God is our Abba Dad and we are His sons
The last time I shared with you, I told you a little of my testimony and how God had prepared me for the test that was coming—an accident where my first wife and my 18 year old son died. I explained what Dr R.T. Kendall calls the Betrayal Barrier—that 100% of all Christians go through a time when they feel like God has abandoned them. I also told you that he and Dr James Dobson feel that more than 90% of Christians are hurt as a result of this feeling of abandonment. It was this revelation that helped me to go through my time of grief with the knowledge that God had not abandoned me.
Tonight, I’d like to share more about the revelation that was given to me as I went through this time. I want to talk about my Father, my Abba-Dad.
Ø We’ll start in Exodus 6:1-3:
Prior to this in chapter 5, the Jewish elders have come complaining to Moses about going to Pharaoh and telling him to let God’s people go. They basically told Moses to leave Pharaoh alone because every time he talked to Pharaoh, Pharaoh made it harder on them. So Moses in vs. 22-23 complained to God that He said He would deliver them and He had not done so. In essence he is shaking his finger in God’s face.
Now God comes on the scene in chapter 6 and shares with Moses an amazing statement. Note in vs. 2, God clearly tells Moses who He is--“I am athe Lord.” That would have been enough by itself. God was not backing down to Moses’ crying—He is God and always will be God no matter how much His children complain to Him.
But if we look carefully in vs. 3 we will see a different side of God. God told Moses that He had revealed Himself to Moses’ ancestors as “God Almighty,” but He said, “to you Moses, I’m going to reveal myself as Lord.” Instead of God chastising Moses for his harsh criticism of God’s failure to deliver the children of Israel, He turned around and declared to Moses that He was going to show Himself to Moses in a way that no one had ever known Him before. This shows me that God wanted Moses to learn something new about Him and He was willing to share that truth with Moses—even in his stubbornness and rebellion. That is God’s mercy and is still true today in our lives. Amen!
It was while I was going through my time of grief that I realized from this verse that God wanted me to see something about Him that I did not know. How many know that we do not have everything figured out about God?
Now, I had walked with God for over 20 years and had learned much about Him and had taught much about Him and His Word. But there was something that I needed to know about God that I could learn only by going through this dark time. That is what God was saying to me.
As I went through my time of grief, there were times that I hurt so bad, all I could do was cry. Sometimes I would cry for hours—I am not ashamed to admit it because the pain was so much that I couldn’t stand it. If you have ever lost someone who is close to you, then you can understand what I mean.
It was during these times of crying my heart out before the Lord that I began to sense God’s presence in a very real way. I literally felt Him hold me in His lap and wrap His loving arms around me. He would hold me for as long as I needed until His peace would come.
He could have scolded me for not being strong in my faith, but all He ever said was “It’s OK My son.” I would look up in His eyes and see nothing but love and compassion for me. I found a new relationship with God as my Father—the One who loves me intimately.
A friend at church gave me a wonderful book that I fed on daily and that helped me to learn to walk in this intimate relationship with my Father. It is called From the Father’s Heart by Charles Slagle—G.G. and I have given away many copies of this book and I’d highly recommend it to anyone. It is letters from God that were given to Charles by the Holy Spirit when his father died. I’d like to share a couple of readings with you so you can see better what I mean. (pg.33 & 91).
As I came to really know God as my Abba Dad, not just as my Father. I also came to understand more of what it meant to be His son. I imagine this was true for Moses as well. Moses grew in his relationship with the Lord in such a way that God talked to him face to face. Go with me to Exodus 33:7-11:
Ø 11a Thus athe Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.
Do you see the intimacy that Moses had with God. No one prior to him—even Abraham—was described as speaking face to face with God!
Many Christians think that God as Father is a New Testament idea, but the truth is that God revealed Himself as Father in the Old Testament. Some see God as a judge or disciplinarian in the Bible and Jesus as the loving one in the New Testament. Yet, if we will carefully study the Bible, we will see that God has always been Father and He loves and cares for His people. The verse that everyone learns—John 3:16 is a statement of the love of the Father—not of the love of Jesus. “For God (Father) so loved the world that He (Father) gave His only Son . . .”
Do you know what the first word is in the Hebrew dictionary? Is it God, Elohim, Lord? No, it is “ab”—Father. This is not true in the Greek dictionary.
How many fathers are here tonight? Help me to list the duties or responsibilities of a father:
Protect Discipline/Correct Love/Comfort
Provide Train/Guide Be a Role Model
In Naves Topical Bible there are 16 references in the Old Testament that deal with God as Father or talk about the relationship of God with His sons. In the Gospels there are 88 references and in the rest of the New Testament there are 54 references. You do realize that the Gospels are under the Old Covenant, since the New Covenant was not cut until after Jesus died on the cross? Therefore there are almost twice as many references to God as Father under the Old Covenant as there are in the New Covenant. So let’s look at some of these scriptures:
The very first reference is found in Exodus 4:22-23
Ø 22 “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 “So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”
If God referred to Israel as His son—then, He must be Israel’s Father.
Ø Deut 1:30-31 30 ‘The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’
Moses is telling the people about the wonderful relationship that they had with God. I love how this verse shows how the Father picked up His son and carried him. Just like any human father would—that speaks of an intimacy and concern that is characteristic of Fathers who love their children.
Ø Deut 32:6 “Do you thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.
This is from what is called the Song of Moses and was given just before Moses went to be with the Lord. There can be no doubt that Moses saw God as the Father of Israel.
Ø 2 Sam 7:12-15 14 “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.”
David wanted to build a temple for God, but God would not allow him to do so. Instead he is told by Nathan the prophet that God will use David’s son, Solomon, to build the temple. But more amazing then that is the fact that God said He would love Solomon as a Father loves His own son. He would adopt Solomon as His own son!
Ø 1 Chron 29:10 So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, O Lord God of Israel our Father, forever and ever.
David blessed the Lord when the offering was taken for the temple and in his prayer clearly said that God was the Father of Israel forever.
David also knew God as Father and expresses it very clearly in the Psalms:
Ø Psalm 68:4-5 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him. 5 A father of the fatherless and a judge (defender) for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
Here we have the witness of 2 of the greatest people in the Old Testament—Moses and David—agreeing to the truth that God was their Father. Isaiah was the greatest prophet of the Old Covenant and he also testifies to the same truth.
Ø Isaiah 1:2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.
Ø Isaiah 63:16 For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us And Israel does not recognize us. You, O Lord, are our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.
Ø Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.
Other prophets like Jeremiah and Hosea also testified to this truth. In fact the very last words of the Old Testament reveal the heart of Father God to restore sons to their fathers. He desired this so much that He promised He would send Elijah (John the Baptist) to do it.
Ø Malachi 4:6 “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
Now we come to the Gospels—remember this is Old Covenant although the books are placed in the New Testament. Jesus came to reveal to us the heart of the Father. Throughout the Gospels He talked about His Father, the love of the Father, doing the will of His Father, His Father was the One who sent Him, He only did what He heard and saw His Father do and say, there was a promise of the Father to send the Holy Spirit. The miracles Jesus performed were to give the Father glory. Jesus constantly pointed people to the Father. Every message He spoke was to show the way to the Father.
We are all familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Do you realize that story is really not about the son, but about the Father? The Father gave the son his inheritance knowing that he would waste it. The Father waited patiently for His son to come home. The Father rejoiced when the prodigal did come home. The prodigal is only in the story to show us how much love the Father has for his wayward son.
So what does all this mean to us? I hope that you can see that God has always been a Father and always will be our Father. For many this is difficult because of the poor relationship they have had with their earthly father. But, if we truly understand and know our Father and His love, then we will have the assurance we need to weather the storms of life. We will know that we are never alone, but always have our loving Father by our side.
God is our Father—Protector, Provider, Discipliner/Corrector, Trainer/Guide, Role Model, and our Lover/Comforter. He is all of these and so much more than we earthly fathers can be. He is our Abba, Dad!
FATHERHOOD OF Ex. 4:22; Dt. 14:1; 32:5,6; 2 Sam. 7:14; 1 Chr. 28:6; 29:10; Ps. 68:5; 89:26; Isa. 1:2; 8:18; 9:6; 63:16; 64:8; Jer. 3:19; Hos. 1:10; 11:1; Mt. 3:17; 5:45; 6:4, 6, 8,9; 7:11; 10:20, 29, 32,33; 11:25–27; 12:50; 13:43; 15:13; 16:17, 27; 18:10, 14, 19; 20:23; 26:29, 39, 42; Mk. 8:38; 11:25,26; 13:32; Lk. 2:49; 10:21,22; 11:2, 13; 22:29; 23:46; 24:49; Jn. 1:14, 18; 2:16; 4:21, 23; 5:17–23, 36,37, 43; 6:27, 32, 44–46; 8:19, 27, 38, 41,42, 49; 10:15, 29,30, 32,33, 36–38; 12:26–28, 50; 13:3; 14:2, 6–13, 16, 20,21, 23,24, 26, 31; 15:8–10, 16, 23,24, 26; 16:3, 10, 15, 23, 25–28; 17:1, 5, 11, 21, 24; 20:17, 21; Acts 1:4; 2:33; Rom. 1:3, 7; 8:15; 1 Cor. 1:3; 8:6; 15:24; 2 Cor. 1:3; 6:18; Gal. 1:1, 3,4; 4:4–7; Eph. 1:2,3, 17; 2:18; 3:14; 4:6; 5:20; 6:23; Phil. 1:2; Col. 1:2,3, 12; 2:2; 3:17; 1 Th. 1:1, 3; 3:11, 13; 2 Th. 1:1,2; 2:16; Tit. 1:4; Heb. 1:5,6; 12:9; Jas. 1:17, 27; 3:9; 1 Pet. 1:2,3, 17; 1 Jn. 1:2; 2:1, 13, 15, 22–24; 3:1; 4:14; 2 Jn. 1:3,4, 9; Jude 1:1; Rev. 1:5; 3:5; 14:1[1]
As my understanding and experience of this intimacy with my Abba Dad grew, I began to look at what He called me—His son. I was familiar with Romans 8 and started meditating on it. Go with me to Romans 8:14-21:
Ø 14 For all who are abeing led by the Spirit of God, these are bsons of God. 15 For you ahave not received a spirit of slavery 1leading to fear again, but you bhave received 2a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “cAbba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself atestifies with our spirit that we are bchildren of God, 17 and if children, aheirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, bif indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time aare not worthy to be compared with the bglory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the aanxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for bthe revealing of the csons of God. 20 For the creation awas subjected to bfutility, not willingly, but cbecause of Him who subjected it, 1in hope 21 that athe creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
One day as I was reading this passage the Holy Spirit asked me a question. He said, “Why does it say “sons” in some verses (vs. 14,15,19,and 23) and “children” in other verses (vs.16,17,21)?” Now I don’t know if you have ever been asked a question by the Holy Spirit before, but usually I don’t know the answer. That was true in this case.
I naturally responded that it was just 2 words meaning the same thing, i.e. sons = children. Then He spoke again and said “The Father has many children, but not many sons.” I sat there dumbfounded.
Obviously the Holy Spirit was not saying that God has only male children (i.e. sons and not daughters), so there must be something about this statement that I did not understand. So I began to look at the Greek and I noticed that that are actually 2 different words used in this passage.
5207 huios (hwee·os) –sons (vs. 14,15,19,23)
5043 teknon (tek·non) –children (vs. 16,17,21)
The word that is used for children is “teknon” and shows birth or adoption. It means we belong to the family. But the word that is used for sons is “huios” which stresses the dignity and character of the relationship or shows maturity. So although we may be born into the family (as children), we may not show the evidence of our likeness to the Father by our conduct or character (as a son) due to a lack of maturity. As children of God we want to please our Father and grow up to be sons and daughters of God so that others will see the image of the Father in us.
There are two ways to become a child in a family—natural birth and adoption. Though some may argue that an adopted child is not truly a child of the family, by law he is as much a part of the family as if he had been born naturally into the family. Even more than the law though, is the feelings of the parents. If you ask a parent who has adopted a child, to them that child is just as much a part of their hearts as the other natural born children. They have taken him into their heart as well as into their home.
The first thing we must realize as children of God is that we are adopted children. To us that may seem like we are not fully accepted, but just as natural parents take adopted children into their hearts, so our Father takes us into His heart. When a person is born again, he is not born into a position of slavery. Rather, he receives the spirit of adoption (vs. 15); that is, he is placed in God’s family as a mature son/daughter. This means that we do not have to wait a certain amount of time before we can enter into our spiritual inheritance; it is ours the moment we are saved, and it applies to all believers, men and women, boys and girls.
In Galatians 4:4-7
Ø 4 But when athe fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, bborn of a woman, born cunder 1the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under 1the Law, that we might receive the adoption as asons. 6 Because you are sons, aGod has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “bAbba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and aif a son, then an heir 1through God.
The word adoption means “son-placing”—that is, the act of placing all believers as mature, adult sons with all the privileges and responsibilities of son ship.
Romans 8:16 says that we have been given the Holy Spirit of God to bear witness or testify that we belong to the family of God—we are His children. Every believer is a child of God in that he is born into a family of which God is the Father. We receive the adoption as children by faith when we are born again.
Ø Gal. 3:26 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus”
Now think with me for a moment about the difference between children and sons:
Children “teknon” Sons “huios”
Birth/Adoption Relationship
Father Dad/Daddy
Heirs Intimacy
Inheritance on Father’s death (later) Covenant in Life (now)
Dependence Independence
Impatience Patience
Immaturity Maturity
Son ship = Maturity. So what are the characteristics we can use to tell if we are showing the signs of son ship? Or how can we show that we are God’s sons and daughters? Here are a few:
1. Trust—No Fear
We see this characteristic in a little child, but it becomes much deeper as we mature. We not only learn to trust God with the little things such as food, clothing, and shelter; but with the big things like finances, careers, and health. We learn to trust our Heavenly Father without any fear and anxiety because we know He cares for us and has our best interest in mind.
Fear and anxiety are an indication of either doubting that we are children of God—i.e. whether we belong to His family—or it is a distrusting of God’s power, His watchful care for us, or His goodness. How obvious it is that this is contrary to God’s Word! Therefore we must let go of every worry and allow the Lord to care for everything.
Ø 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
Ø Psalm 37:5 (NLT) Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.
Vs. 14 says literally the Spirit of God leads His sons. Thus it is the Holy Spirit who goes before us and we follow after Him. As we follow Him, we are learning to Trust God—no matter where He takes us. Just like when the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness—not to harm Him, but to cleanse Him.
2. Bearing the image.
How often do we say a child looks like their parents? As children we show the image of our parents in our eyes, hair color, complexion, etc. In fact, as we get older and look at pictures of our family, it is often said that we are the “spitting image” of out parents.
But as sons/daughters, we show that we are the image of our parents in more than our looks. We show it in our speech, mannerisms, and actions. We imitate what we have been taught and desire to grow up to be just like our parents. Maybe we learn the same job as our father did, or go to the same school he did, or even talk like he does.
The Lord also creates His children according to His image (cf. Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24). He makes us as partakers of His divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), and “followers of God, as dear children” (Eph. 5:1). As a believer we can know that though we were once children of darkness, we are now children of light. We can have the eyes of our understanding enlightened (Eph 1:18) by the Holy Spirit. Our hearts can be united with the will of God and it is our delight and desire only to do His will in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Our speech can be that of our Father—the Words recorded in His Holy Word—that we speak just as His Son, Jesus would. We are being conformed to the image of Christ as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us (Rom 8:29).
3. Honor—Worship
As we grow up we learn to respect and honor our father and mother. We are also taught respect for all authority (e.g. teachers, policemen, etc), because this leads to a peaceful society. Our earthly parents are not perfect, but we still respect them because of who they are. When we loose respect for our parents we are headed down a slippery slope that leads to destruction.
A recent TV program was called Brat Camp. They took 9 teenagers who were in serious trouble and through a series of exercises and living in the desert in the winter taught them to have self-confidence and respect for others. Most of them had lost their respect for their parents and were into drugs and a very destructive lifestyle. Now we may not agree with everything they did in the show, but we can support the fact that they taught these kids to cherish and honor their parents.
As sons/daughters of God we should have a strong desire to honor and worship our Heavenly Father with a humble heart. We should continually meditate and acknowledge the awesomeness and the great glory of our Heavenly Father. We should show that respect for Him to others through our lifestyle as well as our words.
Ø Malachi 1:6 (NIV) “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty.”
4. Obedience—Submission to Discipline
One of the toughest lessons we learn as children is to be obedient. Because of our fallen natures we are born with the seeds of rebellion and as soon as we are old enough to walk, we begin to express our disobedience. Of course, our loving parents train us to be obedient and teach us that there are consequences for disobedience. We learn that when we disobey we are subject to discipline.
Now as a parent, I never enjoyed administering discipline (i.e. the paddle), but I did use it to teach my children right from wrong. We lovingly called our paddle, the “Pow-Pow” and I can promise you that my children knew that when Dad got out the Pow-Pow it was going to hurt. As our children become more mature, the discipline changed to time out, taking away privileges, etc. However, we must never lose sight of the purpose for the discipline—to teach right from wrong.
Obeying God as our Father is just as important to our spiritual growth as obedience to our parents was to our physical growth.
Ø 1 Peter 1:14-16 (NIV) 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” a
We must show our humility, meekness, moderation, love, fear, and obedience toward God, as well as our patient submission to His disciplining hand—so that men, seeing our light, may glorify our God.
Ø Phil. 2:15 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world”
We must submit ourselves as a child to the chastisement of the Lord as being the chastisement of our Father. The Lord deals with us as His children when we misbehave and do not keep His commandments. He will punish us with the rod of afflictions. If we rise up against this punishment, murmur and complain, or say “I am not a child of God, God is not my Father, because God hurts me; if He were my Father, He would have compassion on me; He would deliver me from this punishment”— then we are saying that we know best and we are not being submissive to His discipline. Instead it is best that we be quiet, and humbly submit and say, I will “Humble myself therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt me in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).
Ø Hebrews 12:5-10 (NIV) 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” a 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”
5. Love the family of God
Brothers and sisters may fight and speak badly about each other, but no one outside the family dare do so. Those are fighting words! We will stick up for a family member, even when they done wrong or are the black sheep of the family.
How much more should we as sons/daughters support those who are in the body of Christ? Not just our church, but the whole family of God. I think this is one of the saddest things I see in the church (universal), that we do not love and support one another (e.g. Baptists fight against Methodists, etc.). Yet we are all part of the same family. We should live as sons/daughters of God in mutual love and peace, so that men may see that the Spirit dwelling in us differs from the one dwelling in them.
Ø John 13:34-35 (NIV) “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
As God loves us with an infinite, eternal, and absolute love, His love grows in us as His sons/daughters.
Ø 1 John 4:19 “We love Him, because He first loved us”
Our love of God is a real and dependable mark of son ship.
Ø 1 Cor. 8:3 “But if any man love God, the same is known of Him”
Paul was strongly motivated by the love of God.
Ø 2 Cor. 5:14 “For the love of Christ constraineth us”
Ø Gal. 5:6 Yes, anyone who has faith will manifest this love. “...faith which worketh by love”
Now, please don’t feel condemned if as you examine yourself in the light of these characteristics you find yourself lacking in some of them. There is a process that we must go through to become sons/daughters. It begins with our spiritual birth as children and ends with our going home to heaven. In between that time we are changing and growing day by day in ways that sometimes we can’t see. But the Father knows exactly what He is doing to help us to grow into maturity as His sons/daughters.
Ø Philippians 1:6 (NIV) 6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
There is one more truth in the passage that we started with in Romans 8:17. That is that we have an inheritance with Christ as children of God. Notice that our inheritance is tied to the fact that we belong to the family, not to the level of our maturity.
As children of God we are the benefactors of all the covenant blessings that God has for His children. Of course, the primary blessing is that of our salvation—which is what brings us into the family of God. Paul says, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9).
Our inheritance consists of sound wisdom (Prov. 2:7), riches and righteousness (Prov. 8:18), and a kingdom which the Lord Jesus has appointed unto us (Luke 22:29). It is “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:4), a glorious inheritance which is “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18). It is an eternal inheritance; “that...they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” (Heb. 9:15). It is beyond our understanding and beyond words what exactly our inheritance is, but we know that it is all good!
So as let us continually strive to grow into maturity as sons and daughters under the loving guidance and care of our Heavenly Father.
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[1]Nave. (.). E4's Naves Topical Bible (electronic ed.). :: ,.
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a Ex 3:14, 15
a Num 12:8; Deut 34:10
Ex 5:1; 6:11; 7:16
Ex 14:14; Deut 3:22; 20:4; Neh 4:20
Or Cast up a highway
Is 57:14; 62:10
Ex 6:3; Ps 83:18
Ps 10:14; 146:9
Deut 10:18
Deut 32:1
Deut 26:15
a Gal 5:18
b Hos 1:10; Matt 5:9; John 1:12; Rom 8:16, 19; 9:8, 26; 2 Cor 6:18; Gal 3:26; 1 John 3:1; Rev 21:7
a 2 Tim 1:7; Heb 2:15
1 Lit for fear again
b Rom 8:23; Gal 4:5f
2 Or the Spirit
c Mark 14:36; Gal 4:6
a Acts 5:32
b Hos 1:10; Matt 5:9; John 1:12; Rom 8:14, 19; 9:8, 26; 2 Cor 6:18; Gal 3:26; 1 John 3:1; Rev 21:7
a Acts 20:32; Gal 3:29; 4:7; Eph 3:6; Titus 3:7; Heb 1:14; Rev 21:7
b 2 Cor 1:5, 7; Phil 3:10; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 2:12; 1 Pet 4:13
a 2 Cor 4:17; 1 Pet 4:13
b Col 3:4; Titus 2:13; 1 Pet 1:5; 5:1
a Phil 1:20
b Rom 8:18; 1 Cor 1:7f; Col 3:4; 1 Pet 1:7, 13; 1 John 3:2
c Hos 1:10; Matt 5:9; John 1:12; Rom 8:14, 16; 9:8, 26; 2 Cor 6:18; Gal 3:26; 1 John 3:1; Rev 21:7
a Gen 3:17–19
b Ps 39:5f; Eccl 1:2
c Gen 3:17; 5:29
1 Or in hope; because the creation
a Acts 3:21; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1
a Mark 1:15
b John 1:14; Rom 1:3; 8:3; Phil 2:7
c Luke 2:21f, 27
1 Or law
1 Or law
a Rom 8:14; Gal 3:26
a Acts 16:7; Rom 5:5; 8:9, 16; 2 Cor 3:17
b Mark 14:36; Rom 8:15
a Rom 8:17
1 I.e. through the gracious act of
a Lev. 11:44,45; 19:2; 20:7
a Prov. 3:11,12