MAY I ADDRESS OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN AS ‘DADDY‘?
Sakkie Parsons
Someone wrote to me: “… isn’t it a bit bold to address our Father as ‘Daddy’? It does not sound right to me at all.”
Let me first explain where I think forms of addressing our Lord, such as “Daddy,” “Pappa,” originated. For example, we read in Romans 8:15:
Romans 8:15 “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
The word “Abba” used in this passage is an Aramaic word, and I will try to use words that, to the best of my ability, convey the feeling in this word.
It is a very, very affectionate, intimate, and loving way of addressing someone.
The word has such an intimate and deep meaning that translators, from the earliest times, instead of attempting to translate the word, preferred to leave it as it is and simply wrote “Father” after it.
There are two more passages where the word “Abba” appears, and I quote these passages:
Mark 14:36 “He was saying, ‘Abba, Father! All things are possible for You; take this cup [of judgment] away from Me; but not what I will, but what You will.’”
As well as:
Galatians 4:6 “And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba! Father!’”
So, if you truly have such an intimate relationship with our Lord, in my opinion, you can indeed speak to our Lord as “Daddy,” “Pappa”
Unfortunately, Satan, as is his nature, has succeeded in making people misuse this wonderful, intimate way of addressing our Lord, often cheapening or even degrading it.
What I mean is this: I have encountered people who refer to our Lord as “Daddy” or “Pappa” to show off how “good” their relationship with our Lord is.
In some cases, with Satan’s encouragement, this intimate form of address, which Jesus Himself used, has today been watered down—not just as a way of boasting about one’s relationship with our Lord but further degraded by others who do not care about what they say. This has led to the use of terms—some of which I find disgusting and mention here with the greatest dismay—such as:
“The old man, the big boss, the old guy, the old top, man up there.”
Whether I call our Lord these names to boast about my relationship with Him or simply because I do not care, or whether I do so out of arrogance or any other reason, it is an attack on His holiness. Simply put, for me, it is blaspheming our Lord and His Name.
Let us be very careful how and with what attitude we address our Lord. Because our Lord says:
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations, or in ways that impugn the character of God]; for the LORD will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power].”
For me, this passage means:
Even if I ask our Lord for forgiveness because I have blasphemed Him by my way of addressing or misusing His Name, there will inevitably be consequences for me. He has already warned me about it, and as I have come to know our Lord, if He says that you will not go unpunished—as in this case—then you can be sure that you will not escape the consequences of your blasphemy:
Exodus 20:7 “… for the LORD will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power].”
So, however I choose to address our Lord, I must remember that I am speaking to Almighty God. He can see into my heart and knows my intent and feelings in my form of address when I call Him “Daddy,” etc.
I conclude with Jesus’ words, which remind me that Exodus 20:7 is not only for the Jews but must also be kept in mind by Christians – when He taught us the mindset and attitude our hearts should have from the beginning when we communicate with our Lord:
Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.’”
Sakkie