God the Father

God the Father is a title for God in the Christian religion; however, for believers of the Trinity, God the Father is only viewed as the first person of the Trinity, who along with the Son and the Holy Spirit are of the same essence, share the same qualities, and are each fully God.^[1]

God is known as the Father because of his unending care for humanity, just like a father would care for his dependent children, and as our father and creator, he responds to his children so he can have a relationship with us.^[2][3][4][5] Through prayer, you can grow a relationship with Him.^[6][7][8]

Even though the term "Father" itself is masculine, God is understood to have the form of a spirit without any human biological gender as he is a being beyond our understanding. Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 239 specifically states that "God is neither man nor woman: he is God".^[9][10] Even though God is never directly called "Mother" in the Bible, in the Book of Isaiah there are many verses where God is shown to have motherly attributes, such as: Isa 42:14, Isa 49:14–15 or Isa 66:12–13.^[11]

1. ↑ Gilles Emery (2011). The Trinity: An Introduction to Catholic Doctrine on the Triune God. Catholic University of America Press. ISBN 978-0-8132-1864-9.
2. ↑ Bartolo-Abela, M. (2012). The Divine Heart of God the Father (2nd ed.). p. 108. ISBN 978-0983715290.
3. ↑ John W. Miller, Calling God "Father" (November 1999) ISBN 0809138972 pages x–xii
4. ↑ Diana L. Eck (2003) Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras ISBN 0807073024 p. 98
5. ↑ Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol. 2.1, Section 31: The Doctrine of God (23 September 2010) ISBN 0567012859 pp. 15–17
6. ↑ Floyd H. Barackman, 2002 Practical Christian Theology ISBN 0-8254-2380-5 p. 117
7. ↑ John W. Miller, Calling God "Father" (November 1999) ISBN 0809138972 p. 51
8. ↑ Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol. 2.1, Section 31: The Doctrine of God (23 September 2010) ISBN 0567012859 pp. 73–74
9. ↑ David Bordwell, 2002, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Continuum International Publishing ISBN 978-0860123248 p. 84
10. ↑ Catechism at the Vatican website Archived 3 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine
11. ↑ John W. Miller, Calling God "Father": Essays on the Bible, Fatherhood and Culture (November 1999) ISBN 0809138972 pp. 50–51