< Chapter 1 | INDEX | Chapter 3 >
The Jews answered Jesus: “We have one father, even God,” (Jn 8:41). For this they had plenty Scripture backing – such as Deut 32:6. But let us discern wherein He was their/our ‘Father.’
If a scientist constructs a robot which walks, talks and works, we would still not impute fatherhood to him because of the invention. Should another one concoct an egg which hatches a chick, we would still not concede him fatherhood (because of the chick).
In the opening portion of the oldest record which present man has, it is written: “and they brought forth abundantly AFTER THEIR (own) KIND.” THAT was the standard of parenthood thousands of years ago, and still is: ONE’S OWN KIND must first be brought into being before parenthood is conceded.
Is God a MAN? Unless or until we can definitely establish that God was/is a man of flesh, blood and bones as ourselves, then His creation of man did not constitute Him a ‘father’ any more so than did oceans full of fish, or sloughs full of slugs.
Christ said: “A spirit has not flesh and bones as you seen that I have” (Luke 24:39). And He also said that God is a SPIRIT. This is backed up by Yahweh’s innumerable utterances, saying “My SPIRIT…”
Wherefore, to become a ‘father’, He had to bring one or more spirit beings into existence. Thus and then only could He be classed as a father. And this we find declared in His word. The holy apostle wrote of Him as ‘the Father of spirits’ (Heb 12:9) founded in Zech 12:1 which declares that God ‘forms the spirit in man.’ Which means that the physical form we recognize as man is indwelled by a SPIRIT. In Numbers 27:16 we are told of ‘the spirits of all flesh.’ These scripture passages lead us to the inevitable conclusion that God, as ‘the Father of spirits,’ has begotten myriads of spirit beings (of which almost six billions are indwelling human beings at this time).
Our medical scientists have determined that within the gonads of the young human male, hundreds of millions of LIFE-sperms are generated within the space of days; that in comparitively short time he has generated as many or more LIFE-sperms than the entire host of stars visible to the telescopic eye of science!
Are we not told that man was fashioned IN THE IMAGE of God? Wherefore, since God was not handicapped by the limitations of earth and flesh (which limits the manifest progeny of man), we can rightfully, and MUST assume that God fathered multitudinous myriads of SPIRITS. And, since we observe that the urge to beget one’s kind, manifests in cycles over a period of time, we can also rightfully suppose that the spirit beings (‘children’ of God) were brought forth in cyclic waves. Bearing then in mind that (from our perspective), a thousand years are but as ONE DAY with God, we must conclude that these ‘waves of virgin spirits’ were separated in time, likely by very vast eras. That is, the time of their begetting constitutes them beings of neverable age, down to comparatively young ones. Therefore are we told in His word, of angelic ‘order’ (Eph 1:21 and Col 1:16, which passages are fully supported in the O.T. by reference to archangels, seraphim, cherubim and angels). The old word rendered ‘angel’ simply means a messenger – whether heavenly or earthly. Even the word ‘messenger’ should speak a volume to us. For, in any well organized business or state of society, the ‘messengers’ are close to the bottom by rank, being largely without experience or understanding in matters of the business. Usually, in course of time they rise above that rank and progress into positions of increasing responsibility.
Utterly impossible it is to reconcile that God ‘created’ spirit being of varying rank and power, with the fundamental fact that God is the FATHER-Spirit, and the very essence of TRUTH and ALL GOOD (“And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and Truth’ ” – Exod 34:6).
GOD did not become our ‘father’ because of the physical body having been fashioned in His own image. Did not God Himself stress the fact IMAGES were not to be worshipped or revered? That is, the image should not be confused with the LIVING REALITY. Wherefore, it is not the physical image (-body) which constituted Him a ‘father’, but that SPIRIT which He exuded INTO the face of the image (-body) He fashioned as a vehicle, or as a “tabernacle” for the infant-spirit He had begotten.
What! Was God a wind-bag that He could ‘breathe’ into the nostrils of Adam some vitalizing atmosphere? No, beloved, such fantasies are but contortions of His Truth, hatched in man’s blind ignorance. Is God a mixture of gases? HE could exude out from His own being into Adam nothing but that which He was/is: namely, SPIRIT! Therefore, and thereby did He become A ‘FATHER.’
Would a normally good earthly parent deliberately BEGET offspring of greatly varying intelligence and potential, in order that later some would be only fit to clean barns and scrub toilets while others to be business tycoons and statesmen of honor? Well hardly! The normally good parent desires nothing but the HIGHEST and BEST for one’s offspring; neither does noble parentage ever find complete contentment until it beholds the progeny having risen to its own status and achievements (or better!). Can we rightfully ascribe to God (who is the father of the spirit within), less nobility and goodness than that which dwells at the core of His spirit-children?
Wherefore, let us properly understand His expressions: the physical man was not His child, but merely formed or created. The spirit within was not ‘created’ but BEGOTTEN. HE did not ‘create’ spirits of varying ranks and powers, but He CONSTITUTED them as such, or APPOINTED them to fill posts for which they were best suited according to the AGE they had attained and the experience acquired. God is not whimsical and arbitrartily wicked: HE is a LOVING FATHER.
