To know the Father

In this ruin of mankind no one now experiences God either as Father or as Author of salvation or favorable in any way, until Christ the Mediator comes forward to reconcile him to us.

John Calvin, Institutes 1.2.1

Early this morning as I looked at Samuel sleeping in his crib I was impressed all over again what a blessing it is to be a father. An even greater blessing than knowing the joy of being an earthly father is the joy of knowing God as my Father through the mediating work of his Son. Jesus makes very clear, and all the gospel writers reflect it, that to know him is to know the Father. Is, in fact, the only way to know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in a saving way, i.e. Matthew 11:27, Luke 10:22, John 1:18, John 8:19, John 14:6, etc. This was a radical (and dangerous) claim to make in orthodox God-fearing first century Palestine, and it's a radical claim to make in our pluralistic societies of today.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:4-6