Historians believe the Jews never used, “abba” to refer to God in the time of the Old Testament. It was only after Jesus said, “abba” in the Garden of Gethsemane that Christians began to copy him, and do the same. By the time the Apostle Paul said “abba” in Romans and in Galatians, Christians in Palestine were referring to God the Father as, “abba” everywhere.
As I mentioned last week, the word, “abba” appears altogether three times in the New Testament. Last week, we looked at the Markan passage where Jesus said, “abba” for the first, and only time. Now let’s turn to the two Pauline passages where Paul said “abba” to see what we can learn what “abba” means, and if “pater” and “abba” are the same, and interchangeable. But if they are different, how are they different.
Romans 8.12–17
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 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!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Galatians 4.1–7
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Firstly, I noticed that the word, “abba” was never used alone. This is true not only when Paul spoke in Romans and Galatians, but also in the one time Jesus spoke in the Gospel of Mark. All three times it is written, “abba, Father”. No matter if it was Jesus or Paul who used the word, “abba”, it was always used together with “pater”. The word, “abba” never appears alone.
Secondly, I noticed that the same words, “Spirit”, “slave”, “adoption”, and “heir” appeared in both Romans and Galatians passages. The Bible talks about Christ believers being sons of God. But Paul went further. Both times, he said we became God’s sons by adoption. In Romans, Paul said when you and I find ourselves being led by the Spirit, this confirms we have received the Spirit of adoption, we are indeed sons of God, and for this reason, we cry, “Abba! Father”. In Galatians, Paul said that through Christ’s excellent work on the cross, we were redeemed under the law, and we became adopted as God’s sons. As a result of this, the Spirit of Christ in your heart and in my heart cries, “Abba! Father”. Two separate passages, for sure, but both were discussions on adoption as children of God. These were not two trivial discussions on adoption; they were pregnant with meaning, bringing Paul to cry, “Abba! Father”.
I first read and learned in seminary that adoption, in many interesting ways, was different in the 1st century world than what it is in our world today. But at the core, adoption remains the legal process where all legal rights and privileges of a biological child are permanently conferred on a non-biological child. The rights and privileges are the same for both individuals. There is now no difference between the adopted child and the biological child. So, when Jesus called the Father, “abba”, and we too call the Father, “abba”, Jesus and we are now equal members of one family. Did you hear what I said? Romans 8.17 says we are now co-heirs with Christ. Amazing. It is as if the Father cannot tell us apart, so to speak. As much as the Father overflows with love for his Son, he overflows with the same love for us. Friends, have I told you before how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father?
Paul wrote altogether 13 letters in the New Testament (14 if you count the Letter to the Hebrews). He didn’t talk about adoption in all of his letters. He talked about it only in two, Romans and Galatians (three, if you count Ephesians where it is mentioned in passing). Is it possible Paul said, “abba, Father” when he spoke twice about Christ believers being adopted as children of God and being heirs of God, by coincidence? Possible. But I don’t think so. I think he wrote, “abba” on purpose, while the idea of being adopted into God’s family was fully on his mind.
What does the word, “abba” mean and how is it different from the word, “pater”? I am not sure. But I am not thinking that the word means, “papa” or “daddy”. (Both Jesus and Paul said, “abba” not as small children, but as full adults.) I sense the word, “abba” in the 1st century was a word more reverent and adult than “daddy” in the 21st century when one addressed his or her father. I also sense the word, “abba” (at least for Paul) had something to do with our adoption into being children of the God Almighty.
James Barr, Scottish Biblical author
If the New Testament writers had been conscious of the nuance of ‘Daddy’ they could easily have expressed themselves so; but in fact, they were well aware that the nuance is not that of ‘Daddy’ but of ‘Father’.” . . . [T]he semantics of abba itself [based on various evidences] all agree in supporting the nuance ‘Father’ than the nuance ‘Daddy’.”
Michael S. Heiser, Christian author
Scholars have demonstrated that (a) the Aramaic term abba was not exclusively used by children but frequently by adults in adult discourse, and (b) reducing the term to childish (though affectionate) prattle guts it of important interpretive nuances.
I still do not know for certain why Paul said, “abba”. Do you have any guesses? If I had to guess, I am thinking if it is possible that in the 1st century, both biological children and adopted children called their father, “pater”, but only the biological children called their father, “abba”? In other words, could it be that 1st century adopted children never called their father, “abba”? Is it possible even though adopted children were entitled to the same legal rights and privileges as those of biological children, adopted children do not say, “abba” to the father? I don’t know. But if by some chance this is true, then I think it is an amazing thought. When 1st century Christ believers began to call the Father, “abba”, this signaled they were now no longer adopted, but true children of God. Christ believers confidently call the Father, “abba”, a word previously never used by adopted children. It is true you and I are adopted into God’s family, but we are true children of God as if we have been his biological children all along. We are entitled to all rights and privileges as though we were not adopted. The Almighty God in the universe does not see you and me as adopted children. He does not welcome us to call him, “abba”, he asks us to call him, “abba”. He wants you and me to know how deeply he loves us, and he wants us to, with full confidence, call him, “Abba! Father!”