Long before comedians and late-night talk show hosts stole His shtick, God had a top ten list we now know as the 10 Commandments.
The second commandment is found in Exodus 20:4, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”
God the Father is invisible, spiritual, and unable to be seen. Furthermore, any attempt to show the Father in physical form through what some Bible translations call a “graven image” is grievous idolatry.
All of this makes a conversation that Jesus had with one of His followers all the more peculiar. John 14:8-11 says, Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”
How do we know what God the Father is like? We look to Jesus the Son of God. As the old adage goes, like Father like Son. Colossians 1:15 echoes this theme saying, “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God…” Jesus is like a mirror reflecting the character of God the Father to the world. So, to look at Jesus is to see the Father heart of God.
Are youcomfortable referring to God as your Father? Why or why not?