The Fatherhood of God is the defining relational posture of the First Person of the Trinity toward the Son, toward creation, and specifically toward His redeemed people. Jesus' most distinctive theological contribution was teaching His disciples to call God Abba — Father — with the intimacy of a child (Mark 14:36; Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15). This was radical: no Jew in the first century addressed God as "Abba" in prayer. Jesus authorized this intimacy as a gift of adoption — believers are not merely subjects or servants but sons and daughters (John 1:12; Rom 8:14–17; 1 John 3:1–2). Yet the Fatherhood of God does not collapse into sentimentality: He is also the Father who disciplines His children "for their good, that we may share his holiness" (Heb 12:10). The Lord's Prayer begins "Our Father" — placing every petition in the context of this covenant relationship.
FA'THER, n. [Sax. fæder; …L. pater; Gr. πατηρ.] He who begets a child. In theology, the first person of the Trinity, the eternal Father of the eternal Son of God. — Noah Webster, 1828
• Matthew 6:9 — "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."
• Romans 8:15 — "You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'"
• 1 John 3:1 — "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God."
• John 1:12 — "To all who received him…he gave the right to become children of God."
• Hebrews 12:9–10 — "He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness."
G3962 — pater (πατήρ): father; used of God ~265 times in the NT — overwhelmingly in John's Gospel, which records Jesus' unique relationship with "the Father."
G5 — Abba (Αββα): Aramaic term of intimate address for father; used only 3 times in the NT (Mark 14:36; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6); carries the warmth of a child's "Daddy" — shocking intimacy in first-century Jewish context.
H1 — 'ab (אָב): father; used ~1,200 times in the OT; God is called "Father" of Israel (Deut 32:6; Isa 63:16; Jer 31:9) and of the king (2 Sam 7:14).
Modern theology has attacked the Fatherhood of God on two fronts. First, feminist theology seeks to replace masculine language for God with gender-neutral or feminine language, arguing the biblical term "Father" is a patriarchal cultural imposition rather than revealed truth. This ignores that Jesus himself, when He prayed to God, used "Abba" — the most intimate masculine address — and authorized His disciples to do the same. Second, therapeutic universalism teaches that God is the Father of all humanity in the redemptive sense — that all people are God's children regardless of faith or repentance. Scripture is clear: the right to be called children of God is given to "those who received him, who believed in his name" (John 1:12). God is Creator of all; Father to those who are adopted in Christ.