David Bahn – Reflections

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

⁸ Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. ⁹ But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹ I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

Iris | Houston, TX | April 2024

It may not really be fair. After all mom does most of the work. Carrying the child for nine months in her womb. Struggling through labor (my wife says they call it that for a reason!). Caring for the newborn baby, nursing him or her, then maybe handing the child off to Dad for the diaper change. Then after all that often the first words of a child is dada, “daddy!” Or in Hebrew or Aramaic, it might be “Abba.”

Joachim Jeremias, the (in)famous German theologian and scholar popularized the idea that Abba means “Daddy,” in 1966. But many scholars now argue that this oversimplifies the term. While Abba does express the intimacy of a child with their father, it’s not identical to “Daddy” as we might use it in modern English. It carries the weight of both a childlike trust and an adult acknowledgment of authority. For Christians, calling God Abba is a profound reminder of our adoption as His children and the close, loving relationship we have with Him through Christ.

The idea that we can call the King of the Universe, “Abba” is a radical idea. This is the Creator of all that exists, the King of kings and Lord of lords. So we call him “Abba?” Daddy? Papa? Father? We do. And this is a reflection of the revolutionary closeness of the relationship between God and His children, as made possible through Jesus. But it is also an acknowledgement of our adoption through Christ.

This is Paul’s point here. Because we have been redeemed by Christ, we are now God’s sons and heirs according to his promise. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit. So he says: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

There were times in my life when I did not act like my father’s son. I didn’t honor my earthly father as I should have. I must confess to having sullied my dad’s name, our family name. But my dad did not disown me. He continued to love me, to welcome me as his son. I am thankful for that!

As I reflect on my relationship with our sons, I have a better understanding of this gift and honor. I’m sure there are things one of them could do that would cause me to want to disown him. But I cannot imagine what it would be. They are my sons. I love them. I want them to call to me when they are in need, and to thank me for the ways in which I have blessed them through the years.

Theirs will be a worldly inheritance. As good as that may prove to be, it is nothing compared to the eternal inheritance that is ours through God’s grace in Jesus Christ. So we call God Abba as a sign of intimate love and great respect.