The question of who God’s parents are is simple to answer yet difficult to grasp.
God was not born nor made by any other being.
Everything that is, has its origin in Him, yet He Himself has no origin. He is God because He has existed since the beginning of time.
This is true of our Father in heaven, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
They were then, and they are now.
When the Bible refers to Jesus as the Son of God, it is not alluding to His biological relationship to God the Father, but to their interpersonal connection — that is, Jesus was never born; He always has been (Micah 5:2; John 1:1-3).
Who Then Is God The Father?
God is addressed in Christianity as “the Father,” “our Father,” and “Jesus’ Father.”
In light of these aspects of our creator, God becomes a father to believers on a personal level and all of creation as a whole.
The Bible describes God as a “faithful God who does no wrong” (Psalm 18:30) and “upright and just” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
For this reason, you might consider Him the ideal father figure.
God, as your Heavenly Father, is ready to more than make up for the absence of a father in your life who is approachable, loving, and always has your best interests in mind.
Let’s examine the Bible’s teachings on God the Father.
What The Scriptures Say
The Bible makes it very plain that God was Jesus’ father – that Jesus was his one and only son – and hence the Father of God.
Let’s look at several passages that speak to the significance of this incredible bond.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:3
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11:27
What Kind of Father Is God the Father?
Consider the following passages describing God’s nature as a Father, not just what He does, but also how He thinks and cares about His children.
He is merciful and patient.
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” – Psalm 103:8-10, 13
God isn’t an impatient Father.
He’s friendly.
He’s merciful when we don’t deserve it.
He doesn’t ride us over every setback.
He’s not vengeful.
He’s kind to His children.
This doesn’t mean God is a pushover, as we’ll see in later verses.
He takes sin and disobedience seriously, as should every decent parent.
This is what the psalm means when it states, “He does not deal with us according to our sins” He punished Jesus for our sins so we may be adopted and enjoy His fatherly love.
He is Holy and just.
“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, so that we may share his holiness.” – Hebrews 12:7-10
God is kind, but He is also Holy and Just.
He is unable and unwilling to accept sin.
He is unable and unwilling to let His children dwell in mediocrity.
As God’s offspring, we are members of a family, which means we must keep the family honor and adhere to the family’s values.
God disciplines us for this purpose but it is constructive rather than penalizing.
He puts uncomfortable and difficult events into our life to improve our potential for holiness, which in turn raises our potential for happiness.
He desires our greatest good, which is to be as He is, and he leads us in that direction by all means necessary.
And this should be the objective of every parent: to lead their children toward sanctity.
These texts provide background for directives such as “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger” (Ephesians 6:4) and “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” (Proverbs 13:4).
They explain the profound meaning behind edicts such as “Train a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6) “You shall teach [these commands] to your children, talking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Is There A God The Mother?
While researching the doctrines and practices of various Christian groups, we came across the widespread belief in the existence of a heavenly mother among many of the followers of these faiths.
Some people even try to argue that the city of Jerusalem is essentially our heavenly mother by using texts like Galatians 4:26.
Others argue that the phrase “God the Father” should replace “God the Mother.”
Let’s look at the Bible’s actual teachings and figure out why individuals have such a view.
Is There a Mother God?
As in a distinct being from the God of the Bible?
No. It is obvious from the pages of the Bible that there is only one God (1 Corinthians 8:6).
It is a common misunderstanding that the text from Galatians above elevates Jerusalem to the status of a god.
Those who believe in a mother god also do not hold the view that Mary or the Church is the mother of God.
In contrast, they think Jerusalem is the correct answer.
That’s heretical whether you attribute it to Mary or the Church.
The Bible contradicts this.
The Lord God is both unique and good in every way. Neither is Jerusalem’s rich past.
Although the Bible frequently employs figurative and metaphorical language, this does not make the concepts it describes into actual people or places.
It’s possible that God in the Old Testament yearned for Jerusalem, and, indeed, the New Testament often describes the Church as a wife.
But we must be careful to understand the context of every Scripture chapter.
CARM says that “Jerusalem’s metaphorical role as our mother is meant to be interpreted symbolically, not literally.
Galatians is discussing the doctrine of justification by faith.”
The Bible must be read on its terms, not imposed onto it with our cultural assumptions.
However, exegesis, not eisegesis, is the method of inquiry we need to use when we take Scripture at face value.
