14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For 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!” 16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.
READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER →We have spent this series learning the names of God. Creator. I AM. God Almighty. The LORD who provides, heals, goes before us, and gives peace. The Shepherd. Immanuel. Every one of those names is glorious. But this last one is the one I want you to carry out the door this morning, because it is the name He invites you to use. Abba. Father.
Abba is an Aramaic word. It is the language Jesus spoke at home. Every time it shows up in the New Testament, it comes with the Greek word for father right after it, so readers who did not know Aramaic would understand. You may have heard that Abba simply means Daddy. Scholars caution us on that. Grown children used it too. But it was a family word. It belonged to the kitchen table, not the courtroom.
The one place we hear it in the Gospels is the darkest place imaginable. Jesus is in Gethsemane, the night before the cross, His soul overwhelmed with sorrow. And He prays, “Abba, Father,” and then, “all things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.” Do not miss that. Abba is not a word for when everything is easy. It is the word the Son used when He was facing the cross for us.
Now look at Romans 8. Paul says that everyone who is led by the Spirit of God is a son of God. Then he says, “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!’” Paul says the same thing in Galatians 4:6. God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” The very words Jesus prayed in the garden are now on the lips of those who trust Him.
Think about what that means. A slave relates to a master by fear. Did I do enough? Am I in trouble? Will I be thrown out? A lot of Christians live like that. They read their Bible to keep God off their back and pray to stay on His good side. But you are not a slave in God's house. Through faith in Jesus, you have been adopted. Paul's word for sonship is a word used for adoption. You have a place at the table that you did not earn and cannot lose.
How does that happen? Not by trying harder. By grace. Jesus, the eternal Son, took our place under judgment so that we could take His place in the Father's family. Paul says, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.” Some mornings you will not feel like a child of God. Your feelings are not the final word. The Spirit's testimony is.
And it gets better. “And if we are children, then we are heirs.” Heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ. Everything that belongs to the Son, He shares with His brothers and sisters. Paul is honest that the road includes suffering with Him. Children in this family still go through Gethsemane. But the end of the road is glory, and you will not walk it as an orphan.
So when you pray today, do not start with a résumé. Start with a name. Abba. Father. Say it in the car. Say it in the hospital hallway. Say it when you have blown it again and you are tempted to hide. The Father is not waiting with a list. He is waiting with open arms. You belong to Him.
Abba is an Aramaic word for “father,” carried over into the Greek New Testament and each time followed by the Greek word for father (Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). It was a warm family word, but scholars caution that it was not merely baby talk like “Daddy”; grown children used it too. What stands out is that Jesus addressed God this way, and that through the Spirit He invites His people to do the same.
OPEN G5 IN THE DICTIONARY →Abba, Father, thank You that through Jesus I am not a slave but Your child. I confess I often come to You with fear instead of trust, as if I had to earn my place. Thank You for sending the Spirit of Your Son into my heart. Teach me to pray like Jesus prayed in the garden, honestly and surrendered. Help me live today as Your heir, secure in Your love, whatever comes. In Jesus' name, amen.
Start every prayer today with the words “Abba, Father,” and notice how it changes the way you talk to God.
- Do you tend to relate to God more like a slave afraid of a master, or a child secure with a Father? Why?
- What does it mean to you that Jesus first prayed “Abba, Father” in Gethsemane, facing the cross?
- How does being a co-heir with Christ change the way you face suffering today?