The Fatherhood of God Pt 2 Fatherlessness

“America has now embarked on a foolhardy experiment to discover what happens to a culture in which nearly half the children do not live with their fathers. One result is that many people do not know how to call God ‘Father,’ nor do they want to.”
Philip Graham Ryken

“The happiest and holiest children in the world are the children whose fathers succeed in winning both their tender affection and their reverential and loving fear. And they are the children who will come to understand most easily the mystery of the fatherhood of God.”
John Piper

“The intellectual source for the notion that your experience of your father determines your view of the heavenly Father is psychodynamic psychology, not the Bible... In an earlier generation, one of the stock human excuses for unbelief was, ‘The church is full of hypocrites, so I don’t want anything to do with God.’ That was more willful and bitter: ‘Get lost, God.’ The new variant is more self-pitying: ‘I just can’t seem to trust God.’ But the net effect is the same. No cry of ‘Abba, Father’ springs from the heart. ‘My father didn’t love me, so my self-centeredness, self-pity, and unbelief have an underlying reason. Somebody else caused my problems; somebody else must fix them.’... People change when the Holy Spirit brings the love of God to their hearts through the Gospel. Whoever receives the Spirit of adoption as God’s child learns to cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ People change when they see that they are responsible for what they believe about God. Life experience is no excuse for believing lies; the world and devil don’t excuse the flesh. People change when biblical truth becomes more loud and vivid than previous life experience. People change when they have ears to hear and eyes to see what God tells us about Himself.”
David Powlison

In a society burdened with divisive issues, we must pause and reflect carefully on the root causes of our societal dysfunction and decay. While trending topics dominate much of our public discourse and attention, there is a sobering factor that often goes overlooked or minimized, yet significantly contributes to many of the challenges we currently face both as a nation and global community: fatherlessness. The tragic absence of actively involved and loving fathers in the daily lives of millions upon millions of children has profound and far-reaching consequences that permeate and negatively affect our local communities, institutions, culture, and the next generation. For us, as Christians endeavoring to make a Spirit-guided impact in this world, it becomes paramount to grasp the magnitude of this crisis and to answer it in alignment with our biblical principles and our role as the extensions of Jesus’ mission. There is much work to be done, but it begins with awareness, honest assessment, and compassionate action.

Staggering Weight of Fatherlessness
The statistics surrounding fatherlessness are indeed staggering in scope and severity, painting a picture that demands serious attention. When we pause to consider that over 18 million children in the United States alone are growing up in homes without a father actively present. The undeniable correlation between fatherlessness and an assortment of other alarming societal trends and problems, ranging from incarcerated youth and teenage pregnancy to youth suicide and violent protests, only serves to further underscore the profound gravity and weight of the situation at hand. There is no question that as we thoughtfully and strategically delve into this mammoth issue, we must do so being fully aware of what God’s Word teaches about the significance of faithful fatherhood and its intended positive impact on the lives of children, families, communities, and society. The Bible highlights the immense importance and influence of engaged fatherhood. In Ephesians 6:2-4, Paul instructs children to honor their fathers, and speaks to fathers, commanding them not to provoke their children to anger, but instead take an active role in bringing them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. This strategic parental exhortation reveals that fathers have an irreplaceable and God-given role to play in the positive upbringing and growth of their children, providing both loving support and gentle but firm spiritual guidance.

Far-Reaching Consequences of Fatherlessness
In contrast to God’s life-giving model of fatherhood revealed in Scripture, the tragic consequences of fatherlessness, neglect, and abandonment are not to be minimized or taken lightly. For example, Proverbs 29:15 warns that “a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” This verse draws sobering attention to the host of detrimental outcomes that can arise when fathers abdicate their posts or utterly fail to be the engine of love, support, discipline, and guidance that their families require. Children, especially boys, left unchecked and unto themselves without the strong positive influence of a father or father figure steering them are statistically far more likely to make foolish and self-destructive choices in life, which then in turn lead to personal shame and lifelong difficulties. Moreover, the undeniable correlation between fatherlessness and an assortment of serious societal problems and ills cannot be ignored. It becomes painfully clear that the absence of faithful fathers leaves the next generation incredibly vulnerable to negative influences, addictions, rebellion, and despair.

Call to Action: The Church’s Biblical Mandate
Considering the weighty crisis of fatherlessness, as committed followers of Jesus Christ, it is imperative that we, the Church, respond to this issue with both compassion in action and a sense of urgency. The Bible reminds us in James 1:27 that: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” While this verse specifically mentions orphans and widows, it reflects a broader biblical principle and call to responsibility to see and care deeply for those around us who are suffering quietly in vulnerable and lonely situations. As Christ’s body on earth, we have a mandate to come alongside those affected by fatherlessness in their pain and confusion, taking the initiative to provide mentorship, spiritual guidance, emotional support, and unconditional love.
Furthermore, as we reflect on how to address this crisis in our communities, we can look to the perfect example of our compassionate Heavenly Father, who promises in His Word to extend His ceaseless love, comfort, protection, and nurture to us as His beloved children. Psalm 68:5 proclaims the beautiful truth that our God chooses to identify Himself as “A Father to the fatherless...God in His holy dwelling.” Our Father’s gentle, faithful character and nature as a perfect Father to us even in our lost state should remind us of the importance of stepping forward to fill the gaping holes in the lives of those around us who lack an earthly Father’s presence or a father’s unconditional love.

Church’s Unique Responsibility and Opportunity
Amidst the chaos, confusion, and social turmoil swirling around us, the Church is uniquely positioned to take up the mantle and comprehensively address the root issue of fatherlessness in our communities and culture. By humbly returning to our biblical roots and actively living out our God-ordained calling to serve the suffering, we can once again be positioned to play a pivotal role in stemming the tide of the fatherlessness epidemic that is wreaking havoc on the next generation. Jesus commanded His followers plainly in Matthew 5:13-16 to be salt and light in this dark world, bringing hope, healing, and the message of redemption to all we encounter. This great exhortation extends directly to addressing the issue of fatherlessness within our spheres of impact, where the Church has a unique and urgent opportunity to step up and make a lasting difference in millions of lives.

Biblical Mentorship: A Powerful Solution and Redemptive Opportunity
Therefore, the Church must be fully equipped and prepared to sensitively address the deep father wounds and unmet needs that may exist among our members. These often-hidden wounds frequently stem from the lifelong void left by chronically absent or stern fathers, or the damage caused by abusive and rejecting fathers. Left unacknowledged and unaddressed, these wounds can fester into anger, resentfulness, or depression, while also resulting in terribly distorted perceptions of God the Father’s character, heart, and affection for His children. But by recognizing the burden of fatherlessness around us and the underlying pain it causes, through prayerful biblical mentorship grounded in sound doctrine affirming God as our perfect Heavenly Father, the Church has an opportunity to come alongside the wounded with empathy and compassion, gently guiding them toward healing and complete restoration through the comfort and transformative power of God’s perfect fatherly love. As Christ’s body here on earth, we have a responsibility and privilege to reflect and radiate this steadfast fatherly love to those in our midst who still hunger for the guidance and support lacking from their earthly fathers.

Embracing God as Our Perfect Heavenly Father
Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, inaugurated a new era of grace when He invited us through the Gospel to approach God and commune with Him daily as cherished children. Multiple times during His ministry, Jesus reinforced this intimate father-child relationship between God and His followers by inviting us to pray the words “Our Father in heaven” when crying out to Him (Matthew 6:9). This consistent biblical paradigm emphasizes God’s role as our steadfast Father, along with the Son and Spirit, highlights the supreme significance of fathers as part of the Trinity and our understanding of who God is. As the Church, it is our responsibility and privilege to continually uphold and reinforce this vital theology within our teaching and practices.
The reality of God’s father-love has the power to bring deep comfort, healing, and freedom. Paul wrote about our new identity in Christ in Romans 8: with these words: “For 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!’” This verse highlights the intimate, secure, and deeply personal connection we have with the Creator of the Universe as our adopted Father when we place our trust in Christ as Savior. By teaching and modeling what it means to be dearly loved children of God, the Church can begin to bind up the deep emotional and spiritual wounds carried by so many around us due to absent or abusive earthly fathers.

Our Mandate to Love and Lead
Considering the far-reaching damage stemming from fatherlessness, the Church’s mandate is clear. We must pick up the mantle left to us and arise to combat this crisis with conviction, wisdom, empathy, and love. We must teach sound biblical doctrine about God’s father-heart, addressing past wounds that distort truth. We must provide mentorship and support to fill the gaps in young lives. We must extend Christlike compassion to guide fatherless children to wholeness. We must petition God in earnest prayer to heal families. While the hour is urgent, it is not hopeless. Through the power of the Gospel, we carry the keys to rebuild the ancient ruins. May we as the Church unite to a shared purpose, committed to advancing God’s Kingdom among the fatherless until His faithful love makes all things new.

As we seek to serve those affected by fatherlessness, let us be intentional in reaching out with guidance, mentorship, and love. By stepping into this critical role of support and restoration for individuals, families, and society, we follow the call of Isaiah 1:17 to “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless” (ESV). Though this work often feels daunting, we draw strength from the truth that we never walk alone. Even in the darkest valleys, God our Father is always by our side, ready to lift us up and see us through. So let us remember: We never walk alone, for God our Father is always by our side.