Question 86: How can you know God as Father?

Answer:

I can know God as Father only through Jesus Christ the Son, by the Holy Spirit who lives in me. When I trust in Christ for salvation, I am adopted into God’s family, and the Spirit enables me to call on Him as “Abba, Father.” This relationship is not natural, but a gift of grace, received through the Gospel and confirmed in the heart by the Spirit. (John 14:6, Romans 8:14–16, Galatians 4:4–6, Ephesians 1:5, 1 John 3:1)

Full Scripture References

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” — John 14:6 (BSB)

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” — Romans 8:14–16 (BSB)

“And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” — Galatians 4:6 (BSB)

“In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.” — Ephesians 1:5 (BSB)

“Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God—and that is what we are!” — 1 John 3:1 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

To know God as Father is the highest privilege of the Christian life. But this knowledge is not innate—it is revealed and made possible only through the grace of adoption in Jesus Christ. By nature, we are alienated from God (Ephesians 2:1–3), but through faith in the Son, we are reconciled to the Father and brought into His household.

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of the Father, and only through union with Him can we become children of God. As Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Faith in Christ makes us sons and daughters by adoption—a truth celebrated in Anglican theology and liturgy.

The Thirty-Nine Articles, in Article XVII, affirm the loving purpose of God the Father “to deliver from curse and damnation those whom He hath chosen in Christ,” that they might be adopted and made partakers of everlasting salvation.

This adoption is confirmed by the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sends into our hearts. The Spirit testifies that we are God’s children and stirs within us a cry of childlike trust: “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15). This isn’t cold doctrine—it’s warm communion. As J.I. Packer famously wrote:

“To be right with God the Judge is a great thing; but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.”

Contemporary Anglican theologian Dr. Esau McCaulley writes:

“When we call God ‘Father,’ we are not merely stating a truth—we are entering into a relationship made possible by Jesus and sustained by the Spirit.”

This knowledge of God as Father is relational, not just intellectual. We come to know Him through:

Faith in Christ (John 1:12),

Prayer in the Spirit (Romans 8:26),

The Scriptures, which show us the Father’s love (Luke 15),

And the Church, where we grow in communion with our heavenly family.

To know God as Father is to walk in trust, obedience, and security—not as a slave fearing judgment, but as a child held in perfect love (1 John 4:18). This is not something we achieve—it is something we receive.

Early Church Fathers on Catechism Question

St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 AD): “Those who receive the Spirit of adoption cry out ‘Abba, Father,’ and no longer fear but love. For He who adopts them becomes their true Father.” — Against Heresies, V.8.1

Irenaeus highlights that adoption brings not only status but intimacy. St. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD): “The Son became what we are, that we might become what He is. Through the Son, we are brought to the Father, not by merit but by mercy.” — On the Incarnation, 54

Athanasius connects the Incarnation with our adoption and communion with the Father. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386 AD): “Through the grace of Christ and the gift of the Spirit, you now say not ‘God of our fathers’ only, but ‘Our Father who art in heaven.’” — Catechetical Lectures, 23.11

Cyril teaches that the Lord’s Prayer marks the believer’s new relationship with God. St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD): “To know God as Father is to know that He loves you before you loved Him, and gave His Son for you before you asked.” — Confessions, IX.10