotes a more intimate, spiritually enriching relationship.

Abba Father, in Jesus’ eyes

Jesus invites us to call with filial deference and tenderness. He simplifies obeying God into two commandments of love:

  • Love God with all of your beings; 
  • And give your neighbor the same love and respect you owe yourself.

The first mention of Abba in the New Testament is in Mark 14:36, “And He said, “Abba,

Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

Here, Jesus experiences great turmoil in the Garden of Gethsemane.

He prays to God as He realizes the imminent end of His human life.

Jesus defers to Abba, contrasting the profound spiritual relationship with our Father in heaven to the more limited relationship we have with our earthly Father.

Jesus hesitates in mortal fear over the painful consequences of His ministry because His views on spirituality and ethics are radical in His day.

He knows that the Jewish church leaders and Romans will seek to kill Him.

But in the end, Jesus listens to God.

He trusts and submits to what God wills to happen.

He prays as He seeks to fulfill His Abba’s Will on Earth.

Abba Father in Paul’s eyes

We see Abba Father mentioned twice more in Paul’s letters.

The Apostle Paul went through a tremendous spiritual transformation from the strictly-laced Pharisee Saul to the great evangelist of the New Testament.

His personal experience gives Abba its unique meaning.

He wrote to the early communities in Rome and Galatia that whoever is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ becomes a child of God.

No longer a slave to sin, we can now call Abba Father.

To continually live in sin is to die.

But we live again in Christ as His brothers and sisters forevermore.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul instructs the Christians to trust and obey God, our Heavenly Father.

For He loves us, and we need to be committed to Him with filial responsibility.

He wants us to leave sinfulness and honor Him with righteousness.

In the Galatians, Paul further explains what it means to be a child of God.

God knows us, and he believes in our free will. To be free from the slavery of sin, we should turn to God—not to the laws of man.

Note that he writes this to console and strengthen the faith of the early Christians who suffered from the persecution of the Roman empire.

Abba ultimately means our personal, wholehearted commitment to God.

To trust in Him is to live with respect and responsibility to His fatherhood.

Where Does the Word “Abba” Come From?

Abba from the Aramaic Word

Abba came from the Aramaic language and most Semitic tongues.

The Greeks wrote this formal title as Αββα.

It also comes in the Hebrew word form of Ab or Aba.

Abba is always followed by the word Father in the Bible.

According to Abarim Publications, the Hebrew noun אב (‘ab) refers to a father.

But in Semitic cultures, fatherhood is a social relationship.

It represents the patriarchy in which the community revolves.

He is the one who gives instructions to the ‘sons’ (בן, ben) of the community.

This salutation denotes male leaders from lords (Isaiah 22:21), elders (2 Kings 2:12), ancestors (Genesis 10:21), and counselors (Genesis 45:8).

Misconceptions About Abba

Often, Christians think of God as “Daddy.”

If Paul wanted to convey a child’s word for “father,” he could have used a Greek word like Papas or Pappas, which means “papa” or “daddy.”

Our teachers and catechists teach us about how much God loves His children.

This characterization emphasizes the intimacy of God’s love.

We usually think of God as someone we can ask for anything in our prayers.

But that is a limited view of God.

He is Abba Father.

Although He loves us so much and wants the best for us, He is also our Father.

He calls us to live in accordance with His Will. 

Jews and other Semitic speakers use “Abba” as a title to honor and respect fathers.

This affectation is not childlike.

The ancient Church author Origen reflected upon Galatians 4:6 as our adoption as children of God, who we call “Abba Father” in terms of following and spreading His message in word, thought, and deed.

The misconception of Abba as a childlike title comes from German Lutheran scholar Joachim Jeremias.

To him, Abba was a term commonly used by children.

But other biblical scholars refute this meaning.

George Schelbert of the University of Fribourg argues that Abba has no other equivalent in Aramaic.

It means “the father” or “my father,” the scholar Professor Geza Vermes adds.

And finally, theologian James Barr states that Abba speaks of solemnity and filial responsibility.

As you develop spiritually in your faith, you will realize the deep, diverse relationships we have with God, our Father. 

How to Welcome God as our Abba?

Why We Should See God as Our Abba Father?

As we know from our family history and genetic science, children get their looks and qualities from their parents.

We may get our nose from Dad, our eyes from Mom, our skin color from Dad, our hair from Mom, and so on.

The basic thing we relate to ourselves is our origin as the son or daughter of our parents.

Society recognizes us by whose progeny we come from.

In each of us is God’s image (So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them, Genesis 1:27).

God is our Creator, who gave us everything we need to do His Will on Earth. Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?” He gave us free will so we could choose which way to go.

Even after we are born, God molds us into the person we are meant to be.

The blessings, trials, and challenges we encounter are all part of His plan for us.

God loves us and wants the best for us.

He is our Abba who we should obey and revere, not as a tyrant, but as a compassionate parent.

He wants us to grow spiritually mature so we can also guide our brothers and sisters to live in Him.

What does it Mean to Call God Our “Abba Father”?

God knows what is in us. He can see our thoughts, desires, and truths, unlike our fathers on Earth. He loves us all equally.

Even when we sin, He patiently waits for us to repent and reject the bondage of sin.

Calling God our Abba Father reflects more than the intimacy of a familial relationship. It’s not just praising Him.

You need to realize the privilege of experiencing God as Abba.

Even if God knows every man, not all know and acknowledge Him.

We benefit, every time we call to Abba Father, from His redeeming and liberating love.

We are called to exercise our freedom to spread the Good News.

When we use the term “Abba Father,” we surrender ourselves to God’s Holy Will and trust in Him.

So, whatever comes our way, we always try to live with unconditional love and utmost respect for Him.

We may be sinners, but God cleanses us and guides us to be truly human.

So don’t hesitate to call out to Him every time you pray.

The Lord’s Prayer and Abba

“Abba” is the first word that Jesus taught us about authentic prayer.

He introduced the “Our Father” to counter the long-winded, self-righteous prayers of the Pharisees.

In this prayer, he calls us to trust in God as Abba.

Jesus taught us to pray directly to God as our Father.

He calls on us to recognize God’s Holy Name and Will upon Heaven and Earth.

He also encourages us to ask God for daily sustenance.

He ends the prayer with a trusting invocation of God’s power to forgive us of our sins and deliver us from all dangers.

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to be sincere in our faith in God, to try to do His Will on Earth, and to forgive our trespassers as He forgives our trespasses. 

Jesus taught us to pray to God with the invocation of Abba as the realization of intimacy and obedience.

To pray to Abba is to surrender all your cares to Him and to trust in Him.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a pivotal role in facilitating the intimate relationship between believers and God as Abba Father.

Central to this relationship is the Spirit’s transformative work in the hearts and lives of believers, enabling them to experience the depth of God’s paternal love and care.

Empowering Prayer and Communication

One significant aspect of the Holy Spirit’s role is empowering believers to communicate with God as Abba Father.

In Romans 8:15, the apostle Paul writes,

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'”

Here, Paul highlights the Spirit’s role in enabling believers to cry out to God with the intimate and reverent term “Abba.”

Through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, believers are granted access to the Father’s presence and are empowered to approach Him with confidence and boldness.

The Spirit enables believers to express their deepest needs, desires, and concerns to God as a loving Father who hears and responds to their prayers.

Transformation and Spiritual Growth

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit works within believers to transform their hearts and minds, conforming them more closely to the image of Christ.

As children of God, believers are called to live in obedience and faith, reflecting the character of their heavenly Father.

The Spirit empowers believers to live out this calling by cultivating virtues such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, believers are enabled to live lives that honor God and bear witness to His love and grace.

The Spirit empowers believers to resist sin, overcome temptation, and walk in righteousness, enabling them to live as true children of God who reflect the character of their heavenly Father.

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in facilitating the relationship between believers and God as Abba Father.

Through the Spirit’s empowering presence, believers are enabled to communicate with God in prayer, cry out to Him with intimacy and reverence, and live lives marked by obedience and faithfulness.

Abba Father in Worship and Liturgy

The concept of God as Abba Father is expressed and celebrated in Christian worship and liturgical practices through a variety of hymns, prayers, and liturgical elements that reflect the intimacy and reverence of our relationship with God as our heavenly Father.

Hymns Celebrating God’s Fatherly Love

Many hymns sung in Christian worship services celebrate God’s paternal love and care.

These hymns often emphasize themes of adoption, redemption, and belonging in God’s family.

Lyrics such as “Abba, Father, let me be yours and yours alone” or “How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure” express the intimacy and depth of the relationship between believers and their heavenly Father.

Prayers of Adoration and Thanksgiving

In liturgical settings, prayers of adoration and thanksgiving often acknowledge God as Abba Father and express gratitude for His love, provision, and protection.

These prayers recognize God’s fatherly care for His children and affirm the believer’s identity as a beloved child of God.

Through these prayers, worshippers express their reverence and devotion to God as their heavenly Father.

Liturgical Elements Reflecting Fatherly Guidance and Blessing

Liturgical elements such as blessings, benedictions, and affirmations of faith often reflect the fatherly guidance and blessing of God.

These elements convey God’s desire to bless, protect, and nurture His children, inviting worshippers to receive and embrace God’s fatherly care.

Whether spoken by clergy or recited by the congregation, these liturgical elements serve as reminders of God’s presence and provision in the lives of His people.

The concept of God as Abba Father is woven throughout Christian worship and liturgical practices, inspiring hymns, prayers, and liturgical elements that celebrate the intimacy and reverence of our relationship with God as our heavenly Father.

Through these expressions of worship, believers are invited to draw near to God as beloved children, experiencing His love, grace, and fatherly care.

In Summary

God is a multifaceted being. He is our Creator, Savior, Judge, Lord, King, and so on.

But the most important appellation to Him is Abba Father.

As our celestial father, He knows us completely.

So great is His Love that He has a plan for our good.

It is easy to confuse Abba’s meaning with “Daddy” or “Papa.”

But we should look at God beyond a toddler’s understanding of a parent.

He is not just a giver of needs. He is the leader and authority we should obey.

To welcome God as our Abba Father is to acknowledge our humanity and do everything with love for Him and our fellow man.

We must repent, humble ourselves, and trust in God’s Holy Will.

EDITOR
Alex Shute
Alex is a family man and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. His passion is to serve the global Church and bring people of diverse backgrounds together to learn & grow.
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