A Father’s Love

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

–Psalm 68:5

Good parents discipline their children. Good parents also don’t base their love for their children off of their children’s obedience.

When secularists, especially in western culture, think of Christianity they fear that they will “have to follow a bunch of rules” in order to please God. However, they miss the point that God views us as His children and loves us. He gives us rules to live by to keep us from harming ourselves, much like how a human father will tell his children not to play on a busy street where they might be hit by a car. This is the difference between a conventional religion and a relationship with God.
The Oxford dictionary of English defines “religion” as “The belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods” or ” A particular system of faith and worship.” In that sense Christianity is a religion, since we worship God. Practically speaking, however, Christianity differs drastically from any other religious belief system. God accepts us even when we don’t obey Him; He loves those who even actively hate Him. The unconditional fatherly love of God is evident in Romans 5:8, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Even many Christians miss this point, truth be told. That’s why some act out of anger and wrath rather than kindness.

“Christianity is not about signing up for a religion. Christianity is about being born into the family of God (John 3:3). It is a relationship. Just as an adopted child has no power to create an adoption, we have no power to join the family of God by our own efforts. We can only accept His invitation to know Him as Father through adoption (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:15). When we join His family through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside our hearts (1 Corinthians 6:19; Luke 11:13; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22). He then empowers us to live like children of the King. He does not ask us to try to attain holiness by our own strength, as religion does. He asks that our old self be crucified with Him so that His power can live through us (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6). God wants us to know Him, to draw near to Him, to pray to Him, and love Him above everything.” [1]

As God’s adopted children, Christians are expected to follow the rules which He set for our own benefit. He will be faithful to help us follow these rules. But for the times we fail, God still offers His forgiveness and love as our father.
Maybe you never had a loving father and don’t really understand what they’re like. God offers Himself as an adoptive father to the fatherless. A person is not born a Christian: they must accept God’s gift of adoption through Jesus Christ. Simply declaring your faith and dedicating your life to Him will bring you into relationship with God, which is what He desires.

“…You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'” –Romans 8:15

Sources:
[1] GotQuestions.org. “Is Christianity a Religion or a Relationship?” GotQuestions.org, 21 Feb. 2018, http://www.gotquestions.org/Christianity-religion-relationship.html.