If in a court case you called an advocate a prosecutor you might well destroy the proceedings, yet this very thing is a prominent feature of not a few faith communities.  The essential shift in the nature of the relationship between God and humanity is that strangers and aliens become intimate and family.   In addressing God as anything other than “Father” one risks misdirecting ones affections, despises the costly provisions put in place by heaven’s commander.  The actual terms used may not precisely follow Yeshua’s guide to prayer, but when the framework of prayer is not God’s unique fatherhood we pour a whole lot of water on the fire.

Father-God is uniquely Christian

Just so there is no amount of speculation about God’s vested interest in being understood and treated as father even Christ in the Isaiah 9 prediction is called “The everlasting Father”.  The full extent of father-son unity is on display here.  The Father assigns all of his business –  creation, redemption, revelation,  and maintaining the universe –  to the Son.  Everlasting father is a role assumed to be exclusively source and progenitor.

The Tutor-Spirit keeps crying

As essential to the new relationship in which the convert finds himself or herself the Holy Spirit utters the term by which the new child of God needs to relate to the divine benefactor. How difficult can it be to hear the Spirit, who just happens to be always praying for us, crying “ABBA” and address God as Father? Even if one does not use the term father in prayer the attitude and mindset need to be domestic and ancestral.

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Galatians 4:6

God is king but he relates to his children as distinctly as their identity and inheritance differ from those of servants (angels and ministering entities).

I suppose these pictures of the intimacy between God and his Son, God and his human children are a massive challenge to many. We have become so estranged from emulating the divine pattern of interpersonal relationships and communication that it seems strange for God to give his Son a name above all names and exalted him above the heavens. Who does that? I conclude that fatherhood in the spiritual DNA of converts to Christ. You, male or female, will have difficulty living in God’s family if you ignore the fatherly influence of the Spirit crying ABBA.