The Bible presents various images of God, in which he is portrayed from the perspective of the multiple roles he performs and the numerous character descriptions he is attributed. Across the Scripture, the readers might find a wide spectrum of vivid and metaphorical portrayals of God, which implies his power over humanity and the whole world. God can be both in-dwelling and holy simultaneously, be represented through abstract notions and physical world phenomena. Indeed, the Bible provides the readers with such images of God as Light, Love, King, Judge, Father, and others. All of these images are created with the utilization of metaphorical and descriptive literary elements to express the multifaceted character of God, the Creator. God’s image of a Father deserves particular attention and an in-depth analysis due to its significance in the Scripture teachings.
The image of God as Father is one of the most powerful in the Bible. It is introduced and developed in the Old Testament and further referred to in the New Testament. One of the most vivid and memorable verses from the Scripture where God is addressed as Father is in the First Epistle of John. The identified biblical passage is as follows:
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure (1 John 3:1-2, New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version).
When explaining the passage, one might state that the cited verse resembles the perception of the relationships between God and the people from the perspective of the parent-child relationship. It is because of the love God as a parent gives to his believers, the people, that people may be called his children. The passage explicitly refers to the image of God and reveals that no one has ever seen or knew God; however, when God is revealed, people will be his resemblance, as a child is a resemblance of a parent. The verse further elaborates on the image of God as a pure being who can purify the others by means of pure love.
To analyze the passage, the theological significance of God’s fatherhood is difficult to overestimate. The very concept of fatherhood implies a broad spectrum of relationship characteristics that a proper parent-child connection entails. According to the Scripture, God the Father knows all and rules all; he is the one whom people should fear and obey. His will should be a leading path for his children to follow in their sinless existence. However, love is an important condition that can make a human become God’s child. In the Bible, it is stated, “beloved, we are God’s children now” (1 John 3:2, New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version). As a father is strict but loving with his children, so God is with people who follow him. His children resemble him; the verse states that “when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is” (1 John 3:2, New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version). God’s identity as Father metaphorically implies that Christians will find confidence and peace in unifying with God because they can rely on him as on their parent.
Other images of God, such as Judge or Creator, have overall similar features to God’s fatherhood. They all share the same characteristics of might and power, which allows God to impose his will on the people. However, unlike the images of Creator, the identity of God as Father entitles him to punish people for disobedience. At the same time, the significant role of love does not apply to the image of Judge or King, which demonstrates the inconsistency in the perception of God’s image throughout the Scripture.
However, when evaluating God’s fatherhood as the manifestation of his identities, one should emphasize that this image incorporates most of the qualities and attributes essential for the theological representation of God. This image is not troublesome; on the contrary, it postulates strictly defined rules of obedience and the faith and trust in God. His image of Father ensures people of his power and love that will be a solid basis for the believers’ relying on God. The twofold meaning of the image, implying his unconditional love towards his children and his might to punish them, is a valuable feature of the analyzed image. Unlike any other image, fatherhood entails both love and punishment, fear, and compassion, which constitute a multifaceted relationship between God and the people.