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When we come to examine the words, "the heavenlies," of Ephesians, we shall see the
distinction between that sphere and the heavens of I Pet. 1: Before passing on let us
notice the way in which this epistle uses the title, "Father." The occurrences are eight in
number, the number of resurrection, and the order of their occurrence forms an
interesting structure.
"The Father."
(Eight occurrences Resurrection).
A | 1: 2. Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
B | 1: 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
C | 1: 17. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.
D | 2: 18. Access by one Spirit unto the Father.
D | 3: 14. I bow my knees unto the Father.
C | 4: 6. One God and Father of all.
B | 5: 20. Giving thanks unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A | 6: 23. Love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It will be observed that the central members have reference to access and prayer,
which is one of the outstanding ideas in the revelation of the title "Father." Do we
appreciate the fulness of this divine revelation? Think what is implied by the term
"father" among men. What a world of self-denying care, patience, forbearance, labour,
love, planning and providing is enshrined in that name. The Scriptural conception of a
father is somewhat different from that which seems to be accepted to-day. In the vast
majority of cases the training of the children falls upon the mother, the father, during the
child's early years, being someone he sees during the week-end, and who will be told if
the child is naughty. Modern business life and civilisation have robbed us of more than
it has given.
In Eph. 6: 4 the "bringing up" of the children devolves upon the father. The same is
true in Heb. 12: So in Psa. 103: 13, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear Him." Let us ever remember the magnitude of this title of our God,
and let us be fully persuaded that He will always act up to the highest ideal of Fatherhood
that we can ever frame. What a difference the full recognition of this would make to
prayer. Instead of the paraphernalia of a ritualistic approach, or the trite and rehearsed
statements of orthodox utterance, we should go to the Lord as a child to its father, without
fear, except filial fear, and without doubt, being fully persuaded that He will hear, and
give the very best possible answer. Our worship, too, and our service generally would be
equally affected by a real conscious recognition of this wonderful title of our God.
Let us consider the next statement, "of our Lord Jesus Christ." In verse 2 we read of
God our Father. God can only be our Father by virtue of redemption. For our sakes "the
Word became flesh and tabernacled among us," and they who beheld Him wrote, "and
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth" (John 1: 14). Fatherhood implies the act of begetting, even as motherhood does that
of giving birth.