by Jon R. Welker

It appears that few people have any real understanding of the far-reaching implications of the concept of God as our Father. Oh, I know that most Christians know how to pray the "paternoster" ("Our Father") and that they could tell you about how he is like the man who used to play the father on the old TV program called Father Knows Best, and such concepts. But Christians, not to mention the masses, have spent little time in contemplating ALL that is meant in the statement that God is our Father.

The Fatherhood of God! WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! So, many problems and "fears" foisted upon us by an apostate priesthood could be resolved and abolished if we but understood God as our Loving Heavenly Father. For instance, take the confusion over the nature and purpose of Hell, the "unforgivable sin," or even debates over what constitutes error, sin or transgression. These could all be cleared up and in such a way as to bring glory to the Name of the Lord instead of portraying Him as a sadistic monster ten thousand times more sinister than a Hitler or a Stalin.

GOD IS OUR FATHER! "God is a SPIRIT" (Jn. 4:24) and could only FATHER that which is like Himself. God is not the father of our souls or of our bodies (Zech. 12:1). It is the SPIRIT within us that was begotten by the Father. THAT He is not out to destroy or torment throughout unending time. He wishes His spirit-children to learn and come into His image and take on responsibilities or tasks He has in store for them. Here commences our journey into understanding the FULL implications of the nature of a Loving Heavenly Father.

The following is an excerpt from God's Master Plan of Love for Man by Mikkel Dahl.

GOD'S FATHERHOOD

The Jews answered Jesus: "…We have one father, even God" (Jn. 8:41). For this they had plenty Scripture backing -- such as Deuteronomy 32:6. But let us discern wherein He was their/our "Father."

If a scientist constructs a robot which walks, talks and works, we would still not impute fatherhood to him because of the invention. Should another one concoct an egg which hatches a chick, we would still not concede him fatherhood (because of the chick).

In the opening portion of the oldest record which present man has, it is written: and they "brought forth abundantly AFTER THEIR (own) KIND" (Gen. 1:12). THAT was the standard of parenthood thousands of years ago, and still is: ONE'S OWN KIND must first be brought into being before parenthood is conceded.

Is God a MAN? Unless or until we can definitely establish that God was/is a man of flesh, blood and bones as ourselves, then His creation of man did not constitute Him a "father" any more so than did oceans full of fish, or sloughs full of slugs.

Christ said: "A spirit has not flesh and bones as ye see Me have" (Lk. 24:39). And He also said that "God is a SPIRIT" (Jn. 4:24). This is backed up by Yahweh's innumerable utterances, saying: "My SPIRIT…" (Gen. 6:3; Hag. 2:5; Isa. 30:1).

Wherefore, to become a "father," He had to bring one or more spirit beings into existence. Thus and then only could He be classed as a father. And this we find declared in His Word. The holy Apostle wrote of Him as "the Father of spirits" (Heb. 12:9), which was based in Zechariah 12:1, which declares that God "forms the spirit in man." That means that the physical form we recognize as man is indwelled by a SPIRIT. In Numbers 27:16 we are told of "the spirits of all flesh." These Scripture passages lead us to the inevitable conclusion that God, as "the Father of spirits," has begotten myriads of spirit beings (of which around six billion are indwelling human beings at this time).

Our medical scientists have determined that within the gonads of the young human male, hundreds of millions of LIFE-sperms are generated within the space of days; that in comparatively short time he has generated as many or more LIFE-sperms than the entire host of stars visible to the telescopic eye of science!

Are we not told that man was fashioned IN THE IMAGE of God? Wherefore, since God was not handicapped by the limitations of earth and flesh (which limits the manifest progeny of man), we can rightfully, and MUST assume, that God fathered multitudinous myriads of SPIRITS. And, since we observe that the urge to beget one's kind manifests in cycles over a period of time, we can also rightfully suppose that the spirit beings ("children" of God) were brought forth in cyclic waves.

Bearing then in mind that (from our perspective) a thousand years are but as ONE DAY with God (Ps. 90:4; II Pet. 3:8), we must conclude that these "waves of virgin spirits" were separated in time, likely by very vast eras. That is, the time of the begetting constitutes them beings of venerable age down to comparatively young ones. Therefore are we told in His Word of angelic "orders" (Eph. 1:21 and Col. 1:15, which passages are fully supported in the Old Testament by reference to archangels, seraphim, cherubim, and angels). The old word rendered "angel" simply means a `messenger' - whether heavenly or earthly. Even the word "messenger" should speak a volume to us. For, in any well organized business or state of society, the "messengers" are close to the bottom by rank, being largely without experience or understanding in matters of the business. Usually, in course of time, they rise above that rank and progress into positions of increasing responsibility.

Utterly impossible is it to reconcile that God "created" spirit beings of varying rank and power, with the fundamental fact that God is the FATHER-Spirit, and the very essence of TRUTH and ALL GOOD. ("And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…" - Ex. 34:6).

GOD did not become our "father" because of the physical body having been fashioned in His own image. Did not God Himself stress the fact that IMAGES were not to be worshipped or revered? That is, the image should not be confused with the LIVING REALITY. Wherefore, it is not the physical image (body) which constituted Him a "father," but that SPIRIT which He exuded INTO the face of the image(-body) He had fashioned as a vehicle, or as a "tabernacle" for the infant-spirit He had begotten.

What!? Was God a windbag that He could "breath" into the nostrils of Adam some vitalizing atmosphere? No, beloved, such fantasies are but contortions of His Truth, hatched in man's blind ignorance. Is God a mixture of gases? HE could exude out from His own Being into Adam nothing but that which He was/is: namely, SPIRIT! Therefore, and thereby, did He become A "FATHER." Would a normally good earthly parent deliberately BEGET offspring of greatly varying intelligence and potential, in order that later some would be only fit to clean barns and scrub toilets while others to be business tycoons and statesmen of honor? Well hardly! The normally good parent desires nothing but the HIGHEST and BEST for one's offspring: neither does noble parentage ever find complete contentment until it beholds the progeny having risen to its own status and achievements (or better)! Can we rightfully ascribe to God (Who is the Father of the spirit within), less nobility and goodness than that which dwells at the core of His spirit-children?

Wherefore, let us properly understand His expressions: the physical man was not His child, but merely formed or created. The spirit within was not "created," but BEGOTTEN. HE did not "create" spirits of varying ranks and powers, but He CONSTITUTED them as such, or APPOINTED them to fill posts for which they were best suited according to the AGE they had attained and the experience acquired. God is not whimsical and arbitrarily wicked:

HE is a LOVING FATHER.